Quick Links: Tufted Upholstered Bed
Hello, everyone! Today I am walking you through a thorough bedroom refresh. Every room needs a good deep cleaning and your bedroom should be high on that list. It's where we spend at least 8 hours of our day, so we want it to be clean and fresh! Take a look at the list below and see if you're behind on cleaning these common culprits lurking in your bedroom:
1. Wash Your Pillows
You rest your head on your pillow every night so you wan't to make sure it's germ-free and clean. Pillows should be washed two to four times a year. I can honestly say I do not get around to washing my pillows four times a year. However, I do try to wash all of my pillows once every 6 months. Better yet, just replace them! Tip: Make sure when you wash them that you load two at a time into your washer to help keep the load balanced.
2. Vacuum Mattress
Dust, dirt and dander build up on your mattress. It's a good idea to remove these with a vacuum cleaner. Use the upholstery cleaner on your vacuum and rid your mattress of allergens NOW. Seriously, when is the last time you vacuumed your mattress? Good Housekeeping recommends you vacuum your mattress once every two to four months but other sources say you should add it to your cleaning routine when changing your sheets. I try to remember to vacuum my mattress once a season (along with my couch and any other upholstery).
3. Change or Replace Sheets
Sheets should be replaced when they start showing signs of damage or looking worn.. approximately every 3-4 years. I get that changing your sheets is a no-brainer, but how often are you doing it? According to Good Housekeeping, we should be washing our sheets once every two weeks. Your sheets accumulate a lot of icky stuff: dust mites, thousands of dead skin cells and even fecal matter! Yuck! I suppose that's why I am such a stickler on this one. I wash my sheets and pillowcases in scalding hot water once a week. I change my pillow cases twice a week. Of course, if someone is sick then the ante is upped!
4. Down Comforters (And Other Finicky Items)
Finicky bedding are the items that require special attention and cannot be simply tossed into a washing machine. These might include items such as decorative throw pillows, down comforters or oversized comforters that simply won't fit in your household washing machine.
We love our down comforter and down pillows! They make our bed feel like we are lying on a fluffy cloud. But the label on our down comforter says 'Dry Clean Only'. So, I toss my down comforter into the dryer on high heat once a month to kill germs and to help it stay nice and fluffy. Tip: You can vacuum your decorative pillows and lightly spritz them with a half-and-half mixture of vinegar and water.
5. Dust and Clean
Now that your bed is clean let's focus on the surrounding areas in your bedroom and the air you are breathing. The surface dust in our homes actually contain a lot of harmful chemicals and compounds like VOC's, pesticides, mold spores, dirt and pollen. So while you're giving your baseboards a once over with a wet rag, why not dust the top of those ceiling fan blades?
Dusting doesn't have to be fancy. Just grab yourself an old (clean) work rag and dampen with water. It will pick up dust better than any other contraption on the market. Now, there are some harder to reach spots in our room that I like to dust every so often, like our recessed lighting, the ceiling fan, the tops of doorways and our tray ceiling seems to attract a cobweb or two from time to time if I'm not careful to keep up with the dusting. So, I LOVE using this duster I ordered from Amazon. It has made dusting less of a chore and I'm able to quickly dust an entire room in just a couple of minutes versus using a damp rag.
Another common spot that we all forget to clean are the air vents. Also, make sure you are changing your air filter once a month. Whenever our electric bill comes in, that's our reminder to replace our air filter. I order a 6-pack of these filter's and keep them on hand.
Don't forget to clean your windows and curtains. Your curtains should have a label on them explaining how to care for them but most can be thrown into the washing machine and dried on a low heat setting.
6. Use Green (Safe) Products
You don't have to go out and spend a fortune on expensive, green cleaning products; nor, do you want to sleep near a bunch of dangerous chemicals floating around. Save your wallet and your health by simply heading into your kitchen and grabbing the baking soda and distilled white vinegar. If there are any foul smells in your room then sprinkle baking soda on the carpet and upholstery and let it sit overnight, if possible, then vacuum away the next day.
Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and deodorizer. You can spritz a mixture of half vinegar and half water into the air and onto surfaces to quickly refresh them. At first, it will stink like vinegar but after a few minutes the room should smell neutral.
Tip: Remember anytime you are cleaning to start at the top and work your way to the bottom. So, don't vacuum or mop your floors prior to dusting!
That's it! Hopefully you already knew all of this information but just needed a little reminder that it's time for a bedroom refresh! Your room is unique to you so you know what else may or may not need cleaning. I encourage you to add something fun to your room after all of your hard work. Consider adding some fresh flowers in a vase, a new Fall candle or change out the photo in one of your picture frames.. Anything that will spark joy in you when you walk in your bedroom! I guarantee you'll sleep better after spending some time freshening your relaxing retreat.
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