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After a long day at work, the one thing that you look forward to is a good night’s sleep.
But, if you come home to a bed that smells rotten, a mattress that could really use some tendering techniques, and a mattress that feels like thorns on your back, you should find out how to change that stale situation.
After all, it is absolutely essential that a mattress, where you spend 8 hours of your time (or more), is free of any spots and stains. Which is why here you will find out how to clean a mattress using multiple but helpful techniques!
You might not think this is important, but for the sake of not only your mind but also your physical health, it is essential that you begin cleaning your mattress.
If you are still looking for some motivation to learn how to clean mattress stains, just think about the excessive germs simply lingering on your mattress and you will be good to go!
The good news is that there is more than one way to go about it when you decide to clean your mattress and make it spotless.
Wiping it clean of the urine smell, the stains from any food that might have dropped on it, any blood stains and so on will also save you money. Because purchasing a mattress, especially ones that last longer, is tough on your wallet. So, scrubbing it yourself is going to benefit only you in various ways.
Cleaning the mattress yourself
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Your mattress soaks in the worst of you; if you have been using your mattress for more than six months, you must have already dropped all sorts of things on it; from solid to liquid.
You must have drooled all over it while asleep and during that summer, you must have sweat into it. And as humans, we do shed a lot of skin flakes (believe it or not!). All those bodily fluids aside, you might have dropped food or you might have spilled some tea!
Before you begin to feel disgusted, you should know that just because your house doors are closed they don’t keep the pollution out.
There’s something known as indoor pollution too. And these pollutants can easily be absorbed by your dear mattress. So, the first tip on how to clean mattress stains is; you must routinely clean your mattress, ideally after every six months.
How to clean and remove the bad odor from your mattress.
Image source: Michael Abrams Interiors
The first thing is, you need to take off all the bedding from your mattress. While you toss your bedding in the machine, you should begin the most basic technique of cleaning your mattress.
After you expose your mattress, begin to vacuum the top, the sides, and even the flip side of your mattress. Take this opportunity to even clean the surface under your bed!
Now that you’re done vacuuming, you can put your kitchen ingredients to good use. Simply take a bowl and mix baking soda and any essential oil of your choice. Then you will sprinkle the mixture on your mattress evenly.
You can leave it in for about 40 minutes while your bedding washes and dries down. Then vacuum the powder off the mattress and you’ll notice the odor change immediately.
However, if you thought about flipping your mattress instead of spending some time with it, that won’t always work out for you!
Getting rid of blood stains from your mattress
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Clean the bedding first
To begin the process of getting rid of blood stains from your mattress, you will have to take off the bedding first. Simply strip off the layers from your bedding to expose the area(s) where the blood has stained.
Take this time to clean your blankets and pillows. If there are any blood stains of these items, soak them in cold water. After 30 minutes, you can use your washing machine to clean the sheets and pillows and get rid of the stains.
Cleaning the stains from your mattress
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If the spot is wet, you can begin cleaning it by dabbing off any excess liquid from the mattress. For that, you can go with a damp cleaning cloth.
Please try to avoid using hot water and opt for cold water instead. With that, you should make sure you dab, dab, dab! Instead of rubbing the stain off the mattress. With rubbing, you are only going to be spreading the stain further.
Time to use an enzyme cleaner
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When you go to the market to purchase laundry essentials, it’s best to get some extra items that can help you later.
One of the very effective products you can get (and very easily as well) is an enzyme cleaner especially if you go for the oxygenated kind. The science behind it is, that the enzyme cleaners simply break down the molecular structure of these stubborn stains and help you clean blood stains faster.
After all, blood stains are the hardest to clean. On the back of your cleaner, you will easily find instructions on how to use it. Simply follow through and you will be good to go. However, before beginning make sure to see if your enzyme cleaner is good on fabric.
The simplistic procedure is to dab some of the enzyme cleaners on the stains with a towel. Then you can leave it in for 30 minutes to do it’s very scientific job. When you begin scrubbing it off, you will begin to notice the results. Now all you need to do is rinse the area with a wet cloth and dry the mattress with the fan.
Baking Soda for blood stains
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If you are unable to locate a good enzyme cleaner in your nearby market, you may use your trusted baking soda. You can’t go wrong with this product.
All you need to do is mix equal parts of baking soda and water. Once you make this white paste, apply it on the stained area. Follow that by sprinkling a moderate amount of white vinegar on top. Let the 30 minutes do their charm and dab it off. Let it dry and repeat if you need to.
Using Hydrogen Peroxide
Things might sound very scientific right now, but Hydrogen Peroxide is a pretty common bleaching agent.
