So you guessed it right. You can clean your mattress topper and get rid of the nasty stains and smell. But there is a chance that you have trouble learning how to best clean a mattress topper. If so, read on to find out how to clean it right now, plus useful tips on the different toppers available.
As time passes, your mattress topper will indeed gather dirt, dust, and stains from use. Keeping it clean remains essential if you are looking to preserve the quality in the long run. That stands to reason why learning how to clean your mattress topper is recommended.
Yet, the desire to clean can come with dire consequences enough to destroy your mattress topper. A simple mistake of cleaning with the wrong products can end up exposing your mattress topper to damage.
To avoid this, it’s always wise to act beforehand and learn to clean and preserve the quality of your mattress topper the right way.
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What Type of Mattress Topper do You Have?
Generally, mattress toppers come in a range of different materials, which calls for unique cleaning methods. Here is a look at the type of mattress toppers you can come across or use.
Memory Foam
Memory foam mattress toppers are among the most popular types out there due to their range of benefits. They combine a memory foam layer with springs. Other memory foam toppers also add an extra support foam made from polyurethane for more comfort.
Egg crate
Of course, the name gives out what to expect with these kinds of mattress toppers. Egg crate or convoluted foam mattress toppers come with a unique egg carton design that makes them distinguishable.
Latex
Latex toppers are another popular type that offers outstanding qualities due to the premium material in use. As per the mattress industry, latex toppers are currently available as organic, 100% natural, synthetic, or blended latex material.
Feather
Also known as featherbeds, these toppers come as a collection of super-soft feathers in soft and breathable cotton encasings, quilted to prevent clumping.
Cotton
Cotton mattress toppers are also popular considering they can be washed and dried using laundry machines. This makes them easier to clean compared to other mattress topper types.
Wool
Natural wool fleece mattress toppers also make a good option for extra cushioning without retaining body heat. In particular, the wool makes such toppers great in regulating temperature by ensuring you are not too cold or hot while asleep.
Polyester
Polyester Mattress toppers are alternatives made from soft polyester microfiber filling materials divided into square-shape pockets. They also come with elasticated edges that are ideal for firmly securing the toppers over your firm mattress.
How Do You Clean A Mattress Topper: The Comprehensive Guide
If you are not sure of how best to clean your mattress topper, there is no reason to let it get too dirty. Here is a laydown involving the rule of thumb for each type of mattress topper.
How to Clean a Memory Foam Mattress Topper
Since memory foam mattress toppers are the most popular, they make up the majority of toppers that need regular cleaning. Considering this, here are the general steps to take in cleaning your memory foam topper.
1. Vacuum it
This step is essential in picking up debris, dust, and dirt particles from the topper without damaging the fabric cover. To get the best results, combine the vacuum cleaning with a soft brush in a circular motion to avoid damaging the fabric cover. One done, flip over the topper and vacuum the underside also.
2. Using laundry detergent
After vacuum, you will start by deodorizing the mattress topper using a laundry detergent. Here, a mild laundry detergent comes in handy when eliminating potential odors or stains. To use the hand detergent,
- Mix the liquid hand detergent with double the amount of warm water
- Fill a spray bottle with the mixture and gently spray over the topper layer.
- Ensure you do not soak the topper surface by moving the bottle as you spray
- Leave the foam to dry out completely, then return it to your bed.
3. Spot and stain cleaning
Spots and stains are perhaps the biggest culprits with a memory foam topper. On paper, a mild liquid laundry detergent also works, considering it won’t be a powder or low-quality type. Opting for low-end laundry detergent tends to damage or discolor the fabric cover.
For the stain cleaning procedure, a memory foam topper will need you to mix water and the laundry detergent in equal amounts in a container. After, get a soft cloth and dip it in the solution. With the wet cloth in hand, gradually rub on the stain in a circular motion till no detergent remains. You will have to repeat this till the stain disappears. In the end, take a clean, dry towel and rub out the area to remove any remaining detergent.
