How to Get Stains Out of a Mattress
Over its lifetime, the average mattress absorbs somewhere in the region of 26 gallons of sweat. That figure doesn't include spills, accidents, blood, or the general wear that comes with being the one piece of furniture in your house that's in use for eight hours every single night. The uncomfortable truth is that every mattress gets stained eventually, and the question isn't how to prevent it entirely; it's how to deal with it when it happens, without damaging the materials inside.
The good news is that most common mattress stains can be removed at home with household products. The bad news is that the longer you leave them, the harder they become to shift.
What Should You Do Immediately After a Spill?
Speed is the single most important factor here. Fresh stains are dramatically easier to remove than dried ones, because the liquid hasn't yet bonded with the foam or fabric fibres.
Start by blotting, not rubbing. Grab a clean, dry cloth or kitchen paper and press it firmly into the stain to absorb as much liquid as possible. Rubbing pushes the liquid deeper into the mattress and spreads it across a wider area, which is the opposite of what you want.
Once you've blotted up the excess, strip the bedding and assess the stain before reaching for any cleaning products. What the stain is made of determines how you treat it, and using the wrong method on the wrong stain can set it permanently.
How Do You Remove Common Stains?
- Sweat and yellowing. Mix a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda with a few drops of washing-up liquid and enough hydrogen peroxide (3% concentration, the kind sold in pharmacies) to form a paste. Apply it to the stain, let it sit for 30 minutes, then gently blot away. The peroxide lifts the discolouration while the bicarb neutralises odour.
- Blood. Cold water only, never hot, as heat sets protein-based stains permanently. Blot the area with cold water and a clean cloth. If the stain has dried, make a paste with cold water and meat tenderiser (which contains enzymes that break down proteins), apply it, leave for 30 minutes, and blot clean.
- Urine. Blot the area, then spray a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and cold water onto the stain. Let it sit for ten minutes, blot again, and then sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over the damp area. Leave the bicarb until it's completely dry, then vacuum it off. The vinegar neutralises the ammonia, and the bicarb absorbs remaining moisture and odour.
- Tea, coffee, and other drinks. A solution of one part white vinegar to two parts cold water, applied with a cloth and blotted off, handles most beverage stains. For stubborn marks, add a small amount of washing-up liquid to the mix.
What Should You Never Do When Cleaning a Mattress?
- Don't soak the mattress. Excess moisture trapped inside the foam creates an environment for mould and mildew, which is a far worse problem than the original stain. Use as little liquid as possible and always blot rather than pour.
- Don't use bleach. It damages foam structure, weakens fabric fibres, and can leave chemical residue on the surface you sleep on. It's also unnecessary, since the methods above handle virtually every domestic stain without it.
- Don't put the mattress in direct sunlight to dry unless you have no alternative. UV exposure can degrade certain foams, particularly memory foam, and excessive heat can warp the comfort layers. If you need to speed up drying, a fan or open window works better and doesn't risk material damage.
And don't use a steam cleaner unless the manufacturer specifically says it's safe. The combination of heat and moisture can damage foam layers and springs, and the mattress takes far longer to dry than most people expect.
How Do You Prevent Stains in the First Place?
A mattress protector is the most effective single investment you can make in mattress hygiene. A waterproof, breathable protector sits between your sheet and the mattress, catching everything from sweat to spills before it reaches the materials underneath. It's removable, washable, and costs a fraction of what you'd spend replacing a stained mattress.
Our Hybrid® mattresses also feature removable, machine-washable covers that can be unzipped and washed at 40°C. If something does get through your protector, you can clean the cover separately without needing to treat the mattress core itself. This is a significant practical advantage over mattresses with non-removable covers, where any stain that reaches the surface is there permanently unless you treat it in place.
Washing your sheets and protector weekly keeps the overall sleep surface clean and reduces the amount of moisture, oils, and skin cells that accumulate on and around the mattress.
How Do You Deal With Odours That Don't Have a Visible Stain?
Sometimes a mattress smells stale or musty without a clear stain to target. This usually comes from accumulated moisture and biological material that's built up over months or years.
Sprinkle a generous layer of bicarbonate of soda across the entire mattress surface and leave it for at least four hours, ideally overnight. The bicarb absorbs moisture and neutralises odour without introducing any liquid into the mattress. Vacuum it off thoroughly using an upholstery attachment.
If the smell persists after two treatments, the issue may be deeper in the mattress core. At that point, it's worth considering whether the mattress has reached the end of its useful life, because persistent odour from deep within the materials usually indicates a level of biological buildup that surface treatment can't reach.
FAQs
No. Standard mattresses are too large and too heavy, and the agitation would damage the internal structure. Mattresses with removable covers can have the cover washed separately, but the core should only ever be spot-cleaned.
Most manufacturer guarantees cover structural defects, not cosmetic issues like staining. However, using a protector from day one is usually a condition of the guarantee, so check the terms before you need to make a claim.
A full surface clean with bicarbonate of soda every three to four months is a good baseline. Spot-cleaning spills immediately and washing your sheets and protector weekly keeps the mattress in good condition between deeper cleans.
Enzyme-based cleaners are generally safe for mattresses and are particularly effective on protein-based stains like blood and urine. Spray lightly, blot off, and allow to air dry. Avoid enzyme cleaners that contain bleach or harsh chemicals.
