This TikTok Hack Will Keep Your Bedding Smelling Fresh
Even if you diligently wash and change your bedding every week, sometimes you just want to take that little extra step to ensure your bedding smells fresh throughout the whole week — after all, you spend hours there! Luckily, TikTok user @mama_mila_ shared a quick and easy tip that will allow you to do just that. Plus, it only requires two simple ingredients — and it can be customized according to your own scent preferences.
As the user, Chantel Mila, demonstrated in her brief TikTok video, all you need to do to keep that bedding smelling incredible is to sprinkle a mixture of baking soda and essential oil directly onto your mattress. As anyone who has ever tossed a box of open baking soda into their fridge to absorb any smells knows, the inexpensive white powder works as a powerful deodorizer, and will eliminate any odors lingering deep in your mattress. The essential oils, in turn, will deliver a burst of a pleasing scent. After some time has passed, simply vacuum up the mixture and pull on your fresh bedding — simple.
Given that you're trying to freshen up a space where you sleep, you may want to consider essential oils that are said to help improve sleep. Intrepid Mental Health lists 12 great picks, including lavender, ylang ylang, eucalyptus, and valerian, just to name a few. You may wish to consider your specific sleep issues, and try to hunt down an essential oil that targets some of those particular areas.
A few specifics about the hack
While you may be concerned that sprinkling essential oil directly onto your mattress will cause staining, according to Sheet Market, pure essential oils shouldn't stain. However, if you're worried, you might want to test out one drop on an inconspicuous area of your mattress first. Additionally, while you certainly can just sprinkle a few drops of your chosen oil, you may want to consider mixing it into your baking soda so that the scent is distributed evenly over your mattress. According to One Good Thing, the mixture proportions should be about 1 cup of baking soda and 4 to 5 drops of your chosen essential oil.
As for how long to leave the mixture before vacuuming, it's a matter of preference. Chantel Mila clarified in the comments section of her TikTok video that it should be left for a minimum of 20 minutes, but it can easily stay on for up to 10 hours. So, there's enough time to sprinkle on the mixture, wait for your linens to wash and dry, and then make your bed with your freshly-washed bedding.
Worried about that fine powder wreaking havoc on your vacuum? Luckily, the creator addressed that concern in the comments section as well, replying to one TikTok user's question by saying, "as long as you use a vacuum without a fine particle filter it's fine."