How to Clean a Mattress.

People spend about 1/3 of their life sleeping. Mattresses are probably time-wise, the most used surface in the home. It is important to keep mattresses clean and fresh with the tips below especially when they get dirty.

Here are the best cleaning hacks for a mattress’ toughest stains.

When cleaning your mattress, for most stains, you don’t have to use harsh chemicals. You can use household products to remove the stains.

This saves money and is convenient to use items you likely have on hand.

However, if the first 6 tips don’t work to remove the stains, tips 7, 8, 9, and 10 require more-expensive cleaning agents and tools that may be necessary to extract a very tough stain from a mattress.

1. Tip on how to remove yellow stains from off a mattress.

Mix 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap and water in the spray bottle. Then, spray the entire mattress. Make sure that the whole mattress surface is covered with the solution. Then fill the spray bottle with half water and half 3% hydrogen peroxide. Mix well and spray the entire mattress and spray extra on the stained areas.

While the mattress is wet, evenly dust the entire surface with 2-3 cups of baking soda. Use a clean cloth to spread the baking soda, forming a thin layer of paste over the mattress.

As you apply the baking soda, you can see the stains become lighter.

Let the baking soda dry overnight. The next day, vacuum the dried baking soda off the mattress.

2. Tip on how to remove sweat and odor stains from off a mattress.

Mix equal parts of baking soda, water, and salt in a bowl and mix to make a paste.

Dab a clean cloth into the baking soda paste and gently apply it to the sweat stains.

Cover the entire stains with the paste. Let it sit for an hour.

Once the paste is dry, vacuum to remove the baking soda.

3. Tip on how to remove pee stains from off a mattress.

Sometimes children accidentally wet the bed at night. Despite having mattress protectors, the urine may soak through.

Dab the excess liquid with a dry clean towel. Avoid scrubbing the spot as this will push the fluid further into the fabric.

Mix two parts cold water, one part white vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap into an empty spray bottle. Spray the stain generously. Soak mattress to sit for 10-15 minutes. Wipe the excess liquid with a clean cloth.

Then, sprinkle baking soda to the entire surface and allow it to sit for 8-10 hours.

Vacuum the dried baking soda thoroughly from the mattress.

Repeat steps for tough stains if necessary.

4. Tip on how to remove blood stains from off a mattress.

Clean using water and soap. Mix half a cup of dish soap or laundry detergent to 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold water to form a foamy substance.

Apply the mixed solution to the stained area using a spoon. Let it sit for 30 minutes and wipe with a clean, dry cloth. Then dry the mattress with a fan or dry air outside.

Clean using salt, cornstarch, and hydrogen peroxide. Mix one tablespoon of salt, half a cup of cornstarch, and 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide to form a paste. Hydrogen peroxide and salt work very well to remove the stain-causing- proteins in the blood.

Apply the paste to the mattress stain area. Leave it to dry for 30 minutes. Once dried, remove it by scraping it away and vacuuming.

Another method is using baking soda. Make a paste by mixing one cup of baking soda and two cups of cold water.

Apply the paste to the stained area with a cloth and let it sit for 30 minutes.

Remove away with a clean damp cloth or rag. Repeat until the stain has mostly gone.

5. Tip on how to remove vomit stains from off a mattress..

Mix one cup of white vinegar, one cup of warm water, one teaspoon of dish soap in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray the stained area with the mix solution and let it sit for 30 minutes to dry out. Then sprinkle baking soda over the surface. This will helps neutralize the smell. Once dry, vacuum the mattress thoroughly and spray a citrus-scented disinfectant on top.

6. Tip on how to remove an unknown stains from off of a mattress.

Mix one half of white vinegar and hot water. Spray a clean towel with a mixture of water and vinegar. Wipe the mattress stain with the wet towel. Never spray the mixture directly on the mattress as this could saturate the mattress and cause mold.

Once the stain starts to look clean, spray a few sprays to the mattress with an enzyme cleaner. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Wipe up thoroughly with a clean towel to remove any moisture. Let it dry for 24 hours. If possible, take the mattress outside to dry under the sun.

7. How to remove almost any red-based and/or brown-based stain from off of a mattress.

If these tips have not worked, you’ll need to buy something with more strength. Some things you can try are: if the stain is red, orange, or brown with red hues, try Red relief Part A+B.

Red relief is a wonderful carpet cleaner that works to remove about any red stain.

It comes in a set of 2 bottles and you mix them together to create an amazing stain remover that will get out just about any red based stain. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the bottles (remember to mix the two together).

Repeat until the stain is gone.

For Coffee, Tea, Cola and Tannin Spot stains try Prochem – Coffee and Tannin Spotter, simply follow the instructions on the bottle.

8. Use an upholstery cleaner to clean the mattresses.

I have this Bissell upholstery cleaner and I use it all of the time to clean our couches, kitchen chairs, spots on the carpet, car carpet and yes it works great on mattresses.

It works like a charm to clean up dirt and even stubborn stains. It also helps to remove excess water when I am done cleaning to speed up the drying process.

9. Use a steamer along with a high-quality cleaning agent to release the stubborn stains.

When the tips above aren’t quite cutting it, you’ll want to use heat to loosen the stain.

Using a good cleaning agent with a steam cleaner or steam from a hot steam clothing iron will help get the molecules of the stain moving so they can be extracted from the mattress.

Just be sure to put a clean white wet towel down in between the steamer and/or steam iron to protect your mattress.

10. For the toughest stains use the Prochem line up with an upholstery cleaning machine/carpet cleaner with upholstery attachement.

Although Prochem is pricey, these tubs of cleaner will last years (for the average homeowner) and can be used to clean carpet, car carpet, and upholstery.

If it saves a mattress, it should pay for itself on the first use.

1. Pre-spray your mattress with Prochem Ultra Extreme Pre-Spray
2. Spot treat with Red Relief A+B stain remover or Oxi Clean
3. Clean & extract with Prochem Dry Slurry
4. Rinse and extract with Prochem All Fiber Rinse Concentrate Professional Solution
5. Sprinkle mattress with a heavy layer of baking soda and allow it to soak up the water overnight, vacuum the baking soda up the next day.
6. Repeat if needed.

Carpet cleaning product in an upholstery cleaner should clean just about anything the aforementioned tips won’t.

Additional Mattress-Cleaning Tips

Consider using a washable mattress protector cover to protect the surface of your mattress. Some protector covers are designed to reduce dust mite allergies.

Clean your mattress thoroughly every three months or six months.

Treat stains right away to avoid setting.

Change the sheets at least once a week to prevent dust mites from building up on the bed.

Sprinkle baking soda on the bed first and let it sit for 10 minutes to get rid of odors before vacuuming. Vacuum the mattress every month to suck up dust mites.