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If stains and odors are taking over the mattress in your child’s room, use this simple 3-step method to clean pee out of a mattress!
This is the very best way to clean pee out of a mattress. This easy process will remove those nasty odors and stains from wetting the bed will quickly become your best friend.
Table of Contents
How to Clean Pee Odors and Stains From A Mattress
This may be an odd topic to discuss on a food blog, but it’s a real life issue that we deal with on a weekly basis when my son was younger. Years ago I talked about my son’s bedwetting issues and I had a lot of feedback from moms dealing with the same thing. I figured maybe you could use some cleaning tips like this as well.
I would clean it as best I could but nothing worked. Febreze and other cleaners simply masked the urine odors, and some cleaning solutions that I’d found online would remove the odor but didn’t work well on the stains.
So I created my own method with a mattress cleaner based on items in my pantry, and it’s been working great! This method of removing odors from your mattress is really simple and doesn’t require any fancy scented oils or kitchen utensils. I also like that the products I use aren’t harmful and my son can help with the clean-up.
Follow these easy tips for how to clean your mattress with my easy, all-natural mattress cleaner.
Here’s What You Need:
There are only a few ingredients and tools that you need to clean pee out of a mattress.
- A roll of paper towels (or lots of rags that you don’t mind washing)
- Baking Soda
- Distilled White Vinegar
- An empty spray bottle
- Vacuum Cleaner
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Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One: Blot the pee as dry as possible with paper towels or rags. If it’s already dry, move on to step 2.
Step Two: Saturate the stain with distilled white vinegar. I highly recommend using a spray bottle as pouring the vinegar directly on the stain could over-saturate the mattress. If you’re concerned about a heavy vinegar smell, you can dilute the vinegar with water, which a lot of methods call for, but that just didn’t seem to work as well. The straight vinegar is very strong and really helps to pull out that nasty urine odor.
Step Three: Let the vinegar sit for 5-10 minutes. If you have a ceiling fan, turn it on, or run a stand alone fan if you can. At the very least open the windows. The increased air flow helps to speed up the process.
Step Four: Blot with paper towels or rags to soak up the vinegar. Press several layers of paper towels into the mattress for this step. You want to soak up as much of the vinegar as possible.
Step Five: Sprinkle baking soda all over and around the stain. You can get real fancy and use a sieve or a sifter for this step, but I don’t think it’s necessary. If there are a lot of clumps just break them up with your fingers. Let the baking soda sit for several hours. The longer the better. After a couple of hours, you’ll begin to see the baking soda caking as it soadks up the vinegar (and takes that nasty odor with it!).
Step Six: Vacuum up the baking soda from the mattress. Make sure to go over the crevices several times. It makes me kinda happy making those lines in the powder with the vacuum cleaner.
That’s it! If the stains and odors are really bad, you may have to repeat this process, but it really does work! And it doesn’t just get pee out of a mattress. Readers have used this method to remove blood stains, wine and more from their mattress. Be sure to read all of the tips readers have shared below.
Pro Tips
- If you have some really difficult stains, use an old toothbrush to rub the vinegar into them vigorously.
- I highly recommend using a spray bottle for the vinegar. However if you just don’t have one, saturate a rag with vinegar and lay it over the stain to pull the odor out.
- Some methods online tell you to dilute the vinegar. You can do that, and it will help with the vinegar smell. But it also dilutes the effectiveness in my experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend Distilled White Vinegar. I keep it on hand in the gallon bottles because it is amazing with so many different household cleaning tasks like this mattress cleaner, and it’s super cheap.
Other vinegars are for cooking and are more expensive, and really just won’t work as well. However I did have a reader mention that she used apple cider vinegar and it worked great. The vinegar is just a strong acid that breaks down the odor causing proteins.
We do – I actually have 3 of THIS ONE. It works really well, except for that time you are so tired that you forget to put it on, or it rips and you didn’t know, or your son makes his own bed and forgets to put it on, or it slips off the corner because he thrashes around too much at night, or he just doesn’t like the sound/feel of it so he takes it off without telling you, or he wets more than once in a night and you don’t have a back-up, or sometimes, they just fail.
It’s not for lack of trying, believe me. Sometimes these accidents just happen and are totally random and it’s always good to have a great mattress cleaner method ready to go.
Reader Tips
Here are some tips from readers who have tried this method.
Set your mattress in the sun.
Jim says, “Vinegar and baking soda do an excellent job for cleaning a mattress. It has always worked for me. If there is too much odor, you may have to put the mattress out in the sun.” (editor’s note – this is great for freshening pillows, too!).
Works on pet stains and odors, too.
Hadley says, “This method works wonderfully on urine odor and stains from pets, too! Last weekend, my sister’s dog had an accident on the end of my bed, and there was a large, yellow urine stain. I was going to purchase some fancy expensive pet stain remover, but I found your website, and read about your method, instead. Ingenious!
