Whenever we’re at home, we spend a considerable amount of time laying, sitting, and relaxing on our mattresses. Most of us don’t clean our mattresses as often as we clean other items and furniture present in our home.
You should clean your mattress once every 3-6 months. So in this article, we will discuss how often should you vacuum your mattress in detail…
How Often Should You Clean That Filthy Mattress Using a Vacuum?
To ensure that your mattress stays clean and hygienic, we suggest you clean your mattress using a vacuum cleaner once every 3-6 months. However, if you are keen to keep it spic-and-span at all times, then you should consider cleaning it every month.
Moreover, if someone in your family is allergic, you should often clean your mattress to ensure that their allergies don’t get aggravated.
On the other hand, if you are not a fan of cleaning, you should at least make it a habit to vacuum your mattress when you do your seasonal home cleaning. It is also vital to ensure that you give your mattress the appropriate time that it needs to dry after you clean it thoroughly.
Apart from cleaning your mattress using a vacuum cleaner, you should also disinfect your bed whenever you clean your mattress.
Look for an antibacterial spray as it is a safe option, and try to avoid the use of bleach as it proves to be very harsh for mattresses.
Your aim should be to clean your mattress’s surface. You also need to ensure that you don’t let your mattress get wet in the cleaning process, as that can lead to mildew or mold.
Is Your Mattress a Home to Any Nasty Particles or Organisms?
There are several synthetics and biological things that make your mattress their home. That’s the reason why many of us don’t sleep peacefully or wake up with a dry throat, cough, or stuffy nose. These are a few symptoms that we see and feel.
However, harmful bacteria and particles can cause severe health issues that don’t always show symptoms. Let us take a quick look at these things:
1. Fungal Spores
Several types of mold and fungi such as Alternaria, Cladosporium, and Penicillium can grow on your mattress, and they can cause various health issues such as respiratory infections and bronchitis.
2. Your Cosmetic Items
All of us use cosmetics such as makeup, and lotions and these items contain harmful chemicals which can get absorbed by your mattress.
3. Allergens
Allergens such as dead skin, pet dander, and dust mites can often be found on your mattress. Moreover, by-products of insects can create a problem for people who suffer from any kind of allergy.
4. Chemicals
Several mattresses come with hazardous isocyanates, flame retardants, and plasticizers, all of which can become the cause of throat, nose, lung cancers, allergies, and asthma.
5. Bacteria
Bacteria can make their way into your mattress through fecal/intestinal and oral matter along with other fluids. These harmful bacteria are not something you would want on your mattress.
6. Food Particles
You would be lying if you say that you’ve never eaten in your bed. Whenever you eat in bed, some food particles are left behind, which decay with time. These particles make way for insects and ants, and they can also allow bacteria to grow on your mattress.
What Are the Best Practices to Vacuum the Mattress?
You need to follow a regular schedule to vacuum the mattress to ensure that your mattress keeps its distance from fungi, dust mites, bacteria, mold, and other harmful particles.
Before using the vacuum cleaner, make sure that the entire machine is clean and does not have any obstructions. Don’t forget to check that it is connected properly and that all the hoses are clear.
Use the upholstery attachment to vacuum the top surface of your mattress. Once done, make use of the crevice attachment of your vacuum cleaner to clean the crevices, and the seams as these areas collect the maximum amount of dead skin, dist, and other filthy particles.
Don’t forget to vacuum the area around the frame of your bed and baseboard.
You should also vacuum the furniture near your bed. While you’re at it, vacuum the areas under the bed as a lot of unwanted particles are found there as well.Â
Once you’re done with the vacuuming process, look for any spots and treat them with their respective cleaners.
Lastly, you should flip your mattress twice a year to maintain its shape. However, several features of the mattresses make it an impractical option to flip them these days. Hence, thoroughly read the instructions provided by the manufacturer before you do anything.Â
Conclusion
As stated above, it is recommended to clean your mattress once every 3-6 months. Your mattress proves to be home to a few highly unpleasant things such as dust, dirt, skin cells, and whatnot.
It won’t be a surprise if your mattress turns out to be the filthiest thing in your home, from the skin cells that you shed to the dirt, dust, germs, and bacteria that settle on the surface of the mattress.
Your mattress can also be the root cause of some sort of allergies or other health issues. We believe that you should go through this guide thoroughly and start taking measures to keep your mattress clean.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
After how long should I give my mattress a deep cleanse?
As per our recommendation, you should deep clean your mattress twice a year. Moreover, you should also read the instructions provided by the mattress manufacturer to ensure that you don’t end up ruining it.
How often should I clean my mattress?
You should clean your mattress once every few months even if there aren’t any odors, stains, or any other concerns in terms of the look & feel of the mattress. This is to ensure that your mattress stays fresh & clean and that you keep it away from all sorts of germs, bacteria, dirt, and dust. Moreover, it is crucial to keep your mattress protected from stains and spills.
Is it possible for me to get rid of dust mites in the mattress with the help of a vacuum cleaner?
To do so, you should take some baking soda and sprinkle it all over the top of your mattress. Once done, let the baking soda stay for 15 minutes. Then, use a vacuum cleaner to vacuum the baking soda. This way, the dust mites will get sucked by the vacuum along with the baking soda.
What is the reason behind yellow stains on my mattress?
Several reasons can cause the appearance of yellow stains on your mattress. Oils, urine, and sweat can create moisture in excessive quantities. Mildew and mold feed on moisture, and hence, they can grow on your mattress. Mould looks like yellow spots and contributes to the yellow stains that you spot on the mattress.