How to Clean an Air Mattress

By Philip Yiga | October 12, 2015

Air-mattresses are convenient sleeping-products that will help you accommodate unexpected guests and you can easily carry them when going for a trip or camping. In fact, some air-mattresses have a flocked or velour top that grips the bottom sheet so that it doesn’t slip off. This means that the velour-top will tend to become dirty or stained overtime and you actually have to clean your airbed in order to remove these stains. However, it advised to use a plastic pad/cover over your velour-top airbed in order to protect it from dirt and stains especially when this airbed is going to be used by kids. But if you don’t want to cover-up your bed, then don’t worry about it becoming dirty or stained since it can easily be cleaned due to its smooth and light surface that can be wiped-clean quickly and easily. So, below are some of the steps and methods that you may use when cleaning your air-mattress.

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METHOD-1: BASIC CLEANING OF AN AIR-MATTRESS:

1. Unplug the air-mattress from the power-source: incase your airbed uses electric-pumps for inflating and deflating then begin by disconnecting it from any power-sources in order to prevent any power accidents.
2. Remove the sheets form the air-mattress: after, remove any bed-sheets from your airbed and then grab a vacuum-cleaner in order to vacuum-up any crump or dust from the surface or the air-mattress.
3. Pour some rubbing-alcohol onto the air-mattress cloth: get some rubbing-alcohol and pour it onto the airbed cloth until is all moist. Begin wiping clean the air-mattress while using a cloth and try scrubbing areas which are stained.
4. Rinse the air-mattress cloth: begin rinsing the airbed cloth with water in order to get rid of the alcohol smell because it can actually be irritating when sleeping.
5. Dry-out your air-mattress: after the rinsing your airbed, take it under the sun so that it can dry-up and then leave it outside for about 3-5 hours or until you notice that its completely dry and then take it inside and begin preparing your bed.

 

METHOD-2: HOW TO CLEAN A VELOUR AIR-MATTRESS:

1. Unplug the air-mattress: this involves deflating your velour air-mattress if necessary so that you can easily clean it.
2. Mix-up some liquid soap: mix a few drop of liquid washing-soap with 1-cup of hot water in a container/bowl and then begin stirring-up the mixture until the water becomes soapy.
3. Use a cloth to clean the air-mattress: dip a clean-cloth into the soapy-solution and then dab it on the stains on the air-mattress while working from the edges of stains towards the center. Continue this process until the whole air-mattress is cleaned-up.
4. Use a scrubbing-brush: grab a scrubbing-brush and dip it into the soapy water in case you still notice any visible stains. Scrub the soapy-solution into each stain until they are all lifted and removed.
5. Rinse the air-mattress: begin rinsing the airbed by simply blotting with a water-soaked cloth.
6. Dry-up the cleaned air-mattress: after the rinsing-process, allow the air-mattress to air-dry completely by simply placing it outside especially on a sunny day. When the airbed is fully-dry, take it inside and prepare your bed or store it in case you’re not going to use it at the moment.

 

METHOD-3: HOW TO REMOVE MOLDS AND MILDEW FROM YOUR AIR-MATTRESS:

1. Give the air-mattress a suntan: in case you have a fabric, flocked-top air-mattress, then it will tend to develop mold when kept under too-much moisture. So, try taking your airbed outside in a bright, sunny-day so that the sun may dry it out. But during the drying process, wipe off the mold or mildew while using a dry-cloth.
2. Vacuum the air-mattress: vacuum your fabric-top air mattress on both sides and after dispose of the vacuum-filter and bag. This will help to prevent the mold spores from leaking-out the next time you vacuum your air-mattress.
3. Use isopropyl alcohol and warm-water: mix-up isopropyl and warm-water then use a sponge to apply this solution over the top of the air-mattress that is affected with mold. Rinse the cleaned section with warm-water afterwards and then let the mattress to dry-up.
4. Use a disinfectant: try apply a common disinfectant like Lysol over the area affected with molds on your air-mattress. In fact, a disinfectant will help to kill any spores that linger over the fabric of your air-mattress.

 

METHOD-4: HOW TO CLEAN URINE-STAINS AND ODOR FROM AN AIR-MATTRESS:

1. Remove any sheets over the air-mattress: begin by removing all the sheets form your air-mattress and then blot out any excess fluid from the mattress as much as you can.
2. Apply an enzyme-based cleaning product: spray an enzyme-based cleaning-substance over your fabric-top air mattress. This substance will help to digest the uric-acid crystals at the source of the urine-stain. Try to spray over the stain gently as you carefully blot it.
3. Apply some baking-soda over the stain: when the cleaned area is partially-dry, shake some baking-soda over it and then let it set there overnight and after vacuum it off the next morning. You may also mix-up 8-ounces of hydrogen peroxide and 3-tablespoons of baking-soda and then spray it over the stained area.

 

MEHTOD-5: HOW TO CLEAN STAINS CAUSED BY COLORED-DRINKS FROM YOUR AIR-MATTRESS:

1. Use a vinegar or citrus-cleaner: try applying/spraying any of these substances over the stained area on the fabric airbed and then use a whit-cloth to gently blot over. in fact, the acid within these products actually helps to dissolve and remove any stains from your mattress.
2. Use rubbing-alcohol: blot the stained-section while using a clean, absorbent-cloth that has been soaked in rubbing alcohol. Don’t pour the rubbing-alcohol over the stain because this will just carry the stain much-further.
3. Take the air-mattress to a local dry-cleaner: in case you don’t have the time to clean-up your air mattress, then you will have to take it any nearby dry-cleaners because they can perfectly clean your airbed.

CONCLUSION:

All in all, the methods provided above will actually work perfectly for you when it comes cleaning a dirty air-mattress but try to be extra-careful especially when cleaning an electric-powered airbed so that you don’t damage any operational parts. Additionally, you may decide to clean your air-mattress when inflated or deflated depending on what you actually prefer.