We are often asked why mattresses develop a ridge or hump in the middle of them. People spend a lot of money on mattresses and often become very frustrated with an unsightly ridge that develops in the middle of their expensive mattresses. These high spots or ridges run from the head end of a mattress to the foot end mattress. We are repeatedly asked if this is considered normal wear and if such unsightly humps are covered under warranty. Whether you own a king or a queen these high spots located down the middle of a mattress are actually a fairly common occurrence.

How does the high spot develop?
It is very common for both queens and kings to have such strange wear. The majority of mattresses that get these humps have significant layers of padding. The ridge in the middle is the result of infrequent use for the reason that the middle of the mattress is rarely used. Most couples tend to nest comfortably on their respective sides of the bed. The constant and consistent usage of the same sleeping areas causes mattresses with multiple layers of polyurethane foams and other comfort padding layers to compress. These indentations are sometimes-called body impressions. The body impressions are actually low spots in the mattress where the sleeper lies night after night.

Is the hump in the middle of a mattress going to go away or am I just stuck with this unsightly ridge?
Most likely the hump will not go away. It is much more common that it may in fact begin to look worse as the mattress gets older. Many times unless excessive wear has taken place such ridges are not covered by the manufacturers warranty. Be sure to contact the retail store you purchased your mattress from or mattress manufacturer if you believe your mattress is defective.

Why didn’t my old mattress have this ridge in the middle?
This is primarily because mattresses in the past did not have all the padding that they do today. Not so many years ago mattresses were thin and not very padded and had their own set of frustrating issues. Back in the day it was not uncommon for coil springs to fail and poke you in the night and cut directly through thin layers of padding creating discomfort.  Even further back some had obnoxious buttons that were design to keep the few comfort layers the bed had into place.

Is there any way to fix the hump I have in the middle of my mattress?
There are some things you can do to help prevent uneven wear. Turning or rotating your mattress frequently can help even out mattress wear and give the padding a chance to rejuvenate and bounce back some. We recommend doing this even if your warranty says you do not have to rotate the bed. If you have a two-sided bed you can flip your mattress over to extend mattress life. Another helpful hint when your taking a nap try to make a conscious effort to use the middle of the bed, especially when your partner is not in bed with you. Finally our favorite suggestion is to move to the middle of the bed and snuggle with your bed buddy. It’s good for promoting even mattress wear and breaking down high spots in your mattress and more importantly it may very well spice up the relationship in the bedroom.

Do you think it’s important to keep your mattress clean?

The majority of doctors and allergist think so. Unfortunately mattresses are often overlooked because they are out of site and out of mind. Mattresses are the forgotten necessity of sleep and good health. People don’t buy new ones until a spring pokes them in the rump or it has more craters in its surface than the earth’s moon. So why would cleaning mattresses be any different? Well it’s not and we all need to keep our mattress clean as possible for a safer and healthier sleep environment throughout the life of our bed.

Tips for Keeping Your Mattress Clean

• Use a mattress pad
• Change the sheets on a mattress on a regular basis
• Vacuum your mattress frequently
• Don’t go to bed dirty
• Make your bed with better quality sheets
• Have the mattress cleaned professionally
• Don’t eat or drink in bed
• Do not leave your mattress uncovered
• Keep cats, dogs, and other pets out of the bed.

Mattresses are expensive and knowing how to keep your mattress clean cannot only protect the long-term investment that is your mattress but more importantly can be a lifelong investment in your health.

Can I just siphon a waterbed mattress out a window, into a tub, or a basement floor drain? The answer is yes, however you must be extra careful if you have a baffled mattress. The reason is that the materials on the inside of the waterbed mattress may not drain completely or eveb worse if handled incorrectly could shift out of position ruining your mattress.
 
There are a couple methods to starting a gravity fed siphon for both the hardside or softside waterbed. First you will need one or all of the proper attachments to connect your garden hose to the waterbed mattress:

A drain and fill kit includes
1 Venturi pump
1 mattress adapter
1 faucet adapter
The kit will also include hose washers for all the female fittings.

All 3 methods require your to make sure that the waterbed heater has been unplugged and that the mattress has been burped and bled of any air bubbles before starting any draining process. 
 
Choose the Method below you would like to start the siphoning process with.
 
Method 1

Gravity siphon started with drain and fill kit.
Follow the drain and fill kit Instructions and turn the faucet all the way up. Let the water run until you hear a change in pitch of the exhausting water from the Venturi pump. While running disconnect the female end of the garden hose attachment from the side of the Venturi pump. Drop the hose to the ground immediately. If the end of the hose is lower than the bed the siphon will now start. You will obviously need to make sure that the draining water is going into a tub, basement floor drain, or out a window or you will have a mess on your hands.
 
