This practical, easy guide explains how to clean your mattress to get rid of stains, odors, and allergens then keep it looking new.
Your mattress collects dead skin cells that you’ve shed in your sleep as well as dust mites that feed on them. Some mattresses harbor mold and mildew, too. If you have allergies or asthma, a dirty mattress makes your symptoms worse. Old mattresses smell bad, and stained mattresses are embarrassing.
The good news is that you can easily get your mattress looking and smelling brand new.
How to Deep Clean Your Mattress and Get Rid of Stains
Gather Your Equipment
Equipment for Cleaning Your Mattress
- A vacuum cleaner with upholstery attachment
- Cleaning rags
- Spray bottle
- Bowl
- Measuring spoons and cups
Mattress Stain Removing Ingredients
- Liquid dish soap
- cold water
- 3% hydrogen peroxide
- baking soda
- table salt – (to remove blood stains on mattresses)
- powdered white laundry detergent
Steps to Clean Your Mattress
1. Strip the Bed by Removing All Bedding
- Remove all sheets and blankets from your bed before you start cleaning your mattress. This is a great time to launder them. Use the hottest setting allowed on the manufacturer's labels to kill dust mites. Go ahead and wash your pillows and fabric mattress toppers, too.(Related: How to Wash Pillows)
2. Deodorize Your Mattress
- Use baking soda to remove mattress odors. Sprinkle it on and gently rub it into your mattress so it bonds with surface moisture. The longer you leave baking soda on your mattress, the better it works. Give it at least 15 minutes and several hours if possible.
3. Vacuum Your Mattress
- Once you've deodorized your mattress, you'll need to vacuum it. Use the upholstery attachment for this. Clean the top and sides of your mattress in overlapping, narrow paths. Don't press too hard, or you'll reduce your machine's suction. Be sure you also clean the grooves near the seams and edges. You can switch to the crevice attachment for this part if you want.
4. Remove Mattress Stains
- To get stains off of your mattress, you need to spot treat each one. Don't pour anything directly onto your mattress or use a steam cleaner or carpet shampooer. Mattresses aren't meant to get wet and can grow mold inside if they do, especially memory foam.
- Match the mattress stain remover to the cause of the stain. Clean all stains of one type before proceeding to clean the next. (For example, remove all pee stains from your mattress then get rid of blood stains.) You don't need to wait for each type of stain remover to dry before cleaning the next kind.
- URINE STAIN REMOVER: Combine 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 8 ounces of hydrogen peroxide, and a tiny amount of liquid dish soap in a bowl. Use a rag to dab the mixture onto the stain, but don't drench it. Switch to a clean cloth and blot the moisture. Turn your rag as you work, so you're always using a fresh spot to lift the stain. Let it air dry.
- SWEAT STAIN REMOVER: Lightly spray the area with hydrogen peroxide until it's damp but not soaking wet. (You can usually put the sprayer nozzle directly onto the peroxide bottle.) Let the area air-dry. The stain will fade as the peroxide dries.
- BLOOD STAIN REMOVER: Combine 2 ounces of hydrogen peroxide and 1 tablespoon each of liquid dish soap and salt. Spread this on the bloodstain and wait 10 minutes, then scrape it away with a spoon. Use a clean rag dipped in hydrogen peroxide to remove any residue. Let the area dry.
- HOMEMADE MATTRESS CLEANING FOAM: Use this to remove wine, vomit, or unknown mattress stains. Whisk 2 tablespoons of the powdered white laundry detergent (no blue crystals, no oxygenated bleach) with 1 tablespoon of water to create a dry foam. Spread the foam on the stain, wait 10 minutes, and scrape it away. Wipe with a damp rag to remove any residue then let it air dry.
5. Flip and Repeat
- Once your mattress is clean and dry on the top, you may want to flip it and repeat steps 1-4 to clean the other side. Only do this if it's constructed the same on both sides, like most spring mattresses.
Protect Your Mattress from Stains
- Protecting your mattress from stains, mold, and allergens takes more than a fitted sheet. Modern mattress protectors use a soft fabric bonded to a hypoallergenic, waterproof layer. (Here's the one I use.) They're silent, and they don't make you sweaty.
