Knowing how to clean a mattress can help you sleep better at night. This guide explains how to clean and freshen your mattress, including formulas to remove stains, odors, and allergens. It also covers how to protect your mattress, so you don’t have to repeat these deep-cleaning steps in the future.
Since a quality mattress costs quite a bit of money, proper care and attention will protect your investment. Although doing this task correctly can take an afternoon, much of that is waiting time, and the work itself is not difficult.
Why Mattresses Need Cleaning
Dead Skin Cells and Dust Mites
Of the estimated 1.6 trillion skin cells on our bodies, roughly 30,000 to 40,000 of them fall off every hour. (If you have eczema or psoriasis as I do, that number may be much higher.) Multiply those figures by the eight hours we’re supposed to get, and we’re shedding around a quarter-million dead skin cells in our sleep.
Sure, your sheets catch most of the skin cells. What they don’t protect your mattress from are the dust mites that feed on those dead skin cells. And, there are hundreds of thousands of those dust mites in your bed.
Or, Glen Needham, a retired professor of entomology at Ohio State University, says, “Every mattress is a crime scene in terms of how it gets inoculated with mites.”
Moisture, Mold, and Mildew
When we sleep, our bodies exude moisture. Some of that moisture is simply the result of us breathing. Some of it is also due to sweat.
If you’re a person who “sleeps hot” or who suffers from hot flashes or night sweats, you know how damp your bedding and mattress can get. Combine the two, and our bodies exude over a pound of moisture each night!
While much of that water vapor and sweat evaporate in the air, plenty still soaks into your mattress. There, the dense materials and warm, dark environment provide the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew spores.
Pets, Kids, and Other Messes
If you have young children, chances are at least one mattress in your home bears the results of a nighttime accident. Even house-trained pets can leave your mattress damp if they spend much time licking their paws or hop on your bed right after a bath. And, of course, full-grown adults can soil a mattress several ways, too.
So, you can put up with a stained mattress that stinks of sweat and body oils, or you can set aside an afternoon to deep clean your mattress and get it looking — and smelling — new again.
How to Clean Your Mattress and Remove Stains
You need to strip the bed before you can begin cleaning your mattress, so this is a good time to launder your bed linens, too.
- Using the hottest setting allowed on the manufacturer’s label will kill dust mites on your sheets and blankets.
- Go ahead and wash your pillows and fabric mattress toppers.
- You can even wash an electric blanket if you use one.
While the washer and dryer are doing their thing, turn your attention to cleaning the mattress.
1. Vacuum the Top and Sides
Your vacuum cleaner’s upholstery attachment is the best tool for mattress cleaning. Start at the top and work your way down in overlapping, narrow paths.
Vacuum the sides the same way. Don’t worry about the other side of the mattress just yet — we’ll get there in step 5. For now, we’re clearing away dead skin cells, pet hair, and surface dirt to make the next step more effective.
2. Remove Odors with Baking Soda
S
What about adding essential oils?
Several readers have asked about mixing essential oils with the baking powder before sprinkling it on their mattresses. I don’t recommend it for a couple of reasons.
- Essential oils are still oils. Rubbing any oil into a fabric is never a good idea — it attracts dirt and can make the bond between the material and soil permanent. That’s pretty much the exact opposite of what we’re trying to achieve when we clean a mattress!
- It’s a waste of time. By the time you’re done cleaning the mattress, treating stains, and protecting it from future problems, you won’t be able to smell the essential oil, anyway. So why bother?
3. Vacuum Again
After giving the baking soda time to bond with surface moisture and odors, it’s time to get it out of the mattress.
Still using the upholstery attachment, vacuum the top and sides of the mattress with slow, overlapping strokes. Do not press too hard — it interferes with your vacuum’s suction and may snag your bed’s fabric.
4. How to Remove Mattress Stains
Mattresses typically acquire three types of stains: blood, urine, and what we’ll call “other bodily fluids.” While it’s best to treat stains immediately, sometimes sleep is more important. Fortunately, you can still clean stains on your mattress even after they’ve been there a while.
What About Using a Steam Cleaner?