I saturated the stain with distilled white vinegar, let it set for about ten minutes, blotted the vinegar with some paper towels, sprinkled a generous amount of baking soda on the stain. I let the baking soda sit for about three hours, and I literally just finished vacuuming the baking soda up, and the stain and smell is completely gone! Thank you so much for telling folks about this method! Your mattress cleaner saved me time and money!”
Bridget says, “I just had to tell you I wish I could give you the biggest hug! I have a tempurpedic mattress and my cat decided to pee on it! I almost had it out my door to throw away and I was so angry that I knew I would NEVER get that smell out! Yes it had ALL the appropriate waterproof covers too! Still soaked through! Well something told me google it before you throw it. I did and I saw this. Well I did it and oh my god! It worked!!! No smell at all!!!! Thank you!”
Add vinegar to really smelly laundry.
Cassie says, “Thank you! I am going to try this! Why didn’t I think of vinegar before? It’s the best to use on any odors, and I’ve even used to get odors out of clothes and bedding. I tried the baking soda [but] didn’t try vinegar! Genius – I will be doing this today. FYI, they do make vinegar for laundry [too].”
Worried about the strong smell of vinegar? Add scented oils.
Katie says, “I have found that adding a few drops of essential oil (lemon works well) to the vinegar in the spray bottle works wonders to mask the strong smell of the vinegar.”
Don’t have vinegar? Try…vodka?
Sheridan says, “I also have another remedy that is great for getting rid of smells… Vodka! I tried it once to get mildew smell out of a hat and have used it for smelly fabric issues ever since. Same principle, put it in a spray bottle, spray the fabric object down with it until it’s pretty moist to the touch, but for best results put it in a warm sunny spot to evaporate. You can’t really do that with a mattress but alcohol evaporates fairly quickly anyway, and using a fan helps. It doesn’t do much for stains, but works wonders on smells, including mildew!”
*Editor’s note: Basic rubbing alcohol would work the same way, similar to how hand sanitizer works.
Works on vomit, too.
Laura says, “I tried it today on vomit as my son got sick on my bed this morning. It worked great, and luckily there weren’t any stains. I also used a hot iron and damp cloth to get the stains up (to soak up the vinegar & stain), before the baking soda. It’s not great on the iron, but the stains come up so much easier. It’s the same trick used to get (pet) urine stains out of carpet.”
All-Natural Mattress Cleaner
Equipment
- Spray bottle
- Paper towels and/or rags
- Vaccuum cleaner
- Fan optional
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Blot the pee as dry as possible with paper towels or rags. If it’s already dry, move on to step 2.
- Pour vinegar into the spray bottle and spray all over the stain to saturate. Let sit for 10 minutes. Run your ceiling fan or open window so air can circulate.
- Blot with paper towels or rags to soak up the vinegar.
- Sprinkle baking soda liberally all over and around the stain. Let sit for 3-4 hours.
- Vacuum up the baking soda from the mattress.
Notes
- If you have some really difficult stains, use an old toothbrush to rub the vinegar into them vigorously.
- I highly recommend using a spray bottle for the vinegar. However if you just don’t have one, saturate a rag with vinegar and lay it over the stain to pull the odor out.
- Some methods online tell you to dilute the vinegar. You can do that, and it will help with the vinegar smell. But it also dilutes the effectiveness in my experience.
- For really stubborn stains and odors, you may need to repeat the process.
Can you use apple cider vinegar I need the absence of white distilled.
No, I wouldn’t use apple cider vinegar.
“Why not use a mattress pad”, really people? GEE WHY DIDNT I THINK OF THAT! Seriously, Why are so many of you typing that comment? Um, we forgot, it was the first time my child peed, it was in the wash, the pee went through the pad…..or my favorite: IM NOT AS SMART AS YOU. These comments are riddled with mommy shaming. Given how many replies to this post there are, perhaps we can keep unhelpful comments to ourselves!
As for me, I’m on my first round of trying this method. After I vacuum it up, I’ll be spraying with Norwex’s mattress cleaner which is enzyme based and hopefully (fingers crossed) the smell will be gone! I could care less about the stain, nobody will see that anyway as it will be covered with a PAD and bed sheets!
I seem to remember my mom starting to set an alarm for 2am or midnight and coming in to get me up to go to the bathroom so it would become a habit. Kind of a train the brain, maybe keep from being in such a deep sleep cycle at the critical time window. I wet the bed for a long time, but did manage to stop in time to go to 6th grade camp – the first time being away from home overnight. Hope that helps someone out there!
Hi Kristin,
I just want to thank you for this vinegar/baking soda solution! It’s worked wonders on my sofa and on my mattress! However, I didn’t use straight white distilled vinegar, especially since I was concerned about what would happen to my sofa cushions! What I did was…I placed 1 cup of water in a spray bottle, then 2 cups of the white distilled vinegar, then mixed well.
Then sprayed the items liberally like you suggested,
then waited 30 minutes (because of the diluted vinegar),
then blotted with plenty of paper towels,
then sprinkled a LOT of baking soda on the items,
then I waited 4 hours for each (during this time, I did have my ceiling fans on),
then, like you, I vacuumed EVERYTHING, and
“VOILA!” No urine stains, no urine odor!
