10 Ways to Extend the Life of Your Mattress

Once you've invested in a quality mattress, you want it to last for several years in good condition so you'll enjoy many comfortable and restful nights of sleep. Over time, some mattresses can develop dips or lumps that could interrupt your sleep and cause you to wake with an achy back or neck pain.

The good news is that there are a few ways you can ensure that your mattress could last longer and deliver the comfort and support you originally fell in love with in the showroom.

10 Tips for Making Your Mattress Last Longer

1. Children – no jumping on the bed! It really is fun, we know, but that impact could damage the coil system or break down the layers of the interior mattress, rendering it uncomfortable and practically useless over time.

2. Protect your mattress – make sure you put a protective cover on your mattress as soon as you get it so you and your mattress will be protected from critters, allergens, and potential spills or messes. Covers come in all cotton, vinyl, or plastic.

3. Support the mattress properly – full size, queen size, and especially king size mattresses need to be supported from the underside in order for it to retain and maintain it's original shape.

The bed frame should have support in the middle as well as the edges. Be sure to examine the bed slats, box spring, or platform frame that is made specifically for your bed to make certain it has excellent edge and center support for your mattress or else you could experience bowing or dipping prematurely.

4. Rotate your mattress – flip and/or rotate your mattress at least two times a year to redistribute your weight across the entire mattress. This could keep dips, craters, and lumps from forming in odd places on the mattress.

5. No edge sitting – we all tend to do it, don't we? It's not healthy for the mattress though because as we sit in the same place on the mattress repeatedly, that area could lose the original form and sag or lose support. Consider placing a chair, bench, or stool in your bedroom if that's a place you need to sit to do something each day. You'll extend the life of your mattress by doing so!

6. Mattress topper or pad – this is a great way to add additional comfort and plush layers to your mattress, but it's also a way to help keep your mattress in excellent condition for a longer period of time. It will shield your mattress from bodily fluids and will be the first layer to catch anything else that might end up on your mattress such as beverages or food crumbs.

7. Vacuum monthly – plan a day when you're washing the sheets and vacuuming the house at the same time and you'll have a wonderful opportunity to vacuum your mattress thoroughly. Dust, dust mites, and other allergens are removed and it could help prevent a potential allergy attack.

8. Clean stains immediately – if you do get something on your mattress, clean the stain as quickly as possible before it sets it and is really tough to remove. Use a clean white cloth and a gentle cleanser to remove the stain.

9. Air it out – whenever possible, open the windows and air out your bedroom without sheets on the bed. Fresh air is nature's air freshener, without the harmful chemicals!

10. Use the proper size sheets – sounds elementary, but if the sheets are not the right size, they not only will slip off with movement, but they could also make indentations into the edges of the mattress.

It may seem like a lot at first, but isn't it worth a few extra steps to protect your hefty financial investment and to protect your overall health? We think so too!