how to clean the smell out of a mattress

While washing bedding may be a part of your weekly chores, mattresses also need some maintenance. You can freshen and deodorize your mattress to prolong its life and keep you healthy.

Any normal adult sweats and sheds dead skin cells during sleep, which gets absorbed by bedsheets and mattresses. Moisture and skin cells provide a perfect environment for dust mites and other allergens to thrive in your bed.

Want To Save
On Better Sleep?

See our latest sales!

Get $300 OFF Mattresses

Allergens may cause breathing difficulties, runny nose, sore throat, watery eyes, or skin irritation. This allergen build-up not only impacts your health, but it may also cause a bad odor, increasing the need to freshen and deodorize your mattress.

In this article, we will discuss how to freshen and deodorize your mattress.

How to Freshen and Deodorize a Mattress

Dust mites, sweat, and skin cells permeate our bedding accessories and then the mattress. Freshening and deodorizing mattresses once every six months keeps allergens at bay.

Be cautious when you use any form of liquid on your mattress because it can leave moisture behind, encouraging allergen growth. Air-dry your mattress thoroughly before making your bed.

Vacuum

Use the upholstery attachment to clean all the dust and germs accumulated on your mattress.

Before you vacuum your mattress, wash the upholstery attachment in warm water. Dust and germs sticking to the upholstery attachment will get washed away when you clean it with warm soapy water. Vacuum your bed's surface, sides, even areas beneath the seams with the upholstery attachment to clean all the dust and germs accumulated on your mattress. Prop up your mattress and vacuum the other side of it too.

Deodorize

Deodorizing your mattress eliminates odors left by the germs and allergens. A few regular kitchen items can be used to deodorize your mattress.

Water with Vinegar

Vinegar neutralizes odors. Mixing it with water makes an organic deodorizer, so you don't have to buy chemical sprays that may irritate your allergies.

Mix equal portions of water and distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle. Lightly spray the solution over your mattress. Avoid making it too wet and let it air dry completely.

Then prop your mattress against the wall and spray the solution over the other side. Wait for the mattress to air dry thoroughly before you put it back on the bed base. Switch on fans and keep windows open to speed up the drying process.

Finish up by sprinkling baking soda on the mattress. This will deodorize any lingering odors.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a natural odor neutralizer. Apart from keeping it in your fridge, you can also use it on your memory foam pillows and mattresses. Use a flour sifter to sprinkle baking soda over your mattress surface and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. The longer you keep the baking soda, the better the results. You can leave it on for up to 24 hours.

While the baking soda sits on your mattress, keep your windows open to expose your bed to natural light. Sunlight dries up the moisture from your bed, further eliminating odors. Finally, vacuum your bed using the upholstery attachment to remove the baking soda.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch absorbs body oil, something else that may be making your bed smell. Mix cornstarch with baking soda and scatter it all over your mattress surface. Let the mixture rest on your bed for a day. Then vacuum the mattress surface to pick up the cornstarch-baking soda mixture.

Essential Oils

Mix 15 to 20 drops of your favorite essential oils with baking soda before sprinkling it over your mattress. Your bed may retain this fresh scent for a few days. We recommend using eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, or lemon oils for a soothing effect.

Wash Your Bedding Regularly

It's best to wash your sheets, duvet covers, and pillowcases every week, eliminating sweat, skin cells, and allergens. Wash your sheets in hot water unless the care label states to do otherwise. The high-temperature kills germs. Fewer bacteria and allergens on your bedding means fewer chances of dust and germs permeating your mattress.

Wash your pillows once every three to four months to prevent allergen build-up. Putting your pillows and comforters out in the sun once in a while makes them fluffy because sunlight dries up the moisture in them. The UV rays from the sun also kill germs.

Other Steps to Prolong Mattress Freshness

Once you've freshened and deodorized your mattress, you'll want to keep it clean for as long as possible. Following a few other steps maintains that freshness. You can sleep peacefully without having to worry about dust, germs, and allergens.

Clean Box Spring or Foundation

Your mattress usually rests on a box spring, foundation, or platform. Cleaning your mattress base along with your mattress prevents dust and germs from passing on to your mattress. Whenever you prop up your mattress for vacuum cleaning, remove the bed skirt (if you have one) and wash it. Vacuum the surface of the box spring, foundation, or platform bed. A mattress resting on a clean base will stay fresh for longer.

Keep Your Room Airy

A damp mattress invites dust mites, bacteria, fungi, mold, mildew, spores, and more to rest on it.

How to Freshen and Deodorize Mattress

Keeping your ceiling fan on for an hour or a couple of hours after you wake up absorbs traces of moisture. Whenever possible, open your windows to allow natural light and air into your bedroom, prolonging your mattress's freshness.

Use a Mattress Protector

Mattress protectors protect your mattress from sweat, dust mites, allergens, and stains. They're easy to put on and a relatively inexpensive way to extend your mattress's lifespan.

FAQs

Can you machine wash mattress pads?

Yes, you can machine wash most mattress pads. But we recommend checking the instructions on the care label. While machine washing, it's best to avoid warm or hot water, because it can damage the mattress pad. Wash it on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent. Tumble dry low or air dry it. Wash your mattress pad every other month to reduce dust and allergen build-up.

Can you remove mold and mildew growing inside a mattress?

No, there's no way to remove mold and mildew growing inside a mattress. All the steps to freshen and deodorize your mattress remove mold, mildew, dust, and germs from your mattress surface, but not the inside. If your mattress still emits a stale odor even after washing, chances are mold and mildew are growing inside. In such cases, it's better to buy a new mattress.

How do you get the smell out of a new mattress?

Air out your mattress for a couple of days and if it still emits an odor then you can sprinkle some baking soda over it. Let it rest overnight and vacuum it the next day.

How to spot clean mattress stains?

To spot clean a mattress, make a solution to rub on the stain by mixing equal portions of salt, baking soda, and distilled white vinegar. Then, let this solution rest on the stain for about 30 minutes. When time's up, use a damp microfiber cloth to remove the paste and the stains. Be careful to avoid circular motions because they might set the stain. Instead, use pressing motions to remove the stain and moisture. Once you've completed those steps, let it air dry properly before making the bed.

How do dust mites affect your health?

Dust mites can trigger symptoms such as watery eyes, runny nose, itchy throat, skin rashes, or breathing difficulties in those prone to allergies. They may be harmless for others, but the thought of sleeping on a bed full of allergens is not pleasant.

Conclusion

A bed free of germs and dust mites won't trigger allergic reactions and disrupt sleep. A well-maintained mattress lasts longer, potentially saving you money because you don't have to replace your mattress soon.