It’s a well-known fact that the average mattress can last anywhere between seven to ten years, but it’s easy to forget that one can last well past that timeframe. Some might convince you that as soon as the clock turns midnight on the seventh year that you should immediately find a new mattress. The truth is, you should only replace your bed when absolutely necessary, and you should know that the lifespan of your mattress can be extended.
If you have a custom mattress, take precautions and necessary measures to squeeze as much life out of your bed as possible. Why? Mattresses in general are costly investments and a part of life that you just can’t ignore. The more snoozes you get out of your bed, the better your wallet will be. And a custom mattress is made from top-tier materials, so if you give it the TLC it needs, it’ll give you your best night’s sleep every night for well over a decade.
Here are 7 tips from the sleep experts on how to make the most of your tailor-made mattress:
1. Regularly Vacuum Your Mattress
Every few months (though to be extra safe, at least once every quarter) you should take off your bed sheets and vacuum each nook and cranny of your bed. This will help stop the spread of dust mites and dust. Also because of even grosser stuff like dead skin cells and pet dander. Failing to clean your mattress can make the most hypoallergenic mattress an allergy hazard.
Dust can build up, resulting in a poor looking bed, but it can lead to significant allergies, which are their own form of unique annoyance. It can get to a point where you might just put off sleeping because you can’t stop sneezing every time you try to catch a few winks.
A solid vacuum job can also prevent sweat, dirt, and all sorts of other allergens and disturbances from making their way into the bed. Extending the lifespan of your custom bed isn’t just about making it look proper, but also ensuring that it’s still comfortable and clean to sleep on after years and years. While you’re vacuuming your bed, you can also rotate or flip your mattress.
2. Don’t Eat in Bed
Breakfast in bed is a romanticized adventure that can quickly turn into a nightmare if you’re not careful enough. Leave the pancakes with loads of syrup and hot coffee for the dining room table or living room couch. And stop eating those chips – you’re filling your custom mattress with Doritos crumbs!
Having breakfast, or just general eating in in bed is an open invitation for ants, cockroaches, and all sorts of critters to lounge around in your bed. Your bed can turn into a nesting ground and while there are ways to get your new tenants out of your mattress, they can be a (potentially expensive) hassle.
Eating in bed can also lead to germs and other bacteria to thrive in your bed, which can lead to poor sleeping conditions. Your bed could genuinely make you sick as the likes of e-coli and mold could be festering while you try to catch up on your sleep. If your bed is making you ill, it’s time to throw it and find a brand-new custom-made mattress.
3. Kick Bed Bugs out Before They Kick You Out
On the note of not inviting cockroaches and ants in, you should pay particular attention to bed bugs. Smaller than you can see, bed bugs can ravage a bed as they lay and ruin your sleep hygiene. Beyond just leaving red bumps on your skin and making you anxious, a bed bug infestation can lead to insomnia and anemia.
While you can’t always stop the spread of these nasty bugs, you can take measures to make your custom mattress as unappealing as possible. They’re particularly interested in beds that sport dark sheets, so consider custom bed sheets and pillow cases that are bright. Personally, we love classic white cotton bed sets: they’re crisp, clean, soft, breathable, and hypoallergenic.
Another measure you can take is to not leave dirty, sweaty laundry lying around. Bed bugs find worn, dirty clothes inviting, so try and have your clothes washed as soon as you can, especially if you live in a hot environment. Or just stop throwing your laundry on the bed! You’ve got a laundry room for a reason.
If you find yourself traveling, make it a point to have your clothes washed and laundered before you come home so these bugs don’t get a free ride home. You never know – bed bugs can scourge even the nicest of hotels.
4. No More Jumping on the Bed
Here’s a specific one for the little ones (or those who think the mattress is a trampoline): stop jumping on the bed. Forget the fact that it’s a safety hazard that can lead to injury, jumping on a bed can cause significant wear and tear.
If you have a custom-made bed, this can be a huge blow, as it can lead to less tight springs. If you have a specially made foam mattress, the bed can lose its spring-back abilities way too soon – like, years too soon. If you want the most out of your mattress, make it a rule that kids shouldn’t be jumping up and down on it.
5. Get a Quality Custom Mattress Protector
The simplest way to protect a custom-made mattress is to have a protector. While it’s ideal to have a custom-made mattress protector on the bed as soon as you receive it, this is a better late than never situation. A quality mattress protector is barrier that will stop bacteria, spills, and even crumbs from getting onto the bed itself.
If you sleep hot and find yourself sweating into the night, a mattress protector is recommended to stop the liquid from seeping into the bed. This will stop bacteria from thriving and eliminate the possibilities of nasty odors from making home in your bed. In almost all the situations we described above, a custom-fit mattress protector comes in handy to extend the lifespan of the bed.
6. Get a Mattress Protector ASAP
When it comes to protecting your custom mattress, a solid, tight fit is needed to ensure that the bed doesn’t come into contact with anything that could reduce its longevity. If you’re in the market for a mattress protector, ditch generic, one-size-fits-all products and opt for something custom-made, so you know that you’re receiving the best quality product. Sometimes, a custom mattress protector is your only option if you have a unique bed.
It will be difficult to find standard mattress protectors for sofa or RV beds, or any other unorthodox sleeping situation. A quality mattress that’s suited to your needs is an important investment, especially if you have a distinctive sleeping profile. To extend the lifespan of your specially-made bed, having a mattress protector is simply a no brainer.
7. Consider Space-Saving Mattress Options
If you haven’t yet completed your custom mattress journey, consider the size of your bedroom in the design in tailoring your mattress specs. For instance, a smaller room could take a short queen mattress as long as no one sleeping on the bed is over 6’ tall.
And a narrow room could benefit from a mattress with 2 curved corners at the end of the bed. The more those corners of the bed are getting walked into with knees and knocked with laundry baskets, the faster they’ll wear out. Why risk it when you could just tweak your custom mattress a little bit beforehand?
For more important information on how to take care of your custom bed, consult our care guide. And to take a look at our customizable mattress models, check out our online shop. We’ll start you off on the right foot for a long-lasting mattress, and then you can follow these simple steps to make sure that lifespan is even longer!