The focus of every hotel is to provide a seamless experience to its guests. The focus of every hospital is to ensure patient safety. Post pandemic, both these facilities have one thing in common - infection control. While we have discussed various aspects of infection control in the past few years, mattress cleaning and sanitation have largely remained unspoken about. 

Today, every hotel guest or patient in a hospital is aware of cleaning and hygiene standards and is vocal about having them. Add to it the fact that millions of dust mites affect sleep comfort is known to most people. More and more guests and patients attach importance to regular mattress cleaning and impeccable hygiene in the hotel and hospital respectively. 

A hotel’s perspective
Whenever guests step into a hotel room, the first thing they observe is cleanliness to determine the quality of the accommodation. Bed hygiene is particularly important because no customer wants to see stains or smell odours when they pull back the covers. Not only this, health issues related to dust mites and bacteria make mattress sanitisation a key priority. According to the World Health Organisation, “dust mite droppings are one of the most common household allergens and are a proven cause of headaches, runny nose, itchy skin, and puffy eyes among sufferers of asthma, rhinitis, related respiratory problems, and eczema”.

Dust mites can be found on clothes, skin, food and baggage. In a hotel setting, travellers come and go every day, this remains a matter of concern because they leave behind thousands of microscopic dust mites to infest the room mattresses.

The use of protective covers alone is not sufficient to combat this. Therefore all hotels must have a Preventative Maintenance Plan (PMP) in place which includes mattress care. This plan will detail the sanitisation and cleaning methods, frequency or standards that need to be maintained to ensure good bed hygiene practices.

According to Traveller, “a high-quality hotel with strong occupancy figures will most likely toss its mattress every three to five years. For most hotels, however, the reality is closer to 10 years. In addition, a hotel’s maintenance policy should see to it that mattresses are flipped, rotated and cleaned at least twice a year.” 

So what is the correct approach to mattress cleaning in hotels? 

Suresh Khadka, Executive Housekeeper at InterContinental Muscat says, “There are lots of products and methods in the market for mattress cleaning and sanitization specially launched after the global pandemic. We are using sanitating products as recommended by our approved vendor Diversey. Along with this, we are following a very simple, but effective, user-friendly and cost-effective method for the past many years.

At Intercontinental Muscat, two processes are followed - one is the steaming process with a Jiffy machine. This includes steaming the mattress from all the sides, corners, and edges. The other method employs the use of baking soda. Both these processes of cleaning and sanitizing are very easy process and effective as well. Jiffy steam will kill all the germs and bacteria in the mattress with its high temperature, baking soda will absorb all the smell and moisture, we need to put baking soda on the mattress, leave it for a few hours, and after that thorough vacuum needs to be done. This is a very simple and easy method.

It is recommended to clean and disinfect the mattresses in hotels once in 6 months but in Intercontinental Muscat, these tasks are done every 3 months while the routine mattress turning process is being done quarterly. This saves time because both tasks are performed simultaneously.

Suresh believes that these are unique, simple, and effective ways of enhancing mattress cleaning and hygiene. “In the steaming and baking soda method, you can also use vinegar solutions before putting baking soda. Just put the vinegar into spray bottles and spray lightly, mist the mattress, and later use baking soda which will absorb the moisture and even the bad smell. Keep baking soda for a few hours on the mattress so that it can absorb all the moisture and dampness. The very important process is to vacuum the mattress thoroughly at the end of this process,” he adds.

Many housekeepers these days are not giving attention to mattress cleaning. They think with the new brand standards of using a mattress topper followed by a mattress protector coupled with changing bed linens regularly, the mattress will not get dirty easily and no need to clean periodically. Just because they don't look dirty doesn't mean the mattress is practically cleaned and hygienic. Since it has been used by so many guests time and again, there are surely a lot of dust mites, germs & bacteria, dead skin cells, and sweat residue which is not visible to human eyes directly. These are the main cause of skin allergies, itching, running nose, headache, eyes burns, etc. Another big problem is bed bugs which are most common in hotel mattresses.

It is the responsibility of every hotel to provide safe and comfortable stays for their clients. People might not realise it but mattress hygiene is directly related to the reputation of the hotel. That's why it is very important for a hotel to take care and give more focus on room cleaning which very much includes mattress cleaning and hygiene as well.

A healthcare perspective

Speaking of healthcare facilities, mattress hygiene is much more sensitive and critical. Cleanliness is essential for the comfort and dignity of patients, particularly those who are admitted to hospitals. Patients spend a lot of their time in hospital beds so it is important that the mattresses they are using are clean, in the literal sense of the word. Beds, and especially the mattresses, should be cleaned and inspected regularly so patients know they are being cared for in a clean and safe environment. To prolong the life of the mattress and reduce infection risks, inspections for damage and contamination must take place on a regular basis.

“While hospital beds are an important component in rendering care to patients, this piece of equipment is largely been overlooked as a possible source of contamination in the healthcare environment”, says Remya Venugopalan, Director of Quality and Facility Planning at International Modern Hospital. Despite this, numerous studies have linked contaminated hospital beds to hospital epidemics. According to a study conducted by Huslage et al. (2010), the bed surface is the second most commonly touched surface in the intensive care unit and the fourth most frequently touched surface on a medical-surgical floor. The FDA also published a Safety Communication warning that torn or worn covers for medical bed mattresses may allow blood and bodily fluids to enter the mattress, providing an infection risk to patients. 

Here is a scenario to emphasize this. Imagine that a patient gets admitted to the ward and lies down on the freshly laundered linen. After a while, the patient notices a moist sensation and begins to wonder if he is incontinent or bleeding. The patient informs the nurse and, after assessing the situation, it is apparent that the fluid is coming from the mattress itself. There is a tear in the cover and the inner foam core is contaminated with bodily fluids from a previous patient, along with any pathogens that patient may have harboured. This may be the worst-case scenario, but it has happened in some hospitals. We know that cleaning and disinfection of the patient environment are vital to infection prevention. Patients may have a disinfected bathroom and clean bed rails, but this might not help if they are literally lying on the source of contamination. 

Hence, mattresses must be a priority for good cleaning and upkeep for various reasons. These include patients who spend the majority of their time in the hospital bed and they are the largest contributors to contamination in the bed as they shed skin cells, hair etc. The mattress and linen are also the primary points of contact for patients with diarrhoea. The mattress surface is usually covered with linens and is largely invisible to the patient or clinical staff, thus going unnoticed.

“Once the patient is discharged, the bed is required for the next patient's admission. There are time pressures on the housekeeping staff to clean the room and prepare the bed for the next patient in a short time. Hence, we defined a clear process for cleaning the mattress thoroughly before the bed is given to the next patient. We follow the manufacturer’s instructions for mattress cleaning. However, the chemicals that we use for the surface cleaning of the mattresses are selected carefully using a multidisciplinary team approach and appropriate pilot testing. We also take culture samples to see if there is any growth after using a particular cleaning agent. Mattresses are disinfected once every day at the time of linen change, at discharge and when it is visibly soiled and contaminated. In addition, once every month, the nursing, housekeeping and quality team thoroughly inspect the mattresses for any torn, dampness, stains etc. and they get duly repaired or replaced,” she adds. 

Mattress hygiene is often overlooked but it is essential for a healthy life within hospitals, hotels or any other facility. Routine turning, cleaning, vacuuming and sanitation of mattresses plays a pivotal role in maintaining them, improving their life and above all, keeping people safe.