Mom’s Mattress Myths

Question: My mom told me that our mattresses has dead skin and mites in them so we should vacuum the mattresses. Is this true?

Mimi: Your mom is correct that dead skin and mites can accumulate in the mattress. If that bothers you, you can vacuum the mattress. If nobody in your family has breathing problems or allergies, you probably don’t need to worry about mites. A quilted mattress protector pad will prevent most of the dead skin and mites from going through to the mattress. Wash the mattress protector pad every month or so. If you can hang it up in the sun to dry, the sunshine will kill any mites not washed away. Any question that deals with sleep is really a health question. A healthy body is a beautiful body. You need good sleep for good looks.

Question: My grandmother forbade us to ever sit on the edge of the bed saying that it broke down the edge of the bed.

Mimi: Your grandmother was correct that sitting on the edge breaks down the edge of the bed. However, how much of a problem is that? Enough that you don’t want to sit on the edge of the bed to read a bedtime story? When you replaced your mattress last time was it because 1. It sagged in the center, 2. The dog had urinated on it, 3. The edges were broken down. I doubt that it was because of broken down edges.

Question: My mom says that only poor people who can’t afford a new mattress use bed boards, and that a bed board is bad for your back.

Mimi: A bed board can help you get a few more years use out of a sagging mattress when you can’t afford a new one. A bed board can help someone with a bad back. When my back hurts, sometimes I sleep on the floor.

Question: My aunt says to never buy a used mattress because you will be sleeping with somebody else’s germs because you don’t know who has slept on it before.

Mimi: Do you ever sleep in a hotel? Who slept on that mattress before you? A new mattress is nice. However, if your choice is between a new mattress and stashing the money in a Certificate of Deposit, saving for the future wins out Check out Craigslist for a FREE mattress. Many people move and don’t want to move a big, perfectly good mattress. People down size, up size, have kids move out and need to get rid of bulky items. When you buy a used mattress, go to the home of the person selling the mattress. Check out the house and the family. If you were friends with these people, would you sleep over at their house as a guest? Okay, then you would sleep on their mattress. Lie down on it so see if it is firm enough, then buy it. If you are afraid of germs, put the mattress outside in the sunshine. You can spray the mattress with Lysol spray or a bathroom antiseptic spray from the 99-cent store. Or you can mix a little bleach with water in a spritz bottle and spray. This may make bleach spots on the mattress cover. Or you can buy Quats at the beauty supply house to mix and spray. Spray any of these on the mattress until the covering is damp to the touch. Let it dry. Then flip the mattress and spray the other side. Cover the mattress with a clean mattress protector pad. If the box spring seems grungy, buy a plastic mattress cover and cover it.

Question: I have very little money. My mom says that I need to buy all new bedding and not stuff from yard sales or the thrift shop. I don’t want to add to my credit card debt. Do I really need new linins in order to be healthy?

Mimi: Get out of Debt is always the answer! Ask friends and family for linens. Shop at yard sales and thrift shops. Wash all cottons and cotton poly blends in hot water with a little bleach. Hang outside to dry so the sunshine freshens them, or toss in the dryer so the heat kills any left over germs. Wash wool blankets in cold water on the gentle cycle in the washing machine. Don’t use soap or detergent. Use about ¼ cup non-sudsing ammonia (lemon scent is nice). Use fabric softener in the rinse cycle. Dry the blanket over a shower curtain rod in the bathroom or over several lines on the clothesline.

Question: My mom and dad disagree on this. Mom says that a mattress needs to be replaced every 6 years. Dad says that a mattress has lots more life than that. When should a mattress be replaced?
Mimi: Remember that mattress ads and “information” are designed to sell mattresses. When your mattress sags so you roll toward your partner or you can’t get a good night’s sleep, then it’s time to start shopping.

Question: Mom says that mixed, mismatched mattresses and box springs won’t work together. Why would that be?

Mimi: Buying matched sets is a marketing ploy to make everything look pretty. Often you can get a better deal if you are willing to buy mismatches. Ask at the store.

