Here's how to clean a mattress and remove vomit, urine and their smell. You CAN save your expensive soiled memory foam bed or pad. Here's quick & easy step by step instructions to eliminate stinky stains and restore your sanity.If you're reading this you are probably facing a pee or puke panic or a spill situation. If it's an old stain and you're looking for one last thing to try before you throw out a stinky, soiled memory foam bed or topper link over to "How to Clean a Mattress - Part 2". Don't go through this again! Buy two of these waterproof mattress protectors now. Click on image below, get it tomorrow.One to go on the bed after you finish cleaning up. And one for the closet in case your child or cat is sick several times in a night! This is the best selling one on Amazon. Your child just peed on your memory foam mattress...and the cat. Your feline was so scared that it projectile vomited before running off to hide under the bed. What do you do first?If you've got a good mattress cover, you've got nothing to worry about.
But you're in a panic so... Do not scream or yell. The most important thing you need to know about how to clean a mattress is to work quickly. So save your breath and run to the kitchen and grab: Step 1) Fill half the bowl with vinegar and fill the other half with water. Get back to the mattress without spilling the vinegar/water mix or dropping the other items.Step 2) Gently dab up the liquid mess with the paper towel. Carefully remove any sheets and mattress covers for later laundering. Press firmly with fresh towels to absorb more liquid. Do not squeeze or twist the foam.Step 3) Wet a paper towel with the vinegar/water solution and dab it where the urine and vomit were. Press in gently, then immediately use a fresh towel to dry it up. Keep this up until you've covered the entire stained area.Step 4) Then open the box of baking soda and pour it on top of the stain. Yes, the whole box. Spread it out so that you get a generous layer that extends a couple of inches beyond the stain(s).
Step 5) Let the baking soda sit there for a couple of hours. Then vacuum it up. Warning: This will cause the cat to fly out from under the bed like a miniature clawed tornado, which might scare the pee out of you. With any luck you'll have caught the spill in time and you won't have to do anything else. And your bed will smell clean and fresh.If this didn't work, go to "How to Clean a Mattress - Part 2" for the last thing you should try before throwing your memory foam mattress or topper away and buying a new one. How Did You Clean Your Memory Foam Mattress or Topper? Please tell us how you cleaned your memory foam. and will help others with emergency mattress messes for many years to come.If you have had the luxury of buying a new mattress recently, it is likely that you have a foam mattress. Foam mattresses once were something that most people could not afford, but as the market for them has increased, the prices have dropped considerably. Now the average person can afford to sleep on a comfortable and luxurious foam mattress instead of dealing with those pesky box springs.
All these years you have had a regular mattress, so cleaning a foam mattress is probably something foreign to you. No need to fret, though. My tips that will come in handy now, as well as in the future, on how to clean your beloved foam mattress. Spills are inevitable if you eat or drink in your bed, so it is best to have a quick, efficient method for removing them. Do not use bleach or any product that contains bleach. For best results, allow the cover to air dry. If you do put it in the dryer, use a low, cool setting and check it frequently. There's no need to pre-treat the cover unless the spill is a result of red wine or another staining liquid. If liquid has been spilled on the foam mattress, you'll need to remove as much of it as possible as quickly as possible. Do not put the mattress cover or the sheets back on the mattress until your foam mattress is completely dry. To remove urine stains or odor from a foam mattress, you'll need an enzymatic cleaner or distilled white vinegar and baking soda.
Enzymatic commercial cleaners work well, but they are very expensive. Vinegar, on the other hand, is inexpensive and it is a natural deodorizer that absorbs odors by breaking down bacteria. Vinegar does not leave any kind of residue, and the smell goes away when it dries. Note that neither is guaranteed to completely remove stains and odors from a foam mattress, and that you should never saturate the area with any liquid, even water. It's important to be cautious when removing stains because you don't want to risk pushing the urine further inside the foam. The only cleaning that's necessary is a simple vacuuming once a month or so. While your foam mattress is less susceptible to dust mites (than a traditional mattress is) dust, hair and dead skin will still accumulate on the mattress. An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure My cleaning tips will keep your foam mattress in the best shape so you won't need to worry about replacing it! Image courtesy of Michael Cory, CC BY.
Getting Ready to Clean Your Memory Foam Mattress Topper Memory foam mattress toppers, and memory foam mattresses as well, for that matter, must always be cleaned by hand, because machine cleaning can destroy the memory foam. Start by removing your mattress topper from the bed, and place it on the floor. Check it for any stains and odors. Especially if you have to remove stains and odors, you may want to bring the topper into your bathroom, turning on the fan or opening the window to keep the room ventilated. If you're cleaning it on a hardwood or carpeted floor, place a tarp under it to protect the floor. Gather all the materials you need. For simple cleaning, you need a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment, a gentle fabric cleaner, water, and a spray bottle. Vacuuming and Cleaning Your Memory Foam Mattress Topper The first step in cleaning your mattress topper is to vacuum it. Use a powerful handheld vacuum if possible, working with a soft brush attachment. Work your way from across the mattress topper using circular motions to pick up dust, debris, and other particles from the mattress.
If you have an eggshell-style mattress topper, work through the crevices between the peaks, where debris is likely to congregate. If your mattress topper is free from odors or stains, move straight to spraying it with detergent. Use a gentle laundry detergent such as those used for hand washing, mixing one part detergent to two parts warm water. Fill a spray bottle with the detergent, and then spray the entire mattress lightly. Don't soak the foam, but keep your spray bottle moving as you spray. How to Remove Stains from Your Memory Foam Mattress Topper After you blot the stain with water, sprinkle boric acid on it, and then keep blotting it till it's gone. If you're dealing with a stain caused by pet urine that soaked through your bedding, try an enzymatic pet stain cleaner. Apply the cleaner, and then let it sit for 15 minutes or so. Another option for stain removal is hydrogen peroxide. Be very careful using this chemical, and be aware that it may discolor your foam mattress topper.
After spot cleaning the stains, blot the area again with a damp sponge and let it dry. Once it's dry, vacuum once more to remove any vestiges of the chemicals. How to Remove Odors From Your Memory Foam Mattress Topper Stains that have a tendency to linger inside a memory foam pad or mattress topper include urine, vomit, and cigarette smoke. To remove these odors, start by vacuuming and spray-cleaning the mattress topper as usual, and then sprinkle it with baking soda. Let it sit overnight or for at least eight hours before vacuuming the baking soda away. Other options include trying citrus-based cleaning products or products specifically designed for eliminating odors. The Final Stages of Cleaning Your Memory Foam Mattress Topper Don't forget the flip side of your gel memory foam mattress topper. After you've cleaned it and removed all stains and odors, flip it over, and give the flip side a spray with your detergent solution. Let it dry completely, and then vacuum away any detergent residue.