7 Tips On How To Take Care Of Your New Mattress
It's not every day that you purchase a new mattress. Like any other long-term investment, we maintain our vehicles, take care of our bodies with healthy diets, and look after our homes, so why shouldn't we take care of our mattresses?
To help you avoid making costly mistakes for both your health and your pocket, we will look at 7 ways in which you can take care of your new mattress so you can experience a better sleep for years to come. After all, the average person sleeps almost a third of their lifetime, thus making it one of the most important investments you should care for if you value your sleep.
Let’s dive right in!
1. Break It In!
When you first purchase your new mattress, you may find that it can take a bit of time for your body to get used to it at first. The good news is your new mattress can be broken in naturally by simply using it, kind of like breaking in a new pair of shoes. The more you sleep on your mattress, the faster you’ll get it to your optimal comfort level.
2. Rotating Your Mattress
You may or may have not heard of the importance of rotating your mattress regularly. Although flipping a mattress is becoming a thing of the past, rotating it still remains an important practice in order to maintain its longevity and value.
Rotating a mattress periodically will help distribute the wear of your mattress which is caused by supporting your body weight. This will not only reduce wear in a single area but will help keep your mattress even which is vital in order to keep your spine aligned while you sleep. Keep your mattress wear even throughout by practicing rotation periodically so you can reduce the amount of wear and tear.
3. Protecting Your Mattress
Should you invest in a mattress protector?
You can protect your new mattress by investing in a mattress protector which will help stop dirt or moisture from penetrating through. This will not only help keep it dry and free from bacteria but will keep nasty pests in your home (like dust mites and bugs) away from your bed.
In addition, a mattress cover or mattress protector will help you avoid warranty issues later on. Most mattress brands will void your warranty if dirt or stains are present on your mattress, which makes protecting your investment that much more important. Therefore, be sure to use a mattress cover of any sort to reduce the amount of wear and tear.
Lastly, be sure to keep your mattress clean. Using simple household items such as baking soda and water will help keep it fresh for years to come and can help get rid of unwanted bacteria living in the fabrics. This will also help maintain the quality of the material for as long as possible.
4. Supporting Your Mattress
You are most likely familiar with mattresses caving in overtime, or losing their comfort. One of the biggest reasons for this is because the majority of customers are not informed enough about the importance of having sufficient support underneath their mattress.
So, how much support does your mattress need?
The minimum recommended support that is ideal for preventing any issues in the future are metal or wooden slats going across and beneath your mattress at least 3 inches apart. If your current bed frame does not meet these criteria, then we suggest purchasing a supporting foundation that can be placed underneath the mattress.
And don't worry, if you are worried about your mattress sitting too high on either a 7 or 9-inch standard size box spring, National Mattress can provide you with low-profile options. Some examples include 2 inch, as well as 4-inch high box springs.
5. Don't Live On The Edge!
A common habit that people make is they sit or lay close on the edge of their mattress regularly, typically in the morning when they are getting dressed. Doing this over and over can cause excessive wear on the perimeter of the mattress, therefore causing it to slope down and become less dense over time.
Rather, make a conscious effort to keep your body weight as close to the center as possible. Doing so will help your mattress keep its original shape and prevent the edges from sagging.
6. It's Not A Trampoline!
Regardless of how much of a kid at heart you are, jumping on your new mattress can be a recipe for disaster! Your mattress contains important materials that are constructed to help support your back and keep it aligned while you sleep. Jumping on your mattress can cause the fibers in the materials to break, therefore causing it to lose its value.
If your new mattress contains coils, then the stress applied from jumping can permanently bend the springs and cause your mattress to collapse or even cause the springs to penetrate through the top foam layer of the mattress.
And lastly, in case you're wondering, the warranty of most mattress brands does not cover you abusing your mattress. SO be sure to take good care of your mattress and not abuse it.
7. Consider A Bed Frame
If you do not have a traditional bed frame already, or do not have enough support for your box spring, then a metal frame can be used to provide more support in the center for your mattress. Bed Frames available through National Mattress are built to industry standards to help maintain the longevity of your box spring and mattress.
Bed frames can come in all sizes and different levels of construction, ranging from lesser rigid construction for twin mattresses to more robust options for queen and king beds. A single product like the prestige bed frame from our store can accommodate both queen and king beds, allowing you to expand in the future. Having the right frame and foundation will help your mattress maintain its correct shape, therefore resulting in proper support for a better night's sleep.
