The average person spends up to a third of their life in bed. Your mattress plays a key part in your life; offering a comfortable place to sleep, unwind, watch TV, read a good book, and other activities. As a result, your mattress absorbs a plethora of contaminants such as dirt, dust, oils, sweat, urine, blood, and other bodily fluids, mildew, bacteria, germs, mold, chemical agents from toiletries, pollen and more. Additionally, if you are prone to consuming food and drinks in bed, you will collect crumbs and stains on top of the normal accumulations. Simply changing the sheets every week or 2 isn’t enough to keep your mattress healthy and in good condition. With that in mind, we at Steam Magic Carpet Cleaning would like to offer you some tips on how you can effectively clean your mattress in between annual professional cleanings.
Mattress Cleaning Tips
A) Vacuum. Vacuum the surface of your mattress, once you have stripped the bedding off, with your vacuum’s hose and upholstery attachments. Using row grid pattern, overlap the sections when vacuuming the mattress from the head to the foot. Vacuum the top and all 4 sides of the mattress, hold off on the bottom, we will get to it at a more convenient time.
B) Deodorize. To neutralize and prevent the odors that easily conform on your mattress, you can treat it with baking soda. Simply moderately sprinkle baking soda over the entire top of the mattress and work it in with a medium firm scrub brush. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to the baking soda before working it in to the mattress for an enhanced fragrance. Leave the baking soda to do its work for 10-30 minutes.
C) Repeat vacuum. Using the same row by row patterns, vacuum the baking soda that has absorbed the odors any moisture residue.
D) Stain removal. There are three most commonly seen stains on mattresses that include blood, urine, and additional bodily fluids. Whenever possible, treat stains immediately for maximum results. When treating stains, no matter if they are old or fresh; do not use hot water as it can set in stains. Below are specific stain removal tips.
– Dried blood: Create a paste by combining ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide, 1 TBS liquid dish soap, and 1 TBS salt. With gentle pressure, rub the paste into the stains and allow it to dry. Once it has dried, scrape off the crust and toss it. If there is a remaining blood stain residue, dip a white cloth into pure hydrogen peroxide and blot u the remainder of the is dissolved.
– Additional body fluids (vomit, slobber, etc): Ammonia is used in this procedure, be sure to prop a window up to help with ventilation. With concentrated and unscented household ammonia, applied to a cloth, blot the stains. Avoid over saturating your mattress. With a clean, damp cloth, rinse the ammonia away. For efficient drying, sprinkle baking soda to remove the excess moisture, and vacuum the baking soda after 20 minutes, or when it is dried out.
– Urine: Urine is a challenge to remove, but still doable. Dissolve 3 TBS of baking soda in 8 oz (1 Cup) of hydrogen peroxide and add 1-2 drops of liquid dish soap. Sponge the solution onto the stain and blot it out. Do not over saturate your mattress.
E) Flip mattress: Flip the mattress over and rotate it. Repeat the cleaning and deodorizing steps, and if needed the stain removal.
Mattress Cleaning Services in San Diego, Solana Beach, La Mesa, Mission Valley, La Jolla, Del Mar, Poway, Encinitas, Chula Vista California
Mattresses should be professionally cleaned annually, and maintained every 2-3 months, or more often as needed. Getting your mattress professionally cleaned can promote better sleep, improve the indoor air quality as well as your health. If your mattress is due for a cleaning, contact Steam Magic Carpet Cleaning today to schedule your appointment.