How to Clean a Mattress

How to clean a mattress - several techniques that work well, and can be used to remove stains and keep your mattress fresh.

Steps

General steps

  1. Vacuum the mattress. This helps to keep it clean by the sheer fact that when it does get wet, there is less matter in the dirt to cause it to stain.
  2. If the surface does get soiled or dirty, try using an upholstery cleaner. Since they are made for surfaces that touch your skin (e.g. your couch), then, unless you are extremely sensitive to cleaners in general, it should work. It also has the advantage of removing dust mites and their refuse.
  3. Use enzyme cleaners. Enzymes cleaners are effective in breaking down the 'structure' of the stains which helps to lessen them.

For unidentified mattress stains

  1. Spray it with a citrus type cleaner and let it set for about five minutes. Afterward, blot (don't rub) as much of the cleaner out as you can using a clean, white, absorbent cloth. A mild dish detergent can also be used.

Blood stains

  1. Try using hydrogen peroxide to help with the removal of blood stains. Blot it while it is bubbling. This may not remove all the stain, but will help to lessen it. Be sure to blot it with a clean, white, dry cloth.

Cigarette odor removal

  1. Using the same process as above, apply it to the entire mattress, one section at a time.
  2. Launder your linen even more often than you would on an ordinary basis. This will help keep the odor from being so pervasive.

Mold and mildew removal

  1. Give your mattresses a 'suntan'. These types of stains are caused by too much moisture. Try taking your mattress outside on a bright, sunny day and let the sun dry it out. Try to remove the excess mold and mildew by wiping it off or sweeping it off.

Urine stains and odor

  1. Blot the excess fluid as much as possible.
  2. Using the oxy-clean type cleaners, or those that say they remove the stains (of which there are many), spray the stain and methodically blot it.
  3. Once dry, shake baking soda over it, let it set over night and vacuum it the next day.

Removing stains caused by colored drinks.

  1. Although impossible to remove entirely, you can alleviate the degree of the stain by using citrus cleaner and/or vinegar to lessen it.
  2. Many drink stains are soluble in isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Alcohol will also carry the stain further, so blot with a clean absorbent cloth soaked in isopropyl alcohol, rather than pouring it on the stain.
  3. Mattress manufacturers and dry cleaners will also have information on removing stains, or provide a service for a fee.

Saturday 30 January 2010

King Size Pocket Sprung Mattresses Are Gaining Popularity

King size pocket sprung mattresses and sophistication go together. Pocket sprung mattresses is mostly used along with other materials such as memory foam and latex to make comfortable mattresses. In the UK, people like to go for divans that come with king size pocket sprung mattresses. King size pocket sprung mattresses give cushioning effect to the sleeper. They consist of different layers of springs for better comfort.
King size pocket sprung mattresses last for long. For a couple of years, you don't need to worry at all. From durability point of view, the king size pocket sprung mattresses are considered a good option. These mattresses give your back just the right support. After having a long working day, you are stressed. You may be aching all over, especially your back. In such a state, when you go home and don't get the right support for your back, it will become difficult for you to fall asleep.

In the king size pocket sprung mattresses, each of the layers is made up of a different fabric. The greater will be the springs in the king size pocket sprung mattress, the more comfort and support it will provide. These mattresses have a proper circulation of air. Free flow of air maintains the freshness of the mattress and you derive pleasure sleeping on it.

King size pocket sprung mattresses are the most widely sold innerspring mattresses. They offer everything - such as the airiness of mattress, comfort, support to spine, elegant looks etc. It is due to these reasons that these mattresses are enjoying high demand among people. King size pocket sprung mattresses take the charge of your health and ensure you sound sleep during the night time.

To make these mattresses, pocketed springs are taken and pulled together so as to form the pattern of honeycomb, which gives it a great look. The springs of the mattress contract and expand depending on the pressure exerted by the person sitting on the mattress. Even the shape of the person leads to compression or expansion of the springs.

