Mattress care – Basic tips

Taking a few measures to care for your mattress can keep it feeling fresh and clean whilst extending its life. How you car for your mattress will be determined in part by the type of mattress that it is, i.e. its composition.

General mattress care regime

There are a number of simple tips that you can adopt in order to maintain your mattresses' "like new" feel and look.

• First thing in the morning pull back any top sheets, quilt etc to allow the mattress to air. Your mattress will have been slept on for 8 hours it will benefit from some ventilation. If possible open a bedroom window to let some fresh air circulate.
• When you wash your bedding leave the mattress completely uncovered for as long as is possible. Remove any mattress protector or topper so that the mattress has nothing on top of it and do not remake the bedding until you are ready for bed.
• Swivel the mattress through 180 degrees every few weeks or whenever you change the bedding. The section that was at the head should be turned so that it is at the foot once the mattress.
• Leave a window open in the bedroom as frequently as possible. Natural ventilation will help to keep all elements of the bedding and the mattress fresh
.

Basic cleaning

Before cleaning a mattress check the manufacturer's instructions. Your warranty may be invalidated if you contravene any recommendations or guidelines.

• Some people like to periodically brush the external fabric of a mattress. This should only be done with a very soft bristled brush.
• It is also possible to lightly vacuum the outer fabric of a mattress with a small handheld vacuum. Do not use a regular vacuum or a high powered vacuum as this can adversely affect the ticking, padding or foam within a mattress.
• A very simple way of keeping a mattress clean is by placing a mattress protector over it. Mattress protectors use a waterproof material that prevents moisture, liquids and spills reaching the mattress. Consequently stains, and can be prevented.
• If your mattress does get stained or wet consult a specialist cleaning company or the bed's manufacturer. The fabric that covers most mattresses can be dry cleaned.

Composite mattresses and standard mattresses

A composite mattress is one that is composed of different structural layers. These layers may all be of the same material, e.g. visco elastic memory foam, or different constructions, e.g. springs and memory foam. Mattresses of this type must never be flipped over, i.e. so that the top is reversed to become the bottom. For this reason they are often described as "no turn" mattresses.

With a "no turn" mattress the mattress should be swivelled horizontally on a regular basis (i.e. so that the head-end is moved to the foot-end).

A regular mattress can be turned over, i.e. so that the top becomes the bottom. Mattresses like this are made from a single construction, e.g. constant density foam or open coil springs and consequently there is no" right way up”.

Always make sure that you know which type of mattress that you have.