When we think of house cleaning chores, we often think of taking out the trash, scrubbing the toilets and doing the dishes, but we often fail to consider one other task: cleaning our mattress. We spend at least a third of our lives in bed, yet we rarely set aside a couple minutes to maintain our investment and all our bedding accessories.
Your bed should be a fresh, clean space where you can relax and recharge, but a buildup of dust, mold and mildew can prevent you from getting enough quality sleep to keep you healthy and happy. Continuing to neglect cleaning your mattress can quickly turn your bed into a breeding ground for bacteria and allergens.
To make sure you're getting the sleep you deserve in the healthiest environment possible, here are some best practices when your bed and bedding are in need of a little TLC:
General cleaning recommendations
Keep your mattress clean before washing
You don't buy a new cell phone without buying a case to go with it, and the same should apply with a new mattress purchase. If you love it, protect it. By using a mattress protector, you are helping shield it from anything life throws (or spills) its way, which is especially important if you have little ones or furry friends crawling around in your bed. Although they are sweet and adorable, the mess they bring with them could ruin your mattress.
Along with having a protector, you should routinely clean your mattress as well. We recommend vacuuming it at least once a season to get any dust or dirt that's deep down.
When it comes to spills or stains, there are many home remedies, like baking soda and white vinegar solutions, in addition to dedicated stain removers for removing unwanted materials from your mattress. Just be sure to check your manufacturer's warranty before testing any DIY mattress cleaners.
Always check the care label
Always check that care label before washing any type of bedding item for the first time, as not all items will respond the same way to water, detergent, or stain remover solutions.
Always wash bedding before use
Make sure to always wash new sheets, comforters, pillowcases, and any other bed accessories that are going to be making direct contact with your body.
Use the right wash and dry settings for your bedding fabric
While those care labels are always going to be the final authority, simply knowing the different fabrics your item is made from, be it a fitted sheet, duvet, or anything else, can help to give you a
How to Wash Sheets
When you get into bed, you're cuddling with everything that comes in contact with your sheets — your pets, dead skin cells, lotions, crumbs and any other unidentifiable objects that your kids bring to bed with them. Because your sheets are the thing on your bed that you come in contact with the most, it's important to wash them about once a week.
Wash with the right water temperature
When washing bed sheets, proper water temperature is important. We recommend that you use hot water to disinfect them. And, if you've ever wondered how often should you wash your blankets, the same rule applies. Washing sheets with sufficiently warm water will help ensure that allergens and other unwanted substances are cleansed from the item. Sheets will come with a care label listing appropriate wash temperatures and wash cycle. Most experts recommend washing at the highest heat setting listed on the care label.
Wash regularly
To help keep your bed a fresh and relaxing place for you to spend time, try to maintain a regular schedule for washing your bed sheets. Experts generally recommend changing sheets every 1-2 weeks.
Air dry or machine dry sheets depending on your need
There isn’t really a hard and fast rule for whether bed sheets should be dried in a drying machine or air dried on a clothesline. For sheets made of more delicate fibers like linen, line drying can help to prolong the sheets’ lifespan compared to the tumble cycles of a drying machine. That said, some of the issue can be mitigated by avoiding overloading the machine sticking to the lowest setting, which will reduce the amount of heat and friction you expose the fabric to.
Avoid fabric softeners for sheets
Generally speaking, try to avoid using fabric softeners on sheets. While they’re great for softening clothes and reducing static and wrinkles, some of the ingredients in fabric softeners can get into sheet fabrics and eventually damage your sheets over time. The same goes for dryer sheets, which can leave a residue on fabrics that reduces their absorbency, which is important for the body oils and sweat bodies shed naturally during sleep..
Avoid bleaching sheets
While bleach in diluted form during washing can help to whiten stained items like white sheets, using bleach when cleaning sheets or other bedding items runs the risk of degrading or damaging the fabrics your bedding items are made of. Unless absolutely necessary, try to stick to the stain remover solutions mentioned above and normal laundry detergent.
Pre-treat stains on sheets
As an alternative to bleach, pre-treating sheet stains with natural stain removers like solutions of baking soda, white vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide before a normal wash can achieve the same effect with much less risk of permanently damaging your fabrics.
Know your fabric
As mentioned above, knowing the fabric your sheets are made out of can help guide you on how to wash them properly. Here are a few examples of some more common sheet fabrics you’ll find.
How to wash cotton sheets
Cotton is relatively flexible when it comes to machine washing. In most cases, a normal wash cycle with warm water is a safe bet, depending on whether the sheets’ care instructions say anything different. Tumble drying on a medium or low setting should be fine.
