How to Remove Smells from Mattress

Waking up to a dirty bed is never much fun. And cleaning up a mess certainly isn’t our idea of an ideal Saturday morning, but accidents do happen. And the faster you get to them, the better. If you’re dealing with a urine or a vomit stain on your mattress, here’s what you need to do to get rid of the stain and the smell.

Wash your sheets

First things first: If your bed has been peed on (by a pet or a human) remove your sheets and bedding as quickly as possible. Urine has a highly distinct smell, and the longer it sits the worse it gets. The same goes for vomit. Rinse your sheets out in the sink or bathtub, and then put them in the washing machine with your regular detergent and a half a cup of distilled white vinegar. Vinegar is great at neutralizing odors, and distilled white vinegar doesn’t have natural plant dyes (which could stain your laundry).

Blot your mattress

Use a clean towel or paper towels to absorb liquid from your mattress. Try not to scrub at this point, because you want to transfer as much of the mess possible out of the mattress fibers and into the towel.

Take the vinegar you used for your laundry — the distilled white vinegar — and dilute it in water using a 1:1 ratio. Add that mixture to a spray bottle and spray down the area of your mattress that’s stained with urine or vomit. Keep blotting as you go.

Use baking soda on your mattress

If this is a fresh accident, sprinkle baking soda directly on the area of your mattress that has been stained. If urine (or anything else) has dried, make a baking soda paste by spraying the stain down with water, sprinkling the baking soda over the top, and then rubbing the mixture into the mattress.

Let your mattress dry completely, without putting your sheets back on, and then vacuum up the baking soda. If you can let your mattress dry in a sunny spot, even better. Did you know that the sun’s UV rays can kill bacteria?

Begin with the end in mind

Here’s where we remind you that a mattress protector can prevent (almost) all of this mess. At least it can mitigate the really hard part of cleaning up — the washing machine still has to do its work. So don’t overlook the power of this mattress accessory, especially when you’re buying a brand new bed.

When worst comes to worst

If, after all of this, you still find yourself in a dire situation (i.e., your mattress is simply too soiled to be slept on), Mattress Man has a clearance outlet with mattresses of all sizes in stock. Come by and we’ll help you out of a smelly situation and into a fresh bed.