How to Clean a Mattress

When you climb into bed at the end of the day, do you know what you’re getting yourself into? If you don’t know how to clean a mattress properly, there could be a whole bunch of stuff you really don’t want to sleep with hiding under your sheets—namely, microscopic poop.

“Dust mites will burrow into your mattress and poop inside, so then over time, your mattress is just full of poop,” says New York City–based allergist Payel Gupta, MD. (And, she adds, it’s precisely that fecal matter that those of us with dust allergies are actually allergic to.) Before you immediately order yourself a new mattress on Amazon, it’s worth taking a minute to learn how to clean a mattress. True, you can't just toss a mattress in the washing machine, but trust us: It’s actually not all that complicated.

Why Do I Need to Clean My Mattress?

A dirty mattress won’t just gross out anyone who shares your bed. It could backfire on your sleep—and your health.

Throughout the day, dust accumulates around our head and our hair, says Rechelle Balanzat, founder of New York City’s Juliette Cleaners. So when we lay down, we’re offering up a feast for dust mites. And if you don’t clean your mattress regularly, that dust mite poop will build up over time, and get released while you’re sleeping, says Katie McCullar, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital whose research centers on sleep. “Which can trigger allergies or worsen respiratory issues leading to symptoms like sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes that can disrupt sleep,” she adds.

In particular, Dr. Gupta says you could experience allergic asthma (coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness), allergic rhinitis (runny nose, nasal congestion and mouth breathing, postnasal drip), allergic conjunctivitis (itchy, watery eyes), or allergic eczema (dry, flaky, itchy skin). Any of these symptoms will make it harder for you to clock your nightly eight hours.

Breakfast in bed may be a luxurious way to start your weekend, but it’s also the most common cause of mattress stains, according to Balanzat. Dropped leftovers can also attract unwelcome bugs, she adds. In particular, cockroaches and ants love a good nighttime nosh in bed. Plus, these critters are attracted to odors—and to them, nothing smells more inviting than a dirty mattress.

Side sleepers and stomach sleepers alike leave a little something behind when they get out of bed in the morning. Night sweats, accidental bedwetting, drool, and, ahem, extracurricular activities (especially if they involve oils or lotions) can all end up soaking your mattress, contributing to “mattress wear and tear,” Dr. McCullar says. Even if you don’t think you’ve soiled your bed, “your oils and bacteria from your skin and hair can get left behind each time you're sleeping, which also leads to a dirtier mattress,” she adds—especially if you sleep au naturale. Yet another reason experts recommend replacing your mattress every eight to ten years.

Allowing your pet to be your nightly little spoon also brings pet dander and fur into your bed—not to mention the potential for unfortunate accidents. “There's a lot of people out there that know that they're actually allergic to their dog or cat, but they're just not willing to face it,” Dr. Gupta says. “But your bedroom, where you sleep, really needs to be the one place that's a safe haven from those allergens.” (And yes, this is still the case even if you have a “hypoallergenic” doodle, since you can still get symptoms from these pets, Dr. Gupta adds.)

Here’s What You Need to Clean Your Mattress

To state the obvious, a mattress isn’t something you can throw in the washer and dryer. So how do you clean a mattress without investing in high-tech gear? Fortunately, all the supplies you need to wash a mattress are likely already stashed somewhere in your closet. Balanzat says these are your essentials for cleaning a mattress:

• Dishwashing detergent
• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• A vacuum
• A clean cloth
• Hydrogen peroxide

For deep-set stains, you might also need a steam cleaner.

How to Clean a Mattress in 3 Easy Steps

Cleaning a mattress isn’t a super intensive process: Here’s what Balanzat says is the best way to clean a mattress—which she recommends doing once a month.

1. Vacuum. Once you’ve taken off your sheets, give the top a good vacuum to get rid of dust, hair, any crumbs, or other stray bits.
2. Spray white vinegar mixture. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, then spritz it over the top of your mattress to disinfect and deodorize. (If you want a nicer smell, add a couple drops of essential oil or use a household odor eliminator, like Febreze.)
3. Sprinkle some baking soda. For additional disinfecting and deodorizing, lightly sprinkle on some baking soda. Leave it on for at least 30 minutes before vacuuming it off. Then, just make sure your mattress is dry before putting sheets back on.

Of course, sometimes you need a little more than routine cleaning. If you’ve spilled something that’s stained your mattress, Balanzat recommends addressing it immediately for your best chance of getting it out. She uses one of three strategies, depending on just how bad it is.

• Blot any surface stains. If something liquid has left its mark on your mattress, immediately pour on a little dishwashing detergent and warm water, then blot the strain with a clean cloth—gently. “You want to pick up the stain, not push the stain in,” Balanzat says. Be sure to let it completely dry before putting linens back on so you don’t end up with mold. A wet/dry vacuum can also help remove liquid and cleaning products.
• Make a paste for heavier stains. For something powerful like urine, Balanzat recommends creating a paste out of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dishwashing liquid, and gently blotting. You can also use a toothbrush if that’s helpful to get it out.
• For deep-set stains, try a steam cleaner. Steaming equipment you might have at home for your carpets can also pull out stains that have seeped deeper into the mattress.

How to Actually Keep Your Mattress Clean

We get it: Even if you know how to wash a mattress, that doesn’t mean you want to be doing it all the time. Don’t worry—there are a few smart strategies you can implement in your bedroom to wait as long as hygienically possible between mattress cleans.

• Get a waterproof mattress protector: “These provide that one additional barrier between your mattress and the dust and allergens and everything in your environment,” Dr. McCullar says, adding that they’re both relatively inexpensive and highly effective. Consider it a bonus if your mattress protector has anti-allergy properties and a tight weave (which reduces exposure to dust mite allergens and their comrades). While you're at it, invest in hypoallergenic pillow covers to further protect you from dust mites and more. Balanzat says these mattress and pillow protectors are easy to take off to wash. “It will just make your life so much easier because then you're just throwing that in the wash versus trying to remove a stain,” she says.
• Turn on a dehumidifier: Dust mites live off the humidity in the air, Dr. Gupta says, so keeping those levels in check could keep your mattress from getting covered in their poop. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends keeping the relative humidity at least below 60 percent, and between 30 and 50 percent if you can.
• Avoid heavy bedding: Overheating at night will increase your risk of night sweats, Dr. McCullar points out.
• Change out your sheets every week or two and wash in hot water: If you don’t let your linens accumulate dust and dirt, they’re less likely to seep into the mattress.
• Get into bed clean: Change out of your outside clothes before getting into bed, take off your shoes, and shower before bed, Balanzat recommends.
• Don’t eat in bed: No matter how tempting it is to pair Love Is Blind with a fresh bag of Fritos. “If you have crumbs there, now you're inviting spiders or bugs,” Balanzat says.

Sure, it takes a little effort to keep your mattress fresh. But knowing your bed is clean will literally help you sleep better at night—a payoff that’s well worth it in our book.

FAQ

About the Experts

Dr. Payel Gupta is an Assistant Clinical Professor at both SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. She is triple board certified and holds certifications from the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the American Board of Pediatrics.

Rechelle Balanzat is the founder of New York City’s Juliette Cleaners, which aims to bring the laundry & dry cleaning industry into the 21st century.

Dr. Katie McCullar is a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and Mass General Hospital where her research focuses on sleep and circadian rhythms. She received her PhD from Brown University and her dissertation explored the effects of consecutive nights of alcohol on human sleep.

This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Aubrey Wells. Dr. Wells is board-certified in sleep medicine. She is the founder of Super Sleep MD, an online platform for education, support, and group coaching experiences specifically for people struggling with obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia.