Mattress Cleaning

Mattresses should be cleaned every six months by a professional cleaner using an extraction method to reduce allergens. A professional cleaner can also apply a neutralizing spray to reduce allergen irritants between regular cleaning. Regular cleaning of carpets and upholstery should be part of your allergen-control plan.

• Wash sheets weekly in hot water.
• Wash pillows at least 4 times a year (unless you use mite proof cover).
• Wash blankets and comforters at least monthly.
• Professionally clean mattresses at least every six months.
• Use room air filter devices.

For more information on how to make your home safer for allergy sufferers, visit our 10 Steps to Allergy-Proof Your Home, Allergy Relief and Dust Mite Anti-allergen pages.

For the process on how we clean, see our deluxe upholstery cleaning process

Mattresses need to be cleaned every 6 months. We spend at least one third of our life on our mattress and pillows. We clean our sheets every week but we forget about our mattress. We pay between $50-$10,000 for our mattresses and so we need to look after them.

Our mattresses are contaminated with dust mites, dust mite faeces, dead skin, body oils, sweat stains etc. The average dust mite is 0.5mm in length and is not visible to the naked eye. Over 7000 dust mites can fit on a fingernail. A dust mite moults several times during its life, producing 200 times its weight in waste and will lay 300 eggs. Each mite produces 40 to 100 faeces pellets per day. The mite’s droppings are coated in an enzymatic slimy substance which, after drying, becomes mixed with other particles forming household dust.

Our biggest problems are allergies from dust mite faeces. The causes and effects of allergies have long been known and can be a serious health threat. Allergies seem to be on the increase. They are an unwanted response of the immune system resulting in inflammation of the eyes and nose (rhinitis), lungs (asthma) and skin (eczema). It is estimated that allergies affect some 40% of the population at some time and the percentage is on the increase.

One controllable culprit in the battle with allergens is the house dust mite, a microscopic insect which is found in our indoor environment. The bedroom is particularly vulnerable for allergy sufferers as we spend one-third of our life in bed and a good deal of other time dressing and preparing for the day. We shed skin scales, (which is food to the dust mite), into our sleeping environment collected by the linen, pillows, mattress and carpet. All these areas are ideal breeding grounds for the dust mite.