The first thought that comes to mind when buying a mattress is whether it will provide a comfortable sleep. Once you invest in a good mattress, it becomes equally important to maintain them properly so they last longer. While no mattress lasts forever, you can extend its life by following a few basic steps.

Factors that affect the useful life of a mattress

The lifespan of a mattress depends on certain things, such as how well you care for it, the type and quality of material used to make it. Innerspring mattresses last around 10 years, higher quality foam mattresses can last up to 15 years and hybrids are a combination of coils and foams and therefore their lifespan depends on the durability of the material used.

Steps to make your mattress last longer

1. Protective cover: Putting a protective cover on the mattress can be a game changer. No matter how clean and tidy you keep your bed, accidents and spills can happen at any time. A waterproof protector ensures that nothing gets from your comforter to your mattress to ruin it. A tight-fitting protector will prevent your protector from shifting with every movement.
2. Prohibit bouncing on the mattress: Jumping on the bed for fun puts pressure on the mattress and eventually damages it. The mattress is designed for deep sleep and cannot withstand these unnecessary pressures for long.
3. Rotate and flip the mattress at regular intervals: Sleeping in the same place every day can damage the mattress in that particular area. Turning and flipping your mattress from time to time is key to keeping your mattress in good condition. Turn your mattress 180⁰ when the season changes.
4. Avoid eating in bed: Watching TV while chewing in bed may seem harmless to most of us, but the little crumbs we spread and escape our eyes can attract bed bugs. If you’re going to eat in bed, make sure you change the sheets often.
5. Vacuum your mattress: Remove all bed sheets and vacuum the mattress at least two to three times a year. Spending a little more time on the seams where most of the buildup tends to settle will help prevent dust and allergens from settling.
6. Keep pets away from your bed: Letting pets snuggle up in bed is an open invitation to germs, bugs, bacteria, and hair on your bed. Parasites such as hookworms and roundworms lay their eggs in pet hair, which can easily shed on your sheets and cause illness.
7. Sunlight is the best disinfectant: To remove excess moisture from the mattress due to sweat and humidity, place the mattress in sunlight for two to three hours on a sunny day. This also helps keep the dust mite population under control.
8. Follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions: To keep your sleeping environment clean and your healthy mattress, wash it according to the instructions given in the user manual. The soap in warm water solution is good enough for most stains, but make sure the mattress is completely dry before making the bed. To maintain the integrity of the foam, avoid using harsh chemical cleaners.