You use your mattress every night, if not more. So it’s no surprise that, like anything else in your house that gets regular use, it can get a bit dirty. Dust mites, pet hair, dead skin cells — these can all pile up on your sheets and on the actual surface of your mattress every time you strip it down on wash day. You might be surprised to know that mattress vacuum cleaners exist, designed to get rid of all this dirt and grime for cleaner sleep. It’s not just a gimmick, either; studies have shown that daily use of a bed vacuum can help reduce the presence of allergens and bacteria.
We’ve tested over 300 mattresses and accessories over the years, helping 60,108 people find their new favorite product over the years we’ve been in operation (15,522 of those in 2024 alone). Recently, we decided to add bed vacuums to our list. Our testers set about mucking up the surface of a mattress with crumbs and other debris to test the efficacy of these gadgets. From our results (and insight from our Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Raj Dasgupta), we devised this list of the best vacuum cleaners for your mattress so you can begin your sanitizing frenzy anew.
What’s Our Pick for the Best Mattress Vacuum Cleaner?
Our pick for the best mattress vacuum is the Jimmy BX5 Pro-120V-Corded Vacuum. This vacuum has great suction power for deep cleaning, alongside UV-C lighting and a HEPA filter.
Best Mattress Vacuums
- Jimmy BX5 Pro-120V-Corded Vacuum – Best Mattress Vacuum Overall
- UZK Bed Vacuum Cleaner – Best Multi-Use Mattress Vacuum
- JIGOO J300-120V-Corded Vacuum – Best Affordable Mattress Vacuum
- Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum Cleaner – Best Cordless Mattress Vacuum
Disclaimer: Please note that the content in this article is meant for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or serve as a substitute for seeing a medical professional regarding any sleep problems you may have. Please see your doctor regarding any urgent medical issues.
What We Looked for in the Best Bed Vacuums
Our Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Raj Dasgupta, MD, FACP, FCCP, FAASM, recommends that folks with allergies look for a hypoallergenic mattress that won’t attract allergens and is “easy to clean”, which can greatly depend on what you use to clean your bed. This is why we tested out some of the top mattress vacuums on the digital market, including ones available on Amazon, to see how they fared against a crumb-covered mattress.
- Suction power: First and foremost, a vacuum’s primary function is to suck up dirt and grime. Some of these gadgets list their suction power in terms of kilopascals, or kPas, where a higher number means more power. We cut through all that jargon to the meat of things, looking at whether or not these vacuum cleaners could eliminate all of the debris we put on the bed’s surface.
- Quality of construction: Mattress vacuums — even the smaller handheld models — can run you hundreds of dollars. It’s not enough for them to have powerful suction; you want them to hold up for multiple runs and feel durable. We took a look at the efficiency of the operating mechanism and durability of the materials used, then compared them with the price point to determine the vacuum’s overall quality.
- Portability: You’ll also want these mattress vacuums to be easy to carry since you might be hoisting them onto a platform bed that rises high off the ground. This also includes the sturdiness of the cord (if one exists) and whether or not it impedes your vacuuming range. We took into account the seamlessness of the user experience, and noted where some folks might have trouble.
So, if you’re looking to upgrade your mattress cleaning routine, take a look at our top picks.
Jimmy BX5 Pro-120V-Corded Vacuum – Best Mattress Vacuum Overall
Jimmy BX5 Pro-120V-Corded Vacuum
The Jimmy Vacuum is a portable corded mattress vacuum with HEPA filtration and UV technology to keep your mattress surface clean and free from allergens.
The best mattress vacuum should be effective, high-quality, and not too pricey. That’s how we feel about the Jimmy BX5 Pro-120V Corded Vacuum. Despite its high-tech sounding name, our tester Caine Wilkes found this vacuum easy to use and an all-around good performer. He rated his experience with this vacuum at a 4.5 out of 5, just shy of perfect.
Caine thought that the Jimmy vacuum felt sturdy coming out of the box. He noted the high-quality plastic in the construction, as well as the stainless steel in the filtration system. “All of it felt like it’ll last for a good bit, including the cord,” he said. This vacuum is outfitted with multiple filters, including a HEPA filter to catch at least 99.97 percent of airborne particles, as well as an automatic ultraviolet (UV) light system to eliminate harmful microbes. With this in mind, Caine gave this vacuum a perfect construction score of 5 out of 5.
