How to Clean a Mattress: Remove Stains and Urine

Your trusty mattress is on the receiving end when it comes to dust mites, sweat, and even blood stains. Accidents happen, and if you have a mattress with a good share of tough blood stains, you’ll want to know the proper way of cleaning it.

For starters, blood stains are difficult to remove because blood contains proteins. This does not mean the situation is entirely hopeless. Several proven methods can get your bed sparkly with less effort.

How to get blood out of mattress

First Things First

To get rid of blood stains, you’ll have to access the mattress directly. Not through a layer of sheets and duvets. Strip the bed down to where you can tackle the stain. That is; get all the decorative items out of the way.

Items like blankets and pillows should be out of the room so as not to get in the way of the cleaning process.

Soak the beddings and sheets in cold water. It is the old-tested number one method of blood stains removal. After soaking, treat these items with a stain remover and wash them in the laundry machine.

Now back to the Mattress

When dealing with a wet spot, first remove the excess liquid by dabbing it with a damp cloth. Do not use hot water or try to rub the stain out of the mattress. It so happens that if you rub a blood stain it settles further into the bed and it becomes tough to get it out.

After dabbing the area, use a dry towel to blot the surface to absorb the excess blood. You can repeat the blotting and dab until you have a clean cloth and a dry spot.

Enzyme cleaner

It’s always good to have a few laundry products at hand. The most effective and easiest way is by using enzyme cleaners mostly oxygenated enzyme cleaners. They burst these ugly blotches by breaking their molecular structure. Too much science there, but basically, they are an ace on blood stains.

Look up the instructions of the cleaner and follow them. Most of them are safe on fabric but always be sure. Just dab a little on a towel and pat it on the mattress, then leave it to break down the stain.

After about 30minutes, the stain will be ready for removal using a gentle brush or a towel. Either way, you’ll see the breaking down of the patch after scrubbing. Rinse the area using a wet cloth and blot the excess water. Now it’s time to dry the mattress by letting in lots of air or using a fan.

Baking Soda

Another home-tested stain remover is baking soda. You can mix it with cold water or apply it directly to the stain then follow with sprinkling some white vinegar. Give it 30minutes to get absorbed and repeat the dabbing rinsing, and drying process.

Hydrogen Peroxide

This compound is known as a bleaching agent and as a disinfectant. For our mattress cleaning purpose, you’ll want to use it on only bright colored mattresses and mostly those that are white.

Mix the hydrogen peroxide with detergent or soap and a tablespoon of salt to make a paste.

Dab the paste on the stain and again leave it on until the patch dries. You can use a gentle toothbrush or kitchen spatula to lift the dried paste. If you still have left in stains, use the hydrogen peroxide directly on a clean towel and pat it on the stain until it is clean.

Hydrogen Peroxide, Salt, and Corn Starch

If the stain is more stubborn than you hoped, it’s time to get a little more creative. Instead of using detergent on the hydrogen peroxide and salt mixture spice it up with cornstarch.

Ammonia, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Salt

For dry blood stains, you’ll want to up the game even further. Here, you are not mixing the three ingredients.

Talcum Powder

This method is another easy one. Simply mix one cup of water with a tablespoon of talcum water to create a paste. Apply it on the stain and leave it to dry, then scrap it out and vacuum the mattress.

Meat Tenderizer

Yes, you heard that right. This amazing powder gets your meat soft and tastier with the marinade of your choice. Since blood stains have a protein structure like meat, the meat tenderizer works the same magic.

How to get urine out of mattress

Being an inevitable reality, getting your mattresses stained and dirty because of having pets and children in your home is a common thing. These nasty pee odors can be very cumbersome for you and it is necessary to get rid of them as soon as possible. With the kids in the house, it is a natural part that you will have to deal with. Growing up is a natural process and you can’t ignore these accidents even if you try your best.

Stain and odors can be hard to remove with the passage of time. So, timely taking actions to deal with them is important. However, there are some methods discovered which can help a lot in removing those stubborn stains.

