Care instructions

Why care matters

A well cared for mattress holds its support layer night after night, so your sleep surface stays consistent. Timber and upholstered furniture cared for properly absorbs the daily wear of a busy household without losing its finish or its structural integrity. NZ conditions add a layer of stress that does not apply everywhere: high UV, coastal salt air in much of the country, wet winters, and humidity that swings widely between summer and winter. The guidance below is shaped for those conditions.

Care also protects your warranty. Our Warranty page states the terms plainly (5 years on mattresses, except the Quasar range at 1 year; 1 year on beds, headboards, furniture and kids beds) and lists what is and is not covered; in many cases the difference between a covered claim and a declined claim is whether the product was cared for in line with the guidance on this page.

When your new product arrives

A few simple steps in the first week save problems later.

Mattresses:

• Inspect the mattress on delivery. If you signed for it as received in good condition without an inspection note, no claim for transit damage will be valid later. If you see damage on the outer packaging or the mattress itself, tell the carrier and contact your retailer immediately.
• Check how your mattress was delivered. If it arrived rolled and compressed in a box (mattress in a box), unwrap it, place it on the correct base, and let it fully expand for 24 to 72 hours before making it up with bedding. If it arrived fully expanded, unwrap any protective plastic, place it on the base, and you can make it up and use it straight away.
• New bed odour is normal. It fades over the first few weeks. Open windows, run a fan, or use a heat pump in dry mode if needed.
• Keep all labels and the production tag attached. Your warranty depends on them.
• Keep your receipt or invoice. Your warranty is invalid without proof of purchase.

Beds, headboards, and bedroom furniture:

• Inspect on delivery for damage. Same rule as above: if damage is visible on the packaging or the product, tell the carrier and contact your retailer before signing for the goods as in good condition.
• Read the assembly instructions before you start. Most issues we see come from misaligned brackets or hardware tightened in the wrong order.
• Check all hardware (bolts, brackets, screws, slat fixings) is firmly seated after assembly.
• Keep the assembly instructions and any spare hardware in a labelled bag or envelope.

Care by product

Mattresses

The basics of mattress care are the same across the Dreamland range. Your retailer usually provides a printed care card with your invoice that covers rotation schedules and base requirements; the same guidance is detailed below.

Position your mattress on the correct base:

• Slat base: timber slats should be no more than 70mm apart. On a double, queen, or king size bed, slats should have a minimum thickness of 35mm or be supported by a centre rail.
• Padded box base: box bases can be sprung or unsprung and should have at least seven legs or castors.
• Platform bed: a solid wooden base should have ventilation holes drilled in the base.

Using the wrong base causes mattress damage that is not covered by warranty, regardless of how well you care for the mattress otherwise.

Rotate your mattress regularly: Dreamland mattresses are single sided and can be rotated but not turned. Rotate every two weeks for the first four months. After that, rotate every three months. Rotation evens out body impressions and extends the useful life of the comfort layer. How to rotate: push at opposite corners until the foot end becomes the head end. Use the handles to position the mattress on the base after rotation, not to lift the whole weight of the mattress.

Use a mattress protector and air your bed: a quality washable mattress protector is the single highest leverage thing you can do to keep your mattress clean and extend its life. Wash the protector regularly per its care label. Once every few weeks, strip the bedding off and let the mattress air for a few hours with curtains open. Avoid direct sunlight on the mattress fabric.

Spot clean with a damp cloth: if your mattress becomes stained or marked, blot up any liquid immediately, then clean with a damp (not wet) cloth in a blotting motion working from the outside of the stain towards the centre. Allow the mattress to dry thoroughly in shade, away from direct heat, before remaking the bed. Do not use cleaning fluids; they can damage the comfort layer materials. Baking soda sprinkled on the surface and vacuumed up after a few hours absorbs trapped odours.

Vacuum the mattress lightly from time to time: use a soft upholstery attachment on low suction. Pay attention to the seams and stitching to remove dust mites and debris.

Keep the labels intact: production tags carry the model name and batch number we need to identify your mattress for any warranty claim. Removing them invalidates warranty cover.

Body impressions are normal: body impressions develop as the comfort layers settle to your body shape. Impressions up to 35mm deep are considered a normal, reasonable level of dipping and are not a fault. Rotating regularly evens this out. See the Warranty page for the full body impressions explanation.

