Natural Ways To Disinfect Your Mattress
BedVoyage welcomes guest blogger Donald Giddings from GreenLivingZone.com
Typically mattress cleaners can be quite expensive and some can be irritating for people with sensitive skin or pets due to their chemicals, but there are many ways to naturally clean your mattress. We’re fortunate that there are natural ways to disinfect and give a good cleaning to your mattress that are both budget-friendly and safe.
Its not enough to simply change your sheets or spray your mattress with air fresheners (many are full of toxic chemicals that simply numb your smelling senses!) Ideally, you should clean your mattress every six months and treat stains immediately. Luckily, there are some household products you can use to treat stains and disinfect, with more natural ways to disinfect your mattress.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is commonly used as a deodorizer. It can effectively get rid of stubborn smells and can be sprinkled straight onto a mattress for an effective clean. Not only will it get rid of smells, but it can absorb excess liquid.
Sprinkling baking soda onto your bare mattress with a kitchen strainer is the easiest way to apply. You may even add some drops of lavender essential oil into the baking soda to help give it a fresh smell. Allow it to sit for 30-60 minutes then carefully vacuum up all the baking soda before putting your sheets back on. If you don't have a hose attachment to your vacuum, you can set your entire vacuum cleaner on the mattress and stand by the side of the bed moving it about. Be sure to empty the canister when done, as there will be a lot of dirt and residue.
DIY Natural Mattress Spray
To make this natural mattress spray, you’ll need:
- 1 cup distilled water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 8 drops lavender essential oil
- 8 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 8 drops peppermint essential oil
- Or a blend of your choice of essential oils
Simply drop the correct drops of oil into a spray bottle, then add the liquid ingredients. Shake well until everything is combined. Spray directly onto your mattress and allow it to sit and dry for a 3-6 hours. Vacuum well to remove any dead skin and mites before making your bed with fresh sheets.
This spray not only disinfects your mattress, but it also helps keep bugs away. Vinegar can work as a deterrent to keep spiders, ants, and even mites away. The peppermint oil will also keep bugs away.
However, peppermint oil can be harmful to dogs and cats, so you may want to leave it out if your furry friends also share the bed. Instead, you can use lemon and tea tree essential oils in this mix.
Hydrogen Peroxide Mix
What You Will Need:
- 1 cup hydrogen peroxide
- 3-4 drops natural dish soap
- 3 tablespoons baking soda
Mix all the ingredients together and add to a spray bottle. Spray any stained areas or the whole mattress if desired, lightly, or heavily if very soiled. Wipe it up with a damp towel to remove any left behind stains. Let it dry before remaking your bed with fresh bedding. BedVoyage Bamboo Sheets are naturally odor and bacteria resistant, so using those sheets on a freshly cleaned mattress will help keep the bed fresher, longer.
Hydrogen peroxide can work efficiently to remove stubborn stains from a mattress. Whether from sweat, blood, or urine, it can get rid of the stain and its smell. Weird tip: to remove blood stains easily, have the person who bled put their saliva on the stain, it will disappear within 10 minutes, to the point you can wipe it clean. The hydrogen peroxide mix will help keep your mattress fresh and clean. No fun if you’ve ever spilled red wine on your carpet, but this spray is genius at getting out the stain. No need to blot, just spray and let sit and you will see the stain disappear like magic over 30-60 minutes.
White Vinegar
White vinegar isn’t only effective at disinfecting your mattress, but it can also remove stubborn stains and vomit. Unfortunately, vomit can happen and it is important to clean it up right away to prevent stains and a lasting odor. You can also use this method for regular cleaning.
Simply mix the same quantity of water as white vinegar into a spray bottle. Just spray the mix onto your mattress and blot with a damp towel and let it dry before replacing your bedding.
Also recommended: sprinkle some baking soda on after spraying to help with tough odors. Allow the mixture to dry and vacuum up the baking soda.
Keeping Your Mattress Clean
Keeping your mattress clean isn’t just beneficial to your health, but can increase the life of your mattress. Many store-bought cleaners contain harsh chemicals that can be irritating to those with sensitive skin and are simply not desirable to use on your bed. Thankfully there are some safe and effective natural ways to disinfect your mattress. In the event you are suffering from a Bed Bug issue, please see this article to learn more. For additional natural tips on how to clean your mattress, you can read more here.
Sleep Healthy and Safely! And for added comfort and luxury, add a set of BedVoyage Bamboo Bed Sheets to your fresh clean mattress!
Green Living Zone
Donald Giddings is founder and editor in chief at Green Living Zone. A lifelong sustainability enthusiast, Donald is always looking for the best way to live in harmony with nature. When he is not trying out new eco-friendly recipes, he writes engaging content about green, sustainable ways to maintain your home, body, and soul, readily sharing his abundant experience with other green living aficionados.
