How to Get Pee Out of a Mattress

Last Updated September 9, 2024

Trying to get urine out of bed may be an icky and repulsive job for many. You hastily strip your bedding off the pee-soaked mattress and throw them straight into the washer. But what about the mattress? Unlike your linens, mattresses are not just put into the washer. So, unless you know how to get pee out of a mattress effectively, stains and stench will remain. So worry not; your mattress is not ruined forever. Just follow this step-by-step guide to learn the most effective method of eliminating pee from mattresses.

latex mattress

So worry not; your mattress is not ruined forever. Just follow this step-by-step guide to learn the most effective method of eliminating pee from mattresses.

how to get pee out of a mattress

How to get pee out of your mattress effectively?

There's no denying the fact that every home has had an instance where urine has spilled on the family bed at least once. Spillage accidents can happen because of children, pets, elders, relatives, or by yourself.

We have outlined some quick fixes to get urine out without any potential harm to the mattress:

Cleaning supplies you'll need

  • Clean paper towel or a clean cloth to absorb fresh urine
  • Cold water
  • Distilled white vinegar (to break down the urine into uric acid)
  • Baking soda (to absorb the remaining fluid and eliminate the stench)
  • A favorite essential oil to change the way your room smells
  • Vacuum cleaner
  • Spray bottles with vinegar

Steps to get pee out of your mattress

  1. Remove the top sheets and bedding and send them to the laundry.
  2. Locate the spot that needs to be cleaned. When the urine is fresh, you must immediately press the spot with a cotton cloth or a paper towel. Press lightly, and be careful not to push urine deep into the mattress. Keep using a cotton cloth or paper towel until all the moisture is absorbed and the place seems dry.
  3. Now, sprinkle some baking soda on the spot. After that, apply white vinegar. Let the liquid stay for at least 20 minutes. If you have sprayed excess vinegar, just soak up the liquid with fresh tissues, as in step 1.
  4. Now that the spot is clean, you can mix some baking soda with an essential oil of your choice and apply it nicely over the cleaned area. Baking soda will absorb the excess moisture and neutralize the urine smell. On the other hand, the essential oil will make your mattress and your room smell better in due time. (Please note that this is not a mandatory step)
  5. While you are at it, sprinkle baking soda over the entire mattress and leave it uncovered for 18-24 hours.
  6. Finally, using a vacuum cleaner, clean all the dried baking soda powder and succeed in getting rid of pee from a mattress.

What is the other way to remove urine stains out of the mattress?

If, for some reason, you failed to clean the urine stain and odor by using the above method, follow these steps:

Cleaning supplies you'll need

  • Cold water
  • White vinegar
  • Colorless (uncolored) laundry detergent
  • Baking soda
  • Spray bottle
  • Cotton cloth
  • Vacuum cleaner

Steps to get pee stains out:

  1. Dab (don't press forcefully or wipe) the urine spot with the help of a cotton cloth and soak the excess moisture from the mattress.
  2. Pour some white vinegar into the spray bottle and spray it over the spot. Let it sit for some time and break down the uric acid of the urine. If moisture still remains, soak it up by dabbing it with the cotton cloth.
  3. Next, lightly coat the stained area with a mixture of colorless liquid detergent and cold water. We must use colorless detergent, as colored detergents may stain the mattress and discolor it. Let this mixture stay for an hour at least. If the mixture hasn't dried yet, use dried cotton cloth to absorb the excess liquid.
  4. Lastly, cover the entire mattress, not just the stain, with a generous coating of baking soda powder. Let the coat stay for 8 hours (best if you can let it stay for a day), and then vacuum the mattress for good.

You'll notice the stains have disappeared along with any lingering pungent odor. You can now use a room freshener or a diffuser to make your room smell fresh.

natural and organic latex mattress topper

How to get pet urine out of a mattress?

Pet urine has a pungent odor because they contain a mixture of different substances and tend to be more concentrated. So, if you keep the pet pee unattended, then the stench will stink up your entire room and make you feel suffocated. Moreover, when pet pee dries, the stain becomes deeply yellowed and too concentrated to remove.

So, don't get mad at your dog or cat; be patient and read on to know what you need to do to get rid of pet pee out of your mattress:

Cleaning supplies you'll need

  • Cold water
  • Baking soda
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Liquid detergent
  • Vacuum cleaner
  • Spray bottle

Optional:

  • Favorite Essential oil
  • Rubber gloves and mask

While cleaning pet urine, it's best to wear a mask and put on rubber gloves. As the pee is concentrated, it may make some people nauseous. Use gloves to prevent the urine from coming in contact with your skin.

Steps to get pet pee out:

1. The first step should be to strip the mattress of the bedding and wash them.

2. Now, when the urine spot is bare, sprinkle baking soda straight on the mattress and let the powder absorb all the liquid. You'll notice that the baking soda changes to a darker color as it keeps absorbing the urine. This is a good sign, and when this happens, just vacuum the old residue and apply a fresh layer. 

3. Keep repeating the process until the powder has absorbed all the pee and a fresh coat doesn't darken in color anymore.

4. Now, make a mixture of 1 cup hydrogen peroxide, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and a few drops of liquid detergent. After that mix them well with cold water in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on the pee stain and let it stay for a while. 

Hydrogen peroxide helps to break down the chemicals in the concentrated urine into simpler compounds - ones that are easy to clean. 

Another alternative you can use in this step is use enzymatic cleaners instead of the hydrogen peroxide solution. Enzymatic cleaners are also great at breaking down complex stains and biological accidents into simple chemicals. 