Using natural ingredients:

For making this effective remedy to remove the stain, you’ll need

Apply vinegar to the stained areas and rub them with a brush. Make sure your room is properly ventilated so that it may set for 5 – 10 minutes. Now, using the paper towels, soak up the vinegar from the mattress. Now, sprinkle the baking soda over the spot and let it be there for a couple of hours. This will help to remove the odor and stain. Next, use a vacuum to dry it up and it is good to use.

Biological enzyme wash

There are special enzyme cleaners available in the market which can be used for this purpose. Apart from enzyme cleaner, you will need paper towels, baking soda, and vacuum.

So, take an enzyme cleaner and spray it over the desired area. Let it dry for at least 10 minutes. Now, blot up the wetness with a paper towel. Next, sprinkle the baking soda over that spot and let it be there for up to 18 hours. Finally, vacuum it all over to let it completely dry.

Laundry detergents

Laundry detergents prove to be a wonder when it comes to removing urine stains.

All you have to do is to take a detergent and mix a couple of teaspoons of it in a cup of warm water. Pour this mixture onto the affected areas. After a while, rub them and wash with warm water.

Using vinegar only

Vinegar can be an amazing cleaning agent. It is not dangerous or toxic to you and can readily clean up the required area as it has smell capturing capability. So, this can reduce the stink of the urine much. For this purpose, take undiluted white vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray it on the affected areas. Now, blot dry with a cloth or a paper towel. Allow the mattress to dry in fresh air or use vacuum to dry it quickly.

Using hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is an item which can be purchased from stores and chemists easily. Also, some of the laundry sprays also contain its content. Spray it over the mattress’ spot and rub with a cloth. After a while, let it dry or use a vacuum to make it completely dry.

Having such types of accidents is a common thing especially when you own pets or have young children. They don’t know how bothersome it can be. While there are some home remedies for dealing with it, there are also strong detergents available which can do a great job.

Also, training for your children and pets is necessary to avoid this situation in the future. You can use a plastic tarp as a prevention for this especially for your dogs and cats.

Vacuum the Bed

After removing the blood stain, you’ll want to have an entirely clean sleeping surface.

If your bed has acquired an odor from the cleaning agent you used, deodorize it by spraying baking soda on the surface. Let it sit for some time so that it absorbs any moisture and odor.

Start by vacuuming the top of the bed to suck in crumbs from late night snacking, pet hair, and dust mites along with the baking soda. Ensure that you vacuum even the crevices so that you won’t breathe any baking soda only to wake up with an annoying sneeze.

For effective vacuuming, use a machine with a long upholstery nozzle to get into edges, sides, cracks, and corners. Ensure that the vacuum attachments like the nozzle and brush are clean before use.

Spot clean any other stains using cold water and a stain remover. When dealing with memory foam, you should take extra care not to soak the mattress wet. It can take pretty long to dry the bed completely. A damp bed attracts mold, and that’s not something you want to deal with.

Air it Out

If you can haul a mattress down the stairs into the backyard: well and good.  It is the simplest method to a fresh bed and complete drying. Exposing the mattress to sunlight and fresh air is a sure way of ridding off allergens and germs which usually accumulate over time.

Protect the Mattress

Instead of going through the whole cleaning hassle, it is much easier to clean a protective mattress cover. Look for a waterproof cover that keeps the mattress in good shape whether it gets stains from sweat and spills. It will keep your bed in excellent condition since it is easy to clean and maintain.

If you can get a mattress pad, it will also come in handy to prevent the bed from absorbing moisture. It also keeps out pests, fleas, and mites from having a home in your mattress.

Make the Bed

For a peaceful night’s sleep, you’ll want to outfit the mattress with the proper beddings. Use fitted sheets after the protector plus the accompanying covers and pillows to further protect the mattress from sweat and dirt.

Some Mattress Cleaning Tips to Remember

Conclusion

Without realizing it, many people underestimate how dirty a mattress can be. Periodic cleaning of your bed is the only guarantee of sleeping fresh each night. Just taking the time to take of your mattress can make a big difference in improving indoor air quality. Blood stains should not give you a headache to clean. Just use any of our simple methods, and you’ll have a stain-free bed in no time.