While most people will regularly wash their sheets and blankets, not very many actually think about cleaning their mattresses.
This is important since having a clean mattress can greatly improve the quality of your sleep.
And why so?
Dust mites live on a dirty mattress. And they leave fecal matter which can irritate our skin and our lungs. What’s more, a dirty mattress can have bed bugs, stains, bad odor, and more (YUCK!).
Find out how to clean a smelly mattress and have a good night’s sleep!
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How To Clean Mattress Stains At Home
I’m going to go over how to clean common types of stains from your mattress so you don’t have to worry in case you have an unfortunate incident.
Cleaning Urine & Sweet Stains From Mattress
Here is an easy way to clean a mattress with pee and sweat stains.
- 2 tbsp baking soda – Helps deodorize and lift stains
- 3 tbsp fabric softener – Adds a fresh scent
- 4 tablespoons of liquid detergent – Breaks down dirt and grime
- 4 tablespoons of water – To dilute the solution
- A clean towel – For easy application
- A steam iron – To loosen dirt and disinfect
1. Mix the Solution:
- In a bowl, combine baking soda, detergent, fabric softener, and water. Stir well.
2. Prepare the Towel:
- Soak a clean towel in the mixture.
- Wring it out so it’s damp but not dripping.
3. Wrap the Iron:
- Wrap the damp towel around the base of your steam iron.
4. Scrub & Steam:
- Turn the iron on steam mode (low to medium heat).
- Gently scrub the mattress in circular motions. The heat and steam will break down dirt while the cleaning mix refreshes the fabric.
5. Let It Dry:
- Allow the mattress to air dry completely before covering it with sheets.
How to Clean a Mattress with Blood Stains
The mattress could get stained with blood during a woman’s menstrual period. Or, you can suffer from a nosebleed, or your dry skin has cracked and bled. Here are some tips to clean a mattress with bloodstains.
- Put hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle.
- Spray the bloodstain thoroughly, then blot with a clean towel. Make sure to repeat the process until the bloodstain is completely removed.
- Air-dry the mattress or use a fan or a blow dryer to speed up the process.
- An alternative would be to use a paste of baking soda applied to the stain and allow it to sit for 30 minutes before wiping it away with a clean, damp rag.
How to Clean Red Wine Stains From Mattress
Red wine can be tricky, but if you act fast and follow these steps, it will be fixed in a jiffy! The most tried-and-true solution for cleaning red wine stains is club soda because the sodium content works wonders by drawing the wine out of the mattress material.
- Take a clean, dry cloth and soak up as much of the wine as you can.
- Cover the stain with club soda and rub it in with a clean cloth.
- Sprinkle everyday table salt over the area.
- Let it sit because the salt is going to work with the club soda to dry out the stain and soak up the red color from the wine.
- Use a vacuum and suck up the salt and moisture from the mattress.
- Repeat until the stain is gone.
- Air-dry your mattress, and you’ll be done!
RELATED READING: how to make your closet smell good and eliminate bad odors
How To Clean A Mattress With Coffee Stains
The best way to get rid of coffee stains on a mattress is to mix dish soap, vinegar, and warm water and apply them in this way:
- Mix 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar, and then add a tablespoon of dish soap.
- Put the solution into a spray bottle.
- Take a clean, dry rag and blot the stain to absorb as much of the coffee stain as you can before you spray the mattress.
- Liberally spray the stained areas of the mattress with your vinegar solution.
- Let the cleaning solution sit for 5-10 minutes.
- While avoiding rubbing the stain in further, use a clean, dry cloth to blot the stain and get as much liquid up as you can.
- Repeat this process until you see the stain recede from your mattress.
- Air-dry until the mattress is no longer damp, and you’re good to go!
4 Hacks to always keep your mattress clean
It is not a difficult thing to have it cleaned regularly. Here are some easy steps for deep cleaning your mattress.
Have a cleaning routine for your mattress. If you want to keep the mattress clean and free of stains and dust mites clean it, at least, once a month by following the tips below.
1. Wash Everything In High Temperatures
Remove everything from the bed, your sheets, pillowcases, blankets, and comforters, and wash them in your washing machine with hot water. Washing in high temperatures can help kill mites that are living on your sheets.
2. Rotate the Mattress
Every month, flip or rotate your mattress. This can help extend its life and prevent sagging.
3. Keeping your mattress clean with this DIY remedy
Get a box of baking soda and some nice-smelling essential oils like lavender, sandalwood, or any scent that would be wonderfully calming. Add some drops of essential oil to the box of baking soda and shake well to mix.
Essential oils have antibacterial properties that will help give your mattress a good clean and remove bad odors.
Generously sprinkle the whole box of baking soda all over your mattress. You can use a sieve or you can simply pour it straight from the box.
Your mattress can get a deep cleaning if you rub the baking soda mixture into the bed. Make the mixture stay on the bed for at least an hour.
Then slowly vacuum the mattress, this handheld vacuum, from Amazon, has strong suction and is affordable.
Make sure that all the baking soda has been removed. If you linger over each part with the vacuum hose, it will ensure that dust and dirt are sucked away.
4. Steam Clean
Steam clean your mattress for a deeper clean. With steam cleaning, your mattress will smell better, and old stains can be removed. But make sure that after steam cleaning, your mattress is fully dry before putting your sheets and blanket back on the bed.
It is very important to keep your mattress as clean as possible since you spend almost a third of your life on it. If you clean your mattress regularly, then you are assured of having a good night’s sleep every night.