Despite all of its fancy components, the Jimmy vacuum remains relatively lightweight and compact enough for easy maneuvering on a bed’s surface. Caine thought that the vacuum “should fit in any corner of a closet.” That said, its cord isn’t retractable, “so it’ll be a bit of a nuisance to wrap and unwrap the cord in between uses,” he added.
Caine ran the vacuum over the surface a few times, first just to get a feel for how the vacuum worked, and then again after dirtying up the bed surface. “I thought it performed extremely well, getting debris that we placed on the mattress, and even picking up some particles beforehand,” he explained. The vacuum offers two speed modes: slower for “delicate” beds and a faster option for more stubborn grime, both of which Caine had no complaints about.
However, the vacuum does have a wider base, which made Caine have to take multiple passes over deeper crevices to get all the dirt out. But he also noted, “The wider base would also make it a good and versatile vacuum for other hard-to-reach areas of the house, like underneath and on couches and other furniture.”
The Jimmy vacuum is currently listed at $130 on Amazon, which Caine thought was “priced pretty well” when you consider its performance in our tests and positive reviews on the site. If you encounter any issues, it’s backed by Amazon’s 30-day return policy.
Want a vacuum that should reach all the nooks and crannies? Check out Dyson’s Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum.
UZK Bed Vacuum Cleaner – Best Multi-Use Mattress Vacuum
UZK Bed Vacuum Cleaner
The UZK Bed Vacuum Cleaner is a corded vacuum that can be used not just for mattresses, but also furniture, pet beds, and more, thanks to its 16Kpa suction, UV-C light, and HEPA filtration for efficient cleaning.
A mattress vacuum cleaner doesn’t have to only be used on a mattress surface. This next product has hundreds of reviews on Amazon touting how buyers used it not only on their beds, but their sofas, pet beds, and more. My colleague Amanda Dvorak tested out the UZK Bed Vacuum Cleaner, saying it was lightweight and easy to hold, and gave it a 4 out of 5 score for portability. This should make cleaning just about anything relatively seamless.
Amanda found that the plastic components used in the vacuum “felt fairly durable.” The vacuum also features HEPA filtration to catch the most microscopic allergen particles, as well as hot air and a UV light system to deal with dust mites and bacterial growth. “I wouldn’t say anything in particular stood out to me,” Amanda said. This is why she gave it a 3 out of 5 for overall construction.
The vacuum should also be easy to store. Amanda called it “compact,” and added that “most people should be able to move it around.” This is a corded vacuum, though, so you’ll have to work close to an outlet. The cord also doesn’t retract for storage, which can be an annoyance trying to wrap it around the vacuum when putting it away.
As for the actual suction power on this bad boy, reviewers say they found it to work great, though Amanda had a different story to tell. “I had to run the vacuum over the mattress multiple times to get it to pick up some crumbs, and it wasn’t particularly good about picking up larger crumbs,” she explained. But the vacuum did come with some lavender-scented aromatherapy tablets to put in the canister. “The lavender tablet I opened smelled nice when I opened the package, but I didn’t notice any lingering scent after I vacuumed the mattress,” Amanda explained.
The price of this mattress vacuum fluctuates a lot on Amazon, but Amanda wasn’t ready to fork over hundreds of dollars for it. “It didn’t feel particularly fancy or high-quality, and the suction wasn’t great,” she said. However, many 5-star reviews tout that it was perfect for their needs, and they didn’t have any complaints with the suction. If you end up disappointed, you can always return the product within 30 days.
Looking for mega suction? Check out the Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum Cleaner.
JIGOO J300-120V-Corded Vacuum – Best Affordable Mattress Vacuum
JIGOO J300-120V-Corded Vacuum
This reasonably priced JIGOO corded mattress vacuum has all you could want: multiple cleaning modes to target dust mites and grime, UV-light technology for added sanitization, HEPA filtration system, and hot air for dehumidifying.
Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum Cleaner – Best Cordless Mattress Vacuum
Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
The versatile Dyson Handheld Vacuum offers powerful suction and a cordless design for cleaning mattresses, cars, and boats.