- Place the mattress cover over your mattress then add your fitted sheet. If you use a foam topper or pad to make your bed softer, it goes between the mattress cover and fitted sheet. Wash your mattress cover monthly to keep it fresh and you'll never have to deep clean your mattress or get rid of stains on it again.
Tips About Cleaning Your Mattress
Below are some frequently-asked questions about cleaning mattresses and getting rid of mattress stains.
Can I Use a Carpet Shampooer or Steam Cleaner on My Mattress?
Using a steam cleaner pushes water deep into your mattress where air and light don’t reach. Your mattress is basically a big, thick sponge. Imagine the smell of a wet sponge left in a dark, warm spot for a few days. That moisture inside your mattress may also lead to mold and mildew in there, too. Then you’ll wind up needing a new mattress.
How Often Should I Clean My Mattress?
If you’ve covered your clean mattress with a good protector, you may never need to deep clean it again. Look for one that’s hypoallergenic and waterproof. (Here’s the one I use.) Remove the protector and wash it monthly to remove odors and allergens. Without a mattress protector, you should vacuum your mattress every month to remove dust mites, dead skin cells, and surface allergens. Then deep clean it at least twice a year.
Can I Use Essential Oils to Freshen My Mattress?
Essential oils smell nice, but they are still oils. Rubbing oil into fabric attracts dirt, which can become a permanent stain. Also, by the time you’ve vacuumed and covered your mattress to protect it, you won’t smell the essential oil. Skip the essential oils and use baking soda to freshen your mattress if it starts to smell stale.
How Often Should I Flip or Rotate My Mattress?
Flipping your mattress involves turning it over completely. If your mattress is built the same on both sides, you should flip it over every three months to help it wear evenly. This will also keep it from getting lumpy or developing “valleys” where you sleep.
Rotating your mattress from head to foot helps it wear evenly. You can do it with any kind of mattress. It’s easiest to do when you’re washing your bedding and the mattress is bare. Try to do it every three months, or any time it starts to feel saggy.
Shane says
Best way for me to remember to rotate/flip the mattress is “Spin in Spring, Flip in Fall!”
Katie B of HousewifeHowTos.com says
That’s a great mnemonic, Shane!
Positive Smith says
I Love that!
Michelle Henry says
That. Is. Awesome. Thank you for solving a lifelong struggle in one fell swoop!
natasha says
The tip for getting urine stain out has worked a gem although I buy premixed washing detergent not powder so didnt get a foam but still smells nice
Beth Hall says
I tried the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mixture to get those awful brown stains off an expensive king mattress. Worked like magic. At first I thought it wasn’t working but when I looked a half hour or so later the stains were gone! Be patient. More is not always better in this case.
Katie Berry says
Glad to have helped, Beth!
cindy says
I looked at your website too late. I have already soaked my mattress with bleach and used the steam cleaner on it.obviously that didn’t work very well otherwise I wouldn’t have started looking for your site. I hope to let it dry and then perhaps try one of your methods. I have a urine stain on my bed from my old dog who had kidney problems. scrubbing it with bleach and the steam cleaner only made a big white spot where the urine was and the rest of the mattress is the color of when I bought it. I think I’ve made a mess and this is an expensive mattress. I wish I would have come here first. Wish me luck!
Katie Berry says
Oh no! Soaking a mattress is never, ever a good idea. But here’s some bad news: if it’s soaked, it’s going to take a very long time to get it completely dry. Blot as well as you can with towels (seriously, put them on and lay down on them, then switch to new ones, repeat, etc. until the towels come up dry) THEN let it air dry or blow a fan at it for a day or so.
After it’s completely dry, give my methods a shot. But don’t soak it — never soak it. Please.
I hope it all works out for you! My dog did the same thing when she was having kidney and liver issues, bless her heart, and the directions in this blog entry fixed it. Wish I had directions to bring her back. She was a very good dog.
