You spend around a third of your life sleeping, and your mattress significantly impacts the quality of your sleep. A standard mattress lasts anywhere from 7 to 10 years, and how you treat it can substantially lengthen or shorten its lifespan.
A little care can go a long way, ensuring that you have a comfortable sleeping surface for a long time. Here are a few maintenance tips if you want to extend the life of your mattress.
5 Tips to Make Your Mattress Last Longer
If you want your mattress to last longer, take a look at some of our cleaning, maintenance, and other tips.
1. Use a Mattress Protector
Buying a waterproof mattress protector is a true game-changer for your mattress durability. It protects your bed from spills, body oils, fluids, dust, and shed skin cells. When your mattress absorbs moisture, it creates a perfect environment for bacteria, mold, and mildew to grow. That leads to quicker foam degradation, foul smells, and a build-up of allergens.
Using a mattress protector prevents this, making cleaning up so much easier. The best strategy is to purchase one as soon as you get a new mattress, as it will drastically improve its lifespan. Just make sure you get a tight fit to prevent your protector from moving under your sheet.
2. Use the Right Support
Your mattress needs appropriate support to prevent sagging and tears, and preserve the overall integrity. You can check the warranty policy or contact the manufacturer to find the best foundation options. A general rule is that innerspring and pocket coil mattresses require a box spring base, while foam mattresses need a sturdy foundation.
You can check the integrity of your foundation once a year to ensure there are no broken springs or slats affecting the support.
3. Vacuum Your Mattress
Using a mattress protector will prevent dust, sweat, and allergens build-up. However, some of that still goes through, which is why you need to vacuum your mattress occasionally. It doesn’t have to be frequent, and you can do it once every three months. Simply remove all linens and the mattress protector, and use an appropriate vacuum attachment.
In addition to vacuuming, you should also clean all the stains right away. You can use baking soda, natural liquid dish soap, or a combination of lemon juice and salt.
4. Flip Your Mattress Seasonally
Manufacturers have always suggested that flipping your mattress is a way to preserve it and extend its life. Laying on the same spot every night causes wear and tear in particular sections, resulting in dents and sagging. Flipping is an excellent way to prevent that, and you can do it once at the beginning of every season.
If you have one of the mattresses with base and top layers, you can rotate it instead of flipping. Doing this will prevent some wear and tear and extend its lifespan.
5. Forbid Jumping on the Bed
Kids love jumping on the bed, but it’s simply not a good idea. Your parents probably told you not to do it to prevent you from injuring yourself. However, there are other reasons as well.
Jumping on the bed can damage springs, foam, foundation, and even the frame. As a result, your mattress will wear down more quickly, and all your other maintenance and precautions will be for nothing.
Other Factors Affecting the Lifespan of Your Mattress
Besides proper maintenance, the correct foundation, and limiting damaging activities, other factors affect the durability of your mattress. That includes:
Mattress Quality
A bed made from lower-quality materials tends to deteriorate and lose its shape more quickly than high-end models. That’s why it is vital to search for a manufacturer with enough social proof of proven quality and design.
Buying a cheaper model may prove more costly in the long run as you’ll have to replace your mattress more often.
Mattress Type
Traditional innerspring mattresses have the shortest lifespan, while newer pocket coil technology significantly improves durability and support. Lower density polyfoam models are a little more durable than innerspring ones, while hybrid and high-density foam add a couple more years to the average lifespan.
Latex mattresses have the best durability rating and longest lifespan. However, they come with a higher price tag.
Your Weight
Heavier sleepers tend to put more pressure on the bed, contributing to more damage. That’s why a mattress will deteriorate slower when used by lighter or average-weight individuals.
If you are a heavier sleeper, you can get a mattress made from higher-density foams or latex to ensure durability. In addition, always choose a firm model as it offers better support for your body type.
When it’s Time to Buy a New Mattress
No matter how hard you work to preserve the life of your mattress, there inevitably comes a day that mattress will be beyond saving.
A common rule of thumb is 7-to-10 years of use. If your mattress has been around for a decade and you’re noticing discomfort or trouble sleeping on it, it’s probably time to go mattress shopping.
Common issues to look out for with an old mattress include sagging, a noisy mattress, body aches when waking up, allergy flare ups and newfound trouble sleeping.
Where Can I Get a Quality Mattress?
Now that you know how to care for your mattress and which factors impact its durability, it’s time to make your choice. AntiqueBedMattress.com offers top-of-the-line mattresses handcrafted in North Carolina with premium-quality ingredients. Each model is created to fit your antique bed, but you can also adjust the dimensions if you have an odd-shaped bed frame. Take a look at our selection and discover why our customers report exceptional sleep quality after buying our mattresses.