How To Remove Stains From Mattress? Helpful Tips To Remember Update 10/2024

Our beds take a beating from nighttime sweat, breastfeeding, and other liquids that leave unsightly stains. Just because your mattress is soaked in urine or vomit doesn’t mean it’s doomed.

There are methods for removing sticky messes and odors so you can rest assured that your bed is secure and clean.

Mattresses are significant investments, and you’ll want to look after them properly to ensure that they last as long as possible.

We have a few techniques up our sleeves for cleaning mattress stains and ensuring that yours lasts a long time, whether you like harsh chemicals or natural solutions.

Mysterious Yellow Stains

Yellow stains on a mattress are rather common. Many individuals sweat when sleeping; even if it’s only a small quantity, the moisture can build up over time and discolor products like pillows. Aside from sweat, our bodies produce oils that leave marks that aren’t often noticeable at first but turn yellow over time. Sweat and oil scents can accumulate and cause a disagreeable stench. Urine creates stains and scents that are difficult to remove, and the moisture in the liquid makes it an ideal breeding ground for mold and mildew. There are, however, ways to deal with these issues while keeping your bed smelling fresh.
How to clean a mattress & remove stains | Persil

Cleaning Supplies You Will Need

Natural

While heavy-duty cleaners can sanitize and remove stains, natural-based alternatives can often achieve the same outcomes with less chemicals. Some natural substances that can be used to remove stains include:

  • Vinegar

  • Baking Soda

  • Water

  • Salt

  • Lemon Juice

  • Essential Oils (optional)
Sanitizing and eradicating odors using these common home items may often be done fast and easily in less than a day, allowing you or your children to crawl back into bed the next night without unpleasant aromas, stains, mold, or mildew.

Chemical

Chemical-based cleaning products can help reduce odors and permanently remove unattractive stains from mattresses. To freshen up your bedroom and treat your mattress, use the following chemical-based products:

  • Hydrogen peroxide

  • Enzyme-based upholstery cleaner

  • Simple Solution

  •  Vanish

  • OxiClean

  • Dish soap

  • Laundry detergent
These powerful ingredients should be able to revitalize your bed, providing you the assurance that you’re resting on a clean surface.

How To Clean Mattress Stains? Steps By Steps

Step 1

Remove all bedding and sheets from the mattress to prepare it for stain removal. Vacuum it thoroughly with the upholstery attachment and, while you’re at it, use the crevice tool to clean around all the piping, which collects dust and hair. Although dust and hair aren’t related to the stain you’re trying to remove, they do help keep the dust mite population down, which is especially helpful if you suffer from allergies.

Step 2

The best approach to clean mattress stains is determined on the nature of the stains. Apply the right cleaning approach to each stain.

  • Urine, perspiration, and vomit are the most common bodily fluids that cause mattress problems. Unfortunately, you can’t soak a mattress like you would a piece of clothes; instead, you’ll need to use a spray bottle judiciously to prevent turning the mattress’s slow-drying cushiness into the perfect wet conditions for mold and mildew growth (yuck!). To begin, lightly spritz the stained area with plain water until it is just damp. In a spray bottle, combine one cup of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, three teaspoons of baking soda, and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Mist the solution on the stain and carefully scrape it away with a gentle scrub brush or an old toothbrush until it’s gone. Finally, dab the cleansed area with an absorbent cloth after misting with new water.
  • Blood: Use the above approach to get rid of blood, but make sure the water and cleaning solution are both cold (hot will set the stain for good!). After mixing, chill the hydrogen peroxide-baking soda solution for about an hour to bring the temperature down. Blood stains will almost certainly require extra brushing action, and you may need to repeat the technique more than once. Using a clean, absorbent cloth, blot up all of the excess liquid.
  • Stains from food and beverages: In a spray bottle, use one part laundry detergent, one part vinegar, and ten parts water to remove coffee, red wine, or other food and beverage bloopers. Using a light scrub brush or toothbrush, agitate the stain. Allow the solution to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Then dab the stain and cleaning solution away with a wet hand towel or sponge. Continue blotting as needed after rinsing the towel/sponge. After that, wipe any excess liquid with a dry absorbent towel.

Step 3

To deodorize the mattress, liberally sprinkle baking soda over the cleaned surface. This will assist to pull out any lingering aromas while also absorbing any moisture.

Allow the mattress to dry entirely by allowing it to sit for up to 24 hours if feasible (plan to sack out on the sofa or another bedroom that night). If time is of the essence, you can hurry things up by using a fan or a hairdryer on the cool setting.

Step 4

Vacuum up the baking soda and make the bed once the mattress is completely dry. You’ll be able to sleep well knowing that your mattress is stain-free and smells like daisies!

How To Clean A Mattress and Get Rid of Stains - Housewife How-Tos

How to Remove Different Stains Out of a Mattress

If you’ve noticed unpleasant stains on your bed, don’t panic; they’re almost always treatable. If there is a mattress cover, it is usually better to remove it, and you may need to treat the cover as well as the mattress.

Sweat Stains

Our bodies sweat at night, which can leave yellow stains as the moisture evaporates. You can remove the color with a chemical remover or by following the techniques below, which require just common home items:

  1. Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar (or don’t, the scent will go away) and liberally spray the mattress.
  2. Allow the vinegar to sit for a few minutes, then blot any excess moisture with paper towels.
  3. Sprinkle the baking soda on top and set aside for as long as you need it.
  4. Baking soda is vacuumed.

The spots should be gone, but if they aren’t, repeat the process. This procedure also works well with urine stains.

Breast Milk Stains

Protein-based stains aren’t usually as easy to remove as other stains, but there are some tricks for getting dried breast milk out. Cleaners that contain particular enzymes, such as lipase, will break down fat-based substances, while protease enzymes will break down proteins—both of which are found in breastmilk—should be more effective in removing these areas.

