Knowing how to clean a memory foam mattress efficiently and with a few bucks is something that anyone with a memory foam mattress or any mattress for that matter should know.
A mattress is a not a small investment. We all know how expensive these are, especially the memory foam ones. So, by cleaning your mattress at least twice a year, you will not only extend its life, but also make sure that you get rid of the dirt, dust mites and other allergens that might affect your health.
Yes, you could always call a professional mattress cleaning company to do this job for you, but why not use that money and buy something for yourself instead? Sounds better, right?
So, without further ado, let’s get to business.
To deep clean a mattress you have to go through a few steps. Let’s take them one by one.
Table of Contents
How To Clean A Memory Foam Mattress in 5 Simple Steps
1. Strip your bed
Remove the pillowcases, bed sheets and the mattress cover and wash them according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Remove the pillows, blankets, toys and any decorations you might have on your bed.
Now that your mattress is all cleared out, it’s time to go tot the next step.
2. Gather all your cleaning tools
- vacuum cleaner
- hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) – you can buy this from any drug store or supermarket.
- baking soda
- liquid dish soap
- salt
- water
- powder laundry detergent
- sifter (optional)
- spray bottle
- microfiber cloth
- a bowl
- a spoon
- a whisk
Chill. You might not need all these. It all depends on your mattress. But I’ll explain this in more detail below.
Also, if you are wondering how to clean a futon mattress you should know that all the ingredients above are completely appropriate for this type too.
3. Air out and deodorize the mattress
Open a window so that fresh air would get into the room and air out the mattress.
Sprinkle baking soda on the entire surface. You can use a sifter to make sure that you spread the baking soda evenly on the mattress.
Let it sit for at least 1 hour (4 hours would be ideal) and then just vacuum the baking soda using the brush attachment.
With this process you will kill all odors, without using any irritating fragrances and chemicals.
4. Get rid of the stains
Now, this is a tricky part. Depending on what type of stains there are on the mattress you will have to use a different magical potion.
Do not worry, any stain can be removed with the right ingredient combination.
Sweat stains
These are the most common and the easiest to remove. Simply pour H₂O₂ (hydrogen peroxide) into your spray bottle and lightly spray the stains. In a matter of minutes you will see how the yellowed areas begin to brighten as the stains fade away as if by magic. Just keep in mind that for the older stains you might have to repeat the process.
Urine stains
Kids and pets are adorable, but the pee stains are not. So, let’s see how we can quickly get rid of those (the stains I mean).
Take a bowl and add 8 ounces of the H₂O₂ potion, 3 tablespoons of baking soda magic dust and 5 drops of liquid soap.
Dip the cloth into this mixture and dab a small amount onto the stain. Blot the moisture, turning the cloth as you work so you’ll use only the clean areas of the cloth to lift the stain.
Blood stains
How to clean mattress of the stubborn blood stains you might wonder?
Yes, these are the mother of all stains, but there are ways of dealing with these too.
Take your bowl again and mix 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 ounces of hydrogen peroxide. Cove the blood stain with the mixture and let it sit for 15 minutes. Use the spoon to scrape away the mixture and then the cloth dipped in H₂O₂ to remove any residue.
If there is any brown discoloration left after this process, simply spray H₂O₂ on it and it will fade away.
Stubborn stains
If you thought that blood was hard to remove what about vomit, wine, food or any other stain that you do not even know what it is?
For these, we need the superpower of the foam.
What foam?
This one: whisk 1 tablespoon of water and 2 tablespoons of powder laundry detergent (the white, simple one. No crystals, no bleach, no nothing). After whisking these you should get a dry foam which you will spread on the stain and leave it there for 15 minutes.
Scrape it away with a spoon and use the cloth to remove all foam.
Of course, after removing any of the stains above let the mattress air dry.
5. Flip the mattress and repeat all the above steps
There you have it. The step-by-step intricate operation of cleaning a mattress.
Joking aside, I hope that I answered the dilemma on how to clean a memory foam mattress efficiently and easily, and with only a few bucks.