 
Method 2

Gravity siphon started with only a mattress adapter.
Connect the female end of the garden hose to a faucet and the mattress attachment from the drain and fill kit to the male end of the hose. Over the sink carefully flush all air from the hose and then shut off the water. With a towel in hand, walk to the bed and connect the mattress adapter to the mattress then push valve in. Go turn on your water and count to 10. Then shut off the water disconnect and kink the hose. It is best to carefully drop the end of the hose out of a window. The lower the end of the hose the greater the tronger the siphon be due to gravity the drop.

 
Method 3

Gravity siphon started with an electric pump.
Follow Electric Waterbed Pump directions. Once the pump has been primed and water is flowing, shut off the pump and again carefully disconnect the garden hose and drop out of a window to a lower point than the waterbed. 

Many people choose the siphoning method to save on water consumption, electricity, or they just aren’t aware that there is better ways to drain a waterbed. If you have a wave control mattress, siphoning a waterbed mattress can be very tricky. In order to achieve the necessary vacuum required for moving a baffled mattress so you do not ruin It or Damage it by bunching or shifting the baffling system you must achieve a vacuum. You will need a very large drop around 8 to 10 feet or you will need to finish the vacuum process with a wet dry shop vac or Venturi pump and replace the cap and plug insert immediately to maintain the vacuum on the mattress. It should look like a package of beef jerky in the shrink wrap when finished.

Contact a waterbed store for more detailed information.

Its official most of us are mattress-cleaning slackers. Doctors and mattress industry insiders, allergist all agree we need to take better care of ourselves by keeping our mattress cleaner. Remember the cliché’ an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? Well perhaps a cleaner mattress can act as one ounce of prevention from the numerous minor and more serious health issues aggravated by mattresses like: allergies, asthma, dermatitis, eczema, hay fever, inflammation of mucous membranes, rhinitis, itchy red eyes, headaches, sinus pain, fatigue, sneezing, bronchitis and other respiratory related problems.

 
How can we all sleep in a cleaner mattress ?

 
Start by purchasing a quality breathable mattress pad or mattress protector and placing it on the mattress surface. Top that off with a nice set of sheets and your ready for bed.  Remember to at least once a week wash your sheets and mattress pad. These can be replaced for much less than a new mattress if they wear out due to frequent washings. An often overlooked mattress cleaning tip is to vacuum your mattress regularly with the upholstery attachment. Take your time with slow overlapping swaths and be thorough. You should vacuum your mattress at least once a month. Allergy and asthma suffers may want to vacuum your mattresses more frequently. Be sure you are using a quality vacuum with a hepa filter and then replace your bedding immediately.

 
A smart investment would be to have your mattress professionally cleaned and sanitized one time a year or more so if you do not frequently care for your mattress or have allergy related concerns. There are companies that will clean mattresses across the country and here in the St. Louis area as well.  So if your New Years Goal was to make a healthier you, why not start with a cleaner mattress or get rid of that old one and buy a new mattress set. Talk to a bedroom store if you have more questions.

Who will clean a Mattress and boxspring in Saint Louis Missouri?  That is a very good question with a somewhat surprising answer. I do not think so. After I Googled it, local search results came up virtually empty and there were a couple national searches, however I did not explore them.

As a thinker and a businessman I constantly try to better understand my customers and by thinking like they think. Knowing that most mattress shoppers already believe that mattresses and boxsprings are priced too high. Many people opt out of buying a new set. I wandered about their decision to put off such an expensive purchase what might they do instead.

Buying a slightly used mattress was one answer I came up with or continuing to use their existing mattress was another. I then wandered if a mattress could be cleaned if so what a reasonable cost might be. I thought that I would be willing to pay less than $100.00, and if I could do that purchasing slightly used or keeping my old mattress would make both choices feasible.

Lastly knowing how health conscious people are today and their concerns with allergies and asthma which I know both are on the increase, I wandered if the used mattress buyer realized that sleeping on an unclean unsanitary mattress may not the best or healthiest choice night after night?

Slightly used or older mattresses can involve many secondary issues including dust mites live and dead, their feces, dead skin, perspiration, body oils and drool. I won’t even get into the other nasty things found in mattresses. This is why Missouri does not allow the selling of used mattresses with out the proper mattress cleaning and sanitation or the appropriate licensing permits and tags. This law doesn’t stop the average person from selling their mattress or giving it to someone through a charity or even other avenues like Craig List who are not required to comply with such laws.  

I know an awful lot of mattresses are changing hands out there that are used but are these mattresses being cleaned and properly sanitized either by the seller or the buyer? I think the answer is no.

If you are in the mattress cleaning business and are looking for potential customers contact STL Beds or call 1-888-785-2337. Since I know this is being done anyway I would like to offer those people the company names of mattress cleaning services. After all a clean sanitary mattress is a healthy mattress.