You also use this as a disinfectant and works well with bright colored to white mattresses. To apply it, mix hydrogen peroxide with your soap or usual detergent. In the paste, add one tablespoon of salt too.
Now dab the paste on the spots and leave till the mixture dries on it. Use any spatula or brush to take off the dried paste. If the stains still refuse to go away, you may try to use the chemical directly.
Mixing Hydrogen Peroxide, Cornstarch, and Salt
Some stains fight you back. Which is why you need a stronger solution to take them off. When learning how to clean mattress stains, you can always get a little creative:
- To make this super stain remover, you will mix ½ cup of cornstarch
- Mix ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide
- Add a tablespoon of salt to the paste
- Once you create this magic potion, apply it on the stain and leave it to dry. Scrap it off and you can even use a vacuum cleaner to completely remove any bits and pieces left on your mattress.
- A mixture of Salt, Ammonia, Hydrogen Peroxide
- Things are about to get really tough as we teach you how to clean mattress stains. It’s best to wear your gloves for this one to prevent any reactions. This technique is for the moment when you realize the blood stains have dried down completely. However, there will be no mixing or whipping of ingredients here. Simply follow these steps instead:
- Begin to dab the dried blood stains with a wet cloth first. After you remove any excess liquid from the pot, sprinkle some salt on it.
- Leave the salt on till it dries.
- When you notice its dry, brush the salt off.
- Now it’s time to dab the hydrogen peroxide on the stain. You’ll rub it till you notice some bubbling appearing on the surface.
- Now use a clean cloth to remove the blood stain.
- After that, for any remaining hint of a spot, you can go in with ammonia. For this, make sure you dilute the ammonia a little first.
- So, for that, mix in water and ammonia and then apply in a dabbing motion.
- Once the stain is gone, dry the mattress thoroughly.
Using Talcum Powder for blood stains
If you do not feel safe using chemicals to remove stains, you can try this instead. For this, you just have to mix water with a tablespoon of your favorite talcum powder.
This will create a paste-like mixture. Apply it to the spots and let it dry down. You can then take it off and vacuum to remove remaining bits of the dried mixture.
Meat tenderizer for blood stains
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You might be thinking that we shifted the direction from how to clean mattress stains to how to cook meat but that’s not it! Remember when we said you can make use of your kitchen supplies? Well, there’s another one that you can put to test.
After all, if it can help you soften up your meat when you’re cooking, it can help you with your tough mattress too with its magic:
- You can begin by mixing two tablespoons of cold water with one teaspoon of your meat tenderizer.
- After you make this paste, you can go ahead and rub it on the blood stains.
- Let it sit for an hour and dry down.
- Now, you can rub off the dry paste and vacuum the spots clean too.
Cleaning any urine from your mattress
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We both know that once you get to clean your mattress, taking off the bloodstains won’t be enough. The next level of how to clean mattress stains is removing any urine spots, odor, and infection that comes with it. This especially comes with having children or pets at home. And sometimes, you can make the mistake too no matter how old you are!
Well, accidents do happen so it’s best to fix the outcome sooner than later. What matters is that you take action in a timely matter because it’s not just about the bad odor here. Urine consists of various chemicals that are a waste product of any living being. And leaving it on your mattress can become harmful to your health. So, to remove the stains along with the odor we have plenty of tough techniques to share.
Using items from your kitchen again
There’s one very common remedy you can make yourself and it does not require for you to spend a hefty amount from your wallet (unless you are missing some supplies from this list!). To make this solution, you will need white vinegar, spray, and baking soda, and for cleaning, you will need paper towels, toothbrush, and vacuum.
Once you locate items from this list, you will:
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- Begin by applying the finger on to the urine spots.
- You can dab it on first and then rub it in with the toothbrush.
- Leave your room to ventilate for about five to ten minutes for the products to work.
- To soak up the vinegar from your mattress, you can use paper towels.
- After that, it’s time to sprinkle the baking soda on the spots and leave it on for two hours.
- Use the vacuum cleaner to take off the powder and that’s it.
Using Biological Enzyme to clean urine stains
Image source: Kathryn Scott Design Studio Ltd
When you open yourself to the world of enzyme cleaners, you will notice that there are various varieties out there. Other than getting this enzyme cleaner, you can go ahead and keep baking soda, vacuum and a cleaning towel with you.
Once you have all these items with you, you will spray the enzyme cleaner onto the spots first. Let the enzyme do its job and dry down for a minimum of 10 minutes.
You can now use the towel to soak up any excess liquid left on the mattress. To make sure the bad boys (stains) go away for good, sprinkle baking soda over the spots as well.
