5 Ways to Make Your Bedroom More Eco-friendly
Make your bedroom an earth-friendly haven with our five easy and sustainable tips, plus examples of eco-friendly products.
Read More
Last Updated: June 6, 2022
Memory foam makes sleeping extra luxurious, but it needs proper care to stay comfy. We’ll teach you how to clean memory foam of all kinds, from king-sized mattresses to tiny throw pillows.
Beneath all of your bedding — the blankets and quilts, the throws and down duvets, the cases and covers and feather pillows and bedsheets — lies an all-star player on your bed’s comfort team. That’s right, we’re talking about memory foam. Whether you have a memory foam mattress, topper, or pillow, memory foam plays a key role in a comfortable night's rest.
But because it's buried underneath tons of other linens, it's easy to forget — and easy to forget to clean. Just like everything else we sleep on, memory foam needs to be cleaned regularly, or it can get mightily gross. We’ve got a couple of tips and techniques to help you keep your memory foam so fresh ‘n’ so clean.
No — at least, not in the traditional sense. Putting your memory foam in the washer is a surefire recipe for disaster. Not only will the agitation and spin cycle damage the foam, but it will be near impossible to get all that water out once the cycle is over.
Because memory foam traps and locks in moisture, deep cleaning any memory foam — be it a mattress, topper, or pillow — requires a little bit of finesse. Regardless of the type or size of your memory foam, the cleaning processes are pretty similar.
Place your memory foam item flat on the floor. Grab a handheld vacuum cleaner with an upholstery brush, soft brush, or crevice attachment, and vacuum the entire item — the sides, corners, everything.
Mix one part mild, natural laundry detergent with two parts cool water in a spray bottle. Spray the solution evenly across the surface of the item. A little goes a long way here!
Lay or stand your memory foam in a sunny spot with good airflow — outside is ideal. Let it air dry for a few hours. Make sure it’s completely dry before putting it back on your bed, since set-in moisture can lead to mildew and odor.
Of all memory foam items, memory foam mattresses are the toughest to clean since they’re so heavy and unwieldy. Try to recruit a friend or partner to help with the cleaning process — your back will thank you.
Toppers often come with a washable zip-off cover that provides protection for the memory foam. These toppers can go in the washer and dryer, making the memory foam topper cleaning process a lot simpler. Check your topper cover’s care tag for details.
Many memory foam cushions come with a removable cover. Check your cushion’s care tag for laundry details. Because of the contoured shape of these cushions, you may want to use the upholstery or crevice attachment on your handheld vacuum for more control.
If your memory foam pillows come with a pillowcase of any kind, take it off and consult the care tag for laundering details. Otherwise, clean your pillows the same way you clean cushions and toppers.
If you are using baking soda, mix one part baking soda with two parts cold water. Mix your solution in an empty spray bottle.
Spray your solution onto the area of the stain. Using a cloth, clean the area of the stain in a circular motion, moving from the outside inwards. Let the solution sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Using a fresh dry cloth, dry the treated area by blotting and wiping in a circular motion. Once you are positive you have removed excess moisture, leave the foam out to air dry completely.
At some point, your memory foam is going to wear out. But with proper, scheduled care, you can push that date years down the road. WIth regular cleaning and care, memory foam can last up to 10 years!
Humans naturally sweat while they sleep. And because our mattresses don’t get tons of air, they can trap in that moisture and start to grow mildew. By regularly vacuuming and airing out your memory foam, you can prevent and remove odor and mildew before it stinks up the room.
Are your allergies worse at night? That probably means there are tons of tiny bacteria, dust mites, mold spores, and other microscopic allergens nesting in your bed with you. Taking care of your mattress and other memory foam items helps remove these allergens and freshen up your room.
While a select few memory foam items may be placed in a no-heat air dryer, we recommend avoiding the dryer entirely. For one, memory foam mattresses and toppers are way too big for most dryers. But more importantly, memory foam and contained heat do not mix well, sometimes damaging the foam or even causing a fire — so beware!
As often as you clean your sheets! Whenever your bedding is going through the wash, take that time to thoroughly vacuum your mattress. Unless there are stains that need treatment, you only need to deodorize your mattress two or three times a year.
You can, but it might cause discoloration to your memory foam item. While it’s an effective stain remover, hydrogen peroxide and memory foam don’t play nice. If you’re staring down a stubborn stain that just won’t go away, try a dedicated stain remover.
With diligence and patience! Use the stain-removing method we outlined earlier. Afterwards, once the area is mostly dry, grab some baking soda and sprinkle it all over the stain zone. Let the baking soda sit for about eight hours — it will pull liquid and odor out of your memory foam. After the sit period, vacuum the stain area, and presto: urine-be-gone!
Looking for more cleaning how-tos and other sustainable swaps you can make at home? Grove has you covered with our buying and cleaning guides. And let us know how if you have any cleaning questions (or share your own tips using #grovehome) by following Grove Collaborative on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Ready to tackle the dirtiest spots in your home? Grove Collaborative has you covered with Clean Team. Each week, we’ll do a deep dive into how to clean a different place or item in your home. No spot is too small — and we’ll tell you how to conquer them all, naturally.
Make your bedroom an earth-friendly haven with our five easy and sustainable tips, plus examples of eco-friendly products.
The perfect night of sleep starts with building a basic bedtime routine. We talked to an expert for simple, practical tips to help you achieve better sleep.
We'll show you how to deep clean your bedroom in just eight easy steps, plus which of our favorite natural cleaners are the best for the job.
We've got the tips on how to send bed bugs packing, plus we answer questions you may have about these tiny invaders, including how to get rid of them with natural pest control methods.