• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

How to Buy the Best Mattress

The ultimate guide to the best mattress types and brands.

vacuum mattress

How to Vacuum a Mattress to Fight Dust Mites

April 19, 2011 by mattress1982

mattress and box springs from simmons
CC Flickr photo courtesy of castawayvintage.

Dust mites are microscopic organisms that live by eating human dead skin cells. They live all over the home in pillows, furniture, carpet and especially mattresses; since human body creates millions of dead skin cells during sleep to provide plenty of food. It is important to know how to clean a mattress since dust mites can cause health issues for people with allergies or respiratory conditions such as asthma. Proper mattress cleaning can effectively fight dust mite infestation.

Using a Vacuum Cleaner on Your Mattress

Any homeowner can get a good mattress cleaning using a high quality vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter. Since dust mites multiply quickly, a thorough vacuuming should be done on a regular basis. Between the mattresses should be vacuumed as well as box springs, under the bed and anywhere the mattress makes contact with the wall. Homeowners whose bedrooms are carpeted most likely need more help with cleaning a mattress since dust mites hide in carpeting.

Using a Steam Cleaner on a Mattress

Steam cleaners, when used with specially designed cleansers, disinfect and deodorize a mattress in addition to killing dust mites. Vapor steam cleaners come in a variety of styles and price ranges and can be a big help with mattress cleaning to help control dust mite infestation. A good cleaner will heat the water to 298 degrees; which is the temperature that also kills any mold and mildew in the mattress. For households with allergy or asthma sufferers, it is especially important to learn how to clean a mattress in a thorough manner.

Hiring a Professional

Hiring professional cleaning services is the best way to get effective mattress cleaning. Employees of professional companies are knowledgeable about health issues that can arise from dust mites and other pollutants found in mattresses. They are trained to use the correct tools to thoroughly clean mattresses and other dust mite hiding places. The vacuums that are used by professionals are more powerful than the average homeowner has at home. Most have filtration systems two times the size of vacuums sold in department stores.

Professional steam cleaning is another way to solve the dilemma of how to clean a mattress well enough to kill dust mites. Most companies use non toxic and natural cleaning solutions that don’t leave a residue that could aggravate allergy symptoms. A professional steam cleaning provides a deep cleaning to your mattress. Professional cleaners also apply an antibacterial and fungicidal spray on the mattress for protection between cleanings.

Mattress Maintenance

Maintaining a mattress that has been cleaned is just as important as knowing how to properly clean a mattress. Bedding should be washed at once a week with water that is at least 130 degrees. Specially designed fitted sheets, called dust mite encasings are effective for dust mite control. Most department stores sell tannic acid which can be sprayed on the mattress to deactivate dust mite feces that can aggravate people with allergies. Since dust mites thrive in conditions where there is a 50 percent or more humidity level, running a dehumidifier is helpful to fight dust mites in between a mattress cleaning to keep the level under 30 percent.

Other Resources for Getting Rid of Dust Mites in a Mattress

How to get rid of things has a good page with solid tips on getting rid of dust mites in a mattress.

The Dust Mite Protection site has a list of tips on getting rid of dust mites in your mattress.

Net Wellness is a university based site with a lot of good advice on fighting dust mites in general.

Did we miss anything? Is there anything wrong with this page? Was it helpful? Leave a comment and let us know, so that we can continue to improve it.

Filed Under: mattress care Tagged With: clean mattress, dust mite, dust mites, dustmite, dustmites, vacuum mattress

UV Lights and Mattresses

March 1, 2011 by mattress1982

Mattresses are not the most sanitary item in the home. They are often embedded with bacteria, viruses, and most notoriously, dust mites. Dust mites are difficult to kill by ordinary means as they are practically invisible to the human eye, and burrow deep down within the layers of the mattress. They feed off of dead skin that sheds from the body while sleeping, and excrete droppings, which can cause allergies, headaches, inflammation of the mucus membranes and other health problems.

Most Effective Methods of Mattress Cleaning

The older a mattress is, the greater the infestation. Although vacuuming is helpful, it only removes the mites on the surface, and leaves behind countless other mites in the deeper layers. So then, how do you deal with these creatures effectively?

One of the most effective mattress cleaning methods is the use of UV light. UV stands for ultraviolet, and is a technology that mimics the rays of the sun, which is a natural purifier. UV light, specifically UV-C light, when used as an indoor cleaner, serves as a germicide, destroying bacteria, viruses, mold and even dust mites within a split second.

UV Light against Mites and Germs

While you can’t purchase UV light in a bottle, there is a product on the market that uses UV rays to sterilize mattresses from these notorious microorganisms. The Hygienitech Mattress Cleaning System is a portable cleaning device that uses high frequency waves along with UV-C light and powerful suction to eradicate and extract mites and other particles and germs from the layers of the mattress. In as little as 15 minutes for a single mattress, and 30 minutes for a double mattress, the fibers can be purified just as if the rays of the sun were to clean it itself. There is also a plant-based spray that comes with the system, which is a deodorizing and sanitizing spray that can be used not only on the mattress, but also on the carpeting and upholstery.

It is suggested to use the Hygienitech Mattress Cleaning System every six months to rid your mattress of the accumulation of any of these bacteria and skin-eating critters. If your mattress is old, you’ll want to put it to use right away. Also, if you’ve been having allergy problems such as sneezing or itchy eyes when waking up in the morning, you may notice a great improvement, since you will no longer be breathing in foreign objects that can often be irritants and thus cause allergy flare-ups.

Something as simple as cleaning a mattress with UV light can help make for a better night’s sleep, not only literally, but also in regard to peace of mind. If we were to see the multitude of germs and creepy critters that are thriving in the fibers of our mattresses, we would be extremely repulsed. And since we can’t bring the sun indoors, it’s good that there are modern inventions that can help replicate the sun’s purifying qualities.

So, say goodbye to dust mites in your mattress, and say hello to sleeping in more sanitary conditions. UV light does it all!

Mattress and bedding related UV products and services:

EcoGecko UV Light and Vacuum

Verilux CleanWave UV-C Sanitizing Wand

Verilux CleanWave UV-C Sanitizing Bed Vacuum

Hygienitech Mattress Cleaning System

Filed Under: mattress care Tagged With: dust mite, dust mites, mattress allergies, mattress allergy, mattress germs, mite, mites, UV cleaner, UV mattress clean, UV mattress cleaning, vacuum mattress

Primary Sidebar

Popular Posts

  • How to Fix Rips and Tears in Your Mattress
  • Luxury Mattress Brands
  • UV Lights and Mattresses
  • The Best Bedsheets: Expensive and High Tech Options
  • Tempur-Pedic Mattress: Worth the Money?

Pages

  • About
  • Benefits of an Organic Mattress
  • Blog
  • Buying a Mattress
    • Air Mattress: Buying Tips
    • Crib Mattress: What to Look For
    • Firm Mattress: A Good Idea?
    • Futon Mattress: Better, worse, or just different?
    • Latex Mattress pros and cons
    • Memory Foam Mattress: An explanation
    • Pillowtop Mattress: Good idea or bad?
    • Tempur-Pedic Mattress: Worth the Money?
  • Buying A New Mattress: Making Sure It’s Not Used
  • Buying Options for Mattress Covers: Protect the Mattress
  • Buying Options for the King Size Mattress
  • Choosing a Mattress Topper
  • How to Buy a Mattress: Here are the Best Advice Pages

Copyright © 2022 · Lifestyle Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...