Even if it looks clean, our bedding very often harbors bacteria, dust, and germs. The most well-known invisible enemies—dust mites—feed on dead skin cells deep within the mattress. Even more formidable intruders—bed bugs—can have even more harmful effects on our physical and mental health.
No matter what kind of bed you choose, it can harbor a multitude of tiny pests if you don’t make a point of maintaining it regularly. But what are the best tips for taking care of your bed? Are there ways to get rid of dust mites and bed bugs? What about stubborn stains? Let’s find out how we can keep our beds clean.
The Importance of Keeping Your Bed and Bedding Clean at All Times
Even if our bed looks clean, countless living microorganisms, dust, and tiny stains become embedded in the mattress, bedding, headboard, and bed frame. If we don’t take regular steps to maintain it, the bed can become a breeding ground for infections, illnesses, or other health problems. To name a few:
- allergies;
- asthma attacks;
- skin irritations, such as eczema or acne;
- fungal or bacterial infections, mainly caused by sweating
Most of the time, it’s actually quite easy to prevent these problems. All you need to do is change and wash your sheets once a week—or daily if you have the flu or a cold. Another step to take: air out your bedroom every day for about fifteen minutes. This helps remove moisture that has built up overnight. Here are some other easy tips to prevent the spread of bacteria:
- Make your bed every day: We’re not talking about making it perfectly neat, but about tucking in the sheets to let them breathe.
- Don't overheat the room in winter. This reduces the chances of bacteria multiplying.
- Dust the bedroom at least once a week.
- Change your pajamas every week.
- Go to bed when you're clean—at least your face.
- Flip the mattress 1 to 2 times a year.
How do you properly clean a mattress?
Mattresses require special attention on a fairly regular basis. When you wash your bedding, you can take the opportunity to clean your mattresses as well. Even if they’re protected by a mattress topper or mattress protector, they still accumulate a significant amount of dust and other bacteria.
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How do you take care of your mattress?
The mattress should be cleaned weekly, along with the sheets. Here’s a tip for getting rid of dust mites: leave the mattress out in the sun for a full morning. Dust mites cannot survive in daylight. All that’s left to do is vacuum the entire surface of the mattress thoroughly.
Once a month, you can give the mattress a deeper cleaning. Be careful, however, not to get the mattress too wet. Simply use a damp cloth or sponge. For the cleaning solution, you can use white vinegar mixed with water. For one glass of white vinegar, dilute it with three glasses of hot water and add a few drops of lavender essential oil to freshen up the bed, as the scent acts as a deterrent against dust mites. Other cleaning solutions are available, such as a mixture of dish soap and water (10 drops of dish soap per liter of lukewarm water).
Finally, odors from sweat, cigarettes, or other sources are effectively eliminated with baking soda, since it has strong sanitizing properties. Simply sprinkle baking soda on the mattress, let it sit for about 6 hours, and then vacuum it up.
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How can you get rid of bed bugs in your mattress?
Bed bugs are becoming a little more entrenched in French people’s bedding every year. The problem is that it takes a great deal of patience to get rid of them for good. In the meantime, sleeping on a mattress infested with bed bugs has serious consequences. Aside from the bites that cause itching and sometimes infections, it’s on a psychological level that these insects wreak havoc. Insomnia, a fear of going to bed, and social withdrawal—the consequences can be serious. It is therefore urgent to take action as soon as the first bites are spotted. In fact, bed bugs have a long lifespan, ranging from 6 to 24 months, and each day, the female lays an average of 5 eggs.
Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce and eliminate bed bugs. A vacuum cleaner and a steam cleaner can help eradicate a significant portion of them. To do this, be sure to seal off the bedroom from the rest of the house by placing tape under the door. Vacuum not only the mattress but also the baseboards, the bed frame, and so on. Any secluded, dark space is likely to harbor a nest. Meanwhile, wash the bedding at 60°C, a temperature at which bed bugs cannot survive. Finally, diatomaceous earth helps limit the spread of bed bugs. Made of silica powder, it should be sprinkled along the insects’ travel paths. Avoid using chemical products at all costs, as they could become embedded in the mattress and, if inhaled over time, cause health problems.
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How do you clean a mattress and remove old stains or rings?
There are dozens of tips for removing fresh stains. Use white vinegar for blood stains, baking soda for urine stains, and Marseille soap or dish soap for other stains. But when stains are old, or when they’re sweat stains, it’s a different story. These stains are deeply embedded in the mattress.
For sweat stains, a steam cleaner works wonders. Dry cleaning with Sommières clay is also effective. This clay powder absorbs sweat and sebum residue in 30 minutes. All you have to do afterward is vacuum up the powder.
For old or deeply set stains, there’s only one solution: ammonia. Be careful, however—this product gives off toxic fumes, so handle it with care. The room must be well-ventilated during and after treatment. Be sure to wear household gloves and a protective mask.
How do you disinfect your headboard?
The headboard, too, often requires special care. Be sure to vacuum it during your weekly cleaning routine, especially if it’s a fabric headboard. If there’s a stain, mix a few drops of ammonia and dish soap in a tablespoon of hot water. Dampen a clean cloth with this solution, then be sure to rub the entire headboard to prevent a ring from forming around the stain. Then rinse with another cloth dampened with water, and let it dry.
Eco-friendly beds —those made with natural materials for the frame, mattress, and bedding—are much easier to maintain. In addition, natural mattresses come with washable covers. It’s a great way to be mindful of the environment and your health while avoiding time-consuming maintenance.
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