How to clean pee out of a mattress, fresh or dried

Step by step: how to clean pee out of a mattress, fresh or dried

Safety first. Mix a hydrogen peroxide spray fresh and do not store it in a closed bottle. Never combine peroxide with vinegar in one container, and never mix bleach with ammonia or vinegar. Test peroxide on a hidden corner, because it can lighten fabric.

1. 1

   Strip the bed and start the laundry

   Pull off the sheets, mattress pad and protector. Rinse them in cool water first, then wash with detergent on the hottest setting the care labels allow. Heat in the wash is fine for bedding; it is heat on the mattress itself you want to avoid.

2. 2

   Blot as much urine as possible

   Press a thick folded towel onto the wet area and lean your weight on it, then switch to a dry towel and repeat until almost nothing comes up. Do not rub. The less urine left in the foam, the less odor you will fight later.

3. 3

   Spray an enzyme cleaner or peroxide mix

   Mist an enzyme cleaner over the whole stain and a little beyond its edges, without soaking it. If you do not have one, mix 8 ounces of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap until the baking soda dissolves, and spray that instead.

4. 4

   Let it work

   Leave the peroxide mix for about 15 minutes. Leave an enzyme cleaner for the time on its label, often longer, because the enzymes need time to break down uric acid. Keep pets off the bed while it works.

5. 5

   Blot it out with a cool damp cloth

   Dab the area with a cloth dampened in cool water, then press dry towels on it until no more moisture transfers. Repeat the spray and blot once more if you still see a yellow outline.

6. 6

   Cover the spot with baking soda

   Once the surface is only slightly damp, sift a layer of baking soda over the stain and an inch or two around it. Leave it for at least 8 hours, ideally a full day, to absorb leftover moisture and odor.

7. 7

   Vacuum and dry completely

   Vacuum up every bit of baking soda with the upholstery tool. Point a fan at the mattress, open windows, and let sunlight reach it if you can. Do not make the bed until the spot feels completely dry, including when you press down on it.

8. 8

   Add a waterproof protector

   Put a washable, waterproof mattress protector on before the sheets. For a child who wets the bed or an older pet, keep a second protector so one is always clean.

Which cleaner works best for urine in a mattress?

An enzyme cleaner is the best single choice, because it breaks down the uric acid that causes the lingering smell. Hydrogen peroxide is a good backup for fresh stains on light fabric, and baking soda handles the last of the odor.

Saatva’s urine guide gives the peroxide recipe used above and cautions that hydrogen peroxide can damage foam or latex and discolor fabric, so use only as much as you need. It also warns that mattresses are not designed to get wet and can grow mold if they stay damp.

If you are trying to get dog pee out of a mattress or clean cat pee from a mattress, use the enzyme cleaner rather than vinegar, and repeat until you cannot smell it with your nose close to the fabric. Humane World for Animals says that as long as a pet can smell its own scent, it may keep returning to the accident zone. While you retrain a pet that soils the bed, it suggests covering the bed with a vinyl, flannel-backed tablecloth, which is washable and unattractive to the pet.

How to get old, dried pee stains out of a mattress

Rehydrate a dried stain lightly, then treat it the same way. Vacuum the area first, dampen it with a cloth wrung out in cool water, and apply the enzyme cleaner or peroxide mix.

Old stains often need two or three rounds, and a faint yellow mark may stay even when the smell is gone. To find dried spots you cannot see, the Humane World for Animals guide suggests a black light; outline each spot in chalk before you treat it. For the odor across a whole room, see our cat pee smell guide or dog pee smell guide.

What not to do when cleaning urine from a mattress

Do not use heat, flood the mattress, or reach for ammonia. Each one makes the problem harder to fix.

• No steam or hot water on the mattress. The Humane World guide warns that heat can permanently set urine stains and odor, and Purple says not to steam clean its mattresses at all.
• No ammonia. Urine already contains ammonia compounds, so the smell can encourage a pet to mark the same spot again.
• No soaking. Foam holds liquid deep inside, and the EPA notes that materials not dried within 24 to 48 hours can grow mold.
• No bleach, which damages mattress fabric and can void the warranty.

When to replace a mattress after urine accidents

Replace the mattress if urine has soaked deep into the core, the smell returns every time the room warms up, or you see mold. Surface cleaning cannot reach a saturated foam layer.

A professional upholstery cleaner with an extractor can sometimes rescue an innerspring mattress, but foam rarely recovers once soaked. A waterproof protector costs far less than a new mattress, so use one on any bed with a toddler, a sick family member or a pet.

Mistakes to avoid

• Rubbing the spot, which pushes urine deeper and spreads it.
• Pouring cleaner on until the mattress is soaked.
• Using a steam cleaner or hot water on the mattress, which sets the odor.
• Remaking the bed before the spot is completely dry.
• Storing a peroxide and baking soda mix in a capped bottle for later.