People often neglect to properly care for their mattress. Ironically, it is the piece of furniture where you spend the most of your time. It is important to make sure you are sleeping on a fresh and clean mattress. They collect dust mites, dead skin, dirt, pet hair, and food debris (if you snack in bad). Sleeping in a dirty bed can cause skin problems and cause your allergies to worsen.

Here are some simple steps to a clean bed:

1. Strip the bed and wash all of your bedding in your washing machine. This includes sheets, mattress pad, blankets, and pillows.

2. Vacuum your mattress. This initial vacuuming will take care of any loose debris on the surface.

3. Spot clean any stains. For biological stains (sweat, blood, vomit, or urine), use an enzyme cleaner. A good DIY enzyme cleaner would be equal parts hydrogen peroxide and cold water. Spray that solution on a clean cloth and blot the stain. After that, blot the stain until it is gone with a different damp/clean cloth. Don’t spray directly on the mattress as they are suppose to stay dry and free of moisture.

4. Apply a layer of baking soda to the top of your mattress. Baking soda will absorb any moisture  and odors. Leave it on as long as possible (don’t do this right before bed). For extra effectiveness, open your windows and let the sun’s UV rays assist in ridding the mattress of any mold or bacteria.

5. Vacuum up the baking soda from your mattress.

6. Turn your mattress 180 degrees to help keep it even and balanced. Some mattresses can/should be flipped. If this is the case you can repeat the process on the other side after flipping it as well.

7. Put your clean bedding back on and enjoy sleeping in a clean bed! This process should be done every 3-4 months. If you don’t have one already, invest in a mattress pad to protect it from stains.

Set a reminder every 3 months or so to make sure you don’t forget about it. A lot of nasty stuff can collect just in a 3 month time frame, so imagine what it could be like for someone who never cleans their mattress…gross!!! I hope you see some positive effects to your health and/or allergy problems from following the steps above regularly.