Kim says
🙁
Let me know when you come up with the solution to bring your dog back… I need that too. Really makes me not want another dog bc I don’t think I can go through that again. It’s too hard!
Thank you for the cleaning methods though. I’m going to try it right now.
Bebe says
Katie your tip for stain worked great. My four year old did a number on my mattress which sift through the mattress cover I had (I ought to think about changing that) and the rest of the solution worked great for removing her pencil graffiti from the wall. Thanks!
Katie Berry says
Bebe, I’m so glad to have been of help! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Jacqui says
Any suggestions if you don’t own a vacuum? I realize that sounds odd, but our house has all wood or tile floors. Our vacuum was old and not useful for sweeping those types of floors (unless I liked scratching up the wood!) so I gave it to a friend who needed one.
Heather Z says
You could use a shop vac if you have one, or you could borrow one (vacuum or shop vac) from a family member or good friend or neighbor.
Katie Berry says
That’s great advice, Heather!
Helen Tsobanis says
Thanks for the hydrogen peroxide/baking soda/dishwashing liquid cleaning tip. It worked wonders on my children’s mattresses which had a bit of everything stains( urine,sweat and blood due to my sons nosebleeds). Still trying to scrape off the paste which I also used in an attempt to extra clean one stubborn spot on the mattress
Katie Berry says
You’re welcome!
Susan Loper says
Would a little vinegar on a cloth help with the soap crust? Vinegar is my go*to.
Amy says
Thank you so much for the tip!! I’m still in awe- took no time at all, had all ingredients on hand and my mattress looks brand new!! Thank you!!
amal says
Hello, just bought a brand new loom and leaf foam mattress. Blood stain, didn’t read this before i started cleaning it but what I did was use soap and cold water and it completely came out. Now there is a large brown ring surrounding the cleaned stain. How do I get that out?
Katie Berry says
The brown ring is where the soap and water spread the blood, rather than completely getting rid of it. Spraying hydrogen peroxide lightly on the ring should take it away after 15 minutes or so. Don’t drench the mattress; just spray lightly, wait, blot with a clean white cloth and repeat if necessary.
Imogen says
My 4 year old sister came to visit me earlier this year and she had an accident in my bed, i thought we’d cleaned it up but the pee stained, i just tried your hydrogen peroxide/baking soda/soap concoction.. and can I just say.. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! I really appreciate the post, it’s helped me so much! 😀
Katie Berry says
I’m so happy to have helped!
Marianne Barkman says
Hi, I found a very large yellow stain on my mattress about 1 meter x 80cm…which I don’t remember being there before I stored it during my move. There is no odour. None of the mattress protectors have a stain. Its a puzzle. Anyway we sprayed it with white vinegar and then ladled bi-carbonate soda on it and left it overnight. Now just brushed a bit of the soda away…the yellow stain is till there 🙁 Question: is bi-carbonate soda the same as the baking soda you are talking about? I’m in the UK. I don’t use this soda in baking.
Can you help?
Katie Berry says
Yes, bi-carbonate soda is the same thing as baking soda. Hydrogen peroxide is really the key to removing that stain. You should be able to purchase it at the chemist.
Trina says
I hate having a pillow top mattress because you can’t turn it. Any suggestions for reducing the wear?
Katie Berry says
Although you can’t flip it over, you can turn it end-to-end. I’d do that every season.
Leah says
Great. This works wonders!!! My jaw dropped to the ground then I dropped to my mattress!! Could not believe the difference. Thank you thank you thank you!
Katie Berry says
I’m glad you tried and liked it, Leah!
Shelly Evans says
Amen LOL we got a liquid…wish I would have read your post first!
Katie Berry says
It’s bound to happen again, so bookmark me! 😉
Paula says
Hi, I recently recieved a mattress that has never been used but was stopped in a basement for a couple of years. It reaks of a musty molded basement! I have tried putting it outside to air out, then fanning it out inside after spraying it down with bleach, thinking would kill any mold present. The smell is still there! I don’t know what to do. Can you help?
