Home Organizing & Cleaning Tips, Hints

                      
Why clean and deodorize (disinfect) your mattress?  
Dustmites-Dead Skin-Lice-Bugs-Body Oil and much could be hiding in your mattress!

As I was doing my 'major clean' in the bedroom, it came to me that I have never written anything on cleaning a mattress! Through the years, I have tried everything on the market and spent a ton of money trying to find the perfect cleaner, so it only seems right that I should consider myself an expert in the field. 

With all of the great products, nothing seems to do a better job at cleaning, deodorizing and sanitizing as baking soda and vinegar. If you read all of the labels on cleaners, most of them are already in, the products that you purchased only you don't know it, because the names are disguised with 20 letter names that you can't pronounce.

To make a long story short, this is how I clean the mattresses in my home.

The FIRST step, is actually the most important step there is; vacuum, VACuum,VACUUM! By the way, did I mention that you should make sure that you vacuum your mattress Very good? Do you have any idea of the dustmites, body oils and skin shavings that are on your mattress? I know, it really sounds gross, but it is reality. If you have once read any articles on this, you would be washing your mattress daily. I have written a shortened version for you to read.

So, now for the list:

1. Make sure that when you vacuum, that you take extra time around the binding of the mattress and get in all of the corners too.
2. I always take the mattress off the bed and stand it upright, so I don't have the tendency to over-wet the fabric. If it is too wet, the soap and water will soak into the padding of the mattress. You basically, want to wash the mattress covering only.
3. Mix one cup of baking soda to 1 gallon of water and mix well. Add one cup of vinegar to this solution, make sure that you have left the water far enough from the top of the bucket because the chemical reaction of the ingredients will fizz and bubble.
4. Now take a scrub brush and start to scrub the mattress in an area about 3 feet square. Use a back and forth motion then sideways something like in the shape of an asterisk ( * ). By using this motion, you will go over every area of your bed, more than one time.
5. If you own a steam cleaner or a wet/dry vacuum, this works great for getting out the dirt and water and helping the mattress to dry faster. I usually dry it off once while I am shampooing and give it a thorough vacuuming when I have finished washing the entire mattress.
6. Now, just walk away and let dry the rest of the way!

This is a great time of the year to get this job finished. The house is nice and warm, it's too cold outside to do anything fun and it is something that you wont have to contend with during your spring cleaning routine.

Jan Hayner, Professional Organizier want you to, Get more tips and hints at http://www.organizingyourlifetheeasyway.com