Pinterest Tested: Basic Mattress Cleaning

Yep, it's another Pinterest tested moment! There will be several of these in the near future (or next several months), as I finish unpacking and organizing my house. PCSing is a great opportunity for deep cleaning. Granted, a lot of these procedures should be done more regularly, but let's pretend I do that, ok?

In the past, we've tested microwave and dishwasher cleaning, with varying degrees of success. Today, I'll tell you all about my mattress cleaning experience.

There are many pins and websites on this subject. The one I found most helpful was Clean My Space. Nearly all the tips I've researched mentioned baking soda in one way or another. I chose the simplest route for this "test" cleaning.

Here's what you need to get started:

A fine mesh strainer, and a box of baking soda... and that's pretty much it. You'll also need a good vacuum. If your mattress is stained, you'll need other materials. I was merely performing a basic "freshening" of my mattresses, like regular maintenance. If your require a deeper scrub, check out the tips from Clean My Space.

Step 1: Strip your mattress of all bedding, then give a thorough vacuuming. This will pick up a lot of the dust that can collect in the fabric.

Step 2: Using the fine mesh strainer, evenly sprinkle baking soda on the top of your mattress. It should look a little like this:

My mattress is on the floor because we just moved in, and I thought a cleaning would be fab before I put everything together and we slept on our bed again. Especially since everything smelled vaguely of the ocean it spent six weeks crossing.

Tip: If you'd like a sweeter smelling mattress for a few days, you could add a few drops of essential oil to the baking soda, prior to sprinkling.

Step 3: Spend 30 minutes elsewhere and leave your mattress alone. If you've just PSCed like us, you'll probably use that time unpacking. If not, you could play with your dog/kids, watch a sitcom episode, prep for dinner, call your mother... whatever floats your boat, peeps.

Step 4: Vacuum all the baking soda off your mattress. Use an upholstery attachment if you have one.

Step 5: Flip mattress and repeat steps 1-4 (only necessary if your mattress is fabric on both sides. Some less expensive mattresses are one-sided).

Step 6: Pat yourself on the back for a job well done! Your mattress should be fresh and clean smelling.

My mattress "after"

So, did it work? Is this a Pinterest success?

YES! After this quick clean, my mattress no longer smelled like the ocean. This is an easy chore which will be added to my regular rotation. Every time I flip the mattress, I'll now be doing a quick baking soda vacuum as well (or anytime my bed smells too much like the dog who routinely sleeps on it, ha!).

My next plan is to scrub our microfiber couch. I'll let you know how that goes in my next Pinterest Tested post.

Do you have any tips for a better mattress clean? Please share in the comments below!

Until next time, happy pinning!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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