If you’ve ever used one of these devices on your carpet, you know they don’t fully extract moisture.
Even the plushest carpet and pad is only about a half-inch thick, so any remaining dampness quickly wicks to the surface and dries. A mattress, on the other hand, is more like a sponge that’s a foot or thicker.
Pushing water into such a sponge-like structure without wholly extracting it could lead to an even worse mold and mildew problem. So, rather than getting your entire mattress wet and potentially causing more problems, treat mattress stains individually as needed using the methods below.
Dried Blood
To remove dried blood stains on mattresses, you need the following:
Ingredients
- Hydrogen peroxide
- 1 tbsp. liquid dish soap
- 1 tbsp. table salt
Directions
- Combine 2 ounces of hydrogen peroxide with the dish soap and salt to form a paste.
- Lightly spread the paste on the mattress stain and allow it to dry.
- Scrape off the residue.
- Dab away any remaining stain and paste with a white rag* dampened with more hydrogen peroxide. Rotate the cloth as the stain lifts.
*Using a white rag for cleaning stops dye transferring from the fabric to the mattress.
Urine (Human and Pet)
Urine stains are tough but not impossible to get out once they’re dry. For minor accidents, the pre-treatment alone may be sufficient. If it’s not, the second method should get the rest out.
Urine Stain Pre-Treatment
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. baking soda (bicarb for UK readers)
- 8 oz. hydrogen peroxide
- A tiny amount of liquid dish soap
Directions
- Combine the ingredients listed above and dab the mixture onto the stain using a white rag. (See explanation above.)
- Do NOT drench the mattress!
- Blot the area with a clean cloth and let it fully dry before deciding whether you need to continue treating the spot.
Urine Stain Remover
Often, the pre-treatment is enough to get rid of urine stains on mattresses. If the stain persists, use this second step.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. powdered laundry detergent
- 1 tablespoon water
- Hydrogen peroxide
Directions
- Whisk the powdered detergent and water together to create a dry foam.
- Lightly spread this onto the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Scrape away the dried paste with a spoon.
- Use a white cloth dipped into hydrogen peroxide to remove any stubborn bits of paste.
- Let the area dry then vacuum it.
Vomit and Other Stubborn Mattress Stains
Ingredients
- Unscented, plain household ammonia
- Baking soda
Directions
- Open the windows for proper ventilation.
- Lightly dampen the corner of a white rag with ammonia. Use the damp corner to blot the stain. Do not drench the mattress.
- Immediately blot the area with a fresh cloth dampened with water to lift the stain. If the stain does not lift, wait 5 minutes, and try again.
- Once the mattress stain is gone, wipe the entire area with a clean cloth dampened with water.
- Sprinkle the still-damp area with baking soda to neutralize the ammonia and pull out any remaining moisture. Let this completely dry, then vacuum the spot using the upholstery attachment.
5. Flip and Repeat
Don’t flip your mattress until any areas you’ve treated for stains are thoroughly dry. After flipping, repeat the steps above to finish cleaning your mattress.
Keep Your Mattress Looking New
Cleaning a mattress can easily take an entire afternoon. I don’t know about you, but I can think of many other things I’d rather do with that time. Protect your mattress — and yourself — from needing to repeat this entire process by using a washable mattress cover.
I’m not talking about the crinkly, plastic kind you might remember from childhood. These days, mattress covers are made from fabric bonded to a waterproof layer that keeps liquids and allergens from reaching your mattress. Here’s the one I use.
Place the mattress cover directly over your mattress but beneath a quilted mattress pad, if you use one. Launder immediately after any spills or illness. Otherwise, monthly laundering is usually sufficient — or weekly if you have severe allergies.
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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
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.
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
Hi Germaine,
I’d treat them as urine stains and use the methods described.
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 ?
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.
How about blood, urine and sweat? The other bodily fluids don’t really leave a stain…lol
Hi Pedro,
Did you read the article? There are directions for removing blood, urine, and sweat stains.
I got a Strawberry stain on my mattrass,and wet it thru with Vanish stain remover, the stain is not bad now but it has left a Watermark, can you lpease suggest anything to remove the ugly stain line
Have you tried the steps I’ve mentioned?
