How Do I Properly Care For My Mattress?

Your mattress is a big investment, and you should get years of good sleep out of it. There are a few important things you can do to make sure you extend the life of your bed. Primarily, use your bed for sleeping and other bedroom activities, but don’t use your bed for eating and drinking. As tempting as it may be to grab a bowl of popcorn and a nightcap for a Saturday evening movie, save that for a hotel room. Getting food or drink residue in your mattress fibers is tough to get out. Here are some ways to mitigate (or clean up after!) a mess.

Use a mattress protector

This is the most common advice we give our customers when they’re shopping for or investing in a new mattress and asking how they can extend the life of their new bed. Always, always use a mattress protector. In fact, we often recommend that you buy two of these, so you can use one while laundering the other. Mattress protectors are designed to prevent spills, bodily fluids, and general dirt and dust from getting into the fabric of your mattress. Some mattress protectors will even protect your mattress against bed bugs, and others are designed to create a cooling layer without affecting the feel of your mattress.

Using your mattress protector will also increase the likelihood that your mattress warranty will remain intact. Typically, spills and stains will void that warranty, so a mattress protector is another good way to take care of your financial investment.

If you do have an accident on your mattress, clean it up ASAP

Use a clean towel or paper towels to absorb liquid from your mattress. Don’t scrub at this point, because you want to transfer as much of the mess as possible out of the mattress fibers and into the towel. Sprinkle baking soda directly on the area of your mattress that has been stained. Let your mattress dry completely, without putting your sheets back on, and then vacuum up the baking soda.

Wash your sheets regularly

Change your sheets every week to be sure the barrier between you and your mattress is clean. If your sheets are dirty or retaining moisture, your mattress could absorb the consequences. If you sweat at night, this is another good reason to use a mattress protector (and invest in a mattress with cooling foam technology). Fabric and foam break down faster when exposed to moisture, so make sure your mattress and sheets stay dry.

Clean and rotate your mattress by the clock

Schedule time to clean and rotate your mattress alongside another activity you do quarterly or semiannually. For example, you may deep clean your baseboards and windows every four months. Or you may mark a time for deep cleaning by the start and end of daylight saving time. Use that time to vacuum and rotate your mattress and wash your pillows.

Many modern mattress styles aren’t designed to be flipped, but you can and should rotate certain mattresses. That way, the material will wear more evenly, and your mattress will ultimately last longer. Before you rotate your mattress (from end to end), check the instructions or warranty. Different manufacturers will have different recommendations, depending on the type of mattress you own.

If you’re in the market for a new mattress, come talk to our sleep experts. We’ll make sure you get a mattress that suits your sleep style and that your mattress is a great investment for a long time to come.