In making them, around 1500-2000 springs are used to create various layers of the mattress. It is a rejuvenating experience to sleep on king size procket sprung mattresses. They relax the body completely and soothe each and every muscle. These mattresses make a good choice especially in homes where the base of bed is not comfortable to provide you support.
When one of the layers of king size pocket sprung mattress is made of visco-elastic foam, it makes your sleeping experience more pleasurable as memory foam has the ability to adjust itself perfectly according to the shape of your body. To conclude with, pocket sprung mattresses are indeed worth investing money in.

Monday 25 January 2010

Divatex Home Fashions Royal Opulence Satin Queen Sheet Set, Black

1de7311809bd930e7aa870453ecc3681 Divatex Home Fashions Royal Opulence Satin Queen Sheet Set, Black
  • Complete set of sheets for Queen beds in solid black; includes one flat sheet, one fitted sheet, and two standard-sized pillowcases
  • 100-percent woven polyester satin is smooth and silky, with lustrous sheen for added style
  • Fitted sheet includes all-around elastic and 14-inch pocket for mattresses up to 17 inches deep
  • 4-inch hem on pillowcases and flat sheet
  • Machine wash and tumble dry for easy care

Product Description
Give in to an enchanted night's sleep with this luxurious set of satin sheets for Queen beds in high-fashion black. This set includes a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two standard pillowcases. Smooth and silky with a lustrous sheen, these satin sheets are made of 100 percent woven polyester satin. The fitted sheets feature elastic corners for a secure fit and 14-inch pockets that can fit mattresses up to 17 inches deep. They're machine washable for easy care.
$29.95

Sunday 17 January 2010

The Ancient World

Tutankhamun's gilded bed from the 14th century BC

Early beds were little more than piles of straw or some other natural material. An important change was raising them off the ground, to avoid draughts, dirt, and pests. The Egyptians had high bedsteads which were ascended by steps, with bolsters or pillows, and curtains to hang round. The elite of Egyptian society such as its pharaohs and queens even had beds made of wood, sometimes gilded. Often there was a head-rest as well, semi-cylindrical and made of stone, wood or metal. Ancient Assyrians, Medes and Persians had beds of a similar kind, and frequently decorated their furniture with inlays or appliqués of metal, mother-of-pearl and ivory.

The oldest account of a bed is probably that of Odysseus: a charpoy[1] woven of rope, plays a role in the Odyssey. A similar bed can be seen at the St Fagans National History Museum in Wales. Odysseus also gives an account of how he crafted the nuptial bed for himself and Penelope, out of an ancient, huge olive tree trunk that used to grow on the spot before the bridal chamber was built. His detailed description finally persuades the doubting Penelope that the shipwrecked, aged man is indeed her long-lost husband. Homer also mentions the inlaying of the woodwork of beds with gold, silver and ivory. The Greek bed had a wooden frame, with a board at the head and bands of hide laced across, upon which skins were placed. At a later period the bedstead was often veneered with expensive woods; sometimes it was of solid ivory veneered with tortoise-shell and with silver feet; often it was of bronze. The pillows and coverings also became more costly and beautiful; the most celebrated places for their manufacture were Miletus, Corinth and Carthage. Folding beds, too, appear in the vase paintings.

The Roman mattresses were stuffed with reeds, hay, wool or feathers; the last was used towards the end of the Republic, when custom demanded luxury. Small cushions were placed at the head and sometimes at the back. The bedsteads were high and could only be ascended by the help of steps. They were often arranged for two persons, and had a board or railing at the back as well as the raised portion at the head. The counterpanes were sometimes very costly, generally purple embroidered with figures in gold; and rich hangings fell to the ground masking the front. The bedsteads themselves were often of bronze inlaid with silver, and Elagabalus had one of solid silver. In the walls of some of the houses at Pompeii bed niches are found which were probably closed by curtains or sliding partitions. Ancient Romans had various kinds of beds for repose. These included:

