When you sleep for one-third of your life, you probably spend a lot of that time on a mattress. In addition to the type and quality of materials used for the construction of your mattress, how you treat it over time will play a significant role in its lifespan.
Innerspring mattresses should typically last seven to ten years, while higher-quality foam beds may last up to fifteen. Since hybrid mattresses combine coils and foam, their lifespan should fall somewhere in the middle of that range. However, this will largely depend on how durable the materials and construction are.
You don’t want to have to throw your mattress away too soon. Read on for 9 tips to keep your bed in good condition and make sure you have it for as long as possible in order to get the most out of your mattress and your sleep.
1. Use a Mattress Protector
When you buy a new mattress, you can help extend its life by adding a mattress protector before even sleeping one night on it.
Although we might like to believe that we are all tidy in bed, things do occasionally happen. Accidents happen, spills happen, and using a protector, particularly a waterproof one, will prevent anything from getting under the duvet or sheets and ruining the mattress.
Even if we are not able to see them, body oils and sloughed off skin can get past our sheets and into our mattress.
Protectors are available in a wide variety of designs, materials, and price points. Before you go shopping, be sure to check the height profile and mattress size. An ideal fit will prevent you from feeling the protector move beneath your sheets.
Fitted and encasement are two styles of mattress protectors that are frequently used.
Fitted: Just like a fitted sheet, fitted mattress protectors are stretched tight across your mattress. Because they are inexpensive and simple to get on and off your bed, you will see these almost everywhere.
Most of them are waterproof, and some of them have a top resembling a mattress pad. Keep in mind that with this style, only the top surface will be protected; the sides will still be exposed.
Encasement: As the name implies, encasement protectors completely encase and shield your mattress. These typically have a zipped up side and cover all six sides (including the bottom). People who prefer encasement mattresses typically want to keep allergens out of their mattresses or prevent bedbugs from getting inside.
2. Maintain proper mattress support
It’s essential to the life of your mattress to ensure that it’s properly supported. While a sturdy platform won’t necessarily require you to buy a box spring or foundation, it will ensure that your mattress wears evenly and as it was intended to.
You should check with the manufacturer about this as well, particularly because if you don’t support the bed as recommended, warranties may be void.
As opposed to foam beds, innerspring mattresses typically require a solid platform. Make sure your bed’s slatted base can support the weight of the mattress and anyone sleeping on it if you have one.
3. No bed jumping
Jumping on the bed is not only dangerous but also bad for the mattress. Jumping up and down on a bed applies unnecessary pressure to the mattress, which could eventually cause damage.
Additionally, since the bed frame and box spring underneath the mattress were not made to support an adult or child jumping on them, you run the risk of damaging them.
4. Don’t eat in bed
Simple snacks in bed might seem harmless, but unnoticed crumbs can draw bugs and other small creatures.
Make no mistake, when there are crumbs lying around, bugs will appear. Ants and cockroaches are the most prevalent ones.
It doesn’t take much. Cockroaches require only a small amount of food to survive. If you don’t want to give up your “eating in bed” habits, you should make sure to frequently change your sheets.
5. Regularly rotate or flip your mattress
A mattress used to need to be rotated and flipped frequently to stay in good condition. This is because a mattress can experience specific wear and tear in one area from being in the same position every night, shortening its lifespan.
While there’s a new generation of mattresses with tailored layers that may not need flipping or rotating, some still need at least a rotation now and then.
Check with the company that makes your mattress’ brand and manufacturer first. They ought to be able to advise you on whether you ought to rotate or flip your mattress.
It may depend on the kind of mattress you have. Mattresses made of memory foam, latex foam, hybrid materials, and innersprings typically benefit from rotation every few months.
It should work if you remember to turn it 180 degrees as the seasons change.
6. Vacuum your bed
Vacuuming a mattress at least twice a year will help prevent the accumulation of sweat, dust mites, and allergens. To ensure you don’t forget, vacuum it when you rotate your mattress seasonally.
Use your vacuum’s appliance (upholstery) attachment and pay special attention to the seams, where the most build-up is likely to accumulate.
7. Remove stains as needed
Vacuuming and spot cleaning stains as soon as they’re discovered will help the mattress last longer than waiting for them to dry and pretending they never happened as you pull the sheets back over the mattress.
Use salt and lemon juice, combining to make a thick paste. Apply and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes after gently massaging it into the stain.
When you remove the paste with a fresh towel, check to be sure the stain has lessened or disappeared. Lemon’s bleaching abilities and salt’s ability to absorb moisture make a perfect combination to remove stains.
Lemon should not be used on mattresses that are darkly colored or have been dyed because it will bleach them and fade the color.
Another option is to combine natural liquid dish soap, baking soda, a few drops of hydrogen peroxide, and water in a spray bottle.
Spray it on the stain and then blot it away with a clean rag. Although this takes a little extra elbow grease, it does wonders to remove old marks.
8. No pets
Pets may be cuddly and sweet sleeping companions, but when they join their owners in bed, they also open the door to a host of potential germs, bugs, and bacteria.
According to the CDC, parasites are common in dogs and cats, most frequently roundworms and hookworms (although there are many other equally nasty offenders out there, too).
The majority of the time, these parasites lay their eggs in the hair of your pet, from which they can easily shed onto your sheets. Who would want to sleep next to eggs that were about to hatch?
9. Keep out the bed bugs
Bed bugs aren’t imaginary creatures…they’re unfortunately very real.
These tiny insects are flat, reddish-brown, and difficult to see. All types of bedding, including bed frames and mattresses, are ideal hiding places for them.
They are most active at night and feed on the blood of their hosts. By taking a few precautions, you can prevent them, which is much easier than trying to rid yourself of them.
- ⬥ Keep the space tidy and organized to limit the number of hiding spots for bed bugs.
- ⬥ Use a bed bug-resistant mattress protector. There are several that can be sealed, preventing bed bugs from entering.
- ⬥ Be cautious when bringing in used furniture because bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers.
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