How to get urine, sweat and yellow stains out of a mattress
A mattress with a urine stain can usually be cleaned if the accident is recent, it did not soak through into the foam and the mattress can be dried fully; replace it if a smell comes back after drying, there is mold or damp that stays, or it has been soaked again and again. For a fresh accident, blot with towels, treat it lightly with an enzyme cleaner made for urine, blot again and dry the mattress with a fan before the bed is made. WATERFALL's mattress cleaning shampoos and extracts the surface; a mattress is priced per mattress, any size, see the prices page. WATERFALL cleans mattresses at your home for $120: call (747) 214-6199.
Should I clean or replace a mattress with urine stains?
Clean it when the stain is recent and small and the mattress is otherwise sound; replace it when the urine has gone past the surface. Do not use bleach or ammonia on a mattress, and never mix cleaners. To ask before you decide, text a photo of the stain and the mattress label to (747) 214-6199.
Replace it when:
- the urine soaked through the cover into the foam or the inner layers
- a strong smell remains after cleaning and full drying
- there is mold, mildew or damp that will not dry out
- the mattress has been soaked again and again, or its waterproof cover is torn
Why does my mattress smell sour when there are no stains?
Because sweat, skin oil or a spill has soaked in below the surface, and damp keeps it souring even when nothing shows.
To find the cause, strip the bed, wash the protector and smell the mattress, the base and the floor separately. If the smell comes back after the mattress has aired, it is in the layers, and that is a job for extraction. The usual causes:
- a solid platform or a base with no airflow, so the underside never dries
- a humid bedroom; the EPA advises keeping indoor humidity low
- a damp or unwashed protector, or a wet wall or carpet next to the bed
- the smell of new foam in a mattress that is only weeks old, which fades as it airs
How do you stop mattress odors from coming back?
Use a mattress protector and wash it regularly, air the bed with the sheets off, keep the room dry and never make the bed on a damp mattress. The protector takes most of the daily load.
How do you remove urine stains and odor from a mattress?
Blot it up at once with towels, pressing rather than rubbing, then treat it with a cleaner made for urine and blot again. Do not use heat, which sets the stain, and do not soak the mattress.
My child wet the bed: how do I get the urine out of the mattress?
Blot, treat lightly, dry the mattress fully and only then freshen it, in the order below. Keep the child off the mattress until it is dry all the way through, and put a waterproof protector on before the next night.
- strip the bed and wash the bedding as its labels say
- blot hard with towels; do not rub
- spray lightly with cool water and white vinegar with a little laundry detergent, wait a few minutes and blot again
- run a fan with the window open until the mattress is dry all the way through
- cover the spot with baking soda for several hours, overnight if you can, and vacuum it off
- if a smell remains, use an enzyme cleaner as its label says
Will mattress cleaning remove urine or sweat odors completely?
Often much of it, but no cleaner can promise all of it. A recent mark that was blotted comes out far better than one that soaked deep and was left for weeks. If the smell remains after the mattress has dried, text a photo and the details to (747) 214-6199.
How do I get blood out of a mattress without bleach?
With cold water first, never hot, which sets blood. Wear gloves, blot fresh blood with a dry cloth, dab with cold water and blot again. For what remains, put a little household hydrogen peroxide on a white cloth, test it on a hidden spot and dab; for dried blood, use an enzyme cleaner or a little mild detergent on a cloth, blotting from the edge in. Do not mix peroxide with vinegar, bleach or ammonia, and let the mattress dry fully.
How can I get old yellow sweat stains off a mattress?
The Sleep Foundation's mix is 8 fluid ounces of cool water, 8 fluid ounces of hydrogen peroxide and 2 or 3 drops of clear dish soap, sprayed on the stains until the mattress is slightly damp but not soaked, after baking soda has first been left on for at least 15 minutes and vacuumed up. You can usually lighten them a lot, but an old one may not vanish: yellow marks are sweat and body oil that soaked in and darkened over time. Read the care label first, because some foam makers allow no liquid at all.
Extraction reaches further into the top layers than wiping does. The home method:
- vacuum the mattress
- mix cool water and household hydrogen peroxide with a few drops of clear dish soap in a spray bottle, and test it on a hidden spot first, because peroxide can lighten some fabrics
- mist the stain lightly; never soak it
- blot, then dry the mattress with a fan
- once it is dry, cover the area with baking soda for a few hours and vacuum it off
- repeat once if the mark is still there
Can a coffee stain be removed from a mattress after a week?
