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If you’ve been using your mattress topper for a while then you know that it can accumulate stains, spills, and dust over time. Is it possible to wash your mattress topper or do you have to throw it out and get a new one? The answer is yes, it is possible to wash a mattress topper. This guide teaches you everything you need to know; materials needed, the process, and a step-by-step guide.
General Guidelines for Cleaning a Mattress Topper
All mattress toppers can be cleaned. The question is – how? This depends on the materials a topper is made of and on specific instructions given by the manufacturer.
Here are the four steps to cleaning a mattress topper:
- Vacuum
- Spot clean
- Neutralize odors
- Dry it out
1. Vacuum the topper
The easiest way to get rid of dust mites and skin cells is by vacuuming.
First, vacuum the entire topper. It’s practical to use a handheld vacuum cleaner, but any will do the job. Use a soft brush attachment.
If you are using water-based vacuum cleaners, the result might be even better, but be careful with the amount of water you are getting into a foam mattress topper because some of them are quite sensitive to excessive water and liquids in general. Still, if you overdo it, be sure to dry the entire topper completely.
Take off any sheets and pillows. When you get to the topper, take it and place it on a flat surface. Check whether the vacuum hose attachment is perfectly clean. If you don’t, you may stain your topper even more.
When you start vacuuming, use circular motions and be gentle. A hard brush attachment or rough handling can damage the surface of the topper.
If you have finished vacuuming one side of the topper, flip it to the other side and repeat the process. Do it thoroughly over the entire topper surface.
The best way to keep it clean is to vacuum the topper every time you change sheets. If you take care of your mattress topper regularly, you will avoid dust mite accumulation and extend its lifespan.
2. Spot clean
Mattress toppers may have stains from sweat and body oils or accidental spills. It’s vital to spot clean those stains as soon as you discover them so as to prevent them from setting in. If this does happen, thorough cleaning is necessary.
You can use natural cleaners such as white vinegar and baking soda. If you are trying to get rid of tough stains, you can apply laundry detergent or enzymatic cleaners.
We recommend a few cleaning agents that are easy to find and probably already lie around somewhere in your household.
Supplies you’ll need:
- Laundry detergent
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Hydrogen peroxide
Laundry detergent
You can clean mattress toppers with a mild liquid detergent diluted with water.
Make a 50-50% mix of detergent and cold water. Then, moisten a soft cloth with this solution and gently soak the stain. Use circular hand movements.
Let it rest for about half an hour, then take a dry cloth and dab over the stain for a while. This will allow the detergent to penetrate deeper and break down the stain. It will also remove excess detergent from the surface.
When you are done, use a clean cloth to dry the surface of the stained area.
Baking soda
Combine soda with cold water in a 1:2 ratio. Use a light-colored cloth and apply the solution to the stain. Rub for a while and wait for 30 minutes.
After the time passes, dip a cloth in clean water and wipe away the solution residue. After cleaning, dry the area with paper towels or a hand towel.
You may also sprinkle baking soda on the stained area and leave it for 8 hours. This should break down more persistent stains. After 8 hours, vacuum your mattress topper to remove soda residue.
White vinegar
White vinegar is very useful to have at home. In addition to being salt’s best friend, it can be used to clean almost anything, including mattress covers.
Mix a cup of distilled white vinegar and a cup of water in a bowl. Soak a soft cloth in the mixture. Clean the stain gently in circular movements. Go from the edges towards the center of the stained area. This way, you will avoid spreading the stain.
Repeat the process until all traces of the stain disappear. After they are eliminated, wipe off the mixture with a damp cloth, and then use a paper towel to dry the area.
Hydrogen peroxide
If you are cleaning old and hard stains, you need a more aggressive approach, such as hydrogen peroxide. Just be extra cautious with it. If you pour too much on the stained surface, there’s a chance that you may bleach your mattress cover.
The cleaning process is similar to the procedure with baking soda and white vinegar.
Mix one tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Put this emulsion in a bottle and spray on the stain. Wipe off with a damp, clean, and light-colored rag. You may use paper towels to remove excess moisture before drying your mattress topper.
Make sure you’re using low percentage hydrogen peroxide and be careful with the amount. The last thing you want for the fabric is to get it discolored.
