From cleaning to prevention, a little care and maintenance can go a long way in keeping your mattress in good shape for years to come.

Once you’ve invested in the best mattress, chances are you expect it to provide comfortable sleep on it for many years. The average mattress is designed to last anywhere from five to ten years or more, though how it is maintained can shorten or lengthen your bed’s lifespan.

Being aware of environmental factors and knowing the best ways to care for a bed can help you keep your mattress clean, and healthy and provide comfortable sleep as long as possible.

How to Keep Your Mattress in Good Shape Longer

We’ve put together ten of the best ways to protect your investment by caring for the mattress and preventing disasters before they occur.

1. Make sure your mattress is properly supported.

While you may not always need to purchase the matching box spring or foundation with the best mattress topper in Australia, it is essential to make sure your mattress does have the right kind of support. This helps preserve the integrity of materials and prevent early wear.

Check with the manufacturer or look at the warranty policy for recommendations. Box springs are generally used only with spring mattresses, while memory foam mattresses and other specialty mattresses usually require firm, solid support.

Beds that use a frame should be designed to support the weight of sleepers and the mattress, and queen and king beds should have center support bars. Platform beds with wide slats may need extra support depending on mattress type and weight.

It’s a smart idea to check on your bed’s support every year or so to make sure there are no broken slats or springs that could affect your mattress.

2. Use a mattress protector from the beginning.

We’ve covered the benefits of mattress protectors before, and they are one of the best and simplest ways to protect your bed’s longevity.

A good, quality mattress protector offers waterproof protection to guard against spills and accidents, and they also reduce the amount of dust, debris and dirt that make it into your bed.

This helps protect the materials inside your bed from damage, keeps skin oils and sweat off the bed, and reduces the build-up of allergens like mold and dust mites. A protector also makes cleanups a snap when accidents do happen, and many newer types feel just as comfortable as a fitted sheet.

3. Wash bed linens regularly.

When you sleep, you shed sweat, oils, hair, and skin cells. Eating in bed also leaves behind crumbs, and pets can track all sorts of things. In addition to getting yucky, all of this can get into mattress layers, breeding bacteria and encouraging dust mites.

Bed sheets and blankets should ideally be washed every week to every two weeks according to most cleaning experts. Even when using a mattress protector, it’s still important to keep linens clean. The mattress protector should also be washed occasionally according to a manufacturer’s directions.

4. Get pets in separate beds to snuggle in.

Speaking of stuff in your sheets, it is better to give pets their own designated beds rather than letting them cuddle up on your mattress.

Even well-groomed pets walk outside, drool, and shed hair and cells just like people, and all that winds up in your bed. Pets also can have the occasional accident, which can all but ruin an otherwise good mattress.

5. Rotate the mattress regularly.

Every type of mattress benefits from being rotated regularly, no matter the material or the size. Some manufacturers say it is not necessary, but rotating helps promote more even wear, while not rotating makes depressions and softening more likely.

Every two to six months rotate the mattress 180 degrees from head to foot. This is particularly important in the first couple of years as you are breaking in the mattress.

6. No jumping on the bed!

Your mother always told you not to jump on the bed, and she wasn’t wrong. Spring, water, and air beds may be most prone to damage with rough wear, but foundations, frames, and even foams can all wear down more quickly if you are hard on the mattress.