Freshened the mattress but did’nt get rid of sweat stains (only light ones at that) Not impressed at all!
I’m sorry this method didn’t work for you, Brenda.
My mattress protector made from Bamboo Lyocell… does anyone know if hydrogen peroxide will be ok to use on it to remove the stains?
If you’re referring to a removable mattress protector, you can launder it according to the label instructions. Adding 1-2 tablespoons of oxygenated bleach (like Oxiclean) along with the detergent should tackle the stains.
If a crust is appearing I seriously believe the vacuuming of the dry baking soda step to removed the dried soda powder was not done thoroughly enough and should be done very very thoroughly because I tried this and it worked and went back and tried but only did a quick vacuum after the baking soda step before proceeding and the crust appeared and was harder to get rid of. So vacuum vacuum vaccine that soda out after letting it sit. Awesome advice! My mattress is like new again yay!
So glad to have been of help, Jessamyn!
I hoovered my new memory foam topped mattress & hoover brush left black mark which I dabbed off with plain water … when dried big yellow ring , repeated dabbing off again with bit of water & dried with fan … now yellow ring is even bigger … how can I get this off ?
I’d try the hydrogen peroxide paste mentioned. Best of luck!
Thank you so much for this article. I had a mattress pad on my beloved kind pillowtop mattress, but apparently it stopped working at some point and there were horrible yellow sweat stains all over my mattress. The ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda worked AMAZINGLY well. I had to repeat the process three times but the stains are totally gone. Thank you so much.
I’m glad to have been of help, Jenny!
I’m looking up ways to clean a mattress because I couldn’t remember how to properly do it. I must say that your descriptions are amazingly detailed. Love this and keep up the great work!!
Thank you!
Does this work on coloured mattresses. Or will the hydrogen peroxide leave a white stain?
It should be safe but, AS ALWAYS, do a spot test first.
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.
I’m so happy to have helped!
My daughter used carpet cleaner and our steam carpet cleaner to clean my mattress. The smell of cleaner is overwhelming, cant sleep on it. Tried plain water then tried the baking soda. Also aired it out and used a fan. The odor can make you cough it is so strong. What can we do?
If you can, move the mattress outside to air out for a day or two in the sunshine. Maybe that will let some of the fumes out and also ensure it’s completely dry. Once you are absolutely positive that it’s dry, I’d recommend getting a hypoallergenic mattress cover — the kind that you zip on so it encases the entire mattress, so you don’t have that smell bothering you anymore. Here’s my Amazon affiliate link to one so you know what I’m referring to: http://amzn.to/2F8vA7F
HELP!! Need desperately to get diarehea stain which is 8 hrs old. All I have is hydrogen peroxide and no baking soda. Also have oxy clean laundry stain remover?? Haven’t tried anything yet. Hope you get this post ASAP. Thank you!
Sorry I was away from the computer, Beverly. Here is a guide on getting rid of poop.
It would be nice to add a “print” hot button on your page of how to articles so that a person could print out the instructions to review later as well.
Thank you! I’ll try your formula.
Thank you for the suggestion.
How do I remove Stains left from a can of diet soda.
The method I’ve described should work.
Also, what type of vacuum do you use to suck up the baking soda? I had issues doing so with my Dyson (and their repair people told me to not use it to suck up baking soda) and a handheld Dirt Devil and a handheld DustBuster that we have in the houseboat. Thanks again.
I have a Hoover Windtunnel and haven’t had a problem with it sucking up baking soda once it’s dried. I use the attachment and it comes up just fine. Haven’t heard of others having problems getting it up, or of anyone being told they shouldn’t use their vacuum cleaner for it. In fact, baking soda is the primary ingredient in the commercial carpet deodorizing powders you sprinkle on then vacuum up, so I’m stunned Dyson would say their vacuum can’t handle it.
Hi there — think I may be messing up proportions/measurements on your suggestions for pastes to address the stains. When I mix everything up it has quite a watery consistency, not pastelike. Do you have any advice? Thanks much.
