Last year, right before my surgery, when I was in a lot of pain, I changed my beds every night, hoping that maybe a change of bed might give me some relief from the searing, unending pain.
To be honest, the mattress in my guest bedroom gave me a lot of relief. We had invested in a great mattress couple of years earlier for our master bedroom, and while that was pretty good, pain drove me to find something even better.
A successful surgery later, I still sometimes will go roll around on the guest bed, just because it is indeed the best mattress in our home.
What’s interesting is the fact that it’s also the oldest one that we have. A decade and a half ago, when we were weaving our nest in US, one thing we splurged on was a mattress. Our family started growing, and so did the number of our bedrooms, and eventually we shifted this one to one of the guest bedrooms while our bed was topped with the latest rage in the mattress world – a memory foam.
The reason I am writing this post is because over the summer, we had quite a few guests visit us, and everyone complimented on how lovely the mattress was and what a good night sleep they had.
I have often seen that people don’t get a good mattress as they think they can’t afford it. However, there are many top-named mattresses that are affordable. From discount outlets cutting down prices to companies with installment plans to online options, there is a good mattress out there for you.
Once you get hold of a good mattress, it’s important to maintain it.
How to Maintain a Mattress
If and when you have a good mattress, it’s imperative to maintain it. As with any big investment for a home or car, you must take care of it so the investment can last longer. There are many sites that talk about maintaining a home, including a mattress.
The following includes steps to clean and maintain a mattress:
Change/wash your sheets on a regular basis
You should change your sheets once a week. When you change/wash the sheets regularly you will reduce the chance of dust mites and other insects from coming into your home. Dust mites love dead skin cells. So, changing the sheets regularly will eliminate the number of dead skin cells from building up.
Other things, like food crumbs, hair products from your hair, stains, and dirt, will also collect on the bedroom sheets over time. However, with regular washing and changing of the sheets, you will sleep more comfortably, and you will eliminate the possibility of more bugs coming into your home.
Remove stains from the mattress
To remove stains from your mattress, you must use the right cleaning products accordingly. If the stains haven’t set in your mattress, the cleaning process will be fairly easy. It’s a different story when it comes to set-in stains. Whether it’s a urine stain, blood, or other liquid stains, specific steps are required according to the type of stain.
Vacuum it
When you do the steps above, it’s easy to think that is all it takes to keep a mattress clean; however, that is not the case. Normally, adults shed up to 1.5 grams of dead skin cells every day which is enough to feed a million dust mites. To keep this population down, you should also wipe the mattress surface with a clean, damp cloth, and then sprinkle it with baking soda. Then, you should let it dry before vacuuming the surface of the mattress. These steps should also be done on a routine basis, like every few weeks.
Keep the mattress dry
Keeping the mattress dry is vital to prevent the growth of mildew and mold. You can also protect the mattress from moisture by using a mattress cover to cover it before putting on the bedroom sheets. In addition to opening the window to allow the mattress to dry, you should turn the fan or AC on and leave the mattress by it to reduce the drying time.
Have a solid foundation
Having a sturdy foundation will help your mattress last longer. This includes bed frames that the manufacturer will normally supply with the mattress. Center supports, which includes extra wide slats or center support braces, are also needed for bigger mattresses.
Rotate the mattress occasionally
Every three months, it’s imperative to flip two-sided mattresses unless the manufacturer disapproves of it. Unless the mattress has a designated foot and head, the mattress should also be rotated at 180 degrees.
How long should you keep a mattress
The length of a mattress usage depends on different factors. It depends on the type and quality of the mattress, how often the mattress is used, the health of the person using the mattress, and how the mattress is cared for. Other than that, most mattresses need to be replaced every five to seven years, according to the Better Sleep Council.
Having said that, if you truly maintain your mattress, it can last for a really long time, like the one we have in our guest bedroom that still gives so much rest to every tired body that lays on it.