How to remove stains from a mattress: sweat, urine, blood, coffee and more

Step by step: how to remove stains from a mattress

Safety first. Use one cleaner at a time and rinse between them. Never mix hydrogen peroxide with vinegar in one bottle, and never mix bleach with vinegar, ammonia or urine stains. Peroxide can lighten colored fabric, so test it on a hidden spot first.

1. 1

   Strip the bed and vacuum the mattress

   Take off all bedding, including the protector, and wash it. Vacuum the top and sides with the upholstery tool so you are not turning dust into mud when you add liquid.

2. 2

   Identify the stain

   Yellow, irregular patches are usually sweat or old urine. Brown or rust-colored spots are often blood. Pink or purple is wine or juice. Knowing what it is tells you which cleaner to use from the table below.

3. 3

   Blot or scrape off what you can

   Blot wet stains with a dry towel, pressing hard, until no more liquid comes up. Scrape solids off with a spoon or dull knife. For dry stains, mist lightly with water so the cleaner can work.

4. 4

   Test, then apply a small amount of cleaner

   Test the cleaner on a hidden spot of the cover. Then spray or dab it on the stain until it is damp but not soaked. A mattress should never be wet through, because the inside dries very slowly.

5. 5

   Let it work, then blot from the outside in

   Most cleaners need 5 to 15 minutes; enzyme cleaners often need longer, so read the label. Blot with a clean, light-colored cloth from the edge toward the center so the stain does not spread. Repeat until the cloth comes up clean.

6. 6

   Rinse by dabbing with a damp cloth

   Dab the area with a cloth dipped in cold water and wrung out, to lift leftover cleaner. Then press a dry towel on top, or weigh it down with a few books for a few minutes, to pull out the moisture.

7. 7

   Dry it completely

   Run a fan at the spot, open a window, and leave the bed unmade for several hours. Do not put the protector and sheets back until the spot feels completely dry.

8. 8

   Deodorize and protect

   Once dry, sprinkle baking soda over any spot that still smells, leave it an hour or more, and vacuum it up. Then put a washable mattress protector on to keep future stains off.

Which cleaner to use for each mattress stain

Match the cleaner to what made the stain, because proteins, tannins and oils each need something different. These are based on Saatva’s stain-by-stain mattress guide; the sweat row uses the same peroxide mix Saatva gives for urine, since both leave yellow, protein-based marks. Start with cold water on anything protein-based.

Mix the peroxide and baking soda solution fresh, use it right away and do not store it in a closed bottle. For detailed walkthroughs, see getting blood out of a mattress and getting pee out of a mattress.

Memory foam, hybrid and innerspring mattresses

The method is the same for all of them; the difference is how much liquid they tolerate. Foam soaks up water like a sponge and dries slowly, so use less cleaner on foam and hybrids than you would on an innerspring with a quilted top.

• Purple advises against steam cleaners, which can soak memory foam, and says its mattress cover shrinks if machine washed and dried, voiding its return and warranty policies. Do not unzip and wash a mattress cover unless your brand’s care label says to.
• Never flip a one-sided mattress to hide a stain; it will sleep badly and may affect the warranty.
• Check your warranty terms. Many brands can refuse claims on stained mattresses, which is one more reason for a protector.

Why drying matters, and when to replace the mattress

A stain you leave damp can turn into a mildew problem, so drying is part of the cleaning. The EPA says that if wet materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours, in most cases mold will not grow.

Replace the mattress, rather than cleaning it again, if you see mold or mildew spots, if it smells musty after drying, if urine has soaked through repeatedly, or if it sags along with the stains. Yellow sweat stains on an old mattress are cosmetic, but a mattress with many of them is often near the end of its life anyway. For a routine freshen-up, see how to clean a mattress.

Mistakes to avoid

• Pouring cleaner directly onto the mattress so it soaks deep into the foam.
• Rubbing in circles instead of blotting, which spreads the stain wider.
• Using hot water or steam on blood, urine or sweat, which sets protein stains.
• Mixing cleaners, such as peroxide and vinegar, in one bottle.
• Putting the sheets back on before the spot is completely dry.