Skip to main content. Home Guides Home Home Improvement Home Cleaning How to Kill Mildew on a Mattress Cleaning as soon as you see or smell mildew is the best way to save your mattress. Mildew is a type of fungus that thrives in a moist environment. If for whatever reason any water that comes into contact with your bed hasn't dried in 48 hours, it's likely your mattress will develop a musty smell indicative of mildew growth. Cleaning the mattress with a disinfectant solution and spray as soon as possible could possibly save your bed, especially if the mildew appears to be only on the surface. Mix 1 cup of rubbing alcohol with 1 cup of warm water in a bowl. Dip a cloth into the solution, and squeeze out the excess liquid. Scrub the mildew stains with the wet cloth in a circular motion. Rinse the areas with a sponge dampened in water once the stains are removed. Dry the mattress outside in direct sunlight for several hours; otherwise, use fans to dry the mattress completely. Sunlight helps to remove odors in the mattress.
Spray a disinfectant evenly over the entire mattress to kill any remaining spores. Do not saturate the mattress in disinfectant spray. Allow the mattress to dry completely before replacing the bedding. /Getty Images Suggest a CorrectionWashing and Drying Electric Blankets or Mattress Pads All manufacturers of electric blankets and heated mattress pads designed for the US market will allow limited machine washing and drying of their products. All recommend a short gentle wash cycle and most recommend limited machine drying. Some manufacturers state that their products will shrink slightly and consequently must be re-stretched to full size after laundering. One manufacturer states their products can be machine dried fully without any shrinkage. All insist that the dryer be large enough to allow the bedding to tumble freely during drying. Read the product care label affixed to your product or your User Manual. All warming bedding manufacturers state that commercial dryers should not be used.
The reason for this is that some commercial dryers are very hot and the product may be damaged from the heat. There will be no problem using a laundromat’s large dryer if the heat is low and the bedding tumbles freely. Dry Cleaning Electric Blankets or Electric Mattress Pads For some reason this is quite a common question we get. Some think dry cleaning may be gentler than washing or some thing that electric blankets and mattress pads cannot be washed. NEVER dry clean any warming blanket or warming electric mattress pad. The chemicals used in dry cleaning can damage the heater wire insulation. Ironing Electric Blankets or Electric Mattress Pads NEVER iron any warming blanket or warming electric mattress pad. The iron’s heat can damage the heater wire insulation. Storing Electric Blankets or Electric Mattress Pads There is no real need to store an electric blanket or mattress pad for the summer season. You can continue to use it on your bed without turning it on.
However if you wish to store one, you should follow these general rules: Unplug the controls from the wall and from the bedding. Check the blanket or pad for any unusual things such as exposed wiring, scorched fabric, connector not well secured to the fabric, etc. If the bedding is dirty, this is a good time to wash it. Check the controls and cords for any unusual things such as a crack in the plastic, any darkened areas, any cuts or crimped areas in the insulation. Loosely wrap the cords either around the control or in a separate loose coil. You may wish to bag the control(s) separately. If you do, keep the cord(s) loose being sure not to pinch the cord or put it into a severe strain anywhere. Either roll up or fold up the blanket/pad gently being careful not to put any of the heater wires into a sharp hard fold. Put the bedding and control together into a large plastic bag and seal the bag (e.g. with a twist tie). Store the bag in a place that is rodent free until you need the bedding again.
When you put it back into use, make certain that the blanket or pad connectors are connected tightly. Insecure connections are the cause for many safety (e.g. overheating) and reliability (e.g. controllers don't work properly) problems. Things You MUSTKnow When Buying Electric Bedding. 1. Before You Buy – A MUST Review: the Lead Page of the Buyer's Guide offering: Major considerations before your purchase; Links to all of our Reviews and Ratings sections 2. Ready to Buy? If you want to see a list of retailers carrying each of the major brands of Heated MATTRESS PADS this year, click Heated Mattress Pad Retailers OR for Heated BLANKETS, click Stores Selling Electric Blankets. The Electric Blanket Institute’s Consumer Guide and Blog text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 3.0 United States License. For any reuse or distribution you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page.
