THANK YOU FOR USING GOARTICLES.COM
The Articles Search Engine
Take A Moment To Visit Our Other Top Web Sites:
http://www.dropjack.com http://www.seo-news.com
http://www.sitepronews.com http://www.exactseek.com
http://www.blog-search.com http://www.smartwebgadgets.com
Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher
Guidelines at http://www.goarticles.com/publisher.html
================================================================
Title: How To Clean A Mattress
Author: N Graves
Article:
Cleaning A Mattress
You know that phrase "out of sight, out of mind"? Well, it
applies to your mattress. Because your mattress is usually
covered by sheets, comforters, pillows, quilts, dogs, clothes,
people, etc. it isn't necessarily the first item on your list of
things to clean. This article will provide you with some easy
tips on both how to keep your mattress clean and how to clean
your mattress when it gets dirty.
Keeping your mattress clean
The first thing to be said about cleaning a mattress is do what
you can to keep your mattress clean. The more disciplined you
are with what happens in or around your bed, the less cleaning
you'll end up doing. That means that you'll want to avoid eating
and drinking while in your bed. You'll also want to avoid
letting pets sleep on your bed. While it may not seem like much,
keeping animals, food, and drinks away from your mattress will
greatly reduce the chances of spills and accidents. The more
spills and accidents you can avoid the less you'll have to worry
about cleaning your mattress. In cases where mattresses are at a
higher risk for spills or accidents (in a child's room for
example) then you may want to consider a mattress bag or
mattress liner/cover. Such mattress covers are typically placed
below the sheets and help to prevent liquids from seeping into
the mattress. Most covers can be purchased for $10 - $40 and are
usually durable enough to last a couple years. You may also want
to consider a washable mattress pad. Costing $100 - $300,
washable pads are considerably more expensive than plastic
liners or covers, but are more durable and comfortable, and help
protect against both solid and liquid spills.
Cleaning Up
Given how much time we spend in or on our beds it's inevitable
that accidents happen. However, if you're prepared for such
accidents, then when they do occur you'll be able to take care
of them quickly and reduce the chance that your mattress will be
permanently stained or damaged.
If the spill or accident involves liquid (i.e. urine, vomit,
drinks, etc.) then the first thing you'll need to do is blot the
spill. Using a clean, dry towel or rag, apply as much weight as
you can on the spill (you can even try standing on the
towel/rag). Do not rub the spill! Rubbing liquid spills doesn't
allow the towel or rag to absorb as much of the liquid and can
cause the stain to seep deeper into the material. Continue
blotting until the spill is slightly damp to the touch. Once
you've removed the bulk of the liquid then you're ready to apply
a cleaner. The cleaner you apply will depend on the liquid that
was involved in the spill or accident. For organic spills
(urine, vomit, juices) you'll want an enzymatic cleaner or a
50/50 solution of lemon juice or vinegar and cold water.
Enzymatic cleaners work by breaking down the peptide bonds in
the proteins of the liquid. They can be found at your local
grocery store and usually cost $5 - $20. Most non-organic spills
can be taken care of by common spray upholstery cleaners. Once
you've decided on which cleaner will work best for your
situation, spray, not pour, the cleaner on the mattress. Pouring
a cleaner onto your mattress can yield the same results as the
initial accident, as the cleaner can seep into the mattress's
material. After lightly spraying the spot, blot the cleaner with
a new, clean, dry towel. Once the area has been thoroughly
blotted again, sprinkle some baking soda over the area. The
baking soda will both help to absorb the remaining moisture and
will help eliminate odors as the area dries up. While you'll
want to leave the baking soda on for longer the larger the stain
is, we recommend at least 8 - 10 hours. Once the baking soda has
had time to do its job, vacuum it off of your mattress and
continue using it as normal.
In cases where your mattress is submerged in water (i.e. a
flood) or is exposed to a moist environment for long periods of
time, the steps to get the mattress are going to be quite
different. First and foremost, when mattresses get wet they can
(and often do) develop mold. This mold is usually not visible
and can pose serious health risks. Because you likely spend 8 or
more hours in or on your bed a day you are putting yourself at
risk to be inhaling mold spores. These spores can make you sick
and in some cases can actually kill you. That said, if you have
the means to replace a mattress that has been exposed to large
amounts of liquid do it! Spending a few hundred dollars to
replace a mattress may save you thousands in mold related
medical expenses down the road. If your mattress starts to smell
a little musty then chances are that it has developed some
mold/mildew. When this happens you'll need to kill the mildew.
Using a light bleach solution spray and blot the mattress, then
let the mattress dry in the sun. While the bleach and sun will
help to kill the mold you may want to consider running a
humidifier in the room to help prevent new mildew from growing.
For spills that involve solids (chips, cookie crumbs, etc)
you'll need to first pick up the large pieces. Once you've
gotten those out of the way vacuum up the smaller pieces. If
there was any staining from the spill then spray the area with
an appropriate cleaner (we talked about finding the right
cleaner above) and blot the sprayed area with a clean, dry towel
or rag. If there is any lingering odor once the area has been
sprayed and blotted then sprinkle it with baking soda, let the
baking soda sit for 8 - 10 hours (or longer for bigger spills)
and vaccum the area clean.
There are also a number of good mattress cleaning solutions
that are available for purchase in retail locations and online.
You may want to take a look at Butler's Secret and ProKlean
(although we've heard horror stories about their customer
service). You can also always contact the mattress's
manufacturer to get additional cleaning and maintenance tips!
Mattress Maintenance
Most mattresses are designed to be used for 5, 10, 20 years or
more. With that much use there are a few things you can do to
keep your mattress smelling fresh. One of the simplest things
you can do to keep your mattress fresh is to change the sheets
regularly. By changing your sheets regularly you will prevent
dust mites, dander, and dead skin cells from making their way
through the fabric of the sheet and into your mattress. A second
simple maintenance procedure is to vacuum the surface each time
you flip your mattress. When vacuuming make sure you use the
hose with either no attachment or the hard surface attachment
(that doesn't have a brush).
If your mattress starts to smell a little stale there are a
couple things you can do. First, you can lightly clean the
mattress's surface with a lemon scented upholstery cleaner or
with a 50/50 lemon juice and cold water solution. The surface
should be lightly sprayed and then blotted dry. A second step
you can take is to place a few dryer sheets underneath the
sheets and other bedding. Dryer sheets are not a perfect or long
term solution, but they can provide some temporary relief. If
you or someone you share the room with start to experience
headaches, you'll want to try a new scent. If there is a
residual smell from cigarette or cigar smoke, sprinkle baking
soda over the entire surface of the mattress, let it sit
overnight and then vacuum clean.
We hope that this guide has been useful! Best of luck getting
your mattress cleaning and keeping it that way!
About the author:
Nate Graves works for <a href="http://www.mycomfortmyway.com">My
Comfort Mattress Stores</a> which are located throughout the
Mountain West. My Comfort specializes in <a
href="http://www.mycomfortmyway.com/mysleep/product-pocketgel.htm
l">Intelligel mattresses</a>, <a
href="http://www.mycomfortmyway.com/mysleep/product-memory.html">
memory foam mattresses</a>, and more.
================================================================
FORGET EXPENSIVE PPC ADVERTISING
Give your Website Top 10 Exposure across 100's of Search
Engines and Web Directories delivering 150 Million+ Searches/Mo.
$3 - $4/Month - Quick Inclusion - World Wide Placement!
Your Keywords - No Bidding - No Click Fraud - Stats Tracking
< http://www.exactseek.com/featured_listings.html >
================================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment