No matter the type of mattress that you sleep on, it is important to ensure that it is kept clean. Mattresses collect dead skin, oils, sweat, hair, crumbs from the snacks you take to be and thousands of germs from our daily grime. If you have pets, you will also find some bit of pet hair on the mattress.
You may argue that a big chunk of the mess goes to the bed sheet, but the truth is that a significant portion still gets to the mattress surface. Over time, this may cause odors and ugly stains. You don’t want this happening to you hence it is important to ensure that you clean your mattress regularly.
So how do you clean a mattress? Steam cleaning is by far the most effective method of getting rid of these mattress messes. This is because it kills all germs and bacteria in a chemical-free and eco-friendly manner. You will also not need to worry that you have left harmful chemical soaps or allergens on your mattress because steam is 100% water.
Here are a few steps that will give you a nice and clean mattress using steam.
Check with the Manufacturers
There are different types of mattresses and each type will react differently to different levels of moisture. Some mattresses contain materials that should not be exposed to any kind of moisture so check with your mattress manufacturer if you can use steam cleaning on your mattress.
Start with Vacuuming
The top surface of your mattress will usually contain loose dust, debris and pet hair. Your steam cleaner will not be able to remove these solid particles, but your vacuum cleaner will not have any problem removing them.
You don’t want these solid particles to absorb moisture from the steam and leave you with an even bigger mess. That’s why it’s wise to vacuum these particles while they are still dry and easy to vacuum.
Prop the mattress against a wall
Propping the mattress against a wall gives you two benefits. The first benefit is that you will be able to easily reach all the nooks and crannies on all parts of the mattress. When you try cleaning it while it is still on the bed, some areas may be hard to reach because of the headboard and other parts of the bed.
The second benefit is the higher rate of drying. When the mattress is propped against a wall, a bigger area of the mattress surface is exposed to the surrounding air. This means that the mattress will not get too wet because any moisture as a result of the steam will dry up faster than if it would have been on a bed.
Apply short bursts of steam
Most people feel that delivering a constant stream of steam on the surface of the mattress is more effective. You may not be aware, but doing this may not be as beneficial as you think. This is because it will only soak your mattress and leave you with the extra task of figuring out how you are going to dry it.
Short bursts of steam will kill germs while leaving ample time for most of the moisture from the steam to dry. If you do this, the portions you started with will already be dry by the time you are done cleaning one surface. This way, the mattress will not need a lot of time to completely dry.
Don’t overlook the sides
Although they might not look as dirty as the top and bottom faces of the mattress, the sides also collect dust. If you are hoping to get rid of any bad odor on the mattress, it is important that you clean the entire mattress. Skipping some areas like the sides will leave some odors behind and deny you the chance to sleep in a clean and fresh smelling mattress despite doing 80% of the hard work.
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Give the mattress time to dry
Although it may not look very wet, the surface of the mattress in contact with the steam cleaner will have a bit of moisture after cleaning. For this reason, allow some time for the mattress to dry completely before you place it back on the bed.
If you don’t dry the mattress properly, you can easily find mold and mildew growing on the damp parts, and this will result in the bad odor that you were trying to avoid in the first place. Leave the mattress propped up for some hours after you are done with cleaning. You can even place a fan in front of it to speed up the drying process.
For best results, turn the mattress over during drying to give both sides time to dry adequately.
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Last Update: 2024-04-23 | Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
