Can a mattress protector be washed in a washing machine?

A mattress cover is a practical thing that protects a voluminous product from getting wet and various contaminants. It’s hard to disagree that it’s much easier to wash a removable mattress cover than to clean a heavy double mattress. In addition, many manufacturers producing such products do not prohibit machine and hand washing. For example, you can wash the cover from the Askona mattress in a washing machine or by hand. The main thing is to know the type of material from which the product is made and follow the recommendations of specialists.

General rules

A protective cover for a mattress is usually made of natural or semi-synthetic material, which is easy to wash, does not shrink or fade, and is durable and wear-resistant. Such products are washed at least twice a year.

In order to do the job adequately, you first need to carefully study the care information left by the manufacturer on the label and the composition of the material. Only after this can you start washing.

If the instructions are lost, and the label has long been worn out, you should try to determine the composition of the fabric by touch and, depending on this, be guided by the general cleaning conditions. In addition, rules for caring for covers for mattresses purchased at Ikea and other large markets can be found on the Internet without any problems.

• Cotton. Wash in a machine or by hand at a water temperature of no more than +60°C.Fabric made from natural cotton will withstand +95°C, but with this treatment the pattern may become discolored and the product may shrink by several centimeters in size.
• Polycotton. Cotton and polyester blend. It is machine washable and can withstand cleaning at temperatures above +60°C.
• Microfiber. The artificial material can withstand machine washing at a water temperature of no more than +60°C.
• Bamboo. Natural material made from natural raw materials is washed in a delicate cycle without spinning. Water temperature – no more than +40°С.

For washing, it is better to choose a liquid detergent: gel or capsules. Regular washing powder does not wash out well when rinsed, so whitish streaks may appear on the dried item. It is not recommended to use stain removers and bleaches.

Dry the cover outside or in a well-ventilated area. It is important to protect its surface from exposure to direct sunlight. To prevent the product from becoming deformed, it is laid out flat on a horizontal surface.

Washing a waterproof cover

A waterproof cover protects the mattress not only from dust, dirt, abrasions, but also from the penetration of moisture of various origins. Undoubtedly, such a thing is very useful when you need to cover a child’s mattress or a sick bed. And in everyday life, troubles often occur with juice or coffee spilled on the bed, stains from which are incredibly difficult to remove from the surface of the mattress.

A waterproof mattress cover is made of synthetic material, on which a membrane coating is applied on the reverse side. Moreover, the side parts of the product can be sewn from another fabric, for example, thin knitwear or cotton.

Membrane fabric requires special care.The fact is that on the surface of the protective film there are numerous air channels, thanks to which the fabric “breathes”. Dirt clogs these artificial pores, as a result of which the product loses its main qualities: waterproofness and air permeability.

The cover made of waterproof fabric can be washed in a machine or by hand. In this case, the following rules must be observed:

• Washing is carried out in a delicate cycle, the water temperature should not exceed +40°C. At high temperatures, the membrane layer can be destroyed, so when washing you should not use very hot water.
• As a detergent, you should use special compounds designed for cleaning membrane fabric.
• The machine spin must be turned off. It is not recommended to wring out the waterproof case at all. After the product has been removed from the drum of the machine, it is left for some time on the grate above the bathtub, allowing the water to drain. Twisting can damage the membrane tissue.
• The cover can be dried in a machine by setting the drying temperature to +30°C, and also laid out on a horizontal surface away from heating devices.
• You can iron a cover with a moisture-proof coating, but only through a thick cotton towel and not too hot an iron.

To completely restore the moisture-proof properties of the product after washing, the surface is treated with a special impregnation for membrane fabric.

A removable cover will protect the mattress from dirt, stains, getting wet and other troubles. A high-quality product can withstand up to one hundred washes, and if it becomes unusable, it is easy to replace. After all, the cost of the cover is tens of times lower than the cost of the mattress.