For extreme stain cases, boric acid is another alternative to apply and leave your memory foam topper sparkling. In this, you will need to blot the stained area till it’s moist enough. Get some boric acid, sprinkle on the stain, and blot again. Avoid scrubbing but instead, use circular motions with a clean, soft cloth or sponge. After finishing, clean the stained area with a dry towel till no boric acid remains.
4. Neutralize odor
The tendency of odor to linger is also frequent due to urine, smoke, or vomit stains. All these situations call for removing the smell that can make the whole mattress unbearable. However, before neutralizing any odor, be sure that the mattress topper undergoes vacuuming and stain cleaning.
With the initial steps done, neutralizing the odor takes place using a baking soda solution. Counting that baking soda also removes stains, this makes the ingredient much better for the step.
As per the guidelines, make a solution of baking soda with twice the cold water amount. Dip a cloth into the milky solution and rub on the stain. Let the baking solution sit for half an hour before cleaning it out with a clean wet cloth.
5. Air-dry the topper
After cleaning, drying your memory foam topper becomes crucial as part of essential care and maintenance. Remember, wet toppers lead to mildew and mold, which damages the memory foam topper quality.
It takes quite some time before a memory foam topper completely dries, meaning it does need time. But, this does not mean keeping it in direct sunlight full of high heat. Rather, try drying it out in the morning sunlight for over half an hour before taking it indoors. While inside, also ensure that the memory foam topper is in a well-ventilated room for good airflow that speeds up the drying.
How To Clean Egg Crate Foam Mattress
Due to their design, egg crate toppers tend to have debris buildup. It may be lint, dust, fuzz, or something else inside the valleys.
As such, the best way to start cleaning is to break out the vacuum and gently blow out the topper surface. After finishing the top side, also vacuum the underside with the hand tool to get any remaining debris out.
Depending on the egg crate type, the care instruction may permit machine washing for the topper. This calls for a commercial washer since a normal machine will be too small, causing the foam to tear.
With the right commercial machine, add cold or warm water(depending on instructions) plus a mild detergent and hit the gentle cycle setting. A pointer here is to ensure the washer gets all the dirt out of the topper’s crevices during the cycle.
A major difference comes in how you get to dry out your egg crate mattress toppers. It’s not a wise move to use dryers with egg crate toppers since the excess heat will melt the foam. Using a clothesline, thus, stands as the best option to dry out the toppers. But be on the lookout for direct sunlight since it also can damage the foam quality.
How To Clean Latex Mattress Topper
Since latex mattress toppers are premium material, you can’t ignore the fact that they will need quality cleaning. To start with, strong detergents,bleach, and solvents are not options since they will damage the latex layer.
On the flip side, the best recommendation remains using a solution of cold water with a mild commercial detergent, baking soda, or isopropyl alcohol. Alongside this, get a white rag or towel, soak up the water solution to blot the area to clean. Rather than rubbing, calmly blot the whole topper to prevent any dye transfer from the white rag to the mattress. More importantly, rotate the wet cloth around the topper to ensure the dirt and stains lift.
After full exposure to the solution, leave the mattress to dry but consider exposing natural latex to direct sun exposure can damage the mattress quality. In place of this, it’s best to air dry the topper using a cool blow dryer rather than sunlight. However, be sure not to use steam cleaners since they blow out excess heat enough to bake even organic latex.
How To Clean a Feather Mattress Topper
Feather toppers are much less of a hassle considering manufacturers suggest dry cleaning using large-capacity washers. While you can miss having such a washer, using your local laundromat is an option to try out.
At the scene, get your feather mattress topper and set it inside a large washer. Check the setting to “Delicate” and ensure warm water is in place. On matters detergents, go for a mild one while also using less amount, to stay on the safe side, and avoid damaging the quality.
After going through the washing, the rinse is another vital stage that makes the difference in the cleaning. If possible, have the featherhead mattress go through two rinse stages to ensure any residual of the detergent is completely off before drying. That also stands as the reason why it’s suggested to use less detergent for feather toppers, to ensure complete rinsing after cleaning.