  1. Saturate the stain with a heavy-duty detergent containing lipase or protease enzymes.
  2. Allow for 15 minutes of sitting time, or as long the bottle specifies.
  3. Using cold water, dab, blot, and let air dry

OxiClean or Clorox Oxi Magic are two other products that perform well.

Blood

Blood can be removed by using the same techniques outlined under “Sweat Stains,” however this substance is more difficult to remove. It’s possible that the bloodstain is old if it’s especially stubborn. A meat tenderizer is surprisingly effective in this scenario. Meat tenderizer is designed to break down blood proteins, making it ideal for stain removal.

  1. Using one tablespoon of meat tenderizer and two teaspoons of cold water, make a paste.
  2. Rub the paste into the stain with a toothbrush or something similar.
  3. Allow it to dry before vacuuming or blotting away any leftovers.
  4. As needed, repeat.

Urine

Urine has a very unpleasant odor. You might use a natural or chemical-based cleaning, although enzyme-based pet accident cleaners can sometimes be more effective at breaking down odor-causing proteins in urine.

  1. Using a dry cloth, absorb and soak up any extra pee.
  2. Allow 15 minutes for the chemicals to break down any odor-causing proteins after spraying with an enzyme-based cleaning or detergent.
  3. Using a cloth or rag dipped in cold water, blot the substance to “rinse” it.
  4. Dab with a dry cloth until no more liquid is visible, then let the bed air dry.
Do you require any other information? See our whole advice on how to get urine out of a mattress.

Vomit

Vomit has a particularly strong odor. You can deal with these mishaps with natural materials like baking soda and vinegar, a harsher enzyme-based cleanser, or both, as described below:

  1. Remove any residual fragments from the surface using a scraper.
  2. To decrease moisture as much as possible, dap with towels or rags.
  3. Allow 15 minutes after liberally covering the bed with baking soda to absorb the odor and extra moisture.
  4. The stuff should be vacuumed up.
  5. Use an enzyme-based cleanser, vinegar, or dish soap to clean the area.
  6. Allow the area to air dry after blotting the cleaning solutions.
  7. As needed, repeat.

Wine

Red wine is known for causing irreversible damage, but a simple solution of cold water and salt could help. If that doesn’t work, you can use Wine Away, which is specially created to remove red wine stains, and follow the instructions on the back of the bottle. If you want to go the natural route, however, follow these steps:

  1. Using a cloth or paper towel, blot up as much wine as possible.
  2. Apply cold water to the stain using a moist cloth.
  3. Wait three minutes after sprinkling salt on the area.
  4. Using cold water, carefully rub the stain, then blot dry.
  5. If required, repeat the process.

Food and Coffee

Coffee and food can be difficult to combine; if baking soda and vinegar don’t work, try the following method:

  1. Using clean towels, absorb or remove as much liquid or food as possible.
  2. Saturate the stain with a chemical stain remover—for many materials, oxygen bleach is often safe.
  3. Allow 15 minutes for the remover to work.
  4. Extract more of the coffee stain with a damp sponge, dab with clean towels, rinse the sponge, and repeat.
  5. You can repeat these steps as needed if the color doesn’t give.
  6. Allow the mattress to air dry or use a non-heated blow dryer to dry it.

Protect Your Mattress

Mattress coverings, protectors, baby pads, and other accessories can help sleepers extend the life of their mattresses. These items may be able to withstand night sweats, breast milk leakage, pee mishaps, and more in mattresses and cribs. Mattress protectors, depending on their quality, may provide a powerful, protective barrier against unwanted liquids and moisture. Keep in mind, though, that the quality of these items varies, and they won’t all offer the same level of protection. Mattress pads, in particular, serve to protect your goods while also adding a layer of comfort.
How To: Properly Clean Your Mattress | Stearns

FAQs

How to Freshen a Mattress?

Using common home things that most people have in their cupboards is a quick and easy approach to keep a mattress fresh. Expel odors and aromas by misting the surface of your mattress with vinegar and then adding baking soda. Allow it to air dry before vacuuming up the leftovers for a perfumed, stain-free bed.

How Often Should You Change Your Mattress?

Mattresses typically need to be replaced every 6 to 10 years. A comfy mattress topper is an excellent way to extend the life of a bed. However, inspecting the guarantee is a wonderful way to estimate how long your bed should endure; a manufacturer’s confidence is frequently clearly mirrored in its promises to customers.

How Often Should I Clean My Mattress?

You’ll need to vacuum your mattress once a month to remove dust mites, dead skin cells, and surface allergens if you don’t use a mattress protector. At that time, treat any stains and deep clean it twice a year. When using a mattress protector, all you have to do is let your mattress air out while the protector is being washed.

How Often Should I Flip or Rotate My Mattress?

Every three months, flip or rotate your mattress. If both sides of your mattress are the same, flip it one time and rotate it the next. If your mattress just has one sleeping side, rotate it every three months from end to end. This habit will help your mattress last longer by preventing saggy patches and lumps.

Can I Use a Carpet Shampooer or Steam Cleaner on My Mattress?

No. Water is pushed deep into your mattress by a steam cleaner, where air and light cannot reach. Your mattress is nothing more than a large, thick sponge. Consider the odor of a wet sponge that has been left in a dark, warm location for a few days. Mold and mildew can grow inside your mattress due to moisture.

Can I Use Essential Oils to Freshen My Mattress?

No. Most mattress warranties will be voided if essential oils are used. That’s because, while essential oils have a pleasant scent, they are still oils. Rubbing oil into cloth draws dirt, which can develop a permanent stain. You won’t smell the essential oil by the time you’ve vacuumed and covered your mattress to protect it. So, what’s the point of wasting time and effort?

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