Katie Berry says
Assuming it’s completely dry, I’d work baking soda into all surfaces of the mattress and let that sit overnight, then vacuum it very well using your machine’s upholstery attachment. If it still reeks after that, it’s probably hopeless. Sorry! 🙁
Karina says
Will this work on urine stains that have been there for a while? I have made the mistake of using two mattress covers on my son’s mattress and did not think to look at the condition of the mattress, Well, today…I noticed a good sized urine stain from my son’s dog and I am not 100% sure how long it has been there. Help!
Katie Berry says
Yes, it works wonderfully on old stains!
Dee says
Does it clean OLD and i mean old like 1 year old blood stains? Same goes for urine stains? Thank you
Katie Berry says
Yes.
Hillary says
Can I use this method on a memory foam mattress?
I just discovered your site…and I am obsessed! Thank you for all of your help!
Katie Berry says
Hi, Hillary! I’ve used it on my memory foam mattress without a problem. It should be fine as long as yours is the kind with a fabric top and not just plain foam. Just be sure you do NOT saturate it!
Veronica Jack-Melville says
Thank you very much, it worked!
I used it on my mattress about twenty-five minutes (25) ago and it really works. The stain has gone.
Katie Berry says
I’m so happy to have helped!
Kelly says
This is an old message, but thought I would reply anyway to offer help to those who have children who wet the bed frequently or during times of illness etc…. It is very wise to invest in a minimum of two mattress protectors… Here’s why !! You can make the bed as usual with the mattress protector followed by your fitted sheet… Then put the second mattress protector over the fitted sheet and “make the bed again” with the fitted sheet from a second set of sheets and make the bed as usual from there… If you do this, you and your child can be back to bed quickly by cleaning up your little one, and simply stripping off the first set of soiled sheets and mattress protector and you’ve got a clean set of sheets underneath to put your child back to bed…. Then you can deal with the mess now or later so you can get to bed yourself… 🙂
Katie Berry says
That’s great advice, Kelly!
Julie harris says
I have fake tan and night sweat stains on my mattress , it’s a spring coil mattress made with natural fibres and an attached pillow topper covered in damask material. These stains are old , can I get them out ?
Katie Berry says
Hi Julie,
I’m sorry that I don’t have any specific answers for this since it’s not a problem I’ve encountered. Everything I’ve found about removing fake tan from fabric suggests a combination of warm water and liquid dish detergent, or warm water and oxygenated bleach (like OxiClean). Obviously, you can’t saturate the top of your mattress but maybe try wiping the areas with this to remove the fake tan, then treating the sweat stains afterward?
You might also want to consider getting a waterproof, washable mattress pad, so you don’t have to do this regularly.
Germaine Lee says
I have a mattress with water stains that are a bit old. Other than that the mattress is in excellent condition.
How can I remove the stains. Thanks
Katie Berry says
Hi Germaine,
I’d treat them as urine stains and use the methods described.
Graeme says
I have a extremely deep mattress and havnt bought the sheets to match …my labrador has been rubbing against the side of the bed and left an oily stain along it from his coat what would be the best method to get rid of it thanks
Katie Berry says
Hi Graeme,
A bit of liquid dish soap and warm water should remove oily stains. I’ve found that Dawn (in the US) or Fairy (in the UK) are the best at cutting through greasy residue.
Kellie says
So my question is gross but I have a mattress that has not been slept on for several years. I live in an old farmhouse so you know what happens….mice and mice poop. Will this effectively clean the mattress after vacuuming the mice dirt??? Thank you!!
Katie Berry says
Hi Kellie,
While this will get some of the mouse dirt out of the mattress, I think the bigger concern is protecting yourself from hantavirus. If replacing the mattress entirely isn’t an option, you should consider buying the kind of washable mattress cover that completely seals the mattress inside of it. (They have a zipper on one side, and slide over the entire thing.) That way, you can disinfect the cover when you change your sheets and the stuff won’t get into your mattress.
Karin says
Would any of these cleaning solutions work for stains on a carpet?
Katie Berry says
I’d be reluctant to use them on carpeting since they might affect the dye. Instead, try these tips on how to remove carpet stains.