A little watery is okay but you can thicken it up by adding more baking soda. Older baking soda soaks up liquid better than newer stuff, which might account for the difference.
Thanks for your answers!
That’s what I’m here for! 🙂
Do you wet the baking soda with water abd make a paste before rubbing it into the mattress with a brush or do just sprinkle the dry baning soda and rub it in with a brush?
Thank you!!
For the deodorizing step you sprinkle dry baking soda directly onto the mattress and rub it in lightly.
How can I freshen up my mattress in the trailer
Follow these instructions.
I have a mattress i. Cant get the mildew garage smell out of from storage any advice
I’d sprinkle it with baking soda on both sides and work the powder in a bit with a brush then let it sit for a few days while the baking powder absorbs the odor. Vacuum and repeat if needed.
What if you live in a very small town and cannot find any ammonia anywhere. Is there another product that I could use?? Thanks!!
Unfortunately, if there were something else that would work as well I’d have listed it. Ammonia is not a pleasant smell but, wow, does it work. You can find household ammonia in the cleaning section in grocery or hardware stores, or pick some up next time you’re in the city and near a Walmart, Target, or other big box stores.
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!
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!
Does it clean OLD and i mean old like 1 year old blood stains? Same goes for urine stains? Thank you
Yes, that’s rather the point.
hi how much is 8 oz hydrogen peroxide
8 oz. is 1 cup.
I don’t usually post or comment on web sites but I had to because I seriously cannot thank you enough!!!! ***Insert huge hug here*** This worked so beautifully after so many other things failed. I’m so grateful, THANK YOU!!!!
You are so welcome. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
So my little one has formula milk stains all over the bed from falling asleep while holding a bottle will this work for that?
It should, but I haven’t personally tried that.
How can one clean microfiber couch and chairs
It depends on the cause of the stain. For general cleaning, a damp cloth is sufficient to refresh the fabric. Grease-based food stains can be treated with a damp cloth and a dab of liquid dish detergent. Other stains come up well using a cloth and rubbing alcohol (surgical spirits in the UK). As always, it’s best to perform a spot test on an inconspicuous place to check for colorfastness.
Where do I get Hydrogen peroxide from please .
It’s available at grocery stores, drug stores, pharmacies, Walmart, Target — just about anywhere. Find it in the first air/health section.
If there I a bit of mould on the matteres how do I get that out plz help?
The hydrogen peroxide approach should kill mould.
Love Your Ideas I have printed out everything and started cleaning house according to your list and it help so much Thank You But i was woundering do u have a spring cleaning check list for bath room
I do! You can find all of my checklists on the Printable Cleaning Checklists page.
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!
Yes, it works wonderfully on old stains!
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?
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! 🙁
What is best method to clean/remove brown body sweat stains from a combination foam/gel mattress? Have tried diluted carpet cleaner and dabbing cloth method a couple times. Mattress is cleaner but now have lighter brown stains spread over larger area of mattress.
I’d treat them like urine stains and use the hydrogen peroxide + dish soap mixture. Don’t drench the mattress — the baking soda step before vacuuming will deal with any sweat in the mattress, you’re now going after the stain on the fabric covering. If this is a frequent occurrence, I’d really encourage you to look into the waterproof mattress pad I mentioned. It’s fantastic!
I can only find hydrogen peroxide 6% is it still OK to use this?
Yes, that should work and more quickly than the 3%. Do keep an eye on it. 🙂
I just ran out of peroxide, would white vinegar work instead?
No, on this task they’re not interchangeable. Sorry.
Can I add essential oil to the baking soda/dish soap/peroxide mix or should I just do it again after with only baking soda and the essential oil?
I really don’t know how hydrogen peroxide interacts with essential oils, so I think I’d wait and do it with baking soda afterward.
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!
I’m glad you tried and liked it, Leah!
If you use Dawn dish detergent does it not make a blue stain?
If you follow the directions, no, it doesn’t leave a blue stain… just as it doesn’t turn your dishcloth blue when you wash dishes.
So glad to have found your website. Love your tips & that you understand pet lovers.