When you think of a vacuum cleaner, there’s a high chance that you might think of Dyson, one of the most well-known vacuum manufacturers out there. With such a reputation, it’s no surprise that Dyson has a handheld vacuum cleaner built for small areas, their Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum Cleaner. It’s also advertised to work on mattresses, so we put that to the test. Our tester Nicole Davis gave this vacuum all perfect scores in our construction, portability, and experience categories, calling it the “Rolls Royce of mattress vacuums.”
When unboxing it, Nicole noticed right away that this mattress vacuum had a heavy-duty feel. “The plastic is thick, the brush bristles are durable, and the attachments attach easily and well,” she explained. The vacuum cleaner itself is about a foot long, shaped like a conventional hand vac, and comes with a cord if needed, though it can be operated as a cordless vacuum. “I think the ergonomics of this one is more ideal for getting into crevices,” Nicole added.
And this proved true in the actual suction test. Dyson advertises this vacuum as having a 110,000 rpm motor for powerful suction. “It took a minute or two to figure out how to empty the reservoir but once we got that figured out it was smooth sailing,” Nicole said. Ultimately she called this vacuum “the most powerful” out of all our team tested.
This vacuum doesn’t have some of the other added features we see in other mattress vacuums, such as UV light or any specialized filter. But we decided that it didn’t need it; if you’re looking for a vacuum that packs a punch, it’s got you covered. Dyson also has you covered, too — the brand offers a 2-year warranty with this vacuum.
Budget shoppers might balk at the initial price of this vacuum, which usually falls around the $200 mark, closer to what you’d expect for a decent regular-sized vacuum. However, Nicole insisted that it was worth the price, claiming, “It worked the best out of all of the ones we tested.” It’s also great for any hard-to-reach places around your home, car, or boat, as the name implies, so it’s more versatile than other mattress vacuums.
Want something a bit more affordable? Check out the JIGOO Bed Vacuum Cleaner.
How We Picked and Tested These Bed Vacuums
In order to see if these vacuums are worth it, we took a look at how they were made and how they performed their tasks. Let’s dive a little bit deeper into the three areas that most influenced our experience.
Suction Power
You might see vacuums that list “15kPa” or “16kPa” suction, but what does this actually mean? The letters “kPa” stand for kilopascal, a unit of measurement that describes pressure and stress. For mattress vacuum shopping purposes, a higher kPa corresponds to a higher suction capability in a vacuum.
But we don’t just take the brand’s word for it — our testers cover a test mattress in crumbs and dirt before running a vacuum over the surface. We take note of the amount of dust and debris inside the vacuum’s filter at the end of the pass, as well as anything still left on the mattress. Our testers will also give their opinion on how powerful the vacuum felt in their hands as they moved it. These results are most important in our “experience” rating, which is out of 5 and refers to how effective we found the mattress vacuum to be at cleaning the bed.
Construction
We wanted these vacuums to feel well-made and durable as you used them. We took a look at the quality of materials used, and how sturdy each component of the vacuum felt. This could be anything from the thickness of the plastic used to how well the dust cup was attached. We also considered the price of the vacuum cleaner, as most are over $100, and whether it reflected the quality of construction we experienced. Finally, we gave these vacuums a construction score out of 5.
Portability
Even though we expected these vacuums to have some high-quality heft, we didn’t want it to affect usability. The vacuum should still be lightweight enough for folks to carry and move around on the surface of their bed, making it easy to reach from one corner to the other. We judged if these vacuums seemed particularly ergonomic in use, how easy it was to maneuver them up onto the surface of the mattress, and how well they might be stored in your home when not in use. Based on these factors, we assigned each one a score out of 5.
What Else to Consider in a Mattress Cleaner
Here are some other areas you might want to think about before purchasing a new mattress vacuum, as well as some general tips for keeping your mattress clean.
Filtration System
Filtration is especially important if you’re concerned about catching allergens that are invisible to the eye. Thankfully, most mattress vacuums are outfitted with multiple types of filters to catch even the smallest particles. One of the best filters out there is a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter, which can catch at least 99.7 percent of small particles from things like dust, mold, and bacteria. Look for this type of filter if you’re especially concerned about any of these microbes.