For the sofa cushions, I sprayed the vinegar mix, then applied the baking soda on ALL sides to make sure that there wouldn’t be any telltale odors. Worked like a charm!
Now, I’m thinking about using the vinegar for my sheets, since those are pretty stained as well. Hope that will work as well!
Thanks again!
It worked, it worked, it worked (doing a dance round the room). So many articles online over complicating the issue when straight up vinegar works (no peroxide needed) . One of the stains was like 4 years old, a little stain that I rubbed in and became bigger and suddenly after 15 mins this morning it’s gone!!!! I can confirm it works on Pillow top mattresses but may need to do it a few times. Thank you so much Kristin!!!!!!
Btw I rubbed in before I saw you said blot, is this a big problem?
Yay! And thanks for the tip on the pillow top!
How do you get rid of the smell of vinegar once you have hoovered up the baking soda?
I haven’t had this problem, but I would think it should dissipate on it’s own.
Hi Kristin. First I just want to say hi and tell you how much I love and appreciate your blog. But although, your recepie for getting rid of pee stains and odours works fairly well, I want to share with you a recipe I have discovered that works %100 the first time. Please disregard this if you already know of this.
1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide.
1 tbsp baking soda
A few drops of blue dawn liquid dish soap.
Shake it all up in a spray bottle. Spray generously on stain. Let dry completely.
Brush away excess soda. ( or vaccum away)
Everyone has a different process, thanks for sharing yours!
What can you use in the washing machine to get the smell out of the sheets?
You can add vinegar to the wash, that would help with the smell. I usually just wash my with regular detergent on the sanitary setting (or as hot as it will go).
Can you use baby powder instead of baking soda??
No, the baking soda provides a chemical reaction with the vinegar to help pull out the stain and the smell.
This worked amazingly well! My son wet the bed last night, and I of course removed all the bedding including the mattress pad so I could clean the mattress and found a spot that I had cleaned before using another method I found on Pinterest. At the time, I thought the other method had worked, but it just reappeared over time leaving a huge yellow spot. I was surprised how quickly the vinegar eliminated the old stains and I’m hoping that I don’t have a new one since I went ahead and cleaned the whole mattress this time. Thanks!
Hey, does anyone know if this method would also work on cigarette smoke smells? We have just bought a used car which unfortunately stinks and I’m trying to find a way to get rid of the smell as it’s giving me headaches
What about water proof mattress and pillow protectors, then you don’t have to worry about this problem?
Hi Diane, like a lot of readers have mentioned, they don’t always work.
We cut a blowup mattress in two and placed on top of my son’s mattress. Covered it with absorbent beach towels and then a sheet. This protects the mattress. (Place towels beneath the cut up mattress also to prevent slliding.)
I utilized this method, but only after my kid used Lysol and then bleach ?. The mattress is now even more yellow and hard. Any suggestions?
My guess is the lysol and bleach did that, but I don’t know that it can be reversed.
If the mattress got hard after cleaning it sounds like it might be a latex mattress. You cannot wet a latex mattress
Mattress covers including water resistant ones are useless. Try buying vinyl material from a fabric store to cover the mattress with and then cover that with incontinance mattress pads that you can buy from a medical store they are used for seniors in care homes,
If you’ve tried all the previous methods and you still have a smell and stains try this: You can rent a small extractor for under $20 or you can use a shop vac(be sure to remove the dry filter). Completely saturate the area with water then suck it up with extractor or shop vac. Go over the entire area slowly so you suck up as much water as possible. Then put a fan on it to help it dry. Now that your mattress is clean, go out and buy a full mattress cover. The cover fully encases the mattress and zips at one end. These covers are also usually recommended for people who are sensitive to dust mites. The cheapest ones are vinyl and are annoying and don’t last very long. I recommend using the cloth type one. I put these on every mattress in my house and they’re worth every penny.
What if that area is hard and crust afterwards. How do I fix that, I did all the steps and once I let it dry it became crusty and hard in that area
I don’t know why it would become hard and crusted over. That has never happened to me. I would try wetting it again and then wiping up what you can and letting it dry and vacuuming it up. Don’t let it sit too long.
This did absolutely nothing for the stains whatsoever. Is there something I missed? The smell…well all I smell is vibegar now. LOL
Is there something else I can use rather than baking soda?
Hi, what if I don’t own a vacuum?
You’d want to have a vacuum in order to do this method.
We had an urine accident on our tan leather sofa and we are trying to determine what will on on the spot and order removal from the leather seat. Any one have treated leather successfully?
Thanks
I would test it out on an inconspicuous spot first and see how it works.
Throw few tea bags over the area and keep it as long as you can, tea bags obsorb any kind of odor and will leave some natural wood kind of smell but no longer urine
stupid question but do you use new tea bags or ones that have been used to absorb the smell?