One of the highest costs in the home when it comes to furniture and related items is our bedroom mattress. We want to invest a decent amount in this because we’ll have it for many years. Having the right mattress, whether it’s a latex mattress, inner-spring product, or other option, can make a world of difference to our quality of sleep and affect our lives in many ways.
If you’ve recently purchased a new mattress or plan to upgrade your bed soon, it helps to know some of the best ways to extend the life of this product so you get to use it for as long as possible and get the most value you can from it.
Support It with a Proper Bed Base
Many people don’t realize that having a good bed base can make a big difference in how long a mattress lasts. However, these products need to sit on top of a solid, firm base so they don’t wear unevenly or sag, bend, or otherwise collapse over the years from human body weight. A decent bed base is also beneficial for our mattress because it makes it possible for air to flow underneath the item and keep its underside dry. Plus, mattresses are less likely to attract mites and other bugs when sitting up off the ground on a base like this.
There are various bases to choose from, so it comes down to what’s best for your mattress type and your budget, tastes, delivery timeframes, etc. However, the most popular option is a frame with slats that a mattress gets placed on top of. It’s necessary to check this frame at least once or twice per year to ensure the slats aren’t too weak, cracked, sagging, or broken. It’s also wise to rotate your mattress a couple of times annually so it wears more evenly and can get more air and light into different parts of it.
Keep Your Mattress and Bedding Clean
Another way to extend the life of your mattress is to keep it as clean as possible. Let it breathe every so often, with no bedding or other items on top of it. Also, vacuum the top and sides every quarter or so. Clean underneath the mattress and dust in and around the seams, particularly as this is where tiny mites and dust and the like tend to congregate.
Stay committed to keeping your bedding clean, as well. Strip your bed, wash the linen every week or two, and shake out blankets and quilts every few weeks to limit the amount of dirt and debris that can fall through to your mattress.
Utilize a Mattress Protector
Most of us use a mattress protector on our beds to help stop sweat and other stains from getting onto the product. While this is a top reason to use a protector, it’s not the only one. In fact, mattress protectors are incredibly handy because they boost the longevity of the beds they’re placed upon.
The secure barrier these items create works to stop hair, sweat, dry skin, bacteria, dirt, crumbs, and the like from getting down into your mattress. Your bed thus stays fresher and drier and will have less of a buildup of unwanted things like mildew, mold, dust mites, and various other allergens.
Don’t Eat or Jump on Your Mattress or Let Pets Too Close
If you want to have your mattress for longer, think about ways to keep it in mint condition. You want to keep food and drinks away from it so you don’t end up with spills that can cause issues, and you don’t want to let your children (or any adults who are so inclined!) jump on it. Using a mattress as a trampoline puts more strain on it and will reduce the life of the bedsprings and other materials.
Be sure to keep your pets away from your mattress, too. While it may be nice to snuggle up with your furry friends at night, and they may be very used to this privilege, all their pet hair, along with their drool, bacteria, and the dirt and potential bugs they have on them, can impact your bed and make it degrade faster. Similarly, if animals have sharp nails, these can rip through mattress fabric.
We often think that we have no say in how long our mattresses last apart from buying a decent product to begin with. However, we can all be proactive and take steps to support these valuable products over the years and enjoy sleeping on them for much longer in turn.
