How to Remove Stains from a Mattress

Co-authored by Chris Willatt

Last Updated: February 28, 2023 References

Accidents happen and mattresses get stained, but that doesn’t mean they have to stay that way. As soon as something stains your mattress, you should clean it up. Remove fresh stains from your mattress using simple household items like laundry detergent and stain remover. For tougher stains, try vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, or ammonia. As a final step, remove the odors your cleaning products leave behind with baking soda. Soon your mattress will be good as new.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Soap and Stain Remover for Fresh Stains

1
Blot any liquid spills with a towel as soon as possible.^{[1]
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Expert Source

James Sears
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 28 August 2019.} The longer something stays puddled on your mattress, the harder it will be for the stain to come off. Blot the liquid up with a towel by dabbing at the surface of your mattress.^{[2]
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- Don’t scrub the stained area, because that will set the stain more.
- Pretreat stains on your bedding and wash it right away, too.
2
Try dabbing the stain with soap and cold water next. Mix some laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, or liquid hand soap with cold water. Dab the stained area with soapy water and let it sit for about 3 minutes. Then, dry it off by blotting up the water with a dry paper towel or cloth.^{[3]
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- Use cold water, because hot water will make the stain set.
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3
Use a simple stain removing pen for small stains. If it’s a small stain, you can try a stain removing pen or gel stick, like the kind you use to spot-treat clothes. Press the tip of the pen onto the stain and rub it gently across the stain.^{[4]
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- It is a good idea is to use oxidizing stain remover, like OxiClean.^{[5]
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  Chris Willatt
  House Cleaning Professional
  Expert Interview. 12 June 2019.}
- Let the mattress dry completely before you put the bedding back on.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Household Cleaners for Tougher Stains

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Take safety precautions like wearing gloves and ventilating your room.^{[6]
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Expert Source

James Sears
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 28 August 2019.} Open the windows and doors of the room, and turn on the fan if there is one. Wearing gloves is particularly important if you’ll be using a harsh chemical like hydrogen peroxide or ammonia.
- If you’re using ammonia, you’ll also want to wear a face mask.
- Never mix ammonia and bleach, because the combination releases toxic fumes.
2
Spray the stain with white vinegar as a natural option. It’s important to use white vinegar because other kinds of vinegar will leave their own kinds of stain on the mattress. If you want, you can dilute the white vinegar with cold water, but you don’t have to.^{[7]
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- Let the vinegar sit for 10 minutes.^{[8]
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3
Use hydrogen peroxide for blood stains and other tough stains. Hydrogen peroxide is a bit of a harsh chemical, so you should only use it for tough stains like blood stains or stains that have been sitting there for a really long time. Spray or dab the hydrogen peroxide onto the stain. The hydrogen peroxide will bubble when it first hits the mattress.^{[9]
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- Leave the hydrogen peroxide sitting there for about 10 minutes after it stops bubbling.
- If you’re concerned that it will bleach your mattress, spot test it on an inconspicuous area before applying it to the stain.^{[10]
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4
Dab grease stains with a rag dipped in ammonia. If your mattress has been stained by cooking oil, food stains, wine, or certain types of makeup, try using ammonia to break up the grease. Dampen the corner of a rag with ammonia, then use that corner to blot the stain. Make sure not to get the mattress too wet—ammonia is a very strong chemical, so it doesn't take much to be effective.^{[11]
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- Let the ammonia sit for about 5 minutes.
- Ammonia has a strong smell and can be irritating to your skin, eyes, throat, and lungs.
5
Lift off the cleaner with cold water and a dry rag. You don’t want to leave your cleaner on the mattress, so clean it off by spraying your mattress with cold water. Then, gently blot off the water with a rag or paper towel.^{[12]
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- If the stain is still there after you’ve lifted up the water, try treating it with your cleaner again.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Deodorizing with Baking Soda

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Deodorize your mattress with baking soda after you remove the stain.^{[13]
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James Sears
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 28 August 2019.} You can apply the baking soda even when the mattress is still damp from being cleaned. Even if you just used soap and water to remove the stain, it's a good idea to deodorize it.^{[14]
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- Baking soda is easy to find at grocery stores and home supply stores.
2
Cover the damp area with a layer of baking soda. You don’t have to use a ton of baking soda, just shake the box over the stain until the whole stain is covered. If you want to deodorize your entire mattress while you’re at it, you can cover the whole mattress with baking soda, though this might require up to 2 pounds (0.91 kg) of baking soda.^{[15]
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- There’s no need to scrub the baking soda into the mattress – just let it sit on top.
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Let the baking soda sit for about 8 hours. The longer you leave the baking soda there, the more it’s deodorizing abilities will kick in. Some people recommend leaving the baking soda on for 8 hours, overnight, or for an entire day.^{[16]
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- If you’re in a rush though, a few hours is better than nothing.
4
Vacuum off the baking soda using an upholstery attachment. The upholstery attachment on your vacuum has a wide end with stiff bristles and sometimes has a lint-catching fabric strip attached. Run the head of the upholstery attachment over your mattress until it has vacuumed up all the baking soda.^{[17]
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- Some vacuums have specific mattress attachments, but that’s uncommon.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How can I get rid of an odor from my mattress?

James Sears
House Cleaning Professional
James Sears leads the customer happiness team at Neatly, a group of cleaning gurus based in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. James and the team have nine years of experience and offer green cleaning, interior and exterior window washing, and general apartment cleaning services. He provides transformative cleaning experiences by reducing clutter and renewing your home environment. James is a Trustee Scholar at the University of Southern California.

James Sears

House Cleaning Professional

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Baking soda can help you deodorize your mattress. Just sprinkle it over the area that smells.

Warnings

Wear gloves when dealing with somebody else's bodily fluids to keep yourself safe from infection.

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Don’t mix cleaning products together.

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