How to Extend the Life Expectancy of Your Mattress

By Brian Acton

Conventional wisdom suggests that you should replace your mattress every 7 to 10 years. If you can afford it, that’s a suggestion we won’t argue with. But frequently mattresses need to extend beyond their normal lifespan. They could be handed off to a child who’s moving out, shifted to a guest room or coming with you on a move. Or maybe you’re just not ready to drop hundreds to thousands of dollars on a mattress every seven years. Whatever the reason, there are things you can do right now to protect your mattress and help it live beyond its expected lifespan.

Use a Mattress Protector Your sheets do next to nothing to protect your mattress from spills and other accidents. They also do little as a barrier between you and dust mites that live in the mattress. Mattress protectors are basically a protective barrier that go on under the sheet and keep your mattress clean and stain free. They come in all kinds, and range from basic cotton stain protectors to memory foam toppers that also provide extra comfort.

Clean Your Bedding and Mattress You should clean your sheets and bedding regularly as they tend to soak in sweat, dust and skin cells. A good guideline is every two weeks at minimum. When you do this, use a vacuum hose attachment to vacuum the top of your mattress – even if you use a mattress cover. This will remove dust mites, skin cells and other unwanted material from the surface of your mattress.

Flip and/or Rotate Your Mattress Over time, your bodyweight puts wear and tear on your mattress, especially in the places your body tends to rest as you’re sleeping. To slow the wear and tear on specific areas of your mattress, you should regularly reposition your mattress to put pressure on different areas. If your mattress is only designed to be slept on one side, you still should rotate it 180° - switching the head end to the foot end – every 1-3 months. If your mattress can be slept on both sides, you should flip and rotate the mattress on the same schedule.

Provide Proper Support Finally, mattresses need to be properly supported in order to do their job well. Make sure to inspect your bedframe and box spring when you flip and/or rotate your mattress. Worn out box springs and creaking or sagging wooden slats are signs that your mattress isn’t getting the proper support it needs.

Conclusion The longer you intend to keep your mattress, the better care you’ll need to provide it to ensure it’s functional. Use these tips to keep your mattress clean and extend its life expectancy.