Beds, headboards, and bedroom furniture

Dreamland beds, headboards, bed bases, and bedroom furniture are designed and finished for New Zealand homes. Care guidance differs by material; most pieces combine more than one of the materials below.

Timber elements (frames, drawer carcasses, side panels, solid timber tops):

• Dust regularly with a soft dry microfibre or lint free cloth.
• For spills or smudges, wipe with a damp (not wet) cotton cloth and follow with a dry microfibre cloth. For tougher stains, a diluted dishwashing detergent solution is safe; rinse with a damp cloth and dry immediately.
• Do not use products containing ammonia, bleach, wax, silicone, abrasives, lemon, or vinegar. These can strip or cloud the finish.
• Never place hot items directly on a timber surface. Always use coasters, placemats, and heat proof pads.
• Lift, do not drag, when moving furniture. Dragging loosens joinery and damages slides.
• Apply a thin coat of high grade, silicone free furniture polish only when the surface starts to lose its glow; over polishing leaves a residue.

Upholstery elements (fabric panels on bed frames, leatherette accents on headboards, fabric drawer linings, upholstered bed bases):

• Vacuum every few weeks using a soft brush attachment on low suction. Pay attention to seams, buttons, tufting, and the edges where dust and skin oils collect.
• Spot clean spills as soon as they happen. Blot, do not scrub. Work from the outside of the stain towards the centre with a clean damp cloth. Allow to dry naturally in shade away from direct heat.
• Our upholstered headboards and bed bases do not carry a fabric cleaning label. Use the conservative spot clean approach above and test any cleaning solution on a small hidden area first (the underside of the bed base or the back of the headboard). If you are unsure, contact the retailer who sold you the product.
• For oil or scalp buildup on a tufted or fabric headboard, sprinkle baking soda on the affected area, leave for several hours, then vacuum up. Repeat as needed.
• A deep clean every 6 to 12 months keeps fabric headboards and upholstered bed bases looking fresh. Steam cleaning is a good option, especially after a wet NZ winter.
• Gently cut any loose threads with sharp scissors; do not pull them.
• Avoid placing upholstered furniture in direct sunlight, near heaters, fireplaces, or air conditioning vents. UV fades fabric over time and heat dries it out.

MDF and engineered substrate elements (back panels, drawer bottoms, veneered surfaces over engineered cores):

• Keep furniture in dry conditions. MDF and engineered timber are sensitive to moisture; wipe spills immediately with a damp (not wet) cloth.
• Avoid placing engineered substrate furniture in bathrooms, laundries, or rooms where humidity stays consistently high.
• Do not use steam cleaners directly on veneered surfaces; the heat and moisture can lift the veneer.

Environment and placement (applies to all bedroom furniture):

• Keep furniture out of direct sunlight. UV fades both timber finishes and fabric upholstery.
• Position at least 50cm away from heaters, fireplaces, and air conditioning vents.
• Maintain indoor humidity between 35 and 45 percent where you can. Very dry air causes timber to crack; high humidity causes swelling.
• Fit felt pads under decorative items. Lift objects on and off; do not slide.
• Disassemble when moving to a new house if possible. Lift from the base, never the top. Wrap corners and edges before transport.

Hardware retightening: bolts, screws, and bracket fixings on bed frames, drawer slides, and storage bases need periodic retightening as part of normal use. Check and retighten every 3 to 6 months. Loose hardware accelerates wear and can cause secondary damage that is not covered by warranty.

Kids beds and bunks

Kids beds and bunks need the same general care as the rest of the bed range, with two product specific commitments.

Hardware retightening every 3 months is a warranty prerequisite. Children’s beds and bunks get more daily movement than an adult bed, so bolts and brackets loosen faster. Set a reminder and do a 5 minute hardware check every 3 months, using the assembly instructions to identify each fixing point.

Safety standard compliance. Dreamland kids beds and bunks are designed to meet AS/NZS 4220, the Australian and New Zealand safety standard. This commitment applies for the lifetime of the product, not just the warranty period. If you notice any cracked timber, loose joints, damaged guard rails, or other safety concerns, stop use immediately and contact your retailer.

Spills and stains (kids will spill): blot quickly per the upholstery guidance above. For mattress spills on a kids bed, a quality washable mattress protector is essential.

Pillows

Dreamland pillows are not covered by a manufacturer warranty (pillows are a hygiene category) but a few simple care habits keep them performing.

