Guide

How to Get Urine and Stains Out of a Mattress

Urine on a mattress is the hardest case of the dry-it rule: it is a protein that needs breaking down, on a surface that must never get wet inside. Done right it clears; done with heat or too much water it sets, or grows mould.

About 5 minutes to read

Blotting a stain on a mattress with a white cloth and spray bottle

Blot it up fast

Press clean white cloths or paper towels down hard to lift as much liquid as you can before it sinks in, and keep swapping them until they come up nearly dry. The less that soaks into the foam, the easier the rest of the job and the less risk of trapped moisture later. Do not rub, which spreads it and works it deeper.

Treat it with an enzyme cleaner

Urine is a protein, and an enzyme cleaner is what breaks it down rather than masking it. Lightly spray or dab the enzyme product onto the spot — enough to reach the stain, not enough to soak the mattress — let it dwell for the time on the label, then blot it back out. For an older or set mark, a paste of baking soda with a little hydrogen peroxide, tested on a hidden spot first, can help lift the stain and smell.

Never use heat

Heat permanently bonds urine proteins, so a steam cleaner, hot water or a hot hairdryer held close will set the stain and lock in the smell. Treat urine with cool water and enzymes only, and use heat sources, if at all, from a distance and on cool just to dry — never to clean the spot.

Dry it completely, then protect it

A mattress cannot dry from the inside, so any moisture left in it grows mould — which is why drying matters even more here than the stain. After treating, blot out every bit of moisture you can, then dry the spot fully with a fan, open windows or indirect sun before remaking the bed. Going forward, a washable mattress protector catches accidents before they ever reach the mattress.

How to Get Urine and Stains Out of a Mattress — FAQs

How do you get urine out of a mattress?

Blot up as much as you can, then treat the spot with an enzyme cleaner — enough to reach the stain, not enough to soak the mattress — let it dwell and blot it back out. Never use heat or steam, which sets the smell, and dry the spot completely afterwards to prevent mould.

Does baking soda get urine smell out of a mattress?

It helps as a finishing step — sprinkle it over the dried, enzyme-treated area, leave it a few hours and vacuum it off to absorb lingering odour. But baking soda alone only masks fresh urine; an enzyme cleaner is what breaks down the protein that causes the smell.

How do you get blood out of a mattress?

Use cold water only — heat sets blood — and blot from the edge inward. A paste of baking soda and a little cold water or hydrogen peroxide, tested on a hidden spot, lifts many blood stains; an enzyme cleaner works too. Keep it barely damp and dry the spot fully afterwards.