3. Neutralize odors from mattress topper
Even a new mattress topper can have an unpleasant smell because chemicals such as polyurethane are used in the manufacturing process. To satisfy federal flammability standards, toppers are treated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Sometimes these compounds have distinctive and strong odors, which is also called off-gassing.
If your mattress topper smells bad – resort back to baking soda and white vinegar. Here are two suggestions on how to get rid of the unpleasant smell of a topper.
Baking soda against odors
You might have to repeat these steps more than once – it really depends on how strong the smell is.
- Sprinkle baking soda on the entire surface of the mattress topper
- Let it rest for 3-5 hours
- Vacuum up the powder
Baking soda is a great absorber of moisture and unpleasant smells. Most of the odors are acidic by nature and baking soda acts as a ph neutralizer.
White vinegar against odors
White vinegar neutralizes unpleasant smells by eliminating the usual source of odors – bacteria.
This is a recipe for a natural deodorizer:
- Take an empty spray bottle and pour white vinegar until it’s half-full. Then fill the rest with cold water.
- If you are bothered with the smell of vinegar itself, add a few drops of citrus or essential oil to the mixture. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds to combine the ingredients.
- Spray this emulsion lightly over the entire surface of the mattress topper. Flip the topper over and spray the backside as well. After that, take out your topper in the fresh air for a couple of hours.
5. Dry the mattress topper
Drying a foam topper completely is essential! The topper can be dried indoors in a well-ventilated room or outside.
If you air-dry your topper outside, don’t expose it to the strong sunlight for a long time, because this may distort the materials in the topper.
Indoor drying
After washing a mattress topper, spread it out on a clean floor. If you are afraid that excess water may end up on your floor, put garbage bags or a plastic tarp underneath.
If the topper is soaked with a large amount of liquid, blot it with a dry towel by pushing it down gently and repeat the procedure on the other side of the topper.
After that, spread your topper on the flat surface. This will help your topper keep the flat shape. Make sure that the room is well ventilated.
If you want to speed up the procedure, you may use a fan or hairdryer, but set up your fan to the lowest temperature and airspeed. When one side is dry, turn your topper to the other side and repeat the process.
Toppers are often 3-5 inches thick so you will probably need more than 5 hours to dry them completely. If you want to avoid mold and mildew, don’t place the wet topper back on the bed. Be sure that the entire topper is completely dry before you spread it on the bed.
Outdoor drying
Outdoor drying is similar to drying your sheets. Just watch for direct sunlight and high temperature. When you air-dry your topper, just spread it out on a flat surface and flip it to the other side from time to time.
This is an excellent method to dry your topper because you’re ventilating it at the same time, and exposure to mild sunlight and fresh air will help you get rid of odors and improve your sleep quality. This type of drying demands more time, but it is natural and quite refreshing for your mattress topper.
How to Wash Mattress Toppers Made of Artificial Materials
The durability of memory foam mattress toppers is two to three years of continuous use, after which the memory foam wears out. We recommend that you clean the memory foam topper 3-4 times per year, depending on how frequently you use it. The same maintenance principle is for gel-infused toppers.
How To Wash a Memory Foam Mattress Topper or a Gel-Infused Topper
A mattress cover combined with regular vacuum cleaning keeps your topper clean and protected. Mattress protectors are also an option – they’re machine washable and often made waterproof so aside from protecting your sleeping surface, they’re easy to wash and maintain.
If you had a spill on your foam mattress topper, you should dry it as soon as possible. Take a cloth and press it on the topper. Always be careful how much water you expose memory foam to because these toppers are quite sensitive to liquids.
Never put memory foam in the dryer, because it may shrink due to the high drying temperature and tumbling can deform it badly. When drying outside, avoid high temperatures and direct sunlight.
How to Wash Mattress Toppers Made of Natural Materials
Natural materials are typically less sensitive than artificial ones. This means they can take washing much better and liquid spills aren’t as risky.
How to Wash Wool Mattress Topper
Try to avoid machine washing and dry cleaning. If you don’t have any stains to address, simply exposing your wool mattress topper to mild sunlight will do wonders.
Natural wool has a self-cleaning ability. When you expose the mattress topper made of wool to sunlight and fresh air, wool releases the moisture into the air.
