How To Freshen a Mattress for Your Guests

A mattress is a pretty big investment. Surely, you'll want to protect that investment with regular mattress maintenance. To guarantee the longevity of your purchase, regular mattress care is a must. One aspect of mattress care and maintenance that's important is to freshen up your mattresses a few times a year. You'll especially want to do this when guests come to visit for the holidays. Many people may not necessarily know how to clean a mattress, what products to use, or that different mattress types require unique cleaning methods. When preparing for guests or doing a deep house clean, it's important to know how to freshen a mattress. In this article, we'll provide an overview of how to freshen your mattress so your guests can have a great night's sleep.

The basics

The general hygiene recommendation is to wash your sheets once a week. Even if you change the sheets regularly, your mattress can still collect dust, grime, sweat, mold, or microscopic critters. Even if it doesn't feel like it, everyone sweats to some degree while they're sleeping. Spending around eight hours a night on a mattress means that you're also breathing in the biological contaminants that are trapped in the mattress. In fact, the cleanliness of your mattress can impact your sleep quality. A less than clean mattress can also affect your bedroom’s air quality.  For all these reasons, we offer some simple guidelines on how to freshen up a mattress to protect your health. Before your guests arrive for the holidays, learn the best methods for how to freshen a mattress, how to deep clean a mattress, how often to do it, and what materials to use. Let’s go!

How to freshen up a mattress

Your holiday guests are on their way, and you want to make sure their room is perfect for them. But wait…the mattress has not been cleaned in way too long! In order for your guests to feel completely comfortable in your home and have the best sleep possible, it's imperative that you freshen up and clean the mattress they'll be using. Here's how: First, strip the bed of any blankets, sheets, linens, pillows, and mattress covers. Open the windows and let in fresh air and sunshine for a few hours. This will help reduce bacteria, mold, moisture, and odors. Next, sprinkle baking soda all over the bare mattress. Baking soda is a natural ingredient that lifts household odors out of materials. Let it sit on the mattress for at least 30 minutes, and then vacuum it up. Lightly spray the mattress with upholstery cleaner or a DIY solution of a half teaspoon of detergent to three cups of warm water. You can also spray white vinegar on the mattress, which is safe for cleaning almost anything around the house. Let the spray air dry before putting clean sheets back on the mattress. How to freshen a mattress properly also depends on the type of materials the mattress is made from. If you have a memory foam mattress, spray your solution sparingly. Foam mattresses are not supposed to get soaking wet. Let your sprayed mattress dry for 24 hours before putting the bedding back on.

Guidelines for Cleaning a Mattress

How often should you clean your mattress?

It's a good idea to clean your mattress at least every six months, though ideally, it should be done every season. This will keep you and your family healthy and maintain the longevity of your mattress. Remember to clean your sheets far more often - as much as once a week - to avoid dust mites and the spread of germs or mold.

How to deep clean a mattress

Cleaning your mattress as part of regular maintenance also means eliminating mattress stains. There are great recipes out there for DIY mattress cleaners that include non-toxic ingredients such as baking soda and natural soap. You might be surprised to know that a DIY mattress cleaner can be just as effective as a store-bought one. The benefit of natural, home-made mattress cleaners is that you avoid the toxins found in most store-bought cleaners. Natural cleaners are safer and better for your health; using them means you don't end up inhaling cleaning toxins through your mattress.

Mattress cleaning basics

To start cleaning a mattress, you first need to strip the bed and wash the sheets, linens, and pillowcases. Before vacuuming, make sure the brush and nozzle are clean. Using a wide brush attachment, vacuum the mattress to remove all mites, dust, dead skin, hair, and other debris. If your mattress has a removable cover, take it off and wash it on the gentle cycle in your washing machine. Next, inspect the mattress. Check to see if there are stains and if so, what kind they are. This is important because there are different ways to clean different stains.

• Fresh spills: If anything has spilled or made your mattress dirty recently, tackle that first. Using a damp cloth, and blot the stain to remove the residue.
• Food, dirt, and drinks: Using a store-bought or DIY mattress cleaner, scrub the stains with a toothbrush. If you have a memory foam mattress, use only minimal amounts of cleaner, as memory foam should not get wet. Wipe up the remains with a damp cloth.
• Biological stains: Spray an enzyme cleaner onto a cloth. Don't spray it directly onto the mattress. Use the lightly saturated cloth to blot the stains. The enzyme cleaner should break down stains from blood, urine, vomit, and even grease and oil.

Once your stains are loosened and removed, sprinkle baking soda all over your mattress to deodorize it. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before vacuuming it up. Finally, open the windows (if the weather permits) and let the mattress air out. This freshens your mattress and gives any excess liquid a chance to dry. Additionally, the UV rays coming through the window will kill any bacteria or mold left on the mattress and will help eliminate odors.

Preventative measures to keep your mattress clean

Caring for your mattress regularly makes freshening it up and deep cleaning a bit easier. For example, if your mattress doesn't have a designated top and bottom, flip your mattress every 3-6 months. If your mattress does have a top and bottom, rotate it 180 degrees within the same timeframe. It's also recommended to use a mattress cover. There are options for plastic covers that enclose your mattress entirely or a mattress pad that goes on top. These protective layers can mean less work when it comes time for a deep clean. Lastly, always be sure to immediately clean spills to avoid stains and wash your sheets weekly.

Mattress types and how to clean them

Memory foam

If you're wondering how to freshen a mattress that's made of foam, such as a Saatva mattress, it's actually pretty easy. To start, use the upholstery attachment from a hand-held vacuum to pick up any lint and remove dust. To clean stains, use a cloth rag lightly saturated with water or a gentle cleaner, and lightly scrub out any stains and dirt. Remember not to saturate a foam mattress with cleaning solutions and risk it getting moldy.

Be sure to let your foam mattress dry out entirely before using it again. For mattresses like Saatva that have a 100% organic cotton mattress cover, don't be flip it. Instead, be sure to rotate it. Saatva mattresses come with a 15-year warranty, but if you keep it clean and care for it well, you'll never have to use the warranty.

Blended fabric

If you prefer a plush mattress, DreamCloud's mattress top layer is made of a cashmere blend fabric. This is considered a hybrid mattress. Follow the similar instructions for cleaning a regular mattress: vacuum to remove debris, spot treat stains with a gentle cleaner, air dry the mattress, sprinkle baking soda and vacuum it after 30 minutes, and use a mattress cover or topper.  

Conclusion

Knowledge is power, and the best way to get a good night’s sleep and keep your family and guests healthy is to keep your mattress clean. This article showed you how to freshen a mattress, how to clean a mattress, and how to maintain it to make it last as long as possible. We recommend freshening up your mattress once per season and deep cleaning it at least twice a year. Make sure you have a nice, clean, fresh mattress for your guests by following the simple steps above. They deserve a good night’s sleep, too! Need a new mattress for your guest room? Click here to determine whether you should buy online or in-store.