How to Clean a Mattress: The Ultimate Guide to Mattress Stain Remover and Cleaning

If you are trying to figure out how to wash a mattress and how to clean a mattress, then this guide will teach you about mattress cleaners, mattress stain remover, and how to clean urine from mattresses.

The Ultimate Guide on How to Clean a Mattress

First, think about how much time each day you spend on your mattress.  Then, think about the last time you cleaned your mattress.  A little scary, right?

This post will show you how to clean a mattress, what mattress cleaner to use, how to clean mattress stains, and even how to get blood stains and pee stains out of mattresses.

How to Clean a Mattress

The good news is, it is relatively easy and inexpensive to wash a mattress and clean mattress stains.  There are a few different methods depending on whether you are looking to spot clean, deep clean, or remove odors.

Spot Cleaning

To spot clean a mattress, you have a few different options.  Using a mix of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and liquid dish soap, spray the stain.  Then rub with a clean rag.

Alternatively, for a non-toxic cleaner, look for a natural enzyme cleaner such as Rocco & Roxie.

For a more natural cleaning method, make a paste of lemon juice and salt.  Leave the mixture on the stain for about an hour.  Then, wipe off the remaining salt with a clean rag.

Mattress Cleaner

For a deeper clean, you can make or buy a mattress cleaner. For quick and inexpensive cleaning, clean your mattress with baking soda, as explained in the following steps.

1. To get started, remove all of the pillows, sheets, and other bedding from the bed and give these a good wash.  You can check out the 5 best laundry detergents you can buy from USA Today.  Then, to save money, use my method to make your own DIY Reusable Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets.
2. Next, vacuum the mattress using the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner. I have the SHARK Rotator Professional Lift-Away HEPA Bagless 2-in-1 Upright Vacuum that works really well for this purpose.
3. Then, spot treat to get blood stains out the mattress and get pee smell out of mattress.  See spot cleaning above and how to remove stains from mattress below.
4. Now, sprinkle the surface of the mattress with a generous amount of baking soda.  This will help get odors such as pee smells out of the mattress.  Leave the baking soda on for several hours. The longer, the better.
5. Finally, with the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner, vacuum all of the baking soda from the mattress.
6. Bonus / Optional: Air out your mattress in the sunlight, if you can.  Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight works as a natural disinfectant.

How to Clean Mattress Stains

Depending on the type of stain, there are different methods to wash the mattress.  For general stains, follow the directions above for spot cleaning. To get urine or blood stains out of a mattress, try using small amounts of hydrogen peroxide or laundry detergent and brush or blot the area with a clean cloth.  Keep in mind, hot liquids set stains, so only use cold water on blood stains.

How to Get Pee Smell Out of Mattress

For smelly urine on the mattress, whether from the kids or pets, What’s Up Fagans, has a blog post on how to easily remove pee smell from a mattress.

Protect Your Mattress

In order to save yourself money and time, protect your mattress.   If you do not already use one, then get a good quality, waterproof mattress protector.  In addition, remember to wash your sheets regularly (ideally every 2 weeks).  Also, keep in mind, hot water sets stains.  So, be sure there are no stains on the bedding before you place them in a hot water wash.  Every 6 months or so, rotate your mattress.