Memory foam is not something too old but a thing that has rapidly captured the market and held its ground to date.
Memory Foam Mattress
Contents
Polyurethane and a couple of different chemicals are what memory foam is made of. And if you are making a mattress out of this foam, you have the memory foam mattress. The unique feature of memory foam is it takes the shape of the things or people lying on them, and when you take the thing from the top of it or the person gets up from the foam, it gets to its standard form. Thus, a mattress made of memory foam is super comfy. That is why these mattresses are great for people who are suffering from body pain. But when a product is so good and so vigorously used, it will have issues quite obviously.
Common Issues
The two most common issues with memory foam mattresses are their immediate soaking of moisture if something spills on the bed and the pungent odor it creates within a couple of days. There could be urine, vomit, and so many other things all over the mattress if you have kids and pets in your house. So, it requires frequent cleaning, and a mattress is not something that you wash, wring, and dry easy-and-quick every other month. On top of that, memory foam mattresses are heavy too, which turns the struggle two folds. So, you all search for an easy solution.
The Seemingly Convenient Solution
The easiest solution that comes to you is perhaps steam cleaning the memory foam mattress with a powerful steam cleaner. Now, the question arises that can you steam clean a memory foam mattress, and if you can, should you try it.
Can You
The answer is a yes, thank goodness. Otherwise, there would be no other way than replacing the entire foam mattress after a few months of use. But there is also a condition.
Should You
Unless your memory foam mattress is too stinky or dirty and you anticipate its disposal, you should not use a steam cleaner on your memory foam mattress. So, if you wonder why steam cleaning and why it must be your last resort, let us answer it for you.
Steam cleaning A Yes and A No as Well
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A Yes Because
A steam cleaner will keep the foam as elastic as it was before
It will not make the foam saturated with dripping water
It will sanitize the mattress to a T
The bed will be free of odor and stains
It will kill the germs and bacteria and lessen the growth of molds and mildews
A No Because
There are chances that the heat of the steam will ruin the memory foam. Polyurethane and chemicals, reacting with temperature and moisture; that’s a risk. Therefore, if you are using a steam cleaner, you also need to be prepared for the uncertain end result. It might survive the steam cleaning, and it might not too, and if it can’t, then you will have no other option than disposing of the mattress.
You have a couple of reasons to try steam cleaning and a massive basis not to. So, assess your mattress condition, whether it’s too dirty or needs cleaning but less harshly, and then decide you want to steam clean or not. That brings us to discuss how to steam clean the memory foam mattress. Let’s talk about it and make things a little easy for you.
Steam Cleaning a Memory Foam Mattress
Memory foam mattresses are heavy. So you will need help to clean it. With someone’s help, take the bed to an open space and pull out the cover.
Now thoroughly vacuum the mattress. Quite obviously, it will require a vacuum cleaner. No other tools or products will do a thorough dusting.
The dirt needs to be pulled out from within, so a vacuum cleaner is a must. You will have to cover all the sides and corners.
When done on one side, flip the mattress and do the dusting on the other side.
When you have thoroughly done dusting the mattress, take your steam cleaner. Fill its water tank and let the water heat and produce steam. To minimize the damaging risk, keep the temperature as low as possible.
Also, always continue moving the steam cleaner on the mattress. Don’t set the mop head on one spot for long, thinking you are sucking all the dirt out. Instead, you are ruining the mattress, so be careful.
If a stain is not coming off with a few swipes, don’t try to prolong the steam cleaning. It’s better not to overdo it and ruin the material from within. A stain under a cover will be unseen. If the odor is gone and the mattress is well-sanitized, that should be enough for you.
Steam cleaners don’t make things too damp. Therefore, the mattress will be almost dry even after deep cleaning, but you have to keep it like that for at least 24 hours so that the bed dries beyond doubt.
The Safe Cleaning Method
Rather than cleaning a memory foam mattress with a steam cleaner, it would be best if you immediately cleaned the mattress when it’s dirty. Also, you must ensure no spilling, urinating, or vomiting on the bed. A little bit of training for the pets and a little bit of explaining to the kids will make your work easy. If you have spilled something or need to clean vomit, urine, or stinky foods from the mattress, follow the following steps. Do it on an immediate basis before the filth seeps deeper, sets in, and dries.
Make a solution with vinegar and warm water. The measurement should be equal parts of vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle. The water will dilute the potent vinegar, and the vinegar will clean the stains, remove the odor, and disinfect the mattress.
To remove the odor, add a few drops of essential oil to the solution. That’s optional as vinegar will anyway remove the odor. The essential oil will camouflage the vinegar odor actually.
Wipe the spills or filth with a damp cloth. Work on the specific spot only. Keeping the foam dry is your prime motive.
Do the dusting at this point? Use the vacuum cleaner and remove the dust from the entire mattress.
Take a sponge, spray the cleaning solution on the stains and spots, and rub those well with the sponge. The stain might not get removed thoroughly at one go, but the odor will be gone, and the spots will be well-sanitized.
If you are willing to try removing the stain the next day, keep the foam as it is and try the next day. You will anyway have to keep the mattress open to air dry, so one more try the next day will not be an issue.
You have all the benefits and risks regarding steam cleaning wide in the open. And if not steam cleaning, what you can do is also shared and explained. Now, make your decision and have a clean and sanitized memory foam mattress.