Component Quality
Some vacuum cleaners come with add-ons like specialized nozzles or even certain modes to target specific debris. Some of these can help hard-to-reach places or eliminate certain microbes or pests, like dust mites. Some, however, might be superfluous for your needs or overly complicated. In our reviews, we pay special attention to what each vacuum offers alongside the standard suction, and whether or not we feel these components are necessary, effective, and easy to work with, so you can make the final decision for yourself.
Value
Everyone’s looking to get a good deal, especially on a product as specialized as a mattress vacuum. Most of these vacuums are on Amazon, where prices tend to fluctuate. However, we looked to see if we agreed whether or not the price bracket matched up with the quality of product we received. We took into account what the brand promised to deliver, as well as any trial or warranty offered, when testing and reviewing these vacuums.
Warranty and Trial
As with any tech gadget, you want your mattress vacuum to last a long time. But if you’re worried about your vacuum cutting out on you or just overall not working out, consider a product that offers a trial or easy returns. Most of these brands are offered through Amazon, which makes returns pretty easy if you stay within the 30-day timeline. Some offer a protection plan for an added fee, and you can also check the product description or manufacturer’s site for details on the warranty.
Other Cleaning and Protection
Aside from vacuums, you may be wondering how else to keep your mattress feeling fresh and your sleep environment clean. Our medical expert and sleep psychologist Dr. Shelby Harris recommends baking soda for deodorizing. “It’s also relatively mild, which means you can use it on fabrics safely without fear of damage,” she explained. If it’s stains you’re worried about, she recommends a home-remedy mixture of baking soda and vinegar, “a well-known cleaning tip for shifting difficult or set stains.”
Also consider outfitting your mattress with a protector. Alongside protecting your bed from stains or other debris, most mattress warranties require the use of one. So if you just got a new mattress, slap a protector on it. Just be sure to vacuum underneath the protector every so often, as dust and dander can gather between layers. Don’t forget to wash your bedding regularly too; this includes sheets and pillows!
Finally, you should probably know when it’s time to quit and buy a new mattress rather than trying to spruce up an old one. Dr. Shelby Harris recommends replacing your mattress every 5 to 10 years. Look for signs of wear-and-tear like sagging and creaking, or if you start to wake up feeling uncomfortable.
FAQs
Can you vacuum a mattress?
Yes! And some studies say that you should, to reduce the risk of dust and other allergens. Rather than using the upholstery attachment on your regular vacuum, you might want to invest in a handheld mattress cleaner for easier cleaning.
Should I vacuum my mattress for dust mites?
If you have concerns about dust mites, a mattress vacuum can be a great solution. Some suggest vacuuming your mattress daily to get rid of allergens and bacteria. You might also want to consider a mattress protector as an extra layer between you and your bed.
Will vacuuming a mattress get rid of bed bugs?
While there is evidence that vacuuming a mattress can get rid of some bed bugs and eggs, it’s not a foolproof solution; it’s difficult to know whether you’ve gotten them all, since they can hide in hard-to-reach crevices of the mattress. If you’re worried about bedbugs, it’s best to contact a professional for advice on how to remove them.
What is the best vacuum to get rid of dust mites?
Look for a mattress vacuum that has good suction to get rid of debris like dust mites. We recommend the Jimmy BX5 Pro-120V-Corded Vacuum, our pick for the best bed vacuum.
Sources
- United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2019, February 19). What is a HEPA filter? EPA. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-hepa-filter
- Palma F, Baldelli G, Schiavano GF, Amagliani G, Aliano MP, Brandi G. Use of Eco-Friendly UV-C LEDs for Indoor Environment Sanitization: A Narrative Review. Atmosphere. 2022; 13(9):1411. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13091411
- Wu, F. F. S., Wu, M. W., Pierse, N., Crane, J., & Siebers, R. (2012). Daily Vacuuming of Mattresses Significantly Reduces House Dust Mite Allergens, Bacterial Endotoxin, and Fungal β-Glucan. Journal of Asthma, 49(2), 139–143. https://doi.org/10.3109/02770903.2011.65402
- Parola, P., & Izri, A. (2020). Bedbugs. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(23), 2230–2237. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmcp1905840