Thank you for the kind words, Linda! I’m crazy about my new puppy and two cranky old cats. Life is just so much happier when you share it with furry friends. 🙂
Hi and thanks for your very helpful and informative tips. I used a different hydrogen peroxide/baking soda/dawn solution I found a few months back to remove urine stains. I mixed it all in spray bottle and sprayed the stains and blotted dry. I did this to save my warranty, well…now, a few months later, there are yellowish rings around the stains larger than the diameter they were before….not quite as yellow as the original stain but you can definitely see the difference in color since my matress is white, will your solution get that out?
Lilly, since I haven’t been in that situation I honestly don’t know what the best solution is. If it were my mattress, though, I think I’d simply spray on hydrogen peroxide, let it sit for a bit, then wipe the mattress and see if that helps.
I hate having a pillow top mattress because you can’t turn it. Any suggestions for reducing the wear?
Although you can’t flip it over, you can turn it end-to-end. I’d do that every season.
My son vomited in his bed over a week ago & it seeped onto his mattress. After 2 hours we attempted cleaning it with a No Vac sanitiser & deodoriser for carpets & upholstery, this just made the mattress wet, spread stain & left a strong chemical smell. Did get rid of vomit smell but stain remained. Blotted the mattress with a towel to remove excess moisture then used diswash liquid & warm water to blot stain followed by vinegar & water. Let matress dry over night & put bicarb soda on the following morning, left it for an hour then vacummed. Matress was still pretty wet so put heater in room for a couple of days to dry it out. Stain & chemical smell still remain. Do you recommend ammonia even after all the other things we have already used? Any advice will be great. Thankyou kindly
No, I don’t think I’d add ammonia into that mix. At this point, I’d try spraying the area lightly with hydrogen peroxide and giving it 20 minutes or so to work, then aim a hair dryer or fan on the spot to make sure it’s very dry. Good luck!
Thanks, will give this a go. Do you recommend wiping hydrogen peroxide off with a cloth or using any bi carb after applying it?
I’d follow the rest of the directions in the section about treating urine stains.
I have a pillow-top mattress. I have a yellow/brown-ringed stain on it but most importantly the red sheets I just had on my bed weren’t washed before they were put on the bed and now my mattress is pink. What is best to do?
Yikes! I’d fill a spray bottle with the mixture used to treat urine stains then lightly spray the mattress. Give it 5-10 minutes to work then wipe with a damp white cloth. Repeat a few times if needed. Just be sure you don’t drench your mattress or you’ll cause even more problems. Best of luck!
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?
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.
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! 😀
I’m so happy to have helped!
I have a pillow top mattress with the softer fabric topping (vs. the older kind with the slicker, heavier fabric). A few months after getting it, my daughter placed a bottle of red gatorade on it whie watching tv in my room one day and it leaked out through the quilts and sheets all the way to the mattress. I got most of the liquid out with the upholstery attachment on my carpet cleaner, but the red stain remained. I’ve always used peroxide on those types of stains on the carpet and it works like a charm, so I tried it on the mattress. Now, instead of a small red stain, I have a huge dark brown stain – almost chocolate brown – that was apparently caused by the peroxide. Any ideas how to remove that?
You probably need to repeat the hydrogen peroxide a few more times. Or try Oxyclean.
What happens if u accidentally drenched the mattress or put too much liquid on it??
At that point, I’d worry about causing mold and mildew in my mattress. The first thing I’d do is get a big, thirsty towel and put it on the mattress. Then I’d press down hard on it to absorb as much moisture as possible. )Alternatively, you could use a wet/dry shop vac to remove moisture.) Repeat with clean, dry towels until they come away dry, then move it outdoors to dry in the sun for 8 hours OR aim a fan at the mattress for at least 24 hours to dry it out.
Don’t laugh but in case you have other readers like me…unscented ammonia doesn’t mean scent free. I bought some at our local Ace Hardware store and decided to take a sniff to see if it was the right kind. After my head cleared, I re-read this and feel a little silly. On the bright side, my sinuses are clear and the mattress is looking better, hopefully this will take care of the faint light brown ring that remained after the other other treatments.
I’m not laughing, Natalie. I found that out the hard way, too! 🙂
Great tips! Which instructions should I follow for stinky yellow stains from body sweat?
