As spring cleaning season approaches, bringing with it spring allergy season, cleaning your mattress is a smart task to add to your spring cleaning checklist. Cleaning a mattress removes common allergens and helps to extend the life and quality of the mattress. It’s also a surprisingly easy task — and you probably already have all the tools you need to do it right in your home.
In addition to being a critical part of allergy management for those who suffer, cleaning a mattress helps to freshen the bed, and the bedroom by extension. And, best of all, cleaning a mattress is as easy as running a vacuum.
When, and why, to clean a mattress
First, some gross facts about your mattress: According to a global dust study conducted by Dyson, a typical mattress has around 100,000 to more than one million dust mites.
Even though they sound gross, dust mites themselves are actually harmless. It’s the droppings that are the problem, as they are a common allergen. “Regularly cleaning your mattress removes material that could be contributing to allergies in the spring and fall, which is prime dust mite breeding season,” says Monika Stuczen, a senior research manager at Dyson.
We spend a third of our lives in bed, and over time, a mattress will take on odors from sweat, dead skin and body oils, lending a stale smell to the bedroom. That makes cleaning a mattress a good task to add to your to-do list, according to Stuczen. “A general rule of thumb is to clean them twice a year,” she says. ”Once when you’re doing spring cleaning and once at the end of dust mite season in October.” If your mattress is long overdue for a cleaning, we’ve got you covered with a step-by-step cleaning guide, along with seven products that are specially equipped to take on a deep clean.
How to deep-clean a mattress
Cleaning a mattress is as easy as running a vacuum — literally! The trick is to make use of vacuum attachments to get the job done right. Follow these steps for deep cleaning a mattress twice a year.
1. Vacuum with an upholstery tool
Vacuum the mattress surface using an upholstery tool to agitate the fibers and loosen dust mites and other debris.
2. Use a crevice tool for hard-to-reach areas
Vacuum hard-to-reach areas using a crevice tool to clean the edge and seams of the mattress, and any crevices or folds where dust and allergens can gather. Flip the mattress and repeat the process of vacuuming the surface and seams. If needed, address stains (more on that below) and make sure the mattress has dried completely before remaking the bed.
Don't be fooled by the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser’s name. Thanks to a variety of included attachments — including upholstery and crevice tools — this handheld vacuum is equipped to wrangle pet hair and tackle a mattress deep clean.
This powerful upright vacuum features a detachable wand that’s perfect for deep cleaning a mattress when paired with the included upholstery and crevice attachments. Should you need it for larger cleaning projects, it’s also highly maneuverable.
The Miele Classic C1 Turbo Team is versatile and built to last. This canister vacuum also boasts plenty of attachments for mattress cleaning, including crevice and upholstery tools and a dust brush.
How to get stains out of a mattress
Let’s face it: Accidents happen — and sometimes they happen in bed. Liquid spills on a mattress can be a challenge to clean up because you can’t exactly toss a mattress in the washing machine.
1. Blot the liquid
When a liquid spill occurs, the first step is to blot up as much liquid as possible. A highly absorbent towel is ideal for the job, but paper towels, dishcloths, bath towels, etc. work too. Blot until no more liquid is absorbed, then address any staining or odors.
2. Use the right stain remover
The stains we find on mattresses typically fall into two categories: protein stains (blood and urine) and oxidizable stains (coffee and red wine). While you should treat protein stains with enzymatic stain removers, tackle oxidizable stains with sprays like Shout and Wine Away. If you don’t have a specialty stain treatment product on hand, liquid laundry detergent diluted with water can be used to blot out stains on a mattress.
3. Enlist the help of an upholstery cleaner for set-in stains
When a deeper clean is called for, or to address stubborn, set-in stains, a carpet and upholstery cleaner machine is the right tool for the job. These machines work by forcing cleaning solution into the mattress’ fibers and then extracting it back out, removing foreign matter, eliminating allergens, deodorizing and sanitizing.
While you can blot up mattress stains with paper towels, these reusable shammy towels are far more absorbent and sustainable.
With its triple-enzyme formula, Zout Laundry Stain Remover can treat protein stains from sweat, body soils and blood.
Wine Away excels at — you guessed it — removing red wine stains. But it’s also formulated to tackle other oxidizable stains, from coffee to fruit punch.
Got a pesky stain that just won’t go away? You may need to bring out a carpet cleaner. This portable model easily dealt with dirt and food stains in our testing.