It may not be the most appealing subject matter, but accidents happen, and the problem of how to clean urine stains out of a mattress is one that can occur to any of us.
Generally speaking, mattresses have a lifespan of around eight years. But that relies on a little bit of maintenance – after all, even the best mattresses require flipping, rotating and keeping clean and fresh to prolong their lifespan.
There are some general principles to follow if you're wondering how to clean a mattress, but bedwetting requires some extra steps, which is why I've asked the experts to share their top tips on cleaning urine from a mattress.
How to clean urine from a mattress
Getting urine on a mattress – whether pet or human – doesn’t have to mean game over for your mattress. But you need to deal with the mess as quickly as you can and tackle it head on.
‘Don't try and mask the problem by using air fresheners or odour neutralising sprays such as Febreze,’ says Heidi Philips, Cleaning and Organisation expert at cleaning company Tergo Cleaning. ‘You need to get rid of the urine from the mattress or you'll be smelling it forever and the stain will remain.’
So without further ado, here's our step-by-step guide to how to clean urine from a mattress.
What you'll need
- A clean dry cloth or paper towels: these microfibre cloths from Amazon are super absorbent
- A spray bottle: such as this 750ml recycled plastic spray bottle from Amazon
- White wine vinegar: available in bulk from Amazon or any supermarket
- Baking soda: from £3.50 at Amazon or any supermarket
- Washing up liquid or laundry liquid
- Or a dedicated stain remover: our cleaning expert recommends Inspired Professional Mattress Stain Remover
Step-by-step instructions
1. Strip the bed
As soon as you notice the bed is soiled, strip off all the bedding – including the mattress protector. Wash your bed linen on as hot a wash as it can go – you can read the care label to find out what that is.
2. Blot the damp patch
Once the bedding is off the mattress, it’s time to tackle the mattress as quickly as you can.
‘The first rule – as with any stain – is to treat it as early as possible,’ says Gemma Bray, who owns The Organised Mum and helps busy families stay on top of everyday household tasks and cleaning. ‘Blot up as much of the urine as you can with paper towels or a clean cloth. Don’t rub, just blot!’.
3. Start cleaning
‘In a 750ml spray bottle mix together approx 450ml of cold water, 250ml white vinegar and 3 tablespoons of washing/laundry liquid,’ says Heidi from Tergo Cleaning.
‘White vinegar can be effective on ‘biological’ stains such as urine as it also helps to get rid of the odour,’ agrees Gemma.
‘Spray – but do not over wet. Let it sit for a few minutes and then blot. Repeat this process as necessary,’ advises Gemma.
4. Soak up the moisture
Use something absorbent to soak up the cleaning mixture. You want the mattress to be as dry as possible.
‘Using a fresh towel or rags can blot up the mixture,’ says Heidi. You could also use paper towels or kitchen roll.
5. Sprinkle baking soda
‘Once this is done sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over the stain and leave for around 12 hours til dry,’ says Heidi. ‘Then vacuum up when you are confident the bicarbonate of soda is dry. If it's at all damp it will clog up your vacuum. And don't forget to empty your vacuum once you have finished!’.
Our guide to how to clean a mattress with baking soda has plenty of top tips on why bicarbonate of soda works well for this job, but as Henrique Conceicao, Area Manager at cleaning company Total Clean explains, baking soda's 'absorbent qualities are great for neutralising smells and eliminating dampness'.
6. Allow the mattress to air dry fully
‘If possible, get the mattress into the fresh air and direct sunlight (at the very least open the windows in the room),’ says Gemma. ‘This will help to air out any odours and also dry it quicker.
Getting the mattress dry as quickly as possible is important to avoid any mould build up or that horrible damp smell. Make sure the mattress is fully dry before you put any sheets or covers back on the bed.
FAQs
How to get urine stains out of a mattress when dry
If you’ve not noticed the stain straight away, you might be facing a bigger battle. But the war is not lost, so don’t lose heart. One course of action is to rehydrate the stain – as delightful as that sounds.
‘Dried urine will take a little longer than fresh urine [to clean] but the steps are very similar,’ says Heidi.
‘Using the same mixture [as I suggested above], spray liberally over the dried urine to wet it thoroughly. Leave for around 30 minutes then blot as much up as possible. Repeat this process again,’ says Heidi.