The hydrogen peroxide paste will get rid of those.
Hi, where can I buy hydrogen peroxide from and what type do I need to use?
You should be able to find hydrogen peroxide at the chemist. It’s also available on Amazon.uk.
Thank you so much. I’ll find some ammonia and give it a try this weekend when I’m kid free and able to work uninterrupted. Isnt that just the best feeling? Am I the only one who gets excited about uninterrupted cleaning?
Not at all. I get excited about it, too. Then I get the house to myself and suddenly find it hard to do anything but nap. LOL
Hi. My son seems to have allergies to the dustmites and what nots, so his pediatrician suggested I cober his mattress with a mattress cover after cleanin it and vacuuming it really well. He has never peed in the bed, but has vomited in it a few times, so I can only assume that the brown spots pn his mattress are from vomit and sweat. Would the ammonia route be the best route to go? I dont know what ammonia is. Please help and thanks in advance for such great tips.
Ammonia is a household cleaning product. You can find it in the cleaning aisle of most grocery stores.
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?
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.
This is disgusting, but almost my whole mattress has some sort of stain on it from having 3 kids pass through. I’m wondering if the baking soda/hydrogen peroxide mix could be sprayed on with a spray bottle? Or if it should be blotted on with a face cloth. It’s a king so I’m just thinking of efficiency. Thanks!
To be honest, I haven’t tried it that way, but I can’t think of any reason you shouldn’t. Just don’t drench the mattress — that will lead to mold and mildew. A light spray, repeated several times if necessary, is a better approach. Or blotting with the face cloth as you mentioned would do, too. Good luck, and please let me know if it works!
Hi Ive just had a lodger move out and my love king size expensive mattress stinks of urine ( not happy ) I have no idea how long it’s bed. There help !!!
The steps outlined in this article will get rid of the smells as well as the stains.
When I wash and then dry my mattress pad it sticks together. I only dry on low. Then when I try to “unstick” it tears. Does the mattress pad you show do that?
Great suggestions for cleaning. I’m gonna try it this weekend. 🙂
This one doesn’t stick together. It’s important to use the low setting, though, because the waterproof backing will melt in high heat.
What do you apply the peroxide, baking soda, dishwashing mix with. I was thinking a clean white cloth?
Yes, that would work. So would your fingers. 🙂
Hi, I have a question regarding the ammonia.
Is there a valid alternative, since in Sweden it is not available in stores?
A few websites suggested white vinegar, but the smell is still lingering. I have tried with baking soda, but it doesn’t seem to help.
White vinegar is the standard alternative to ammonia. If the smell is overpowering, try combining it with a few drops of essential oils in a fragrance that you like. The vinegar smell does disappear once it’s fully dry. Best of luck!
We also use baking soda to clean our mattress and we have to wait about 1 hour before cleaning all the surface. If we leave our mattress unclean for a long time, it takes us more time to clean it.
You’re absolutely right. As with most housekeeping chores, the longer it’s ignored the longer it takes to fix.
Hi! I hope you see this, I need some help. My cat peed on my bed a few days ago, and I’m really inexperienced when it comes to housework, so I just cleaned my mattress with some fabric cleaner and threw my sheets in the wash. Now my whole bed, sheets, and room smell like the fabric cleaner and I can’t get it out, I can’t stand it!! I tried white vinegar, because that can neutralize the smell of basic solutions (i.e. the cleaner), but it hasn’t seemed to work at all, actually I think I made it worse. 🙁 I smell like it when I wake up, and it makes me want to puke. What should I do??? I work in my room a lot, so the smell really breaks my concentration. Thank you!
And I have another question, does the blood stains one only work for white, or can it work for other colored things, too? I have a good method on getting out stains in white fabric, but my sheets are colored and I don’t want to ruin them.
I really don’t know the answer to this. Fabric conditioner/softener isn’t a cleaning product and leaves behind a greasy mess, as you’ve probably since discovered.
