While else you may consider your mattress a personal item, it can be home to critters, mites, and even bugs. For starters, when sleeping, you release sweat, body fluids, dead skin, and sometimes urine into your mattress. If you do not clean it regularly, you leave all this stuff to accumulate. Eventually, mold and mildew grow in your bed, attracting the mites and bugs mentioned before. So how do you clean your mattress at home?

Can you clean a mattress with a carpet cleaner? Yes, you can. A carpet cleaner can be used to get rid of dust, mites, dead skin, and other dirt trapped in the mattress. It can also get rid of urine stains. For the best results for your mattress, we recommend using the extra attachments found in a carpet cleaner. Also, be careful not to oversaturate the mattress since it could encourage the growth of mold. When using a carpet cleaner, make sure one side of the mattress is dry before cleaning the other.

This article will look at how to clean a mattress using a carpet cleaner, other cleaning methods, and tips on maintaining your mattress and other related issues. Keep reading to learn more.

How to Clean a Mattress Using a Carpet Cleaner

Step 1: Remove all the beddings from your mattress and toss them into the washing machine.

Step 2: Use a handheld vacuum cleaner to get rid of the dust and mites in the mattress. You can use any vacuum cleaner of your choice as long as it has a hand-tool attachment.

Step 3: After vacuuming your mattress, stand it up against a wall to prevent new dust from being trapped.

Step 4: Clean the water reservoir that is attached to the carpet cleaner and fill it back with a solution of cleaning detergent and water in the correct ratios. Instructions of the proportions are usually specified on carpet cleaner manual or the cleaning detergent instructions.

Step 5: Switch on the carpet cleaner and start to clean one side of the mattress as you use the attached hand tool. Be careful not to over-wet the mattress since it will take longer to dry. Clean one side of the mattress, let it dry up, and then flip to the other.

Step 6: Once you are done with the large surfaces, clean the mattress’s narrow sides.

Step 7: When you are satisfied, your mattress is clean, leave it to dry.

Step 8: Once your mattress is completely dry, the keyword is completely, you can put it back in the bed base. However, be careful not to allow mites and bugs hiding in the bed frame to crawl back to the mattress. Therefore, we recommend you fit a clean mattress protector on the bed. Also, place clean beddings when making up the bed.

Step 9: After following this procedure, you are ready to enjoy your dirt-free bed.

Other Methods of Cleaning a Mattress

In case you do not have a carpet cleaner, do not worry. There are other alternatives for cleaning a mattress. They include:

Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning is effective if you are looking to get rid of bedbugs, dust mite, sweat, and urine. The steam released from a steamer will disinfect the mattress and help remove allergens.

The best part about steam cleaning is that you can DIY during your regular house chores. With a good steam cleaner, the following is a step-to-step procedure of cleaning your mattress.

Step 1: Remove all the beddings and toss them in the washing machine.

Step 2: Sprinkle a good amount of baking soda on the mattress and leave it to settle in for about 45 minutes. Baking soda is gets rid of the odors.

Step 3: After the 45 minutes, vacuum your mattress using the upholstery attachment. Vacuuming is necessary to get rid of dust, mites, and baking soda.

Step 4:  Power on the steamer and allow the water to heat up to at least 212F. It is at this temperature that the steamer will disinfect your mattress.

Step 5: Run the steamer across the mattress using the mattress or upholstery attachments to blast in the stream.

Step 6: When you are satisfied with the steaming process, leave the mattress in an open space for about 4-5 hours to dry.

Incase your steam cleaner does not have an upholstery attachment or mattress attachment, wrap a towel on the head of the steam cleaner. It will help to prevent scratches that may tear the mattress.

Using Baking Soda

It is typical for a dirty mattress to release a bad odor. That is where baking soda comes in. Baking soda is a deodorizer. It helps to get rid of bad smell from urine stains, sweat, and other things trapped in your mattress. In this cleaning procedure, to give your mattress an even fresh and better smell, we will use essential oils.

Step 1: Place baking soda in a container and then add a few drops of essential oil. Shake well to mix and remove lumps.

Step 2: Sprinkle the mixture all over the mattress.

Step 3: Rub the sprinkled mixture into the mattress and leave it to stand for about an hour

Step 4: After the hour has elapsed, vacuum the mattress and remove all baking soda

Step 5: Repeat the same procedure for the other side of the mattress.

Tips on How to Keep Your Mattress Clean

• Clean your mattress immediately- in case of any soils like urine, blood, or coffee, we recommend you clean your mattress as soon as possible. Start with placing the beddings in a washing machine, and then proceed to get rid of the excess fluid or moisture in your mattress using a paper towel. Once the excess liquid has dried up, use a stain remover to remove the stains.
• Regularly deep clean your mattress- Although just vacuuming a mattress can be enough, you need to build a habit of regularly deep cleaning it. This way, it stays clean and comfortable to use.
• Mattress Protector- another way to maintain your mattress is by investing in a mattress cover. A mattress cover protects your mattress from accidental spills. It also shields it from mites and bugs hiding in bed frames.

Related Questions

Can I steam clean my memory foam mattress? 

Memory foam mattresses are made of materials sensitive to pressure and temperature. As such, you have to be careful when steam cleaning it. We recommend you use a medium heat setting on your steamer to clean the memory foam mattress. It would help if you also were gentle and light with the steamer. Please do not concentrate on one part of the mattress since you could end up weakening its cells.

Can steam damage my mattress? 

Yes, too much steam can possibly damage the elastic property of a mattress. We recommend that you first read the instructions on your mattress before settling on the method to clean it. When steaming, work with the medium heat setting.

How often should I clean my mattress? 

For optimum cleanliness and hygiene, clean your mattress once a week and at least every two weeks. With the amount of time we spend in bed, we must keep our beddings clean just like the rest of our homes. Dirt mattresses and beddings could trigger allergies that worsen when you are in bed.

However, if your mattress is soiled, with urine or other fluids, you need to clean it immediately. It helps to get rid of the wetness and the smell of the liquid. Wet mattresses encourage the growth of molds, which are harmful to your health.