“You can’t unsee it”: Pro cleaner reveals the FILTH inside our mattresses
A professional cleaner has taken to social media to share what kind of dirt can lurk in your mattress – and why you should always vacuum it.
Kacie Stephens, who runs a cleaning business called The Big Clean Co, shared a clip on TikTok of what came out of a mattress she deep-cleaned using a vacuum cleaner and a black cloth.
“Warning. Once you see this, you can’t unsee it,” she captioned the video, which has racked up over 420,000 views.
“I’m going to show you how to test how clean your mattress is. Get a black piece of material and wrap it at the end of your vacuum – that is going to act as your filter for the dust and skin cells.”
After vacuuming the two-year-old mattress, Ms Stephens unravelled the cloth to show the dirt, dust, and dead skin cells it had collected.
Image: @thebigcleanco (Instagram)
“A mattress that isn’t cleaned regularly contains a build-up of allergens including dust and skin cells, as well as spots and stains from body fluid and sweat,” Ms Stephens told news.com.au.
“If you’re game enough to get your face right up to it, the mattress will have a musty smell.”
Ms Stephens also revealed how often she believes people should vacuum their bedding – and the frequency might surprise you.
“Mattresses should be vacuumed every single time sheets are changed – and sheets should be changed once per week,” she said.
As for the “best technique” for cleaning, she said it involves just vacuuming your mattress.
“Don’t attempt the technique of covering the mattress in bicarb and vacuuming it up, as particles are bound to be left on the mattress where they can then cause issues with the mattress fibres over the long term – not to mention it can also damage your vacuum [if you use bicarb],” she said.
But, she did have some advice for tackling marks on your mattress, recommending you “spot clean” with “plain water on a cloth – and if that doesn’t work, use a little 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, which is available in the pharmacy”.
Ms Stephens also recommended against steam cleaning – a task she says should be left to the experts.
“Most people don’t even think about having their mattress steam cleaned – but this is easily done by professional carpet and upholstery cleaners and is a great way to keep dust mites and bacteria at bay,” she explained.
“Often people look for a DIY steam cleaner but as commercial steam cleaners we see that these machines leave fibres wet for extended periods, creating the perfect environment for fungal and mould spores to thrive inside your mattress.
“Steam cleaning is a job for the professionals.”
Many viewers of her mattress-cleaning video shared their shock after trying the technique themselves.
“I tested this. I vacuum my mattress every week and oh my god. It was so bad,” one woman shared.
“I sell vacuums for a living and people don’t understand how much stuff gets put into those mattresses when you sleep,” another commented.
“This is gross but we need to do this. Thank you for sharing,” a third said.
Image: @thebigcleanco (Instagram)