If it were me, I’d fill a spray bottle with half warm water and half white vinegar, lightly spray the mattress and start wiping away as much fabric conditioner as possible. (Do NOT drench your mattress or you’ll just cause mold.) Let it dry, then repeat, until you can’t feel it on the surface any more. Then sprinkle with baking soda to absorb the fabric conditioner’s smell, lightly rub that in and let it sit for a few hours, and vacuum.
As for the blood stains, hydrogen peroxide will bleach your colored sheets. Try the meat tenderizer and cold water paste instead.
Good luck!
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!!
I have a set from Mattress Firm that needs a warranty claim for sagging (2 inches). They said it can have no stains. So I pulled back everything to take pictures. There were dust and little dirt in all the indents. I asked MF what I can use to clean them out. They recommended a solution of hot water and a little resolve carpet/upholstery cleaner. I did that and it made a mess. When it dried there are yellow rings all around the mattress. I can’t file the claim until I get them clean, because they say it will invalidate the warranty. Please tell me how I can clean this. It was expensive.
I have a twin mattress with a large dog urine stain on it. It’s fairly recent – maybe 4-6 weeks old. I have started the cleaning with the hydrogen peroxide/baking soda/dishdrops mixture, and found that it seems to reactivate the urine because as soon as it started wetting the surface, the urine smell was horrible. I applied the mixture to the area with a white cloth and did “deep” dabbing, pressing hard on the area hoping to soak up any of the reactivated urine. Is this the correct application of the mixture? I am waiting now for it to dry to see how much stain is left, and then I want to do another application of this mixture to try to extract as much urine from the mattress as possible. Then I will try the laundry detergent foam for any remaining stain. I just am concerned that I am not doing it right.
Thank you for your help!
Cindy, dog urine reacts a bit differently than human urine and it sounds like you’re getting a whiff of that. While the hydrogen peroxide/baking soda/dish detergent mixture should remove some (if not most) of the stain you’ll want something else to treat the smell. In this entry on cleaning pet stains I recommend using a 50-50 mixture of white vinegar and water to neutralize the ammonia in the dog’s urine.
If it’s not too late, I’d encourage you to do that before trying the laundry detergent paste. 🙂
Forgot to ask in my earlier post if there’s a way of getting the body/ sweat marks off my mattress cover? My hubby sweats heaps in summer.
I just wash mine. A scoop of Oxyclean added to the load should get rid of those sweat stains.
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
You’re welcome!
Would a little vinegar on a cloth help with the soap crust? Vinegar is my go*to.
Susan, vinegar is my go-to as well. It certainly could help remove soap crust, though if it’s only left to sit for the specified time it shouldn’t have crusted at all. 🙂
Is salon grade hydrogen peroxide creme suitable or is it just the first aid/teeth whitening kind?
I really don’t know the answer to that one, Cynthia. The hydrogen peroxide I’m referring to is the 3% liquid in the brown bottle that’s available at the grocery store or pharmacy.
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.
I’ve been scratching my head, trying to come up with a good suggestion on this one, Jacqui, and I’m at a loss. I suppose you could do it the really old-fashioned way and haul your mattress outdoors to beat it, then leave it in the sun? Wish I had a better solution, but I’m stumped. Sorry!
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.
That’s great advice, Heather!
I followed the instructions to remove urine stains. I really liked the results the hydrogen peroxide with baking soda and dish soap left, but I also did the dry laundry detergent as advised and it left a horrible hard paste on the mattress. It also bleached some areas.
DeeDee, I’m so sorry you had a problem with the laundry detergent step. I’ll update this entry so other people know of that potential. In the meantime, you should be able to get the paste off the mattress by scraping it up with a spatula, then laying a damp washcloth on top of it to soften the paste and scraping more. Repeat, then vacuum away and remaining grit. Again, my apologies!
I accidently put my fan down on my mattress as I was moving my room around. i have a huge ass dust mark from where the fan was laying.
Vacuuming from several directions using an upholstery attachment should take care of that.
Oh my god. The peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap have left a yellow ring where the wetness of it ends ??? This is a $1000 mattress that needs to be returned. Help! How do I get the yellow ring off???
