How Do You Deep Clean a Mattress? What Tools Do I Need?
I am naturally sweaty and only use Fan (no AC) so I sweat through the night and the smell sticks to the mattress (and the pillows).
Is there a way to clean this mattress before I invest in a mattress cover?
You want to get a good mattress pad. You can wash that in a washing machine and keep your mattress clean.
To reduce smell in your mattress, kill the bacteria. Spray with 1 part vodka 2 parts water. Let it fully dry before putting sheets back on.
Stains, those aren’t going away. That’s why you wanted a mattress pad.
Oxy clean is pretty decent at getting rid of stains.
If you manage to clean (or end up replacing) the mattress consider getting a waterproof zip-up mattress cover for it, and then put the mattress pad on top of that.
Yes, any smart-ass people who see it will make comments like “Dude, do you piss the bed or something?”. You know what? Fuck them. Beyond the common sweat issue, mattresses are expensive and the whole mattress industry is a scam.
So protecting your overpriced investment from liquids (accidental spills, pet vomit, whatever) is just good common sense. Once you have a mattress pad on top of the zip-up waterproof cover, and then a fitted sheet over the whole thing, it really isn’t all that noticeable.
The zip-ups also help deter bed bugs, I believe. Maybe it’s just a misconception, but I believe that if you get a bedbug infestation, having that zip-up means you’re more likely to be able to salvage your mattress (rather than need to buy a new one), as the bed bugs obviously are unable to infest your mattress.
Also, memory foam mattress pads are just comfy.
I started doing this when my kids up were little, but quickly realized it was a good idea, given how expensive mattresses are.
The only thing I would add is it is worth paying a little more so you don’t hear the crinkle of plastic every time you move. Similarly, the mattress pad is critical, otherwise you’re sleeping on plastic
Are these Mattress Pads and Waterproof Zip-Up Mattress Cover easy to wash? (Using a Washing Machine?)
Yes, they are.
We wash the zip up pad a few times a year. But we do the mattress pad that sits on top when we wash our sheets.
I’ve never seen the need to wash the waterproof cover, unless there was an accident. Then it’s just a sponge or rag with soap and water. It’s never exposed, converted by several layers, and is impermeable.
The mattress pad goes in the wash occasionally
Rent a wet and dry sofa/carpet vacuum, like a Kärcher Puzzi (I know). I did recently for my sofa - a good machine will cost 1500 or so, but I only paid 30 to rent it for a day.
They’re dead easy to use and you’ll be shocked at the amount of grime that comes out. There are tutorials on YouTube, here’s a good one.
Baking soda, vinegar, and and all those other house-wife hacks are bullshit and won’t help you at all.
As an aside; baking soda and vinegar does fuck all. They break down to salt water. There is no cleaning magic happening. You can use baking soda or vinegar depending on what you clean, but most certainly not on a mattress that requires deep cleaning.
Finally invest in a protector and possibly a waterproof pad in between. The protectors are washable, so chuck that in the washer every so often and you’re golden.
My tiniest caveat is baking soda and vinegar is meant to create microscopic bubbles that can physically lift and agitate things – but you are correct it’s not a chemical/solution for cleaning - just a little micro scrubbing for particular use cases. .
Use a good steam cleaner and enzymatic cleaner that is often used for biological messes like pet urine. The enzymes will break down the odor and remove it.
Don’t mix chemicals together. that can be dangerous.
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Yep, this. A mattress should be replaced every 5-7years. They just break down over time.
I am on about 15 years on this current mattress. Seems to be doing just fine.
It’s about 75% dust mites by now. They’re very supportive little buggers! But at 15 years you should replace it and put an encasement or waterproof cover on the new one. And a mattress pad on top of that. Then you’ll be able to wash the absorbent mattress pad while your mattress stays pristine. An encasement has the advantage of blocking out any bedbugs you might bring home. You don’t have to go expensive, I recently got an Ortho Signature Club II for about $500 including delivery and disposal of my old one. If you can handle getting rid of the old one by yourself, Bear makes very good arrives-in-a-box mattresses. No fiberglass, meets Canadian standards.
A dumpster and $300
I have similar nightsweat problems, so I did something close to this once: https://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-Bed-with-Baking-Soda
If you Google “clean mattress with baking soda” you’ll find a bunch of similar recipes. Lots suggest using essential oils, which I didn’t use.
The results were decent when I did it. Definitely de-funkified the mattress a bit, and removed some of the stains. It was hardly like new, but it was definitely better than before.
Bissel have a range of spot cleaners that work well with mattresses.
https://bissell.com.au/blogs/news/bissell-home-cleaning-guide#Bedroom
Took a couple of runs with my Bissell but it removed tough sweat stains effectively.
Bathe before sleeping everyday. It not only keeps your sheets clean but help you sleep well too. To clean the mattress, use those steam vacuum cleaners and then air your mattress in the sun if possible.
You should get an AC. You’re getting significantly lower quality sleep
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Probably a bit crazy, but I used a carpet washer on my bare mattress with all the covers taken off. The zipped on covers were easily removed and put in the washing machine. Just hoping to extend the life of the mattress a few more years because they are so damn expensive.
Get a good under-mattress pad and prevent damage to your mattress. It is cheaper to throw away and replace a mattress protector than a mattress.
