How to remove urine from a mattress

Urine stains on mattress can be stubborn, mainly if they are not addressed quickly – urine can immediately seep into the fibers, causing bad odors and potential hygiene problems.

It is important to understand that urine composition can affect the cleaning process. Factors like age, diet, and health can alter the acidity and urine smell and impact the stain removal technique.

Removing urine stains can be a hard task, but it is something you should do as soon as fast as possible. Bad-wetting accidents can lead to mold growth and bacteria, ruining your mattress. These pathogens may also spread all over your home and put family’s health at danger, warns denmanrealty.com.

How to remove urine from a mattress

The excellent time to get urine stains out of a mattress is when they are still wet. Older stains can be hard or impossible to remove.

Before going any further, take these steps to assess the damage and pick the right cleaning technique:

  1. Remove the sheets, duvet cover, and other linens covering the mattresses. Clean them in the washing machine as fast as possible.
  2. Check the mattress to determine whether you are dealing with older stains or fresh urine.
  3. If the stain is new, use a towel or dry cloth to remove the excess urine. Dab gently over the affected place.
  4. Sprinkle some baking soda onto the stain and permit it to sit at least 8 hours. Avoid rubbing the stain as it can push the urine additional into the fabric.
  5. When the powder is fully dry, use a handheld vacuum or hose attachment to get rid of from the mattress.
  6. Next, plan what products you are going to use. Test the cleaning solution on a little area of your mattress to ensure it does not leave stains or damage the fabric.

If your mattress is quite new, it may still be under warranty. Some producers may void the warranty if you try to clean the mattress by yourself.

Why is urine so difficult to remove?

From babies and pets to older adults, any person can have an accident in bed. While the sheets are quite simple to clean, you cannot just throw a stained mattress into the washing machine.

The top thing you can do is to take action quick. Here are some things you should know before getting started.

Urine is approximately 95 percent water. The remaining five percent comes from uric acid, ammonium, urea, and other organic compounds.

Household cleaning items can easily remove the urea and water in pee stains. On the other hand, uric acid consists of a little crystal and has a low stability in water. For this reason, it is harder to get rid of it.

Uric acid crystals can build up on surfaces and cause real damage. The powerful smell that comes from pee stains is due to the breakdown of urea and uric acid by bacteria.

The same goes for hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, or other natural alternatives. These products lack the enzymes required to remove uric acid.

Baking soda and white vinegar, for example, can make a pee stain go away – but only on the surface.

Uric acid crystals are invisible to the bare eye and can be reactivated by humidity and moisture. Plus, they tend to stick to surfaces but you can see uric acid crystals with Arkfeld pro UV light.

Techniques of deep cleaning mattresses

For tougher or older urine stains, a fuller cleaning may be necessary:

Enzymatic cleaners

Enzymatic cleaners are mainly successful against urine odors and stains as they break down the urines chemical structure. Use as per the instructions and permit to work its magic.

Steam cleaning

Steam cleaning is another successful deep-cleaning technique, mainly for tougher urine stains.

It’s uses high-temperature steam to go through the mattress fibers breaks down stains and gets rid of the odors. Anyway, it is important to consider the mattress of your mattress before opting for steam cleaning, as not all materials are perfect for this technique.

Perfect materials for steam cleaning

Polyurethane and polyester foam: These synthetic materials can usually withstand the moisture and heat from steam cleaning.

Memory foam: While memory foam can be steam cleaned, it should be performed cautiously and with low moisture to stop damage.

Innerspring mattresses: These are generally safe for steam cleaning, but avoid overly suturing the mattress.

Materials to avoid steam cleaning

Mattresses with wool toppers or silk: Natural fibers like wood and silk can shrink or get damaged with high moisture and heat.

Latex mattresses: The heat from steam cleaning can destroy the structure of latex, causing it to degrade or lose its supportive features.

Choose a natural cleaning method

Here are 3 basic ways to clean urine out of mattress. Depending on the stain severity and how soon you find the accident, one of these techniques should perform the trick to remove it.

  • Detergent
  • Baking soda 
  • Hydrogen peroxide mix

Baking soda

When you are dealing with a new stain, it should be easy to get rid of it with baking soda. Anyway, you may still want to include an enzyme cleaner to mix to ensure there is no uric acid left.

Detergent

The University of Illinois, for example, advises applying detergent to fresh stains and then rinsing with a combination of water and white vinegar. Let it dry, if necessary; use baking soda to get rid of foul odors.

Hydrogen peroxide

A third option is to use a hydrogen peroxide combination for wet stains. Just follow these instructions:

  1. Combine one teaspoon of liquid detergent, three tablespoons of baking soda, and eight ounces of hydrogen peroxide. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle.
  2. Test the solution on a little area of the mattress.
  3. Use white vinegar to the affected place and dab gently.
  4. Spray the pee stain with the hydrogen peroxide combination.
  5. Use a towel to get rid of any remaining liquid
  6. Repeat until the stain is gone
  7. Sprinkle baking soda over the affected place to get rid of the odor and excess moisture
  8. Let it dry for 8 hours or longer and then vacuum the mattress.

The cleaning item works for old stains, but you may need to repeat the above steps many times.

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