  • lectus cubicularis, or chamber bed, for normal sleeping;
  • lectus genialis, the marriage bed, it was much decorated, and was placed in the atrium opposite the door.
  • lectus discubitorius, or table bed, on which they ate—for they ate while lying on their left side—there being usually three people to one bed, with the middle place accounted the most honorable position;
  • lectus lucubratorius, for studying;
  • and a lectus funebris, or emortualis, on which the dead were carried to the pyre.[2]

[edit]Medieval Europe

The ancient Germans lay on the floor on beds of leaves covered with skins, or in a kind of shallow chest filled with leaves and moss. In the early Middle Ages they laid carpets on the floor or on a bench against the wall, placed upon them mattresses stuffed with feathers, wool or hair, and used skins as a covering. They appear to have generally lain naked in bed, wrapping themselves in the large linen sheets which were stretched over the cushions. In the 13th century luxury increased, and bedsteads were made of wood much decorated with inlaid, carved and painted ornament. They also used folding beds, which served as couches by day and had cushions covered with silk laid upon leather. At night a linen sheet was spread and pillows placed, while silk-covered skins served as coverlets. Curtains were hung from the ceiling or from an iron arm projecting from the wall. The Carolingian manuscripts show metal bedsteads much higher at the head than at the feet, and this shape continued in use until the 13th century in France, many cushions being added to raise the body to a sloping position. In the 12th-century manuscripts the bedsteads appear much richer, with inlays, carving and painting, and with embroidered coverlets and mattresses in harmony. Curtains were hung above the bed, and a small hanging lamp is often shown. In the 14th century the woodwork became of less importance, being generally entirely covered by hangings of rich materials. Silk, velvet and even cloth of gold were much used. Inventories from the beginning of the 14th century give details of these hangings lined with fur and richly embroidered. Then it was that the tester bed made its first appearance, the tester being slung from the ceiling or fastened to the walls, a form which developed later into a room within a room, shut in by double curtains, sometimes even so as to exclude all drafts. The space between bed and wall was called the ruelle, and very intimate friends were received there.

In the 15th century beds became very large, reaching to 7 or 8 feet by 6 or 7 feet. The mattresses were often filled with pea-shucks, straw or feathers. At this time great personages were in the habit of carrying most of their property about with them, including beds and bed-hangings, and for this reason the bedsteads were for the most part mere frameworks to be covered up; but about the beginning of the 16th century bedsteads were made lighter and more decorative, since the lords remained in the same place for longer periods.

[edit]Renaissance and Modern Europe

In the 17th century, which has been called "the century of magnificent beds," the style a la duchesse, with tester and curtains only at the head, replaced the more enclosed beds in France, though they lasted much longer in England. Louis XIV had an enormous number of sumptuous beds, as many as 413 being described in the inventories of his palaces. Some of them had embroideries enriched with pearls, and figures on a silver or golden ground. The great bed at Versailles had crimson velvet curtains on which "The Triumph of Venus" was embroidered. So much gold was used that the velvet scarcely showed.

Napoleon I's bed

In the 18th century feather pillows were first used as coverings in Germany, which in the fashions of the bed and the curious etiquette connected with the bedchamber followed France for the most part. The beds were a la duchesse, but in France itself there was great variety both of name and shape. The custom of the "bed of justice" upon which the king of France reclined when he was present in parliament, the princes being seated, the great officials standing, and the lesser officials kneeling, was held to denote the royal power even more than the throne. Louis XI is credited with its first use, and the custom lasted till the end of the monarchy. In the chambre de parade, where the ceremonial bed was placed, certain persons, such asambassadors or great lords, whom it was desired to honour, were received in a more intimate fashion than the crowd of courtiers. At Versailles women received their friends in their beds, both before and after childbirth, during periods of mourning, and even directly after marriage - in fact in any circumstances which were thought deserving of congratulation or condolence. During the 17th century this curious custom became general, perhaps to avoid the tiresome details of etiquette. Portable beds were used in high society in France till the end of the Ancien Régime. The earliest of which mention has been found belonged to Charles the Bold. They had curtains over a light framework, and were in their way as fine as the stationary beds.

