I moved into my first apartment with a mattress on the floor and no vacuum. The mattress had been through two roommates and a cross-country move. It smelled like memory. Not good memory.

You do not need a vacuum to clean a mattress. You need baking soda, a stiff brush, and about twenty minutes. Here is how.

Step one: Strip it and air it out

Pull off every piece of bedding. Sheets, mattress protector, pillow covers — all of it goes straight to the laundry. Open the windows. Let the bare mattress breathe for at least thirty minutes. Sunlight on a mattress is actually a mild disinfectant — UV rays kill some bacteria. If you can drag the mattress near a window or onto a balcony, even better.

Step two: The baking soda deep clean

Sprinkle baking soda generously over the entire surface of the mattress. Do not be stingy — use at least a cup for a queen mattress. More for a king. Baking soda absorbs moisture, oils, and odors. It is basically a dry shampoo for your bed.

Now add five to ten drops of essential oil to the baking soda before you spread it — lavender or tea tree work best. Lavender smells clean, tea tree has antimicrobial properties. Mix the drops into the baking soda in a bowl first, then spread it. Do not drop essential oils directly on the mattress or they might stain.

Step three: Brush it in

Use a stiff-bristled brush or a clean scrub brush to work the baking soda into the surface of the mattress. Scrub in circular motions. You are lifting dead skin cells, dust, and body oils out of the fibers. This is the step that replaces a vacuum’s agitation. Scrub every inch — the edges, the corners, the seams where dust mites like to hang out.

Step four: Wait, then sweep

Let the baking soda sit for at least one hour. Longer is better — I leave it for a full afternoon if I can. The baking soda needs time to absorb everything. Then use a stiff brush or a hand broom to sweep all the baking soda off the mattress into a dustpan. Go over it twice — you want every grain gone before you put sheets back on.

Bonus: Spot cleaning stains

Mix a small amount of hydrogen peroxide with a drop of dish soap. Dab it onto any yellow or brown spots with a white cloth. Do not soak — just dab. Let it sit for five minutes and blot away. The stains will lighten. Repeat if needed.

I did this whole routine once a season now. The bed smells clean even when I have been sick or sweating through summer nights. It takes twenty minutes of actual work and costs about fifty cents in baking soda.