Table of Contents
When was the last time you looked carefully at your memory foam mattress? Can’t remember?
All right, go now and check if there is any bad smell coming from it. If so, it’s high time you should clean your memory foam mattress.
How to clean a memory foam mattress? Well, steam cleaning is the best solution.
How can you steam clean a memory foam mattress? It’s not as difficult as you think. Memory foam is a petroleum-based material.
So, the cleaning process can be different from other mattress types, but not impossible.
Dust particles, dead skin, and dirt mites stick to your mattress in a way that you rarely notice.
If it remains for a long time, it becomes a threat to your health. For example, many people suffer from allergies and asthma just because they sleep on dirty mattresses.
So, every time your memory foam mattress becomes dirty, you need to clean it.
We’ll discuss how to do it in the following part of the article. But, before that, let’s clarify whether you can steam clean a memory foam mattress.
Can You Steam Clean a Memory Foam Mattress?
You can clean your memory foam mattress using a steam cleaner. Steam cleaning can give a new life to your old memory foam mattress. In addition, it makes sure you can sleep well on your cloud-like mattress.
Steam cleaning is an effective cleaning process to remove dirt, germs, and odours. Also, it helps to kill bed bugs and dust mites.
In addition, the steam disinfects the mattress and removes allergens.
Instead of asking for a mattress cleaning service, you can clean with a steam cleaner. However, steam cleaning is not effective for cleaning deep-lying stains.
Also, it cannot help you get rid of urine stains. You may need dry-cleaning in that case.
Steam cleaning can be a good option for routine cleaning and sanitization.
However, there are some risks associated with steam cleaning a memory foam mattress.
You can steam clean the memory foam mattress at your own risk.
Each mattress has a label attached to the mattress body.
There you’ll find whether you can steam clean the mattress.
To be on the safe side, you can steam clean a memory foam mattress by setting the heat to medium.
Why Can Steam Cleaning Be Risky for Memory Foam Mattress?
Most of the memory foam manufacturers suggest not steam clean memory foam mattresses. Instead, a steam cleaner cleans the mattress without using any chemicals. Also, it kills about 99% of germs and bacteria as it works on heat and steam.
People use this tool for household cleaning. However, a memory foam mattress is consisting of polyurethane and other chemicals. Therefore, it is prone to high pressure and temperature.
How to Clean Memory Foam Mattress with a Steam Cleaner?
Memory foam mattresses are the stamping ground of dust mites. They cannot be seen with naked eyes but can be felt with runny noses and itchy eyes. You can get rid of it by attacking the dust mites with heat.
So, steam cleaning is the only way to go. You can remove dust mites, stains with superheated low-moisture steam. It is natural and safe for your family. Follow the steps below for steam cleaning your memory foam mattress.
Step-1: Take All Your Bedding Off
First of all, get your mattress bare and remove all the bedclothes, including pillows, sheets, etc.
Next, remove the waterproof bed liners if you have any.
Meanwhile, you can plug in the steam cleaner. So, it gets enough time to heat up and generate steam.
Step-2: Vacuum the Mattress
Take a soft-bristled brush and brush all over the mattress. Brushing the mattress helps to loosen any rooted debris.
If there is any large debris, remove it with your hands. Otherwise, it may get stuck in a vacuum.
Now start vacuuming the mattress. Go through the seams, corners, and sides of the mattress and bed. Make sure you haven’t missed any corner.
Step-3: Treat Any Stubborn Stains
Do you find any stubborn stains even after vacuuming? If so, you can spot treat the stubborn stains. You can use a gentle upholstery detergent to treat them. Take the detergent on a rag and place it over the stain.
Rub the rag with the detergent solution over the stain. It helps to lift the stain. Leave the solution for 5-10 minutes. Dry it thoroughly before moving forward. Do it patiently, and make sure to avoid heavy-duty detergent.
Step-4: Run the Steamer Across the Mattress
Finally, you can start the steam cleaner after you’ve done the steps above. Run the upholstery attachment up and down and the sides of the mattress. For regular steam cleaning, put on the nozzle about 6″ from the mattress.
