How to Clean your Mattress

29th May 2025 | Quality
Unzipping TEMPUR Mattress

Climbing into bed and sliding under fresh sheets is one of life’s simple joys. Cleaning our sheets and bedding is something we should all be doing regularly, but keeping your mattress fresh is just as important for keeping a clean sleep space.

Cleaning your mattress may seem tedious and unnecessary if you keep your bedsheets clean and use a mattress protector; however, mattress cleaning is essential to prolonging its lifespan and maintaining a good and clean sleeping environment.

In this guide, we’ll discuss why exactly it’s so important, as well as give you some tips on how to clean your mattress at home.

Why is it important to clean your mattress?

As humans, we are naturally prone to leaving residue behind where we sleep. Sweat, hair, dead skin cells, and natural body oils can build up on your mattress and potentially stain it, even if you keep your sheets clean. Because most people spend around 8 hours a night sleeping on their mattress, it’s important to make sure it’s clean to avoid a build-up of dirt or staining developing.

Plus, the natural oils and dead skin cells we produce are perfect food for tiny, microscopic dust mites, making a mattress the ideal environment for them. These mites naturally live all around us, but their droppings, according to Allergy UK, can cause a range of symptoms including runny or stuffy noses, coughs, sneezing and others in those who are allergic.[1]

Besides, for many, a mattress is vital for good sleep, something you use every single day and that you likely want to last you a long time – taking the time to keep your mattress clean is worth the effort if it means better sleep for longer.

How to clean your mattress: a step-by-step

How to clean your mattress will depend on what kind of mattress you own. Always make sure to check the manufacturer’s guidelines before trying to clean your mattress at home.

How to clean a TEMPUR® Mattress

TEMPUR® mattresses are easy to keep clean thanks to their removable, washable cover. You should avoid washing the mattress itself as TEMPUR® Material cannot get wet.

Here’s how to clean your TEMPUR® mattress:*

1.   Zip off the cover and put it in the washing machine. Make sure to stick to the temperature advised in the washing instructions.

2.   Once it’s out of the wash, hang it out on the washing line to dry.

3.   After it’s fully dry, simply put it back on your mattress and zip it back on.

Simply zip off the cover and put in the washing machine at the temperature advised in the washing instructions.* Once it’s out of the wash, hang it out on the washing line to dry.

*Please note TEMPUR Pro® CoolQuilt mattress covers are not machine washable as they contain TEMPUR® Material in the cover. To refresh your bed, simply zip off and air out the TEMPUR Pro® CoolQuilt cover.

For more mattress care information, check our Product Care page or reach out to our customer service team if you have any questions.

To make it even easier to keep your mattress clean, you should consider using a mattress protector. Our mattress protectors are waterproof, with a Perlam membrane which acts as a protective barrier to help keep dust mites out, and feature thermoregulating properties to help you maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the night.

Not only will a protector keep your mattress safe from spills and stains, it’ll mean less dirt will accumulate onto your mattress – which means less cleaning! We also sell pillow protectors, so you can keep your pillows fresh and clean too.

What if you don’t have a TEMPUR® mattress?

If you don’t have a TEMPUR® mattress, you should check the manufacturer’s instructions for guidance. But a good place to start is by keeping your bedding clean. Make sure to wash your sheets frequently, following the washing instructions on the label.

For non-TEMPUR® Mattresses, you may also be able to remove surface dirt from your mattress by taking the bedding off and using a vacuum cleaner to clean the surface dirt off. It won’t remove all dirt and dust mites from your mattress, but it will help keep it a little cleaner. Make sure you check the manufacturer’s instructions before doing this however.

Our mattress protectors can be used even on mattresses from other manufacturers – just make sure to check the sizes when you order to make sure it’ll fit your mattress.

Sources

[1] House Dust Mite Allergy | Allergy UK | National Charity

 

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