Cleaning a memory foam mattress: distinguish cover care from foam treatment

Start with your mattress’s own care label

Before choosing a cleaning method, identify your mattress’s brand and model and check its care instructions. IKEA’s linked mattress-care leaflet tells users to read the label inside the cover and follow the supplied instructions. Start with the guidance for your own mattress rather than a general memory foam cleaning recipe.

IKEA ÅKREHAMN: a model-specific example

IKEA describes ÅKREHAMN as having three foam layers: high-resilience polyurethane foam, viscoelastic foam and polyurethane foam. This construction describes ÅKREHAMN, not every memory foam mattress.

For this model, IKEA identifies a removable, machine-washable cover. Its cover-care instructions specify washing at no more than 60°C, turning the cover inside out and closing the zips. Do not bleach, iron or dry-clean the cover; hang it to dry. These are instructions for ÅKREHAMN’s cover, not general washing instructions for other mattresses.

Cover-washing permission does not extend to the foam

The removable cover and the internal foam layers are different cleaning targets. Permission to machine-wash ÅKREHAMN’s cover does not establish permission to wash its foam core.

The manufacturer guidance described here does not establish a cleaning procedure for the internal viscoelastic foam. Nor does it establish suitable moisture limits, steam temperatures, chemical compatibility or drying times. It therefore cannot answer whether steam, wet extraction, soaking, vinegar or another treatment would be appropriate for your mattress.

What matters for an assessment

Prestige Care’s position is that mattress condition, construction and the concern determine whether a refresh or deeper assessment-led work is suitable. That does not establish a particular method, likely result or drying time for your mattress.

Useful details to share include the brand and model, the care-label instructions, and whether the concern is on the cover, beneath it or somewhere you cannot identify. Describe the concern—such as a stain, odour, spill or change in condition—and note any cleaning products or treatments already applied.

For context, see [mattress care](/services/mattresses) and [how Prestige Care works](/how-we-work). If you would like to take the next step, you can [request care](/request-care).