Steam the entire bed using a circular motion. Finally, use a dry towel to absorb lifted grime and any moisture.
Tips:
- Clean the steam mop head if it becomes dirty.
- Don’t spend more than 10sec on any spot. Oversteaming can melt the mattress.
How Do You Deep Clean a Memory Foam Mattress?
If the mattress has terrible stains and odours of urine or vomit, you need to clean the mattress deep.
You can clean it without using a steam cleaner. Instead, there are several ways to do it.
Following the steps below, you can disinfect and sanitize your favourite memory foam mattress.
Step #1. Vacuum the Entire Mattress
Take out the mattress and bed clothing before starting the cleaning process.
Now use a handheld vacuum cleaner and vacuum the whole exterior of the mattress. Do not forget to vacuum all those corners while cleaning the mattress.
You can reach those inaccessible areas with a crevice tool.
Also, you may want to use a small brush for this purpose. First, make sure you’ve cleaned all the dirt, hair, and debris.
Step #2. Make a Mattress Cleaning Solution
After you remove all the dry dirt, it’s time to clean the stains with a cleaning solution.
You may want to use dishwashing liquid, dilute fabric cleaner, or else mild detergent. Mix any of these cleaners in a 2:1 ratio into 2 portions of warm water.
Put the solution on a bottle and spray over the stains. It works for most stains.
Moreover, you can use ¼ cup of white vinegar and ¾ cup of water solution for tough stains.
For removing urine stains, you can use baking soda. Sprinkle some baking soda over the stain and let it sit for 45 minutes to remove odours.
Step #3. Clean the Stain Spots
Now check if there any stains remain on the mattress. If you find the stains, use fabric cleaner to get rid of them.
Next, spray the above solution over the stain. Then, take a clean sponge or a rag to clean the mattress.
Clean it in a circular motion. Then, wipe it with a clean cloth and let it dry.
For stubborn stains, clean with the vinegar solution and follow the same steps. For more tough stains, use a large amount of vinegar solution.
Pat the stained area with a paper towel and use baking soda over it.
Baking soda absorbs the liquid and pulls the more stubborn stains to the surface. Let it sit for eight hours and vacuum all the baking soda.
Step #4. Dry the Mattress
The final step is drying, which is the most critical step. Use a blow dryer to dry the mattress.
Hold the blow dryer about four to six inches above the mattress. Use the medium heat setting on the dryer. Then, move it in a circular pattern and continue drying.
Don’t you have a blow dryer? No worries, you can do it with a fan.
Place the fan over the wet area and start it at high speed. Leave it for a couple of hours. After a couple of hours, your mattress is completely dry.
Benefits of Cleaning Your Memory Foam Mattress
Cleaning a memory foam mattress may not be a fun thing to do. But, knowing the benefits of cleaning it may motivate you to do it regularly. The following things happen when you clean your memory foam mattress.
- Cleaning minimizes the number of dust mites and other kinds of allergens from the mattress.
- It helps extend the life of your mattress.
- It provides a cleaner surface to have a sound sleep
- Cleaning helps to get rid of odors that the mattress may have absorbed
- Overall, it helps to improve the quality of air in the room
How to Caring for Your Memory Foam Mattress
Proper care can boost the lifespan of your memory foam mattress. You can follow the steps below to care for your memory foam mattress.
- Check the care instruction provided with the memory foam mattress. The manufacturers recommend the best cleaning process for the mattress.
- Wash the mattress cover routinely to make sure the mattress is clean.
- The mattress foundation must provide adequate support to the mattress.
- Every time while changing the sheets, vacuum the surface of the mattress.
- Try to remove the stains when it is wet.
- After cleaning every time, let your mattress air dry.
- Do not use harsh chemicals or bleach while cleaning the mattress.
- Rotate the mattress twice a year.
Final Words
So, this is how you can steam clean a memory foam mattress. Of course, when you think of steam cleaning, you have to take extra precautions. But steam cleaning will give you the best result in the end.
It would be best if you steam clean your memory foam mattress regularly. Thus, your mattress will last longer and looking like new. So now it’s time to enjoy the best night of Zzz’s in your clean mattress.