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.
The sheer importance of a good mattress for your well-being means that you might even consider a high-quality custom mattress even if your bed’s an antique. That makes taking care of your mattress even more important, since it’s an investment you want to prolong the life of.
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, there are several quick, easy steps you can take:
1. Use a Mattress Protector
Buying a waterproof mattress protector is a true game-changer when it comes to 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.
A mattress protector for your ¾ mattress will go a long way toward extending the life of your antique bed, and it’s far easier to wash and clean than a mattress is.
2. Use the Right Support
Your bed’s ¾ mattress needs appropriate support to prevent sagging and tears, and preserve its 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 affecting the support. If you’re using an antique bed with a custom foam three quarter mattress, make sure to check the slats for cracks or splintering.
3. Vacuum Your Mattress
Using a mattress protector will prevent dust, sweat, and allergens from building 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 you find on your mattress right away. You can use baking soda, natural liquid dish soap, or a combination of lemon juice and salt. For your peace of mind, check on your mattress manufacturer’s website for cleaning tips, especially if you’ve purchased a custom mattress with high-quality materials and construction.
4. Flip Your Mattress Seasonally
Manufacturers have always suggested that flipping your mattress is a way to preserve it and extend its life. Lying 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 of your bed. As a result, your mattress will wear down more quickly, and all your other maintenance and precautions will be for nothing.
This is especially damaging for antique bed mattresses, since an heirloom bed’s frame could also get damaged by a little too much youthful over-exuberance. There’s no point letting both your prized antique bed and its custom mattress get damaged in one fell swoop.
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 antique bed mattress. These include:
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. Besides, high-end custom antique bed mattresses don’t necessarily have to be expensive, since online manufacturers tend to save on factory overheads and retail space, and can pass these savings on to you, their customer.
Mattress Type
Traditional innerspring mattresses have the shortest lifespan, while newer pocket coil mattress 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 often come with a higher price tag.
Your Weight
Heavier sleepers tend to put more pressure on the bed, contributing to more damage over time. That’s why a mattress will deteriorate more slowly 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. A firm model offers better support for your body type in any case, since a mattress naturally has more give when more force is applied to it.
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 when that mattress will be beyond saving.
A common rule of thumb for most mattresses 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, creaking and other noises, 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 materials and offers a 10-year warranty on antique bed mattresses.
Each mattress model is created to fit your antique bed, but you can also adjust the dimensions if you have an odd-shaped bed frame. Visit our online antique mattress showroom and discover why our customers report exceptional sleep quality after buying our mattresses.
