From cleaning it regularly to checking out for bed bugs — there are various ways to ensure your mattress continues giving you a good night’s sleep for a long time.

Ankit Garg, Founder and CEO of Wakefit and K. Madhavan, Managing Director, Peps Industries Pvt Ltd, listed down ways that can help you maintain the health of your mattress:

* Clean the mattress regularly: From eating the morning breakfast on a lazy Sunday afternoon to gorging on chips while watching an intense cricket match, we end up doing almost everything while sprawled on our mattresses. While only a surface level dusting is sometimes considered enough, it is essential to clean our mattresses frequently to avoid the damage from insects that follow the trail of those forgotten tidbits.

* Do not allow pets on the bed: This is a strict no-no if you want your mattress to last long. Most household pets have long and sharp nails that puncture the outer surface of mattresses, exposing the delicate inner material to external elements.

* Look out for bed bugs: This is important for you, your family and your mattress’ health. Bed bugs are one of the most common problems for sleep deprivation all over the world and their bite can be extremely painful for newborn children and even adults. They also damage the mattress from the inside, making it lose its strength and shape.

* Preventing kids from jumping on the mattress: Those wrestling or yoga sessions need to find a different surface if you want your mattress to remain in the prime of its health.

* Use a mattress cover: It is important to have a mattress with a high quality cover, to keep the internal structure protected and the foam material firmly in place. Opting for mattresses that have a removable cover attached helps to achieve the objective while making it easy to clean the mattress and keep it hygienic and fresh for a long time.

* Use a mattress protector: The core material of mattresses are very vulnerable to damage from external elements such as water. Some innovative mattress protectors are waterproofed to protect from damp and water spills, the most common causes of mattress damage worldwide.

* Let the mattress be exposed to mild sunlight occasionally: We have seen our elders do it on a regular basis and often wondered why, but carrying those hefty mattresses to the rooftops for that frequent glimpse of sunlight is integral to removing any dampness that might hamper the mattress. Regularly exposing mattresses to sunlight is important to remove harmful microbial elements and helps the core material to mesh tighter.

* Flip the mattress every six months: It’s been six months and one face of the mattress has accumulated its fair share of dirt and damage. But you still do not have the time to take it out, inspect it for damages and do a bit of cleaning. What’s the solution? Simple, just flip it over to the other side. It is also important to keep flipping the sides to avoid any damage from weather changes and dampening.