If you don’t have hard stains on your topper, just take it out on a clear day – or if you don’t have the conditions to do so, open your window and let fresh air circulate. The result should be a refreshed mattress topper.
If you are dealing with harder stains, use one of the above-mentioned methods with detergent, baking soda, or white vinegar.
How to Wash Cotton Mattress Toppers
Cotton mattress toppers are washing-machine friendly and that’s why they are probably the easiest to clean. Just follow these three steps:
- Read the care instructions carefully and if possible, place your mattress topper into the washing machine.
- Choose the program with cold water and use a mild detergent.
- You may dry it in a drying machine on the lowest temperature program or line dry.
How to Wash Down Mattress Toppers
Toppers filled with down are probably the oldest topper type. Many people are using these toppers because they are soft and good natural isolators. Most of the down toppers can be machine washed. If you want to wash yours by hand, just follow the methods with baking soda, detergent, and white vinegar from above.
If you want to wash your down topper in a machine, follow these instructions:
- Check whether your mattress topper has any rips and if yes, address them.
- Check for stains and pretreat them by adding a small amount of detergent to the stained place, and wait for 20-30 minutes.
- Use a washing machine with a large drum and without an agitator. An agitator is a large piece placed in the center of the drum and it can damage large items. Use a program with cold water and a gentle cycle.
- Dry your mattress topper in the dryer on the lowest heat setting.
- Be sure that the entire topper is dry before you place it on the bed.
How to Wash Latex Mattress Toppers
Natural latex doesn’t have harsh chemicals and toppers made of organic latex are quite cloudy-like and comfortable. Latex’s non-porous nature makes these toppers easy to clean and maintain.
The latex mattress topper is naturally water-resistant. Should you spill anything, immediately blot with a dry cloth, and then wipe clean with a damp cloth to remove any stains.
Dry in the fresh air, without exposure to direct sunlight. Wait for the topper to dry completely.
Remember not to use abrasive cloths or sandy cleaning agents that might scratch the topper.
Types of Mattress Toppers to Wash
Keeping mattress toppers clean and hygienic involves different approaches. It all depends on the material they’re made of. While mattress toppers made of organic compounds could be washed in a machine, more sensitive toppers made of memory foam or latex can tear or shrink during the machine wash.
Before washing your mattress topper, check for the manufacturer’s labels. You’ll find maintenance guidelines on the label and recommended water temperature for machine or hand washing.
Some cleaning procedures, like vacuuming and removing odors, are the same for all types of toppers. But different materials act in different ways in contact with water and chemicals. Excessive use of some cleaners can damage your topper.
Exposure of a foam mattress topper to high temperatures can cause irreparable physical damage as much as inadequate treatment with strong chemicals.
Mattress toppers made of artificial materials:
- Memory foam mattress toppers
- Gel mattress toppers
Mattress toppers made of natural materials:
- Wool mattress toppers
- Cotton mattress toppers
- Down mattress toppers
- Latex mattress toppers
Our favorite mattress topper is 100% natural, is made of wool and latex and it’s washable!
Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t use a washer if you want to clean a memory foam mattress topper. It’s risky because tumbling and soaking memory foam mattress toppers in the washer may distort their structure. Even worse, you could find foam all crumbled down after a machine wash.
No, It isn’t. A mattress topper is thicker than a mattress pad. A mattress pad is used to add some comfort to your bed. A topper, on the other hand, can really soften or firm it up. That is, toppers add a much more noticeable difference. A mattress pad is easier to clean because most of them are machine washable. Mattress toppers require more care and last longer than mattress pads.
You can improve your sleep quality by keeping a mattress topper clean. Most toppers tend to collect dust particles and skin cells. This may develop mildew and mold which may cause an unpleasant smell. The best washing dynamic is every couple of months. Wash the mattress topper before using it for the first time to get rid of any odors caused by production and packaging (off-gassing).
Mix baking soda with cold water. Using a soft cotton towel, dampen the dry blood and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Absorb cold water with a clean towel and gently rub off the stain. You can use a similar technique for bloodstains on a mattress. Remember that cold water cleans the blood whereas warm helps the stain set in!
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