Now you’ll have to wait for quite a while for this to take action. You have to leave the baking soda on for about 18 hours. Which just means you’ll have to sleep on the couch for this one. Once the time is up, vacuum your mattress to take off the baking soda.
Making use of your laundry detergents
This is a technique that many people try out without any recommendations needed. If the urine stains are fresh, this will work out best.
You simply need to take your normal detergent and mix two spoons in warm water. Pour this mixture on the spot and begin rubbing it with a towel. Use clean water to wash it off after leaving it in for at least 20 minutes.
Cleaning with vinegar
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If you are in no mood to whip up a magic solution to clear the urine spots, you can just take vinegar and put it to good use.
With its ability to capture odors, you simply need to rub some vinegar in affected spots and leave it for a few minutes. Then blot the excess off with a towel. Let the mattress dry and you’ll be good to go.
Hydrogen Peroxide for urine stains
You might have not heard of this chemical but it’s a common bleach that you can find in your local stores.
Not only will it get rid of any infections, but it will also leave your mattress fresh and clean. To use it, make sure you wear some gloves and spray it on the target spots. You may rub it in with a brush or cloth. Let the chemical dry and vacuum any excess off.
Cleaning vomit from your mattress
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While you’re learning how to clean mattress stains, you might as well catch up on how to get rid of vomit stains; something that is not so surprisingly pretty common. Wouldn’t you love getting rid of that bad odor in the first place?
- Firstly, take off any solids from the area affected by vomit.
- Then, use a towel to blot the area and try absorbing the maximum liquid.
- Add dish soap with warm water in a bowel.
- Dip a clean towel in the soapy mixture while making sure your towel is damp instead of too wet.
- Blot the towel onto the vomit area(s) till you can notice the stains going away.
- Use clean water to damp another towel and take out excess soap from the area.
- Mix 1:3 ratio of cold water and vinegar.
- Use a clean towel and dampen it in this solution.
- Now, blot the affected area with this solution. This will help disinfect, take care of the color and clean the mattress.
- Let your mattress dry. Use a fan if needed.
- Now that it’s dry, spray the area with an enzyme cleaner to treat vomit stains that are protein-based.
- After you let that dry, sprinkle some baking powder equally onto the spots.
- Let this sit for at least 2 hours. While that happens, you can clean your sheets in the machine.
- Vacuum the baking powder off the mattress.
Other methods to try
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In order techniques, you can simply use diluted washing dish soap and dab it on to the spots using a sponge. Repeat the technique till you notice the spot has disappeared. You can also use a stain remover, vinegar and so on.
You can try rubbing the washing dish liquid in a circular motion until you see bubbles forming. After you remove the excess, spray vinegar and leave that in for 5 minutes. Then use baking soda to sprinkle on the spots and when you see the frizz stop, remove it.
Vacuuming the bed
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After you remove any spots, you might still have odor soaked in your mattress from the cleaning supplies. To remove the smell of chemicals simply use baking soda.
Before sprinkling this, vacuum the surface of the mattress to remove any crumbs. You can let the baking soda sit for two hours and use your vacuum again to remove the powder before you accidentally inhale it!
Always let your mattress dry
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The most important rule when you learn how to clean mattress stains is to let it dry properly before spreading on the sheets back. Damp spots can become irritable. Not just that, but they can create a bad odor on their own.
Make sure to protect your mattress
It’s best to invest in a mattress protector instead of cleaning it over and over again. So, if you have just purchased a new mattress or if you have cleaned out your old one, get this item from a local store. It will help you keep all the pollutants away.
You do need a mattress protector
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Just because you cleaned off all your bodily fluids from your mattress, it does not mean that they won’t come back. It’s only natural for the human body to shed dead skin, sweat, produce hair oil and skin oil among all the other things.
It only takes a few seconds for all of it to transfer onto your mattress. So, a mattress protector will keep all the growing bacteria away.
The best part is, you won’t even feel the mattress protector on your bed. With that, it will keep all the possible allergies away from you.
So, you can say goodbye to wheezing, runny nose, sneezing, scratching your body and so on. Another factor is, that it makes your mattress waterproof. While it takes care of your health, it also makes a soft surface to sleep on comfortably.
Ending thoughts on how to clean mattress stains
In the end, we often underestimate how unclean our mattresses can be. A layer of sheets does not protect the mattress from any pollutants. So, cleaning your mattress with a regular schedule will only benefit you.
Taking some time out of your routine to clean a surface you use every day will make a huge difference in your life. Among that, the techniques we shared will only make it less hectic to clean stubborn to fresh stains of any kind.