I really don’t know, Melissa. The presqueezed lemon juice you’d mentioned using in a previous comment, presumably from someone else’s tip, most likely contains food dyes. The hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and table salt paste in my article has worked for everyone else — but it’s not designed to get out food dyes. I’m not sure what your best solution is at this point.
I used lemon (from a presqueezed lemon bottle) and salt to make a paste and it turned the light light yellow stain on my mattress SUPER YELLOW! It stained it even more and made it worse!! How do I remove this??!!
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!
Bebe, I’m so glad to have been of help! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Will that work on horrible colored drink stains that’s been set in?
Perri, this should work for ALL stains on a mattress.
I am going to try to save my king pillowtop. There’s is a large stain where an infection caused a massive discharge which soaked the mattress. I’m am afraid it is toxic. So I will try the cleaning method and then try to remove the pillowtop. Any suggestions?
The cleaning method should get that stain out, Sharon. With the hydrogen peroxide involved, you can rest easy about any lingering bacteria, too.
My cat got sick on my bed. Will either method work for vomit/diarrhea?
I’d start with the methods in the article below, then after your mattress is dry use the methods above to get rid of the stain.
https://housewifehowtos.com/clean/how-to-clean-poop/
I’m curious about the baking soda/deoderizing part – my fiancé and I have a pillow top mattress (sterns and foster, if the brand matters at all), and I’m worried that using a stiff bristle brush (or any brush, really) will end up completely tearing up the pillow top. is there another way to really get the baking soda into the top of the pillow top?
I have a pillowtop also-Serta. I am leaving out the brushing part. I did the peroxide/baking soday/ dishwashing solution, and it is working wonders.
Then I will just vacuum.
What percentage of hydrogen peroxide is safe to use for mattress stain cleaning and removal? My child has had diarrhea during the night while in bed, an utter nightmare to clean. Tough lesson to learn on using waterproof mattress protectors!
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… 🙂
That’s great advice, Kelly!
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!
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.
🙁
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.
It took a long time before I felt brave enough to love another dog, Kim. In December, I got a French Bulldog puppy and I absolutely adore her. Life is just better with dogs in it. 🙂
Try drying the mattress off by using a iron on the Cotton setting
I used the baking soda peroxide and followed with the rub, but there seems to be excess rub that is dried up but isn’t coming off. Any ideas?
That’s a first. Maybe try using a rag dipped in hydrogen peroxide to clean it up?
I have this exact same problem. The stain is completely gone, however the mattress now has a slightly crusty white film wherever the rub was. I really wish I had skipped that second step and only used the peroxide/baking soda/dish soap which seemed to take the stain out anyways. I first tried getting rid of the excess by simply using a clean cloth and water but one it dried still the same. So now I’ve used more water and the bristle brush to try and scrub the laundry detergent out. I used a fair bit of water this go round so I’ve balanced it wet side down in front of an open window. I’ll see how it looks tomorrow when it dries I guess.
I hope it’s turned out okay for you by now, Carol. I’ve never had a problem with developing a crust that I couldn’t get rid of. Did you use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum to clean the mattress after the second step?
I used a flat rectangular plastic piece about 6″ wide without any bristles on it. I think that I may have used too much? Or a wrong kind of dry detergent. It’s not really visible anymore but I can still feel where the rub was.
How frustrating! I really don’t know what the cause could be but, if you’ve already used a vacuum with an upholstery attachment (hand-held vacs won’t have enough suction power) then try going over the area with a lint brush. That should pick up any remaining rub.
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.
Glad to have helped, Beth!
I always flip my mattress twice. It’s better. You should do the same.
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
Looks like you forgot an ingredient in the blood-stain removing paste. 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide, 1tbsp dish soap and 1tbsp salt doesn’t make a paste. other sites use 1/2c corn starch to make the paste, and I think that might be what you’re missing.
Amen LOL we got a liquid…wish I would have read your post first!
It’s bound to happen again, so bookmark me! 😉
Best way for me to remember to rotate/flip the mattress is “Spin in Spring, Flip in Fall!”
That’s a great mnemonic, Shane!
I Love that!
That. Is. Awesome. Thank you for solving a lifelong struggle in one fell swoop!