But, as any parent can attest, diapers have a way of leaking and pets have a way of having accidents. So it's not far fetched to suppose that you may someday be confronted by the need to clean poop out of carpeting or off of your favorite work shirt. And you need to know how to clean these things properly. (Hence the frantic Googling.)Getting rid of poop isn't fun, but it's not hard, either. (Unless the poop isn't hard ... then it's hard. Here's what to do:Start With the BasicsRemoving poop usually involves a two-step process:1. Sanitizing or disinfectingCleaning comes first because it's hard to disinfect something that hasn't been cleaned properly. This means getting rid of the bulk of the poop -- whatever you can scrape off or otherwise remove -- and washing the item or surface so that you can begin disinfecting (killing the germs).But, should you wash the item with warm water or cold water? If it's a fabric that could potentially be stained, initially wash with cold water to avoid setting the stain.
Warm water can be used if you're not worried about a permanent stain.To quickly clean your basic fabric items (like a stained onesie that has those tell-tale yellow leaks streaking from the seams of the diaper area) follow these steps: Remove as much of the poop as you can (and work as quickly as possible; cleaning immediately can minimize the potential for staining) Rinse or soak with cold water (blotting helps) Wash in the washing machine using hot water, an enzyme-based cleaner (if suitable for the fabric), and bleach or vinegar (if suitable for the fabric).But What If It's Not Just a Stained Onesie?Baby and pet poop can affect any manner of objects from upholstery and carpeting to bedding, silk items, wool sweaters, your baby's toys, your dog's bed and on and on and on...The precise methods of cleaning will depend on the object that's involved, so try these tricks for specific materials:CottonRemember that onesie you washed in cold water and then laundered? Maybe it's still stained.
(In fact, it probably is. That's just part of life.) You have one of the world's best stain-removing tools at your disposal: the sun. Never underestimate the power of sunshine. While its disinfectant properties are not as effective as bleach or other disinfectant products, sunshine does have an amazing ability to effectively remove poop stains from clothing or bedding. (Bleach is an EPA-recognized disinfectant but must be properly diluted and used according to instructions.) HandsYou've washed your hands repeatedly, but they STILL smell like poop. (It's okay, we've all been there.) Washing your hands with liquid dish soap may help, or trying wiping your hands with rubbing alochol swabs. PlasticFor baby toys and other plastic items, start with hot, soapy water and wash the affected item. Follow-up by sanitizing or disinfecting (the Environmental Protection Agency offers a helpful PDF that explains proper procedure for sanitizing and disinfecting children's toys). Rugs and CarpetingFor your basic baby-poop-on-the-carpet event, clean with a combination of liquid dish soap, warm water, and lots of blotting.
Vinegar may prove helpful for stain-fighting. For a more complicated dog-poop-on-the-carpet event, a product called Nature's Miracle (an enzyme-based cleaner) may be effective at removing stains and odors. SilkThe process of cleaning silk is similar to that of cleaning cotton, except that you'll want to avoid enzyme-based cleaners. Sunshine is also recommended for stain removal on silk items. UpholsteryCleaning upholstery can be similar to cleaning carpeting, although initially treating with cold water is preferable to warm water if you want to avoid setting stains. For machine-washable sofa covers, follow up by laundering. Nature's Miracle may also be effective in the case of pet poop on your furniture. WoolA cold-water soak is recommended for wool items, then follow up with a thorough washing (avoid enzyme-based cleaners for wool proudcts). Sunshine can be a good choice for removing stains from wool items.Keep These Items on HandPaper TowelsPerfect for cleaning and disinfecting -- paper towels are a lifesaver.
Rubber GlovesEspecially helpful when cleaning dog poop. Plastic gloves eliminate the chance of getting poop on your hands, which is aways a plus! PatienceRemoving stains takes time, don't rush the process. A Garbage CanFor items that are too gross to save. Not recommended for the disposal of sofas. A Sense of HumorRemember, this will be funny someday!Bonus Cheat-Sheet of Poop-Cleaning TipsAvoid rubbing a stain on carpeting. Then rinse, blot, and rinse some more.When cleaning any object, test an inconspicuous part first to make sure that your stain-removing or cleaning remedy does not harm the object.Never mix cleaning products, especially those that contain bleach.Always keep all products out of the reach of children and pets, and be sure to keep children and pets away from the area or object that you're cleaning.Always follow product directions completely.Take a look at some other techniques for cleaning bad stains and messes.What's the craziest thing YOU'VE ever cleaned poop off of?