Mattress maintenance

The mattress is surely one of the most expensive and most important elements of bedding. Choosing the mattress is a very important step, because it determines the quality of the nights and the ability of sleep to be restorative. However, once the perfect mattress has been found, it is also essential to maintain it well to promote its longevity and hygiene. Here are different tips for maintaining your mattress!

Disinfecting a mattress

It is sometimes necessary to wash your mattress: accidents can happen quickly, especially with children. You must then take action to make your mattress clean again. However, you must first analyze the situation: different products can be used depending on the nature of the mattress. For some, cleaning with water is possible, but others may require dry cleaning.

To disinfect your mattress, you can use:

• Bleach, to be diluted in a volume of water and sprayed on the mattress. Then let it act, then rinse it with a cloth soaked in water.
• Household alcohol, also to be diluted in three times its volume of water before spraying on the area of ​​the mattress to be cleaned.
• Soda crystals, to be dissolved in hot water, then applied to the mattress with a cloth soaked in water and then wrung out.
• Ammonia, to be mixed with water and dishwashing liquid, then applied to the mattress with a sponge before rinsing with water.

For dry cleaning, there are the following options:

• Sprinkle the area to be cleaned with baking soda, which should be left to act on the mattress itself.
• Applying ox gall soap to a damp sponge and rubbing it against the mattress.

How to clean stains from a mattress

Beyond disinfection, it is sometimes simply for stains or odors that a mattress requires cleaning. Again, there are multiple possibilities.

• White vinegar: to remove stains, it is particularly effective. It can be applied directly to the mattress, at the level of the stain to be removed. It should be noted that if there are several stains and the quantity of white vinegar is insufficient, it is possible to dilute it in clear water. It is then necessary to count a volume of water equivalent to a third of the volume of vinegar.
• White vinegar combined with baking soda: to remove bad odors permeating bedding, nothing beats this mixture! To perfect it and bring a pleasant smell, it is possible to add essential oils.
• Hydrogen peroxide: another effective remedy for removing stains! It is also very easy to use, since you just need to soak a cotton pad in this liquid and apply pressure to the stained surface.

Dusting a mattress

Dust is a problem that spares no one. No matter the room in the house, dust develops, and it is important to remove it regularly. Regarding bedding, you must follow these few steps.
First, you need to remove the dust from the bed linen. Nothing could be simpler: after having unmade the bed by removing the sheets, the duvet cover and the pillowcases, you need to shake them out of the window to remove the accumulated dust.
Once the bed linen is dusted, it's time to tackle the next step: the bedding itself. After setting aside the duvet and pillows, simply vacuum the mattress to remove dust. You can also sprinkle baking soda and leave it on for about thirty minutes before vacuuming. This will remove unpleasant odors. Note that you can also add a few drops of essential oil for a pleasant scent.
Regarding dusting, it is on average recommended to do it once a quarter for good maintenance of the mattress.

Avoiding Bed Bugs

To prevent the proliferation of bedbugs, it is important to have the best possible hygiene. To do this, it is recommended to:

• Vacuum the bedroom and the entire house regularly.
• Wash bed linen regularly.
• Ventilate rooms often, especially those subject to humidity.

Even if you follow these tips, it is possible to see the appearance and proliferation of bedbugs. The first step is to identify them and check their presence, then proceed with treatment if necessary.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

If, despite the precautions taken, it turns out that bedbugs have settled in the home, you will have to get rid of them. Several solutions are possible:

• Fumigation.
• Exposure to cold, for about half an hour at a temperature of -35°C.
• Exposure to heat, with temperatures reaching 45°C for more than an hour.

However, it is recommended to call on professional pest control specialists: in some cases, additional solutions may not be sufficiently effective.

Throw away your mattress

When buying a new mattress, the question of throwing away the old one arises. Indeed, the replaced mattress can be very bulky. It would be a shame to throw it away, because it is possible to donate this mattress to associations such as Emmaüs, who will know how to make good use of it.

Recycle your mattress

Mattresses are products that can be recycled: depending on their composition, up to 95% of the materials are recyclable. Only synthetic elements cannot be used for recycling. It is therefore better to favor 100% natural mattresses! The procedure for recycling your mattress is relatively simple: you have to turn to specialized structures. The Eco-mobilier organization, developed by the public authorities, has deployed more than 500 drop-off points where you can leave your mattress to be recycled.