Iron beds appear in the 18th century; the advertisements recommend them as free from the insects which sometimes infested wooden bedsteads. Elsewhere, there was also the closed bed with sliding or folding shutters, and in England - where beds were commonly quite simple in form - the four poster was the usual citizen's bed until the middle of the 19th century.

[edit]Bed sizes

Bed sizes vary considerably around the world, with most countries having their own standards and terminology.

While the double size appears to be standard among English speaking countries, based on the imperial measurement of 4 ft 6 in by 6 ft 3 in (137,16 cm x 190,5 cm), the sizes for other bed types tend to vary. The European sizes differ, not merely because of difference based on use of the metric system.

A king-sized bed differs from the other sizes in implementation, as it is not common to have a king-sized box spring; rather, two smaller box-springs are used under a king-sized mattress. It is a common misconception that on a U.S. standard or eastern king, the box springs are identical in size to a twin extra-long, however twin extra-long mattresses next to each other add up to 78 inches wide instead of the 76 inch width that is standard for an eastern king.

U.S. terminology refers to a twin bed to mean what is known as a single bed in other countries, whereas other countries understand twin beds to be two single beds in the same room.

[edit]Types of beds

Wednesday 6 January 2010

King Size Beds Can Be Confusing

Sleep Like Royalty and Spread Out

From , former About.com Guide


With two sizes of King beds and four names, it can get confusing when you go shopping for a King Size Bed.

A Standard King is also called an Eastern King and a California King is also called a Western King.

A Standard King is about 4" wider and a California King is 4" longer.

Two people sleeping in a King size bed will get the same amount of personal sleeping space as in a Twin bed. In fact, if you pushed two Extra-Long Twin beds together they'd be about the same size as an Eastern King. For great versatility in a guest room, if you have the floor space, use 2 extra long twin beds separately for singles or push them together to make a king bed for couples.

When buying sheets, you have to be careful to purchase the right size. Flat sheets will fit both sizes of King beds, but fitted sheets are cut to fit one or the other. Before you go shopping for sheets, be sure to measure your bed exactly to be sure to buy the linens that will fit exactly.

  • Standard King or Eastern King beds are about 16" wider than a Queen bed and the same length. A King size bed is sold with two box springs or frames and one mattress. This makes it easier to move.
    • Overall dimensions: 76" wide x 80" long
    • Width per person: 38"
    • Pros: As the widest bed commonly available in stores, the Standard King is the most comfortable for two adults. The 80" length is sufficient for most people. Sheets labeled "King Size" fit a Standard King bed.
    • Cons: Because of its size, a King bed may not be practical for a single person who has to do the moving by himself. They're hard to get upstairs, through narrow, winding hallways, and small rooms. A King bed may not be long enough for very tall people. Bedding is most expensive in the King sizes. The wide bed requires at least 3 standard or 2 queen or king pillows, adding to the cost.
  • California King or Western King beds are 12" wider than a Queen and 4" longer. This is the longest bed commonly available in stores and is the best choice for tall people. Like the Eastern King, the California King bed set comes with one mattress and two half-width box springs to be more manageable when moving. Very tall single people can sleep from corner to corner and still be comfortable.

    • Overall dimensions: 72" wide x 84" long
    • Width per person: 36"
    • Pros: A California King size mattress is wide enough for two to sleep comfortably and is the longest bed commonly available. Its extra length is good for tall people.
    • Cons: This very large mattress may be cumbersome to move and may not fit up stairs, through narrow hallways, or in small bedrooms. Like the Eastern King, the California King bed set comes with one mattress and two half-width box springs to be more manageable when moving. Very tall single people can sleep from corner to corner and still be comfortable.
Note: Some bed manufacturers change the definition of "standard" sizes by a few inches. Before you go shopping for bedding, be sure to get the exact measurements of your bed so you are able to putchase the correct size sheets.

See our convenient Bed and Sheet Size Chart listing all bed sizes.

Compare Twin vs. Queen