Question: I’ve seen ads for memory foam mattresses. Are they good for you?

Mimi: Many people love their memory foam mattresses. Some women think that they are hot and cause night sweats to be worse than on a regular inner spring mattress. If you want to try one out, spend the night in a motel that has memory foam. Dynasty Suites in Redlands has Temperputic Mattresses.

Question: I have a new, expensive mattress that the dog urinated on. Do I have to throw it away? (Throw away which? The mattress or the dog?)
Mimi: Before tossing it, here are some things to try. If the area is still wet, vacuum up as much moisture as possible with a wet/dry shop vac. Drag the mattress outside into the sunshine. Spray NI-712 from Neutron on the urine stain. If the urine went all the way through, flip the mattress and spray the other side. Let it dry in the sun. Smell. If it still smells like urine, dilute the NI-712 with water and spray to saturate the area. Let the mattress dry. The mattress will be stained, but you will cover it with a mattress protector pad anyway. Nok-Out eliminates odors also. Both products are available on line.

Question: I am pregnant with my second child. Grandma says that I can use the same crib but that I must get a new mattress. That seems expensive to me.

Mimi: Ok, now you have me going. Most of the world sleeps on the ground or the floor. Beds are a luxury. Your baby will be happy or crying no matter where he sleeps. A mattress that his big brother slept on for two years is not worn out. Wipe it down with a damp cloth with some cleaner on it. Air it out in the sunshine. Wash all the linens, and you are ready for the new baby. Put the saved money in the kids’ college fund.

Question: Mom says that you can’t wash pillows.
Mimi: Feather or down pillows can be washed in the washing machine on gentle. Dry on a clothesline or in the dryer with dryer balls or clean, just-washed tennis shoes to fluff up the pillows. The pillows will come out fluffy and clean. Repeated washings will make the pillows smaller and denser as the feathers break and compact.

Poly pillows lump up in the washing machine and come out misshapened. Put no more than two pillows in a clean bathtub with some warm water and laundry detergent. With clean feet, mash on the pillows as if you were Lucy Arnez stomping grapes for wine. Pull the plug and lift and move the pillows so the water can drain out without flowing through the pillows. Put the plug back in and add clean water. Stomp and mash. Drain. Repeat. For the last rinsing, add some fabric softener for fragrance.
With the plug out, stomp on the pillows to push out as much water as possible. After the pillows have drained for about an hour, put them in a washtub or a plastic laundry basket and take them outside. Lay each pillow across several lines on the clothesline. If you don’t have a clothesline, wash and hose off yard furniture and put the pillows on the yard furniture. Turn the pillows periodically to help them dry. Do this on a hot, sunny day so the pillows dry quickly.

To keep pillows fresh longer, buy fabric pillow protectors with buttons or zippers. Change pillowcases ever week when you change the sheets. Change the pillow protectors periodically when you wash the quilted mattress protector pad. If you don’t have pillow protectors, put an old pillowcase on the pillow. Hold the open end shut while you put that end of the pillow (already in the old case) into a pretty pillowcase. The inside pillowcase will help protect the pillow. This way you don’t need to wash your pillows very often. I think that plastic pillow protectors are Yucky.

Beauty point—if you have acne or oily skin, wash your pillowcase and wash cloth every day. Try 100% cotton pillowcases. If you can, hang pillowcases in the sun on a clothesline. They come out looking as if they were ironed.

Pampering point—Keep bars of soap amongst your linens. This will keep your linens smelling nice and harden the soap so it lasts longer. Every time that you wash sheets, put the newly clean ones at the bottom of the stack. This way each set gets used evenly. If the clean ones are always put on the top of the stack and taken from the top, the linens at the bottom of the stack will get musty smelling and might turn yellow along fold lines

Mimi Barre is the owner of International Day Spa, 325 Cajon St., Redlands.
Send your skin care questions to her at MimiB@INTLdayspa.com. She and her estheticians are available for personal consultations. (909) 793-9080. Past columns of Ask Mimi are on the web at www.INTERNATIONALdayspa.com.