Mattress Pad Care

Caring for your Mattress Pad

Because these pads are made by a special method which bypasses spinning & knitting the wool, they can be made more affordably.  However, because of this, they do not tolerate being submerged in water in the same way as knitted wool.

With that said, because of wool's unique self-cleansing properties, the mattress pads do not require washing on a regular basis. 

Your mattress pad does not need to be washed prior to use.  The wool is pure, Kb-T certified organic merino wool, ensuring that there are no harmful chemicals contained in nor used upon it. The wool contains its natural lanolin, providing self-cleansing properties.  As the wool absorbs moisture, the lanolin is activated to cleanse away bacteria and odors.  There is minimal washing needed, even after prolonged use.  If the pad smells of urine (in the case of repetitive leaks or accidents) when dry, then it is a sign that it should be washed.

Because the wool fibers are interwoven by a special patented method, they do not tolerate being submerged in water in the same way knitted wool does.  Untreated wool can absorb up to 40% of its own weight in moisture, so the excess weight of the water can cause the fibers to pull away from each other when the submerged wool pad is lifted out of the water.

For intermittent or spot cleansing – a solution of lanolin-replenishing soap in lukewarm water can be sprayed onto the pad to make area damp.  Allow to air-dry.  The lanolin acting on the wool fibers will help keep it clean.

There are “green” dry cleaners, so the pads can be cleaned in this way for deep cleansing.  We recommend, however, using the spray-bottle method to replenish lanolin into the wool.

If necessary, the mattress can be carefully washed by hand in your tub.  Fill the tub with lukewarm water, to a level just above the thickness of the mattress.  Pour 1/4 –1/2 cup of lanolin-replenishing soap in the water as the tub is filling. Once the water level has reached this level, place the pad into the water, lying as flat as possible. Press the pad below the surface of the water and let it soak 15-30 minutes without agitation.  Empty the tub of water.  You do not need to rinse away the soap, but if you choose, fill tub once again with lukewarm water, without removing pad.  Soak 5 minutes.  Empty tub of water.  Press out excess water. Lay a large dry towel on top of the pad and press out more water.  Remove that towel, then place another large dry towel over the surface of the pad.  Roll the pad with towel on top of it, to give stability, pressing and squeezing out excess water as you roll it into a “log”.  You might want to wrap another dry towel around it before lifting out of tub.

Once out of the tub, unroll the pad and remove the towel.  Place flat to dry, preferably near or over mild heat source (such as across the top of a running dryer) or outdoors during summer.