Often it can be lifted or lightened a lot, even when it is dry. Vacuum, dab the stain with a cloth wetted in cold water and white vinegar with a drop of dish soap, blot with a cloth of plain cold water, and once the spot is dry, cover it with baking soda for a few hours and vacuum it off. Coffee with milk or sugar leaves a residue that can smell, so blot the rinse well; a large or deep coffee stain is where extraction helps.
Why does a mattress stain keep coming back?
Because the liquid soaked deeper than the surface you cleaned, and as the mattress dries it wicks back up and carries the color with it. Blot rather than scrub, use an enzyme cleaner for urine, sweat or blood, blot again with clean towels and repeat instead of flooding it, then dry it with strong airflow, standing it on its side if you can. Extraction pulls what is below the surface out instead of moving it around.
Small rust-red or black specks that keep showing along the seams are a different thing: check the seams and the frame for bed bugs, and call a pest control company if you find them. WATERFALL cleans the mattress but does not treat bed bugs.
Can cleaning fix a badly stained mattress?
It can lift or lighten many stains, and an old, deep or dyed stain may stay. Photograph the mark and text it to (747) 214-6199 if you want to ask before booking. No cleaner can promise that a particular stain will come out.
How do I clean the mattress after an accident?
Act at once: blot, treat, blot and dry. If the mattress has soaked through or the smell stays after it has dried, it is a job for mattress cleaning, where the shampoo is worked in and extracted. Then add a protector.
Questions and answers
Who can clean pet accidents out of a mattress in Studio City?
WATERFALL, (747) 214-6199, cleans mattresses at your home in Studio City and across the San Fernando Valley. A mattress has one price whatever its size, see prices, and a pet stain is a separate option, priced per stain, with enzyme products.
Can a mattress with urine stains be cleaned or should I replace it?
Usually it can be cleaned if the accident is recent, it did not soak through into the foam and the mattress is otherwise sound. Replace it if a smell comes back after it has dried or it has been soaked again and again; an old, deep stain may only lighten.
Can you get stains out of a mattress?
Many, yes, especially fresh ones. Blot, use little liquid and let the mattress dry fully.
Can sweat stain a mattress?
Yes: sweat and body oil leave yellow patches in the fabric. Extraction takes them out better than wiping.
Can you steam clean urine out of a mattress?
Extraction can take much of it out of the top layers. No method promises all of it.
How to clean a smelly mattress?
Find the source, take it out with little liquid and dry the mattress fully. A smell that stays after drying is the sign to ask for extraction.
How do I get my dog's urine smell out of a mattress?
Use an enzyme cleaner made for pet urine: blot first, apply enough to reach where the urine went and no more, leave it for the time on its label, then blot and dry the mattress with a fan. Enzymes break down what makes the smell instead of covering it; keep a hair dryer or heater off a fresh spot, because heat can set it, and repeat once if you still smell it when dry. If a house-trained dog keeps having accidents, ask a vet.
What is the best way to prevent mattress odors?
A protector that you wash, an aired bed and a dry room. Never make the bed on a damp mattress.
How to remove yellow stains from a mattress?
Treat the area with a little mild cleaner and blot; avoid soaking. The yellow is sweat and oil in the fabric.
How to get sweat stains out of a mattress?
Blot with a little mild cleaner and let the mattress dry. For older sweat stains, extraction is more effective.
Show 1 more question
Can urine and blood stains be removed from a mattress?
Fresh ones often can, with blotting and cold water for blood. Old stains may lighten without disappearing.
Prices and booking
More guides
- Mattress care: all guides
- Is mattress cleaning worth it? — Yes when the mattress is sound and the problem is sweat, a stain or a smell; home care every few months, a professional cleaning when there is a reason.
- Can you steam clean a mattress? — Strip the bed, work in a shampoo, extract it with the dirt and let the mattress dry before it is made up again.
- Cleaning a mattress at home, by type — Use little water on every type, vacuum first, blot instead of rubbing and let it dry fully; foam types take water worst.
Sources: IICRC (The cleaning and restoration industry's standards body, for how professionals clean fabrics and carpet.); EPA on biological pollutants (What the EPA says about dust mites and other biological pollutants in a home, and about humidity.); Sleep Foundation on yellow mattress stains (The Sleep Foundation's home method for yellow stains on a mattress.)