Help with cleaning beds

[TonyM]

Hey guys my pop-up is a 94 model so the bed covers are dirty I am sure...how would you recomend cleaning them...I took the covers off they had a zipper.  The bottom is made of a plastic and the top is some kind of cloth...


Help going out in a week

[TonyM]

Hey guys I have a 1995 Palomino Mustang in great shape got it last year...But the bedding covers look a bit dirty and dont smell all that great...Like dirty shoes so I took the covers off via the zipper and trying to figure out how to clean them best...any ideas...

[brainpause]

I recommend spraying with Febreze. Also, just opening things up and letting it air out will help. Might consider putting charcoal briquettes here and there to help absorb the smell.

I have also heard of putting fabric softener sheets around.

Larry

[Blazin]

If they have zippers which most covers do take them off and throw them in the washer! Next take the foam and place them in the tub! Use some detergents maybe a small amount of bleach and work the water in and out of the foam! Use your feet hands whatever works for you. You'll be surprised at two things. Not only how much dirt you can get out of some old cushions but also just how clean you can get them as well.

[dthurk]

I did a quick Google search for cleaning foam mattresses and didn't come up with anything that seemed workable.  I would be careful about cleaning the foam with soap or bleach.  You may never get the soap out, and I would be cautious about using bleach on it.  The same about throwing the cover in a washing machine.  I may think talking to a dry cleaner to see what they might be able to do for you might be a reasonable step.

[tknick]

A front loading home washer, or a commercial front loader like at the laundromat will be gentle enough on the covers to wash them.  A top loading washer with a center agitator would probably be too small and could wrap the cover up around the agitator. I would air dry them so the plastic part doesn't melt or become damaged.

that would clean the covers, but follow the other suggestions to keep them smelling good.

travis

[tlhdoc]

Is this the post you thought was deleted?

[Blazin]

would be careful about cleaning the foam with soap or bleach. You may never get the soap out, and I would be cautious about using bleach on it. The same about throwing the cover in a washing machine. I may think talking to a dry cleaner to see what they might be able to do for you might be a reasonable step.
Oh I wouldn't even worry about that at all. I'm not talking about a ton of bleach just a tad for sanitary purposes. Also the foam is just like a sponge. You can rinse it out just fine and it will hold up very well. With some elbow grease and some determination you can have both your covers and the foam cleaned very well right at home. To many times people are not willing to tackle a job themselves for fear that its beyond their scope. Thats just hogwash! Put those covers in the wash and again the foam in the tub! Work the foam until your water comes out clean!!!! :yikes:

[TonyM]

would be careful about cleaning the foam with soap or bleach. You may never get the soap out, and I would be cautious about using bleach on it. The same about throwing the cover in a washing machine. I may think talking to a dry cleaner to see what they might be able to do for you might be a reasonable step.
Oh I wouldn't even worry about that at all. I'm not talking about a ton of bleach just a tad for sanitary purposes. Also the foam is just like a sponge. You can rinse it out just fine and it will hold up very well. With some elbow grease and some determination you can have both your covers and the foam cleaned very well right at home. To many times people are not willing to tackle a job themselves for fear that its beyond their scope. Thats just hogwash! Put those covers in the wash and again the foam in the tub! Work the foam until your water comes out clean!!!! :yikes:

Although I agree with you I think they were looking out for the idiot in some people not the lazy because anyone with a pop-up cannot be too lazy, unless it is one of those new colemans with the elctric popping mech...he  he

[dthurk]

We own a motel.  We've got some amount of experience with cleaning and cleaning products, what they can do and what they can ruin.  

Foam IS like a sponge, that's why you're not going to get the soap out.  It will take many, many rinses, and even then it may not be removed completely.  Residual dried soap will harden the foam.  Residual bleach in a product will weaken it over time.  Foam eventually deteriorates on it's own.  Bleach will only speed up that process.  If you want to do it yourself, buy some new foam material and cut it to size.  That's probably the easiest and cheapest way to deal with the foam.  

As for the covers, I would not put a plastic product in any of our washing machines, and we do have the machines here that could handle the covers on our pop up mattresses.  Our mattress covers have fabric on one side and a plastic material on the other.  You will not get them in a household machine and have them successfully survive the experience.  If you do manage to get them in a dryer, they will melt.  A dry cleaner would have the know-how and experience to be able to handle them and get the job done right so you have mattress covers you will be able to use again.  For the number of times you would need to do this in the lifetime of a mattress cover, it would be inexpensive to have it done.

[Blazin]

I still say do it yourself.  My wife and I have done this on a 70's model Popup and they came out fine.  A bit of residual soap on a piece of foam is going to be negligible for at least a couple dozen trips if not more. If anything I would imagine residual detergent would act as a surfactant and work to soften a foam which a petroleum product.  Chemistry aside we managed to work ours over enough to have the water comming out clean.  I guess its all in the way you look at things. Some people have more money than time to spare. The dollars around this Firefighters house are hard earned so we chose to do the job ourselves.  New foam and sewing your own covers is another option however I made new foam seats for my boys go-cart and it was sort of pricey for the materials. Anyway best of wishes in whatever route you take! :eyecrazy:

[TonyM]

OK I will end the debate with what I did....
First I did unzip the covers and they have a plastic underside so I did not wash them in a normal washer but a front loading commercial 40lb washer.  $2.50

Then I took them out and hung them in my garage to air dry while stretched with clamps to maintain the size no shrinkage occurred.  

I did not attempt cleaning the foam but I did air them out and beat them with a broomt o get any dust out but it was relatively clean.  
I then took a tip an old lady here gave me to put plastic wrap on the end of my foam mattress before attempting to insert in into the cover.  WOW it slid right on like a glove. I tried the next without the wrap and no deal had to wrap it to get in easy.  The cover did shrink a bit but after getting the foam in and placing in the camper it has settled down.  So the moral is to ask and discern the proper route and it worked thanks guys and gals....

[dthurk]

Glad to see it worked out for you  

Happy camping!

[ILUVTHEBEACH]

How do your cushions smell now?  Mine smell musty and I am wondering if it the covers or the cushions too.  I have already tried several methods and they have not worked.  I am almost at the point of just replacing them since they are 32 years old.

[77colemanapche]

with the dry cleaning i would talk to them ,the cleaning process  is not what you think. the items are NOT washed like you would your regular garments . they are pretty much spot checked for stains the STAINS are hand scrubbed and the garment if it is a dry clean only situation is washed in a solution. rinsed and either dried through a tunnel or dryer or air dried. the chemicals they use might not be suitable for plastic. i worked in a drycleaning company and most things that came through such as this were sent out to a differnet company to do and brought back to us . made it seem we did the work but didn't really.