‘Then repeat the process a third time, but cover the mattress with bin bags or plastic sheet to keep the mattress wet to allow time for the mixture to take effect. Leave for around 12 hours then blot out thoroughly,’ continues Heidi. ‘Sprinkle the mattress with bicarbonate of soda, leave to dry for a further 12 hours, then vacuum up when you are confident the bicarbonate of soda is dry.’
‘For older stains Inspired Professional Mattress Stain Remover is a really good product,’ recommends Gemma.
How to eliminate urine odour from a mattress
Once you know a stain has been there, it’s easy to get paranoid about whether there’s a lingering odour on your mattress.
As with most unpleasant odours, you don’t want to try to cover up the smell with stronger smells. It’s not going to sort the underlying problem and all those strong smells intermingling may well give you a headache in the process.
‘Bicarbonate of soda is your best friend when it comes to eliminating urine odour. It's pretty cheap and easy to buy. You've probably even got some in your kitchen cupboard,’ says Heidi.
‘Sprinkle it generously over the affected area and leave for 12 hours. Then simply vacuum up. The bicarbonate of soda will have absorbed the odour leaving you with a nice fresh smelling mattress again.’
How to get urine out of a memory foam mattress
If you're wondering how to clean a memory foam mattress then it's worth bearing in mind that cleaning urine from a memory foam mattress is a little different to cleaning urine from a pocket-spring or open coil mattress. This is because memory foam can tend to disintegrate if it gets wet, so you need to be careful to not make it too damp.
‘A memory foam mattress absorbs liquid a lot quicker and easier than a standard mattress and the method to remove urine is slightly different,’ says Heidi.
‘Firstly, blot out as much of the urine as possible. Next, sprinkle over bicarb of soda to try and absorb as much moisture and odour as possible,’ advises Heidi. ‘Then spray a solution of 1 parts white vinegar and 5 parts cold water and leave for around 15-30 minutes. Don't overspray as memory foam is very absorbent,’ she cautions.
‘Finally, sprinkle bicarbonate of soda onto the affected area and leave to dry (12 hrs or so). Then vacuum up the bicarbonate of soda. Make sure that your memory foam mattress is completely dry before using it or you risk it going mouldy. If necessary repeat the final step and sprinkle over a fresh helping of bicarbonate of soda for 12 hours.’
Is a mattress ruined if it gets pee on it?
While not ideal to get wee – or any bodily fluid – on your mattress, it’s not ruined.
‘It's easier to get rid of fresh urine from a standard mattress but you can even get rid of dried urine from a memory foam mattress,’ reassures Heidi. ‘You can do all this using every day household items. The above methods are tried and tested and do work. They don't involve harsh chemicals either.’
How can you protect a mattress from urine?
The best thing you can do to protect your mattress from all eventualities, including nighttime accidents, is to invest in one of the best mattress protectors on the market – and the good news is that an affordable mattress protector won't cost much money.
You can get waterproof mattress protectors that protect your mattress from bedwetting, as well as waterproof mattress encasements that not only protect the mattress surface from liquids, but also all four sides and the base.
To keep your mattress as fresh as possible, it can be wise to buy two mattress protectors so you can have one on the bed whilst the other one is being washed.
I asked Amy Lockwood, Ideal Home's Sleep Editor, for three of her top recommendations for waterproof mattress protectors. You can see her top choices below.
How to prevent future accidents
'This is one of the best value waterproof mattress protectors I've come across. The terry towelling upper means its a great option for bedwetting as there's plenty of absorbant fabric to soak up liquid, whilst the polyurethane base layer adds an impermeable barrier to protect the mattress'.
'This waterproof mattress protector comes in a wide range of size options that make it easy to find an option to fit a sofa bed, caravan bed, or any other unusually sized sleeping area. Whilst it doesn't have the absorbency of a terry towelling option, it is very discrete and doesn't make any rustling sound'.
'This waterproof mattress encasement zips up to protect all six sides of the mattress from liquids. It can also be adjusted to accomodate two depths of mattress. However, it isn't cheap. The Utopia Bedding Waterproof Mattress Encasement is a basic, but more affordable alternative'.
The key takeway is that if you find yourself in a situation where there’s been a bedwetting accident, don’t panic – just act as quickly as you can.
You don’t even need to get specialist products – raid your kitchen cabinets and you should be fine. Then, once the cleaning is over, add a mattress protector (or two) to your shopping basket so you don’t need to worry about accidents happening again.
