Keeping your mattress clean is vital, not only to ensure a healthy and hygienic sleep environment but also to keep your bed in top condition so it’ll last for years to come. After all, you don’t want to invest in one of the best mattresses only to hasten its demise through lack of care.
Our comprehensive guide on how to clean a mattress will tell you everything you need to know about maintaining a spotless sleep surface, from regular maintenance to dealing with stains, mold, and bed bugs.
One important step in cleaning a mattress is to vacuum its surface to remove any loose dust or debris. However, I’m here to warn you that there’s one type of mattress that you really shouldn’t vacuum. If your bed contains wool layers, then you should skip that step altogether. Here’s why.
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Why you mustn’t vacuum a wool mattress
I’ve been writing about mattresses for a good few years now, and naturally I’m well acquainted with all the advice about keeping a mattress clean. So I was a little surprised, when I was looking at the care instructions for my current bed, to learn that they specifically said not to vacuum it.
(Image credit: Future / Jim McCauley)
My mattress is the Simba Earth Apex (now renamed the Simba Natural Hybrid Apex), which is the high-end sibling of the Simba Earth Escape that my colleague Ruth Jones reviewed last year.
The Earth Apex is an outstanding mattress, made with premium organic materials including silk, cashgora (goat wool), and six whole layers of wool. There are also three layers of microcoils and a layer of full-size pocket springs.
It’s a beautifully-crafted bed that’s built to last, and I want to help it stay in top condition, so I was a little taken aback to learn that it shouldn’t be cleaned with a vacuum. The reason why, however, makes a lot of sense.
It’s to do with all those wool layers. While the foams, coils, and other materials you’ll find in most memory foam and hybrid mattresses will take a good vacuuming in their stride, wool is a different story because a vacuum cleaner can displace the fibers, bunching them up over time and ruining the feel of your bed.
I was fortunate in that Simba made it very clear not to vacuum the Earth Apex, but not all brands are quite so forthcoming. So take it from me: if you have a mattress with wool layers, play it safe by never vacuuming it. Don’t worry, though, because there’s plenty you can do to keep things clean.
How to clean a wool mattress without a vacuum
(Image credit: Getty Images)
If you own one of the best organic mattresses, there’s a chance that it has wool in it, in which case you should drop the vacuum from your cleaning regimen. So what should you do instead to keep it in the best condition?
Fortunately, we already have a helpful guide on how to clean an organic mattress, including cleaning its surface with a soft brush rather than a vacuum; it might take a little longer, but you’ll still get good results without risking the integrity of layers made from wool or other fibers.
TL;DR: These are the basic steps you need to follow to keep an organic mattress clean without a vacuum.
- Blot spills with a dry cloth
- Remove dust and fluff with a soft brush
- Clean up stains with a toothbrush and either mild soap solution or baking soda
- Allow your mattress to air
- Rotate your mattress regularly
- Always use a mattress protector
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