• Use a pillow protector between the pillow and the pillowcase. The protector is the part that gets washed regularly; wash it weekly per its own care label.
• Wash the pillowcase weekly in hot water if your pillowcase fabric allows.
• Fluff and air the pillow daily. Fluffing redistributes the fill; airing reduces trapped moisture.
• Do not machine wash Dreamland pillows. All pillows currently in the Dreamland range are memory foam or a similar non washable fill, and machine washing damages the foam structure. For minor surface marks, spot clean with a damp (not wet) cotton cloth, blot gently, and dry thoroughly in shade before reuse.
• Replace pillows every 1 to 2 years. Compressed pillows lose support and accumulate skin oils, dust mites, and dead skin cells regardless of how well the protector and pillowcase are washed.

NZ specific care considerations

New Zealand conditions affect furniture and mattresses in ways that do not apply in drier or more temperate climates. The points below sit alongside the product specific guidance above.

Humidity swings between summer and winter. Most of the country sees humidity rise sharply in winter and fall in summer. Timber expands in damp air and contracts in dry air. The 35 to 45 percent indoor humidity range is the sweet spot; a simple hygrometer (around $20 at most hardware stores) lets you check.

UV exposure. NZ ranks high globally for ground level UV. Direct sunlight fades upholstery fabric, leatherette, and timber finishes faster than in most other countries. Position bedroom furniture away from direct window sun where possible; curtains and blinds make a real difference over years.

Coastal salt air. Much of the country has significant coastal influence. Salt accelerates the breakdown of metal hardware (slide rails, hinges, leg fittings). If you live within a few kilometres of the coast, wipe metal hardware with a clean dry cloth occasionally, and check fixings for early corrosion.

Wet winters and indoor moisture. NZ winters are wet, and heat pumps, dehumidifiers, and laundry drying indoors all change the moisture balance in a bedroom. Steam cleaning upholstered headboards and bed bases once or twice over a winter lifts accumulated dampness.

Electric blankets and memory foam mattresses. Electric blankets generally do not harm pocket spring mattresses, but they are not recommended on mattresses with memory foam comfort layers (the Aurora uses CoolGel memory foam). Sustained heat softens the memory foam structure and can cause permanent damage. If you sleep on a memory foam mattress and feel the cold, prefer a lower TOG duvet, a fleece sheet, or a hot water bottle.

Heat pumps and indoor air. Heat pumps run dry in heating mode; they can pull indoor humidity below 30 percent on a long cold week, which dries timber faster than seasonal change does. A small dish of water on a side table or a humidifier overnight buffers this.

Common care mistakes that affect your warranty

Most warranty claims we decline come back to one of these care patterns. Avoiding them protects your cover.

• Wrong bed base under a mattress. Slats too far apart, slats too thin, a padded base with too few legs, or a platform base without ventilation holes will damage the mattress. The damage is not a manufacturing fault.
• Lifting a mattress by the handles. Handles are for positioning the mattress on the base, not for carrying the full weight. Carrying by the handles tears the fabric.
• Removing mattress labels. Production tags carry the model name and batch number needed to process a claim. Without them, the warranty is invalid.
• Missed rotation schedule. Rotating extends comfort layer life and evens out body impressions. Skipping rotation accelerates wear and may surface body impressions deeper than the 35mm normal threshold.
• No mattress protector. Stains, body fluids, and pet damage will rarely be covered. A washable protector prevents most of these issues.
• Direct sunlight on furniture and mattresses. Fading is a UV exposure issue, not a manufacturing defect.
• Moisture exposure on MDF and veneer. Swelling, lifting, and warping caused by water exposure on engineered substrates is not covered.
• Missed hardware retightening on bed frames and kids beds. Loose hardware leads to wear, sagging, and joint damage that is not covered.
• Cleaning products that strip the finish. Ammonia, bleach, silicone, abrasives, lemon, vinegar, and steam directly on veneer all cause damage that is not covered.
• Dragging instead of lifting. Dragging loosens joinery, damages slides and feet, and can crack panels at stress points. Always lift from the base, and disassemble where possible for bigger moves.

Full warranty terms and exclusions are on the Warranty page.

Where to get help

If you have a care question we have not covered here, your first contact is the retailer who sold you the product. They are trained on the full range and can advise on specific care for the model you bought.

For warranty claims, follow the claim workflow on the Warranty page. Your retailer evaluates first, then routes qualifying claims through to us. For general product information, see the FAQ.