When it comes to cleaning your mattress, a mattress vacuum cleaner is an essential tool. It is true that you can clean your mattress with a regular vacuum, but the effectiveness will be low because it lacks the bells and whistles that come with a mattress vacuum cleaner.
A mattress vacuum cleaner, on the other hand, will give you the best results. It has unique features suited for cleaning a mattress because it is designed for cleaning mattresses. The device also includes attachments for cleaning specific areas and spots on a mattress.
Continue perusing the article to have more insight on the subject matter.
In this post we will cover:
- What Is a Mattress Vacuum cleaner and How Does It Work?
- The right way to use a vacuum cleaner to clean a mattress
- Why is a mattress vacuum cleaner essential?
What Is a Mattress Vacuum cleaner and How Does It Work?
A Mattress Vacuum Cleaner
A mattress vacuum cleaner is a specialized device and most of them are handheld corded tools. There are also cordless units. The vacuum cleaner is optimized to clean allergens, bedbugs, and dust mites from mattresses.
Most of the machines have diverse cleaning capabilities as they can clean cloth sofas and furniture, car seats, upholstery, carpets, and similar surfaces.
However, it is essential that you consider factors such as airflow, suction power, and other parameters before buying one.
A mattress vacuum cleaner has a distinct shape and can be recognized easily. One of the main features is that usage is by pulling the vacuum over the surface, not pushing it the way other regular vacuums are pushed.
How it works
A mattress vacuum cleaner employs several methods to clean and disinfect cleaned surfaces. The methods include the following:
Strong suction: the vacuum cleaner requires strong suction to pull out stubborn allergens, dust, and various bedbugs, regardless of their size or level of maturity. That includes eggs, anything in between, and adults.
The vacuum cleaner should be gently pressed against the surface of the mattress and pulled slowly to increase suction. The action will increase suction deep in the mattress and help other cleaning methods do their work.
That will include the UV light focusing only on the mattress, the vibrating bar will have ample time to “shake off” dirt, and hot air will be able to kill the dust mites on the mattress.
Some mattress vacuums have double suction inlets for improved suction and cleaning effect. One inlet is located below the machine to remove dirt from the surface when the device is being pulled.
The second inlet is at the front of the vacuum cleaner and its work is to assist in removing additional dirt released in the air from the mattress.
UV light: UV light for certain lengths can be deadly to humans and also bed bugs. The UV light will dry your mattress and remove moisture from bedbugs, which will kill the bugs in the end.
Dead bedbugs remain a threat to humans because they become allergens and therefore, you must remove them from your mattress permanently. This is where good suction, HEPA filtration, and vibrating pads come in handy.
The operation of a mattress vacuum with UV light is simple. When the vacuum is pulled, hot air heats the mattress and dries any moisture therein. It also dries bedbugs and helps kill them.
Following the application of hot air, the UV lamp irradiates the mattress with lethal UV light, further disinfecting it. Bed bugs and dirt are removed by the air stream of the main suction inlet from the surface and deep within the layers of the mattress.
Mattress vacuums with UV lights have sensors for safety reasons. The sensors will turn off the UV lamp if the vacuum is not firmly pressed to the surface being cleaned. However, some surfaces may lose color over time due to exposure to UV lights.
Hot air blower: Some mattress vacuums utilize heat in the form of hot air to kill bacteria and bedbugs and assist in sanitizing mattresses.
The limit of maximum air temperature is usually ~130°F (~55°C), which is safe as it will not cause burns or redness when the skin is exposed shortly to the air stream. It is also safe for most of the materials used in mattresses.
The hot air also helps in eliminating moisture and organic matter from the mattress, which are essential for the growth and propagation of bedbugs. If at least one of them is removed, the bedbug will die out.
High-frequency vibrations: mattress vacuum cleaners usually have beater bars or pads which help in removing dust, deeply embedded dirt, and bedbugs. These motor-driven mattress tools vibrate at high frequencies, agitating the mattress to release dust, bugs, and allergens.
The high-frequency vibration can penetrate the mattress surface and assist in loosening bedbugs and dirt. The action also helps the vacuum’s airflow eliminate dirt from the mattress, even from its interior.
The vibrations significantly improve the vacuums’ cleaning effectiveness.
Air filtration: the vacuum cleaner has an essential job, but if the air filtration is inadequate, all the particles agitated from the mattress will settle back on it.
As a result, choose a vacuum with a HEPA filter, which can remove 99.97 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns. A true HEPA filter will ensure that all the dirt and allergens collected remain sealed inside the vacuum cleaner.
What is the right way to use a vacuum cleaner to clean a mattress?
When it comes to vacuuming your mattress, there is a right way to use the vacuum cleaner. Simply running the device on the mattress is not sufficient because the contaminants in it will not be removed. However, this is how to do it:
Removing linens: before you begin vacuuming, remove all linens from the bed so that the mattress can remain bare. Wash the mattress sheets, pads, and bedspread thoroughly and dry them. Use the drier heat setting to kill dust mites.
Vacuuming the mattress: vacuum the entire surface of your mattress and begin from the top, going all the way to the overlapping parts.
Pay close attention to the seams and services as they are areas in which a lot of dust, dead skin cells, dirt, and other allergens collect.
Use an upholstery vacuum cleaner that has a UV light disinfection tool to thoroughly clean your mattress and flat surfaces in your bedroom.
Spot clean: remove stains from your mattress by spot cleaning once you are done vacuuming the surface. Use the right vacuum attachment to remove stains and use an upholstery cleaner to eliminate the stubborn ones.
Apply a mixture of a cup of warm water and a teaspoon of detergent.
Deodorizing: deodorize your mattress by sprinkling baking soda over the surface and leave it there for 24 hours, if possible, to get the best results. The baking soda will absorb excess liquid and give your mattress a fresh smell.
After the 24 hours, remove the baking soda from the mattress using the mattress vacuum cleaner. After that, cover your mattress with a mattress cover to protect it from stains and dirt.
Conclusion
A mattress vacuum cleaner is advantageous when it comes to cleaning your mattress. The device will help you to eliminate dust, dirt, and allergens from your bed effectively.
It has unique features capable of killing bed bugs and dust mites which reside in mattresses.
If you use a regular vacuum to clean your mattress, the effectiveness of eliminating the debris and allergens will be less adequate.
It may work perfectly on other surfaces in your home, but the mattress is different since it requires a specialized tool.
This is where the mattress vacuum cleaner comes in because it is specifically made to handle mattress cleaning.
It has a UV light and hot air blower to kill bedbugs and bacteria, high-frequency vibrations to remove dirt, and a HEPA filter that seals the collected particles in the device.
FAQs
Why is a mattress vacuum cleaner essential?
Mattresses gather a lot of dust, and if you or any member of your family suffers from allergies, asthma, or other respiratory issues, you need to avoid sleeping on a germ-infested and dusty mattress.
To get rid of them, however, you’ll need a specialized tool, which is a mattress vacuum cleaner. When you invest in a good-quality one, you will be able to eliminate any bacteria and dust mites that are hiding in your mattress.
The vacuum cleaner combines various techniques of killing and permanently removing bacteria, dust mites, pollen, allergens, and viruses from the mattress which may pose health risks.
A regular vacuum cleaner will not be sufficient in removing these microorganisms, and that is why a mattress vacuum cleaner is essential.
It is the only device that can guarantee effective results when cleaning your mattress.
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