Dry your mattress quickly to save it from life in a landfill. A soggy mattress soon takes on a musty smell, and within a day or two, may even begin to grow mold deep inside it. Of course, not every wet mattress is salvageable. If the mattress was in a flood, the water likely was contaminated with biohazards and dangerous chemicals or fuel. In that case, even if you could sanitize the inside of the mattress sufficiently, mold from lingering moisture could invade unseen. Mattresses that avoid complete saturation -- such as those wet from spills, rainwater leaks, water used to put out a minor fire or similar sources -- can be salvaged, as long as you work quickly and dry them thoroughly. Blot up the moisture if the spill or wet area was minor and small. Use a clean, absorbent cloth or towel and apply as much pressure as possible to force the moisture out of the mattress, into the drying pad. Follow with a hairdryer, set on high. Hold the hairdryer a few inches from the mattress surface and apply heat for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
Allow the area to cool down completely before determining if it is dry or not. After 30 minutes, proceed to another drying method. Sprinkle clean kitty litter over the mattress surface. Apply pressure to the litter to force moisture out of the mattress and into the absorbent littler. Place a towel or cloth over the litter before pressing, if you prefer. Wait an hour or two and press again. Suck up the litter with a wet/dry vacuum. Repeat with fresh litter if moisture remains, then vacuum. Follow with heat from a blow dryer or proceed to another drying method if moisture remains. Flip the mattress up, on its side, and securely prop it in place so there is at least 2 feet of air space on either side. Place a fan at the end, blowing down both sides, or use two fans to point directly at the mattress on either side. Open windows in the room and turn on ceiling fans, as applicable, to create as much air movement in the room as possible. Turning up the heat, using a space heater -- set as a safe distance from the mattress -- or similar measures also help accelerate drying.
Alternatively, take the mattress outside. Set up a platform, if possible, such as concrete blocks or sawhorses, to rest the mattress on and allow maximum air movement. Otherwise, turn the mattress on its side and securely prop it up. Allow the mattress to stay outside in the wind and sun until it is dry. Speed the drying process with a couple of fans, hooked up to extension cords, pointed at the mattress. Return the mattress inside once it is completely dry. Things You Will Need Absorbent cloth or towel Hairdryer Cat litter Wet/dry vacuum Fans Concrete blocks or sawhorses (optional) Extension cords (optional) Tip Warning References North Carolina State University: Cleaning Flooded Upholstered Furniture, Curtains, Bedding, Table Linens, and Other Household TextilesRestoration SOS: Clean, Dry, Repair and Disinfect MattressesMattress Detective: How to Dry a Mattress With Ease Photo Credits Medioimages/Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images Suggest a Correction Back to U.S. Website, APO/FPO FurnitureExtra 15% offSelect Furniture by Christopher Knight*RugsUp to 70% offSelect Area Rugs by Safavieh*DécorUp to 50% offSelect Curtains by Exclusive Fabrics*Bed & BathSave onSelect Bedding & Bath by Laura Ashley & MoreHome ImprovementExtra 15% offHome Improvement*KitchenShop AppliancesOutdoorUp to 50% offSelect Outdoor Furniture by Portfolio*JewelryUp to 50% offSelect Auriya Jewelry*WatchesUp to 50% off Featured Branded Watches*Shop WatchesWomenUp to Extra 15% offClothing
, Shoes & Accessories*MenUp to Extra 15% offClothing, Shoes & Accessories*Kids & BabyExtra 10% offKids Furniture*MoreExtra 10% offPet Supplies* How to Dry Foam Mattress Pads On top of your current mattress, mattress pads add comfort without costing you a fortune. A new mattress pad will make your bed feel brand new and offer support that your bed may be lacking due to years of use. Foam mattress pads come in different sizes to fit different mattress sizes. When accidents happen, such as spilled water, or when you need to spot clean, understanding how to dry a foam mattress pad is important. Read through this article to learn how to dry foam mattress pads. Drying Foam Mattress Pads: Remove the mattress pad. Remove the foam mattress pad from the bed. Place it on a clean, clear portion of the floor. Spread a plastic tarp or garbage bags under the mattress pad if you're afraid the spill may leak onto the floor.Blot the foam with a towel by pushing down gently to dab the moisture.
Concentrate on the area that soaked up the most liquid. Repeat this step on the opposite side if the moisture soaked through. Use another dry towel if necessary.Stand the foam mattress pad against the wall at a 45-degree angle. Place an object behind the pad for support if necessary. This will help your foam mattress pad hold its shape as it dries. Dry with a fan. Set up a box fan facing the foam mattress pad. Place the fan two or three feet away from the pad. Place it at an angle but still completely facing the pad. If the wet spot is on the top side of the mattress, turn it over so the spot is near the floor.Allow the fan to dry the foam pad for about six hours. If it is still damp, add an additional four hours. If the other side is still damp, turn the mattress around and begin the drying process again. Do not place the mattress pad back on the mattress until it is entirely dry. Placing a damp pad on your mattress could cause mold and bacteria growth. SwissLux EuroSupreme 3-Zone 2-inch Memory Foam Mattress Topper with Cover
Snuggle Home Memory Foam Mattress Pad Sure Fit Essential Memory Foam Mattress PadGot something to say? Join the discussion »I have never used baking soda for cleaning my mattresses. I use it for everything else. I am going to try, though. Next week I am planing deep cleaning so I have a chance to use your method. Great article and informative to everyone , how can clean the mattresses. Thanks to you for sharing this article. Thank you for the tips, now I know how to clean my memory foam with no worries. Thank you for sharing this. My cat peed on my memory foam matterss right where I lay. How should I go about cleaning it/is it salvageable? Yes, the vinegar solution is great for removing smells! If it's just a faint odor, the vinegar should take it out with the first try. If it's a more pungent odor, or an odor that is more saturated into the mattress, it might take a couple applications of the vinegar solution to remove the smell completely. A faint odor would just be from it being an older mattress.
A pungent, saturated odor that might require a couple treatments would be something like pet urine, or spilled perfume. There is an initial vinegar smell, but it does wear off as it dries. If you feel like there's still a slight scent of vinegar, you can set your mattress outside for a few hours to let it air out. 1. Would the vinegar solution / detergent solution remove residual smells? 2. If you were to use the vinegar solution, would my bed end up smelling like vinegar? Use Natures miracle (red bottle) the enzymes will remove the stain and eliminatate odors. Press firmly on the wet spots with paper towels to remove excess moisture, then use baking soda and the hair dryer (l method to I have a memory foam mattress that got smoke damaged in a house fire it doesn't look all that bad, but the smell is over powering what do I need to use to clean it? Very well written post. Keep sharing good things. To dry I have found standing mattress on its side next to a radiator can dry within the day.