How to wash bamboo sheets
Bamboo is a great natural fiber with many perks like being naturally hypoallergenic as well as breathable and moisture wicking. That said, washing and drying bamboo sheets is a bit different than it is for cotton. For washing you’ll want to stick to cold or slightly warm water and the gentlest cycle on your washing machine. For drying it’s a similar story: gentle cycle with low heat if using a drying machine, or line dry.
How to wash polyester blend sheets
Similar to cotton, polyester or poly blend sheets can typically be washed at a normal cycle with warm water. Drying polyester sheets is where there’s a difference; you’ll want to stick with a low or “cool” tumble dry setting, as the synthetic nature of polyester makes it much less resistant to high heat exposure than cotton or bamboo.
How to Wash a Comforter/Duvet
So, how often should you wash your comforter and duvet, really? The answer is probably more often than you think. Comforters and duvets should be washed weekly unless you use a top sheet when sleeping. With a top sheet, you can stretch the washing to every two to four weeks.
To wash your comforter or duvet at home, try to not overload your washer and dryer. Over-stuffing your washer or dryer can cause too much strain on the machine and even damage your bedding. Before washing, check that there's enough space for your comforter to completely fit without it getting caught on anything. If your comforter is too bulky, we suggest taking it to the laundromat instead of trying to force it into your own washing machine.
Additionally, good duvet covers can, similar to pillowcases, help make it easier to clean your duvet and even change the visual look of your bedding.
Can you put a duvet in the washing machine?
In most cases the answer is yes as long as the duvet’s care instructions say it’s OK. Some duvets, depending on their fill materials and construction, may recommend professional cleaning for a true deep clean.
How to Wash Pillows and Pillowcases
You might be wondering, can you wash pillows? The answer is yes! The key in washing pillows is to use hot water to get rid of any sweat, dust mites or allergens that may be present. After washing pillows, it is best to leave hang them to dry. To keep your pillow clean even longer, we recommend using a pillow protector.
While you can often wash pillows in a washing machine, we recommend checking the tag before doing any cleaning on your own. If your pillows are labeled machine safe, machine wash pillows with hot water. However, be sure to not overload your washer as this may prevent the washer from cleaning your pillows properly and can even cause your pillows to be damaged.
Top Bedding Accessories
If your bedding has seen better days and it's time for an upgrade. We have compiled a list of our favorite bedding accessories:
Pillows
Did you know that your pillow supports 25% of your body while sleeping? Pillows provide crucial support to your head and neck each night. The right pillow should relax you and relieve tension as soon as you lie down to ease winding down and falling asleep.
Beautyrest Black Ice Memory Foam Pillow
One of our best sellers, the Beautyrest Black Ice memory foam pillow features revolutionary BlackICE TM technology, which provides contouring comfort and support for your head and neck throughout the night. Micro Diamond-infused memory foam and Phase Change Technology help with temperature regulations, ensuring you sleep cool all night long.
PureCare SoftCell Chill Hybrid Cooling Pillow
The PureCare SoftCell Chill Hybrid pillow is a dual-sided pillow that features one side of Identically Down (i.d.) alternative fill and another side of cooling gel memory foam. The pillow height is customizable by removing the i.d. insert. This pillow is great for all sleepers and works well for someone that likes to have a variety of pillow options.
Bed Linens and Sheets
New bed sheets and linens not only revive your sleep space, they often can help you sleep a little better. Today, most bed sheets help regulate your body temperature while you sleep, and small textural differences can lead to a big improvement in overall comfort. Who doesn’t love crawling into a bed with freshly clean sheets on it?
Brookside 600 Thread Count Cotton Sheet Set
The easy-care convenience of polyester and cotton come together in this 600 thread count cotton sheet set. Poly fibers are woven across cotton threads to create a soft cotton surface on one side and a wrinkle-resistant poly surface on the opposite side — providing an incredibly cozy cotton sheet surface against your skin as you sleep.
The SHEEX Breathe Max Sheet Set is designed to create ideal sleeping conditions and features SHEEX Innovative SLEEP•FIT® Technology which combines thermoregulation, quick-drying, and 4-way stretch for unrivaled performance. Ridiculously Soft® performance fabric sheets breathe up to 10x better than traditional cotton, and wicks moisture to ensure you get the most restful night sleep. Plus, they are engineered not to shrink, fade or pill and get softer with every wash.
From mattresses to pillows, bases to bedding, we're here to help you find your perfect mattress match. To check out our selection, visit a Mattress Firm store near you or shop online at MattressFirm.com.
