If there’s one thing that is sure to make you feel like a real adult, it’s cleaning your mattress.
I mean, this is a new level of responsibility and adultness. It’s also a really important thing to do that probably not enough of us are prioritizing right now. I’m here to tell you it’s really easy, really fast, and it’ll cost you next to nothing.
How to clean your mattress
Materials:
- 1-1/2 cups baking soda
- Essential oils (peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender)
- Vacuum
- Metal strainer
Directions:
Step 1: Mix baking soda into a Mason jar with about 8 drops of each essential oil. Eucalyptus is great for promoting clear breathing so it’s a great oil to use in this. Peppermint has similar qualities and the lavender smells amazing — plus it’s lovely for calming you down, which you want when going to bed, right? Shake everything up so the oils mix into the baking soda.
Step 2: Remove everything (including your mattress protector) from your bed and if you haven’t already done this recently, flip or rotate your mattress.
Step 3: Wash your mattress protector and sheets in very hot water to kill all bacteria and dust mites. You can also use vinegar for an extra cleaning boost — plus it’ll make your sheets super soft.
Step 4: Sprinkle the baking soda mixture onto the mattress as evenly as possible. You can do this right out of the jar and spread everything out more evenly using your hands.
You can also use a metal strainer to help you get the mixture onto your mattress more evenly and quickly.
Step 5: Let the baking soda sit for at least an hour so it can soak up any smells and the oils can work their magic. If you can, leave it for two hours. It’s a great opportunity to get the rest of the house clean, or take a nap (on the couch).
Step 6: Vacuum your mattress thoroughly. This is where the dust mites get sucked up along with the baking soda. Vacuuming your mattress should be done fairly regularly and this is a great reason to really get into all of the nooks and crannies and vacuum it well.
And just like that, you’ve eliminated allergy-aggravating dust mites from your mattress, cleaned it and made it smell so fresh and clean. Not counting the one- to two-hour waiting period, this takes about 20 minutes to do, including the actual making of the mixture. If you let the oils sit in the baking soda overnight, you’ll find that the smells will be even stronger as the baking soda will soak them up.
Grab your mattress protector and sheets, which are now fully clean of allergens, put them back on your bed and voilà! Now all you have to do is enjoy a restful night’s sleep in your wonderful-smelling bed.
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