How to Remove Urine Stains and Odors from a Mattress

How to Remove Urine Stains and Odors from a Mattress

“How do I remove urine stains from a mattress?” This is a common question asked by many parents who have young kids. Any parent who has kids is likely to experience or has experienced the problem of removing urine from a mattress after their child has accidentally wet the bed overnight. 

I have a small daughter, and earlier this week, she peed in her toddler bed. Since I wasn’t feeling well, I couldn’t wash her bed sheets, and thus, the laundry piled up. We have an extra king-sized bed in one of our rooms reserved for guests, so I let my daughter sleep in that bed for several nights until I recovered enough to put her bed in order and wash all the bed sheets and the mattress.

So, over the weekend, when I pulled the sheets off the guest bed that my daughter had been sleeping on, I found out that she had also peed on that mattress. I was so disgusted because that was the guest room and the mattress was very expensive. Needless to say, I had to look for ways to get rid of the urine in the mattress.

While doing research, I came across a forum on which a lady in the UK had raised the same question: How do you remove pee from a mattress? There was a long reply from a concerned participant who offered two methods for cleaning up urine. In the first method, she suggested the use of a mixture of dish soap, vinegar, and baking powder. This seemed simple enough. The other method involved the use of baking powder, vinegar, towels, and a vacuum. So, I decided to give the first method a try.

How to Get Rid of Pee Stains on a Mattress:

Method 1

Things You Will Need

* Measuring cup
* Funnel
* Tablespoon
* Vacuum
* Heavy duty spray bottle
* 8 ounces/ 237mL hydrogen peroxide 3% – you can get this in a brown bottle in most stores and pharmacies.
* One drop of liquid hand or dishwashing soap
* 3 tablespoons/45g of baking soda

Procedure

Mix all of the ingredients in the heavy-duty spray bottle. Do not shake the bottle, and use the resultant solution within 20 minutes. Do not store any unused solution because it will eat through the bottle and leak out. This mixture is only effective when used immediately after mixing because the mixture is only reactive for a short time. After applying it to the pee stain, you should see the stain disappear within 5 to 10 minutes. Once the mattress has dried, baking soda film might remain; use a vacuum cleaner to clean it off (a beginner’s Guide).
I read that this method works well when it comes to removing pet urine stains. However, I have yet to test it in that capacity.

Method 2

Things You Will Need

* Roll of paper towels
* Spray bottle
* Vacuum
* Toothbrush
* Baking soda
* Distilled white vinegar

Procedure

If the urine has not dried up, use paper towels to dry most of it. However, avoid pressing the towels hard into the spot as this may push the urine further into your mattress.

To remove the stench of urine from your mattress, spray distilled white vinegar around the stain until the vinegar is absorbed. Use paper towels to push the vinegar deeper into the mattress so that the urine’s smell will be removed.

If the stain remains stubborn, use a toothbrush to rub the vinegar in. The smell of vinegar can be overwhelming. Therefore, it is advisable that you apply it outside the house. If you have no space outside of your house and must do this procedure indoors, open the windows. After applying the vinegar, vacate the room for about five to 10 minutes to allow the vinegar smell to go away. Then, use layers of fresh paper towels to dry the remaining vinegar from your mattress.

Sprinkle baking soda around the spot and let it settle for several hours; leave it on the spot for as long as possible. The baking soda is meant to remove the vinegar and its odor. The baking soda will begin to clump up as it soaks up the vinegar.

Using a vacuum cleaner, remove the dried baking soda from the mattress until it is clean.

So, there you have them; both methods work effectively.

Keep in mind that you can employ either of these methods repeatedly; this will not discolor your mattress! If you find one method complicated, you can try the other one. After removing the pee stain from your mattress, be proactive and use a sealed waterproof mattress protector before making your child’s bed.