If you are satisfied with the rinsing, get the topper to dry out in a tumble dryer if available. Set the machine to low to avoid possible baking of the feathers inside. In the end, get a railing and hang out the topper for 8 to 12 hours.
How To Clean a Cotton Mattress Topper
A cotton mattress topper is quite an easy one to clean since cotton material is quite common in use. Besides, water is not that harmful to natural cotton even though strong solvents present an entirely different case. As such, how to clean a cotton mattress topper still needs you to check out the care instruction for possible rules to consider.
Whatever the case, cotton toppers work great with mild or organic-friendly detergents when using a washing machine. After setting up enough cold water, lock the washer to “Delicate” or “Gentle” to protect the cotton fibers from damage.
One cleaning cycle is enough with a cotton topper with prompt removal necessary from the washer. Immediately after, get the mattress topper to a tumble dryer and set it on medium to low heat if possible.
As an alternative, adding dryer balls can go the extra mile of drying out more of the moisture present. To speed the drying, even more, try out line drying to have your cotton topper fully dry.
On the other hand, tough stains on cotton toppers need pretreating before you get to do any possible laundering. In such scenarios, the best move is to use natural cleaning options like baking soda.
Here, make a baking soda and half-part water solution, which should be paste-like, and apply to the stained area. The next move is to let the paste sit for a while and after cleaning the residue off with a wet cloth plus warm water.
How To Clean a Wool Mattress Topper
Wool toppers also need cleaning using natural ingredients but with a handheld vacuum. Spot cleaning is necessary before you think of any cleaning of your wool mattress toppers.
For starters, the spot cleaning recipe here will need a piece of cloth, warm water, and a mild soap or detergent. That only needs you to mix and apply the mixed solution to the stain or soiled area.
You can also decide to dip the stained area and swish it gently with a soft brush when in the water. When done, be sure to press any residue water outside the stained area and repeat till it’s dry. Be sure that you do not twist or wring the wet wool too much.
When it comes to cleaning, wool toppers get along with washing machines. Commercial washing machines, especially, are your best bet to ensure excellent cleaning and avoid shrinkage. On paper, a front loader would be a great suggestion since it’s enough to accommodate the whole topper.
In your laundromat, find a large front loader washing machine and pack your topper inside. Set it up such that there is enough room spare room for the bed felts. However, be sure that the washer is not too huge as this may lead to shrinkage.
With the topper in place, set your machine to a short wash cycle after adding cold water. As a safety measure, have the washer in a delicate setting with the lowest water level setting in place.
Immediately after the wash cycle, get the topper out to air dry on rails to get out all possible moisture. Ideally, it’s also good to stretch out the wool topper in a flat position to let it dry out more and shape the felts while wet.
How To Clean a Polyester Mattress Topper
Like its predecessor in the list, polyester mattress toppers can present a daunting task due to their premium material. Although washable, this means checking the tag for washing instructions is necessary for safe measure. At least with the manufacturer’s instructions, there is little that can go wrong.
But in any case, polyester mattress toppers are machine-washable in cold water. Here, you need to pre-treat any stains present using the same steps as any other fabric. But be sure to use mild detergents or, at best baking soda since they are less prone to damage the polyester material. Hand wash liquid is also an alternative but only a consideration if they are cleansers for garment or baby washing.
A tumble dryer would be the next stop after machine washing your polyester topper. As a precaution, ensure that the machine is on a low setting to avoid any possible stretching or shrinkage. Also, consider adding some dryer balls to increase the drying surface area and prevent the topper from culling into a ball. The last step would have you set out to hang the polyester topper out to dry in the sun.
Final Thoughts
Take into account that how to clean a mattress topper should not be a daunting task as people set it out to be. All it takes is to follow your manufacturer’s instructions and know what type you are working with as the mattress topper. Only after this, will you be set to start to either vacuum, clean, or dry your mattress topper.
If you are interested in checking out the best rated mattress toppers currently available on the market, you can do so on Amazon here.
