How to Clean a Mattress at Home: Step-by-Step Guide

You can do a solid basic mattress clean at home in about 30 minutes of work plus a few hours of airing. You need a vacuum, baking soda, mild dish soap and cold water. Here’s the method, how to handle common stains, and when DIY isn’t enough.

What you need

• A vacuum with an upholstery attachment (HEPA filter if possible)
• Baking soda
• Mild dish soap or an enzyme stain remover
• Cold water, a spray bottle and clean white cloths
• A fan, or a sunny, well-ventilated room

Step-by-step: how to clean a mattress

1. Strip the bed. Wash sheets, pillowcases and the protector at 60°C if the fabric allows, since that temperature kills dust mites.
2. Vacuum slowly. Go over the whole top surface, the seams and the sides. Slow passes pick up more dust and skin flakes.
3. Spot clean stains. Spray lightly with cold water and a drop of dish soap, then blot with a cloth. Never soak the mattress or rub hard.
4. Deodorise with baking soda. Sprinkle a thin, even layer over the surface and leave it for at least 2 to 4 hours, or overnight if you can.
5. Vacuum again to remove all the baking soda.
6. Air it out. Open the windows and run a fan for a few hours before making the bed. Moisture is the enemy in Singapore’s humidity.
7. Flip or rotate the mattress if its design allows.

How to remove common mattress stains

Mistakes to avoid

• Soaking the mattress. Water sinks into the foam, takes days to dry and can grow mould.
• Hot water or a steam iron on stains. Heat sets protein stains.
• Bleach. It damages fibres and leaves marks.
• Making the bed while it’s still damp.

When to call a professional

DIY handles surface dust and fresh spills. It can’t pull out the dust mites, sweat and dead skin deep in the comfort layers, or a urine smell that keeps coming back. A professional clean every 6 to 12 months uses HEPA vacuuming, steam and extraction to reach those layers, and the mattress is usually dry within a few hours. See mattress cleaning or mattress cleaning prices.

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