Caring For A New Mattress

You have just properly disposed of your dear old mattress. Now, youÆve just brought in its new replacement smelling fresh and clean from the store.

Now is the time, too, to sit down and plot out how to take care of your new personal possession. Caring for the mattress not only ensures its long life of service, it also will ensure its peak performance in all the coming years.

The following are some hand-me-down pointers on how to care of your mattress.

Installation

Your mattress and its foundation have to be properly installed. This is to forestall any damage on your new sleeping equipment. Most often, the store where you bought it can provide you with some factory instructions on installing it, including some tips on its maintenance.

Protective pads

One of the more important precautions you can do is to provide your mattress with a good quality mattress pad or protector that is washable. This is to keep your mattress set ever-fresh and protected from accidental stains and dirt.

Sturdy support

For security, you have to give your mattress a good, strong bed frame. If it's a queen or king size set, the frame should have a firm center support, a fifth leg. This will prevent breakage or depression on the frame itself.

Cleaning no-noÆs

Never soak your mattress or its foundation. Vacuuming is the only cleaning method for mattresses. Never have it dry cleaned, either. The dry cleaning chemicals might damage the fabric or the other materials. A stain could be dealt with a mild detergent and cold water with appropriate gentle application.

No rough-housing

A mattress is not a trampoline, period. Let the children know this.

Boards

Do not put any board between the mattress and the foundation. If it comes to a point where you think you need to put in that board, then itÆs time for a new mattress.

Tags

Tags can help in providing information should there be warranty claims, etc. Don't remove them.

Rotating and flipping

The life expectancy of your mattress can be extended if you practice flipping and rotating. Flip and rotate your mattress once a week for at least the first three months.

For the next three months, you may continue flipping and rotating the mattress once every two weeks, and once a month after that.

Folding

Your mattress was not made for folding nor bending. It should be avoided at all times.

Favorite place in the mattress

As much as possible, do not sit or get up from the same place of your bed, if you can help it. This will reduce the tendency of that part to sag under constant pressure.

The average life span of an innerspring mattress is between 7 to 10 years. Memory foam and latex types last around 10 to 20 years.

All these figures, of course, are just estimates. But if you can follow the initial care your mattress deserves, you might be surprised how long its life span can extend.