These cleaners are easily available in any departmental store or in online stores. 

You can also sprinkle a drop of your favorite essential oil or diluted lemon water solution to make your room and mattress smell fresh.

5. When the mixture has dried and become flaky, you can now vacuum the entire mattress.

Special Note: The cleaning process mentioned here works equally effective to clean stubborn dry urine stains.

How to get rid of the strong pee smell out of your mattress?

To get rid of the pee smell from your mattress, first sprinkle baking soda over your entire mattress and let it air dry for a day.

After that, vacuum clean the mattress. Do you notice any lingering smell? If so, then mix a few drops of essential oil with water in a spray bottle.

Oil and water do not mix, but water acts as an oil carrier. As a result, when you lightly spray the mattress with the mixture, you coat the mattress with a nice smell that makes the room smell better as well.

Or else, you can treat the mattress with an enzymatic cleaner instead of a DIY cleaner.

Enzyme cleaner can be considered the best at removing lingering odors as well as breaking down pungent-smelling liquids upon the first impact. So, they will be stronger and much more effective in getting rid of strong urine smell.

How to protect the mattress from future accidents?

There are two ways to keep the mattress safe from any future accidents:

Mattress protector

Use a good quality, waterproof mattress protector.

They are not expensive, and using them will keep your mattress safe from minor liquid spills, like when you are drinking coffee or water in bed.

So, naturally, it will prevent urine spillage from seeping into your mattress to create foul odors and bacterial growth.

Regular laundry 

When you have a kid or an elder at home, simply having mattress protectors won't work. A mattress protector will prevent the mattress from soaking the liquid when accidents happen. But the direct impact of the leakage will be on the topmost bedding like sheets.

So, change the bedding as soon as accidents leak on the bed and send them to laundry without any further delay.

Additional care instructions

Hydrogen peroxide

This chemical is not toxic or hazardous if used from a distance. They are great antiseptics and prevent bacterial growth and mold from growing on a pee-stained mattress.

However, since you are using it on your mattress, you need to be careful of the concentration. Hydrogen peroxide is flammable, so be careful not to smoke or ignite anything when you are handling the chemical.

It also bleaches fabrics, so best to use it while treating white, non-foamy mattresses.

Cleaning memory foam mattresses

When you clean memory foam mattresses carefully soak out all the liquid before you treat the mattresses with white vinegar. Moisture is the biggest enemy of memory foam mattresses. Moisture seeps deep inside and allows bacterial growth to fester, and if that happens, you have to replace the costly mattress.

Avoid going to the extreme end; just remember not to let any moisture seep into the mattress and whenever you have to apply a layer of liquid, do so gently.

Say NO to harsh chemicals

You don't want to treat your mattress, the very one where you sleep, with strong and harsh chemicals. Even though they may be better at cleaning stains quickly, always treat your mattress with DIY solutions that you can prepare yourself or that are quite easy to source locally.

natural and organic pillows

Conclusion

Accidents happen, but they don't have to ruin your bed for good. So, don't be stressed when bed-wetting happens. Just keep your calm and assess the situation at hand.

By now, you already know the situations you can face. Depending on whether the pee is old or new, you know which solutions will get the pee out. When you use the correct steps to the solutions, the stench and the urine stains will also disappear with the pee.

FAQs:

1. How to prevent urine from seeping into your mattress?

Mattress protectors are best when you need help protecting the mattress from urine and liquid spills. They are waterproof and never let liquid reach the mattress.

Mattress protectors are relatively inexpensive, and you can get one by spending 5 minutes online.

2. Is it safe to use enzyme cleaners to clean pee?

Generally, enzyme cleaners aren't toxic. They are made of enzymes - protein-based chemicals that help to clean stains much faster than DIY solutions.

However, we cannot give a clean bill to every enzymatic cleaner out there. So, it's best that you check the ingredients and make a thorough scan of their reviews online before you buy one.

3. Is a room freshener enough to mask the smell of urine from a mattress?

The freshener may mask the smell temporarily, but the stench will resurface once the smell dissolves in the air.

The only way to get rid of the urine smell is to clean the mattress thoroughly.

4. Does the urine smell eventually go away if not washed?

The urine smell lingers and makes the entire mattress stench if not washed eventually. But a more serious health concern will arise if you do not clean urine off your mattress - it will become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.

5. What is the difference between cleaning human urine and pet urine?

The main difference between cleaning human urine and pet urine are:

  • Human urine is less concentrated, while dog pee and cat pee are very concentrated.
  • Human urine doesn't smell as much as pet urine due to the uric acid and ammonia content.
  • Human pee stains are faint yellow when they dry, but pet stains take a dense yellow hue when they dry.

Related blog posts:

1. How to Get Pee Smell Out of Mattress?

How to Get Pee Smell Out of Mattress?

2. How to Care for Your Bedding?

How to Care for Your Bedding?

3. How to Care for Your Sheets

How to Care for Your Sheets

4. How to Care for Your Latex Mattress Topper?

How to Care for Your Latex Mattress Topper?

5. Why do You Need a Mattress Protector for Your Latex Mattress?

Why do You Need a Mattress Protector for Your Latex Mattress?

Disclaimer: What is said in this article has been referenced from multiple sources and is intended only for educational and informational purposes. Please note that no content in this article is a substitute for professional advice from a qualified doctor or healthcare provider. Always consult an experienced doctor with any concerns you may have regarding a health condition or treatment, and never disregard any medical suggestions or delay in seeking treatment because of something you read here.

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