Can You Clean a Mattress? Prevention is Your Best Bet

There's nothing quite like a restful night's sleep snuggled on top of your comfortable mattress. After a while, though, the stains and smells that accrue may keep you from truly enjoying your sleep. Sleeping on a filthy, stain-filled mattress can do more than just give you nightmares - the accumulated allergens can actually impact your health!

Learn how to treat and prevent the most common types of mattress stains before they become a problem, and get back to having sweet dreams again.

Can You Clean a Mattress?

Some of the most common types of stains can be removed from the surface of a mattress if you treat them right away, including:

• Sweat
• Urine
• Blood
• Food
• Beverages

Liquid on a mattress can ruin the fabric and breakdown the upholstery layers inside a mattress, which is why stains on a mattress will void your warranty.

How to Clean Stains Out of Your Mattress

Should you spill something on your mattress, blot with a dry cloth immediately. Do not use any cleaners. It is never recommended to remove a stain on a mattress using any kind of liquid cleaner, this includes both commercial and organic stain removers.

Although quick action can help remove many stains from a mattress's surfaces, a heavily soiled mattress can be difficult to deeply and thoroughly clean. The longer a substance sits, the more time it has to seep into your mattress and cause permanent damage. If you want to completely remove a stain and avoid deep contamination, you should treat spills as soon as they happen.

However, most stains that occur on mattresses are gradual - they cannot be blotted on the spot. The most common mattress stains are from the sweat that seeps into the mattress over a long period of time. We sweat over a liter of liquid (dispersed throughout our body) each night. Over time, this will inevitably cause moisture to get onto and eventually beneath the surface of the mattress and create a stain. The only way to avoid stains like these is to use a mattress protector.

Is a Mattress Protector Necessary?

To truly keep your mattress safe from stains and permanent damage, the best solution is to use a mattress protector. These handy covers keep spills from seeping into and staining your mattress and are much easier to clean and replace.

While mattresses require advanced techniques and equipment for a thorough deep clean, most mattress covers can be removed and washed in a regular laundry machine.

How Often Should You Wash Your Mattress Protector?

It isn't necessary to wash your mattress protector as frequently as you wash your sheets. Once every six weeks is a good timeframe.

More about mattress protectors:

• Mattress protectors look like a fitted sheet that goes under your existing fitted sheet.
• Mattress protectors are waterproof, but many are designed to be breathable, flexible, and noiseless so that the protector doesn't interfere with the comfort of the mattress.
• Mattress covers help protect your mattress from dust mites, bacteria and allergens for more restful, healthier sleep.