Circadian science has determined that sleep “cleans the brain” and that regular, chronic sleep interruption can have serious health impacts. Pictures: iStock

Many of us don’t bother to deep address a mattress issue until we drop-kick our cocoa over our spouse at 2am some Saturday night. This is outright neglect. It’s estimated that every time we step out of bed, we leave behind 235ml of body fluids — a hearty mugful. Some of this revolting eau-de-you, will evaporate off, but much of it settles into the foam, fill, and ticking of the bed.

The UK Sleep Council have carried out research that indicates that an average mattress, after just two to three years, can carry worrying levels of staphylococcus, norovirus, and MRSA, sopped up by normal use.

Circadian science has determined that sleep “cleans the brain” and that regular, chronic sleep interruption can have serious health impacts from the onset of obesity to an increase in depressive illnesses. Even with pert springs, a badly maintained bed can ruin the dark-chocolate REM sleep that drops off to mysterious, restorative, deeper cycles.

Consider how long we spend in bed, sweating out in light clothing (or full commando) while nibbling toast, our faces mashed against the linen, bedding, and support. The simple chore of an annual — or better still, a bi-annual — mattress refresh, should be a high priority, especially with the inevitable presence of dust mites.

The uncomfortable truth is: We cannot get rid of dust mites. They are ancient co-habitants, encouraged by warm, humid conditions.

In general, a mattress will contain around 10,000 of the little blighters, together with a snowstorm of their droppings. Throughout the year you will shed around 0.5kg of skin into carpeting, soft furnishings, and the bed for them to feast upon.

Aim to clean your mattress at least every six months, no matter how “breathable” or fluttering in allergy labelling it might be. For students in single beds, the pressure on a small mattress with a grown adult (or two) thrashing around, is considerable.

If they are not returning with a precious bundle to your house, remind them to launder their bed sheets once a week, including washable mattresses and pillow covers. Leaving their covers thrown back by day is actually a healthy habit, helping to ventilate the entire bed. Advise them to flip and turn the mattress according to its type, for even wear.

We can strictly control the numbers of dust mites with old-fashioned regular housekeeping. If you have an actual reaction tied to your bed — itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing — anything that seems to start when you settle in, dust mites may be kicking off an allergic response. Don’t wait another day.

Together with our guide to getting the mattress as clean as possible without replacing it, invest in dedicated anti-allergy mattresses and pillow covers to prevent inhaling dust mites and their droppings as you sleep.

Let's get that mattress clean

Cleaning the bed is a weekend/morning job, as we need a few hours for it to dry off. The first thing to do is get your bed stripped naked and any washable mattress cover in the machine (40C), then vacuum it down. Sprinkle the whole mattress over with baking soda, open the window wide, and fish out the vacuum hose. 

You can have a quick cup of tea at this point as there’s a 30-minute wait for that cheap, sustainable, non-toxic soda to sop up the muck (sorry, had to be said). Now, go into attack mode with the python attachment and (a clean) upholstery attachment. A hand-held machine is ideal for this job if it has sufficient watts to whip down into the fibres.

Work meticulously across the surface of the mattress taking in all those topographic furrows caused by any pillow top. Do the sides, and pull the piece away from the base to pick up on any dusty shelf caused by the mattress being slightly shifted out of true. Headboards can also be filthy with dust: Go over that too. 

For a superb job, wind on your back-brace, and turn the mattress over, cleaning all sides. If you have a mattress topper, this should come off, and receive just the same treatment. If it’s light enough shake it down outside with help.

Next, we want to remove stains. Many mattresses in smartly detailed adult rooms read as a lively murder scene under a blue light. No matter how baked in they are, dried in human blots contain rich biological nasties.

Read the label on the mattress first, and start with warm water. Sponge out the stain, working from the inside out and avoiding spreading the artwork about. A small dipping bowl and soft toothbrush are ideal. Apply the solution to a brush, cloth or small scrubby-backed sponge rather than pouring anything down into the absorbent materials of the mattress. Too much liquid could lodge, causing further mould or smells. Finish with a wipe of Milton Sterilising Fluid to disinfect the area (€4.50 for 1000ml).

Still defying you? Add a dash of washing up liquid to warm water and try again. Blot out the moisture with an old towel as you work. If a urine or blood stain is still un-moving, try a shake of baking soda on a wetted stain, it might just move it off. Foaming upholstery cleaners can be used on some but not all mattress materials. If you’re not sure, go online and look up the branding for more advice.

Vacuum the entire mattress again, and vacuum the entire room for an excellent final finish. Every time you move the mattress and bedding, skin cells and dust mites are paragliding in a plume through the air. There are dedicated hand vacuums with UV light including the VonHaus UV Bed Vacuum Cleaner 350W for around €50 on Amazon. Their efficacy over standard cleaning is dubious.

If you have a new mattress, when it comes out of the shroud of plastics, air off that chemical smell, even if you secretly esteem that petrochemical musk as a mark of a new sofa or a new car. That seductive scent is what is termed “off-gassing” and together with the solvents used to make up a mattress, these fumes can be heavy with the ingredients used in the obligatory flame retardants.

Divine, soul-stroking toppers, cooling gel-infused foam, memory foam and a level of denser core support, it can all provide a curious headache and will all stink if you don’t air it out on purchase.

Don’t underestimate the importance of finding that dream mattress that’s adequate to your weight and (ahem) — activity. Yes, it’s boring, it’s stressful, bickering around the shops for a couple of hours. Nothing, bar sexual attraction, is more subjective. 

Invest in two mattress covers to protect your investment and to keep you up off any spillage, one clean one always being on hand. Always use the designated mattress cover specified by your mattress supplier during any trial, or baby, if you do have an unfortunate event under the sheets — it’s all yours.

Read MoreJennifer Sheahan: Choosing fabrics for your home interiors 

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