Water bed owners are among the most loyal of mattress consumers. Water bed mattresses aren't right for everybody, but those who love them feel very strongly about them. Many people consider water bed mattresses to provide the ultimate ideal for comfortable sleep. To many people, there is nothing so soothing as being lulled to sleep by the gentle movement of their water bed mattress. Water bed mattresses are also long lasting and easy to use.

Water bed mattresses are very low maintenance, but there are a few simple maintenance steps you can do that can help lengthen the lifespan of your water bed mattress, as well as increase the comfort you can experience from your mattress. The most important components in the proper care of your water bed mattress are the periodic addition water bed conditioner to the water in your mattress and maintaining an appropriate water level in your mattress.

Water Bed Conditioner

Adding water bed conditioner to your water bed mattress periodically will prevent the water in your mattress from becoming stagnant. If conditioner isn't added as it should be, stagnation will result, and a bad smell originating with the stagnant water will emerge from the water bed mattress.

Failure to add conditioner to the water in your water bed mattress can also decrease the life span of your mattress. Deterioration of the mattress will accelerate as a result of algae growth within the mattress. Algae growth can result in hardening and cracking of the vinyl material from which the water bed mattress is made.

To maintain your water bed mattress, you simply need to add eight ounces of high quality, multipurpose water bed conditioner to the water in your mattress once every eighteen months. The best place to find high quality water bed conditioner is from a water bed dealer.

Proper Water Level Maintenance

Keeping the water level in your water bed mattress is an important part of proper water bed maintenance. Overfilling and under filling can both result in damage to your water bed mattress. A mattress that has been overfilled is subject to stretch out. As the vinyl stretches, pressure will be placed on the seams that can cause it to weaken.

Additionally, water bed frames are designed to support the weight of properly filled water bed mattresses. A water bed mattress that has been over filled weighs more than it should. Therefore, additional stress is placed on the water bed frame. When the water bed frame is under excess stress, its ability to properly support the mattress is diminished. Damage to the hardware that keeps the frame together also can occur as a result of excess water in the water bed mattress.

An under filled water bed mattress can result in excess stress being placed on the water bed heater that can cause it to overheat. An adverse effect of an overheated water bed heater is damage to the vinyl material that comes in contact with the heater.

One way to determine if your water bed mattress is filled to an appropriate level involves placing a broom handle across one of the corners of your water bed mattress frame. As the mattress begins to fill, watch the frame. You will know that it is time turn off the water supply when the handle lifts off the frame as a result of the expansion of your water bed mattress. This might not be the most scientific way to be certain your water bed mattress is filled to the correct level, but it is an easy and accurate way to be sure.