By Mel from NC
To help refresh a musty mattress sprinkle baking soda on it. Let it sit for a day and then vacuum up the baking soda.
Put a protective cover over your mattresses. If you have kids that are prone to accidents, a vinyl cover works the best.
Get into the habit of flipping and rotating your mattress once a month. This will prevent one side from being worn down more than another.
When buying a mattress, make your sure to lay down on it. Just sitting on a mattress won't tell you what it's like to sleep on it. Take it for a test drive in the store.
Put a protective cover over your mattresses. If you have kids that are prone to accidents, a vinyl cover works the best. Anyone's mattress can benefit from a mattress pad, it keeps dirt and sweat from getting into the mattress and prevents you from having to wash your mattress. It's much easier to clean a mattress pad than it is a mattress.
Get into the habit of flipping and rotating your mattress once a month. This will prevent one side from being worn down more than another. Futon mattresses should also be folded, flipped and rotated regularly. Note, some mattresses aren't designed to be flipped, but can still be rotated. Other ones are clearly marked that they shouldn't be flipped or rotated.
Don't move a mattress by picking it up by the handles on either side. They are made to shift the mattress from side to side and tend to break when used to move the whole mattress.
While it's a lot of fun, don't let kids or adults jump on mattresses. It can permanently damage the supports inside the mattress and cause it to wear out faster. A small trampoline is much cheaper than buying a new mattress.
To help refresh a musty mattress sprinkle baking soda on it. Let it sit for a day and then vacuum up the baking soda.
If you need to wash you mattress, it is best to use as little liquid as possible to get the job done. If too much water soaks into your mattress you could develop a mildew problem. Mix 1/2 teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent with 1 quart of water and use it to scrub the mattress. Let the mattress dry thoroughly before putting the sheets back on the mattress.
I need suggestions for drying out a 22" thick all foam (latex core and memory foam build-up) mattress that's been soaked thru by water from roof leak. It is totally saturated. I intend to stand the mattress up on end on a tarp in the bedroom and shop-vac the drainage. So, if anyone has experience with doing this could you answer this, will using the shop-vac on the pillowtop surface draw enough water out to make a difference?
By jjt
By frugalsunnie
01/27/2012
You might be happier with the results if you try to squeeze out the excess water, then put it in a warm, sunny spot to dry. Bring it into house or garage at night to keep dew from rewetting it.
If you can't put it in the sun, try aiming an oscillating fan at the mattress while it's standing on end to hasten the drying out.
Since it's wet from roof drainage, you probably should also think about disinfecting it-since it's wet already, hit it with a good soaking of vinegar to kill off any mold spores. Then let it air dry as above; the vinegar will kill any germs and mold, and will deodorize the mattress too. The strong vinegar smell will dissipate within a couple of days.
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Maintaining Your Mattress