What to look for in your mattress
The first step to a great night of sleep comes with investment in comfortable upholstery and surroundings to relax you enough for a luxuriously restful night. What do you look for in a great mattress? The most important factor for a correct mattress is proper support; you need one that counteracts your body weight, most people identify this to mean you should buy a firm mattress but this is not actually the case. Since your body is not a straight line, you should get a mattress that will come up to support the curves of your body. When you sleep on a hard mattress it pushes your hips and shoulders upwards thus your spine is not straight and if in this position for too long you will get a backache. In addition, if you keep changing positions to try keep your back in alignment you do not progress to the deeper sleep stages and this makes you tired. Get a mattress that will mould to the shape of your and hold it in alignment.
The second most important item to look for is comfort. When a mattress is too hard, it causes pressure to your body and this cuts off your circulation; the lack of circulation causes you to develop pinching in the nerves, subsequently you will change positions to seek comfort. Through this frequent change of positions causes sleep fragmentation, you do not get to the later stages of sleep and you wake up fatigued. When you’re trying out the mattress, you should be able to lie in one position without moving around for at least a few minutes. If you can do that, you’ve found a good mattress.
How to clean and care for your mattress
We spend a third of our entire life on a mattress, in fact, the average human swats up to half a pint of sweat each night. This might make you think that the mattress would be one of the top items on the list of regular cleaning duties but we rarely ever think about it. Your mattress harbours dust, stains, dead skin cells and even dust mites, it is important to prevent it from becoming a health hazard due to build-up of grime, besides a well-rested night comes largely from clean and serene environments.
A few quick tips can be employed to regularly maintain your mattress, take it out at least twice a year to sit under the sun for about six hours, rotate your mattress every so often. Ensure to have absolutely no water on your mattress, foam wasn’t created to handle liquids at all, they get trapped in the structure with nowhere to go. The third handy tip will help save the mattress from stains and spills, invest in a mattress protector.
Stains come in three main varieties, namely protein, tannin and grease with protein being the most prevalent; it is found in most body liquids from blood to sweat and even urine. With any stain, it’s always best to tend to it as soon as possible to avoid it setting in. for liquid stains, blot them up with a cool, wet cloth and absorb the excess moisture with a dry cloth. When cleaning spot stains it’s recommended that you use pressing motions rather than circular ones to avoid further rubbing in the stains and always use cold water for protein stains.
Fresh protein stains can be removed with a simple mixture of salt, baking soda and water; create a paste and rub it on the area to be brushed off after minutes. After this, use cool water on a damp cloth to remove the excess and allow to dry. If the stain proves difficult, you can make use of hydrogen peroxide and one part dish soap gently applying this mixture to the area wiping it up after five minutes with a cool damp cloth. Individuals take it a step further using enzyme cleaners to remove protein stains as these are highly effective but always remember to use as little liquid as possible ensuring to dry your mattress completely before using it again.
Whenever possible vacuum your mattress to remove debris that land and accumulate on it over time. Mattresses fibers get infused with sweat and dust developing a rather unique smell and you can take it a step further deodorizing your mattress to combat this. Sift baking soda over your mattress leaving it for thirty minutes and then vacuum it up, baking soda is a natural deodorizer and will help neutralize any odors.
To ensure your mattress receives a thorough cleaning you may want to bring in an expert, with access to trained professionals and specialised equipment they are able to perform the task to perfection ensuring your mattress remains in spectacular condition. They make use of equipment that are able to steam clean and deep clean benefiting not just individuals with allergies but also anyone with a desire for a clean mattress.
With this in mind, a good night’s sleep is highly determined by the quality of your mattress so ensure to follow these tips as well as getting it cleaned regularly by professionals, your sleep is worth it.