This practical, easy guide explains how to clean your mattress to get rid of stains, odors, and allergens then keep it looking new.
Knowing how to clean a mattress can help you sleep better at night. That’s especially true if you have allergies or asthma since a dirty mattress is full of all sorts of things that can make your symptoms worse.
Why You Should Clean Your Mattress
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. Multiply that 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 you sleep, your body loses moisture. Some of that is simply the result of breathing. Some of it is also 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 your body produces over a pound of moisture each night!
While much of that evaporates in the air, plenty 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, the chances are good their mattress has urine stains. 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
You need to strip the bed before you 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. (Related: How to Wash Electric Blankets.)
- Go ahead and wash your pillows and fabric mattress toppers. (Related: How to Wash Pillows)
While the washer and dryer are doing their thing, follow the steps below to clean your mattress and get rid of stains, odors, and allergens.
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.
2. Remove Odors with Baking Soda
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Don’t use essential oils to clean your mattress. First, essential oils are still oils. Rubbing them 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 — so why bother?
3. Vacuum Again
After giving the baking soda time to bond with surface moisture and odors, use your vacuum’s upholstery attachment to remove it. Again, use overlapping strokes and don’t 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 a steam cleaner or carpet shampooer, you know they don’t fully extract moisture. Your mattress is basically a big, thick sponge. Using a steam cleaner to push water into a big, thick sponge eventually leads to mold and mildew problems.
So, take the time and use the mattress stain remover methods below by hand. It’ll be worth it when your mattress looks and smells new again.
Mattress Blood Stain Removal
Bloodstains can be tricky. The key is avoiding methods that rely on heat, which causes proteins in the blood to bond permanently with fabric.
To remove fresh blood stains from your mattress, liquid dish soap and cold water are usually enough. Remove any remaining brown tinge by wiping it with a clean cloth dipped in hydrogen peroxide.
For dried blood stains on mattresses, combine 2 ounces of hydrogen peroxide, 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap, and 1 tablespoon of table salt. Lightly spread this mixture on the mattress bloodstain and wait 10 minutes, then scrape it away with a spoon. Use a white rag dipped in hydrogen peroxide to remove any residue and let the area dry then vacuum.
If any discoloration remains, dab it with plain household ammonia and a white cloth. Be sure to open your windows first, because its vapors are irritating. Once the stain is gone, sprinkle the area with baking soda to neutralize the odor, let it dry completely, and then vacuum the spot.
Urine Stains on Mattresses
Pets, kids, and even some adults occasionally have “accidents,” leading to urine stains on mattresses.
To remove fresh urine from a mattress, blot with a clean, dry towel. Sprinkle the spot with baking soda (bicarbonate in the UK) to neutralize the smell and pull additional moisture out of the mattress fabric. Let this dry for 20-30 minutes, then vacuum.
To get dried urine stains out of a mattress, combine 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 8 ounces of 3% hydrogen peroxide, and a tiny amount of liquid dish soap in a bowl. Use a white rag to dab this on the old urine stain. (Don’t drench it!) Switch to a fresh cloth and blot the area to lift the stain. Rotate your rag while doing this, so you’re always working with a clean section. Let it dry before making your bed.
Vomit, Wine and Other Mattress Stains
Both vomit and wine are acidic, so they’re tougher stains to get out of your mattress. “Mystery” stains can be difficult, too. If cold, soapy water and a rag don’t get the area clean, try making a homemade dry-cleaning foam (not a paste) using the method below.
Whisk 2 tablespoons of powdered laundry detergent (white, no crystals) with 1 tablespoon of water to create a dry foam. Spread this on the stain, wait 10 minutes, and scrape it away. Use a cloth dampened with hydrogen peroxide to remove any residue, let the area dry completely, then vacuum it thoroughly.
5. Flip and Repeat
If you have the type of mattress that can be flipped for even wear, make sure any areas you’ve treated for stains have completely dried, then turn your mattress over. Repeat the steps above after you’ve flipped it, so your entire bed is fresh and stain-free.
Keep Your Mattress Looking New
You can protect your mattress from stains, mold, and other allergens 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 foam or pillow toppers if you use them, and wash it monthly to keep your bed smelling fresh.
Now that you’ve read this, grab one of my books!
Wayne says
Hi I have a doozy for you. I was moving house and my mattress was loaded on top of the load and tied down and tarped over. Unfortunately the tow vehicle had a very smoky diesel Engine and now I have diesel smoke residue over the majority of my mattress despite having a tarpaulin over it. Do you have a remedy for me please?
Katie Berry says
Hi Wayne! I’m sorry that happened to your mattress. To fix it, you need a 2-step approach. First, cover it with baking soda to absorb odors, wait a half hour, then vacuum. Second, to remove the spot stains, pick up a Dryel dry cleaning at home kit from Walmart or Target, or possibly your grocery store. Run the dry cleaning pad over the surface — it should do the trick.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Jenny says
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.
Katie Berry says
I’m glad to have been of help, Jenny!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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! 🙁
Theresa says
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.
Katie Berry says
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!
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! 😉
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!!
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.
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!
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. 🙂
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.
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!
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
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!