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PARENTING » How to Easily Remove Old Pee Stain and Smell from a Mattress

How to Easily Remove Old Pee Stain and Smell from a Mattress

This post contains affiliate links which may earn me commissions should you click through them and take certain actions. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See full disclosure here.

November 12, 2019 By Katelyn Fagan 159 Comments

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There are many joys of parenting. One of those joys is not having to remove pee stains from a mattress, a mattress that had a waterproof mattress protector on it.

One of my daughters, unfortunately, has an issue with wetting the bed at night. While she’s been potty trained for over a year, and doesn’t wet her bed every night, it’s still regularly happening. Unfortunately this has led to urine stains on her mattress. Multiple urine stains that smell.

The waterproof mattress protectors we placed under our daughter’s sheets, failed. I think the heat from the dryer or their less than top-of-the-line materials, left them anything but waterproof.

Since our twins don’t have assigned beds, not only did I have to clean a mattress that has urine on it once, but twice. 

This stank (literally) because they were new mattresses.

I really wanted to remove the stain and the smell, as quickly and easily as possible, because I couldn’t afford to replace them. And because I love efficiency.

Thanks to an internet search I found this awesome post from the Inspired Housewife, which had a cheap, easy, and effective way to get urine stains out of a mattress.

I decided to try it out for myself on my daughters’ very urinated on mattresses, with old pee stains, and their nice musty pee smell. I wanted to see if it really would work and how well or not it did.

I did the following urine stain removing method and then promptly bought this new waterproof mattress cover so I would never have to do it again.

How to Remove Pee Stains from your mattress, and remove the smell! Fantastic easy tutorial on how to get urine stains out of a mattress.

You can watch the video below for the instructions. But be sure to check out the FAQ section at the end for more tips and advice on how to do it, like recommended spray bottles, and more:

 



Table of contents

  1. Supplies Needed
  2. Cleaning Instructions
  3. Results
  4. Frequently Asked Questions

The Pee Stained Mattresses Before Cleaning:

First, I want to show you just how bad my kids’ pee stained mattresses were:

How to Remove Pee Stains from your mattress, and remove the smell! Fantastic easy tutorial on how to get urine stains out of a mattress.
How to Remove Pee Stains from your mattress, and remove the smell! Fantastic easy tutorial on how to get urine stains out of a mattress.

Yuck! Definitely not what I want my kids’ mattresses to look like and to be sleeping on! Plus, the smell was not so hot.

*If you want a print-friendly version of the following tutorial, CLICK HERE or enter your name and email in the boxes below:*

 

How to Get a Pee Stain out of a Mattress

I used the following tutorial on a regular spring mattress and it worked great. Hundreds of others have also used it with the same great results.

Pee Stain Removal Cleaning Solution

To remove a pee stain from a mattress you need:

  • Empty spray bottle
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Baking Soda
  • Liquid dishwashing soap.
  • Drop of Lavender Essential Oil (optional)
  • Handheld vacuum or canister vacuum
How to Remove Pee Stains from your mattress, and remove the smell! Fantastic easy tutorial on how to get urine stains out of a mattress.

How to Get Urine Out of a Mattress When Dry

DISCLAIMER: Please spot test a small area before doing your entire mattress. I am not responsible for any lasting damage that may occur from you doing this or any voiding or warranties.

Some mattresses, like memory foam or pillow-top mattresses, may not do well with this treatment. It will depend on what your mattress is made out of and how you are supposed to clean it. Use at your own risk.

Time needed: 1 hour and 30 minutes.

How to Remove Urine from a Mattress

  1. Mix Your Urine Removing Solution

    Take the empty spray bottle (these ones are supposed to not clog – if it does, see my FAQ at the bottom) and pour in 8 ounces of hydrogen peroxide, 3 tablespoons of baking soda (add with a funnel) and a drop of liquid hand dishwashing soap.

    You can also add in a drop of lavender or other essential oil to help neutralize the smell. Plus, lavender oil is said to help induce sleep.

    Spin everything around a little bit, but don’t shake it up too much or it may bubble up way too much. Now your urine removing formula is ready to go!

  2. Spray solution onto pee-stained mattress
    how to remove pee stains from mattresses and urine smells using DIY urine stain remover solution

    Spray (or pour) urine remover solution onto your mattress, getting it nice and saturated, especially on yellow pee stains.

    Make sure to use the mixture right away for best results as the peroxide starts to break down in light.

    Make more solution and saturate as needed for large mattresses. Don’t forget to get sides of the mattress too.

  3. Let dry.

    Turn on a fan, stick in the sun, if possible (making sure it is protected with a sheet or tarp), or otherwise let it dry. Within a few minutes of application, you should start to see the stains magically begin to disappear. It should take about an hour to totally dry.

  4. Vacuum off baking soda residue.
    vacuum baking soda residue off pee stained mattress after urine remover solutions has dried

    Once completely dry, and to get rid of the gritty baking soda residue on top of the mattress, and then vacuum the mattress with a high-quality vacuum (I love my Kirby vacuum for cleaning mattresses – I use it as part of my regular mattress care).

*If you want a print-friendly version of this cleaning tutorial, sign up below and I’ll send it and some more awesome cleaning tutorials right to your inbox*:

The end results are amazing! There is a slight yellow residue, but vastly improved.

I have heard from so many people that this tutorial really worked for them and has been such a blessing to them! If you don’t believe me, read all the comments on this post! I get even more comments about how well it works via email and on Pinterest.

The Mattress After Removing the Stains:

Here are the results!:

How to Remove Pee Stains from your mattress, and remove the smell! Fantastic easy tutorial on how to get urine stains out of a mattress.
How to Remove Pee Stains from your mattress, and remove the smell! Fantastic easy tutorial on how to get urine stains out of a mattress.

FAQ When Trying to Get Pee Out of a Mattress

What types of mattresses will this work on?

Traditional spring, pillow top, and hybrid beds should all respond well to this method of removing urine from mattresses, but ALWAYS TEST A SMALL SPOT FIRST.

I have had a handful of people who said it didn’t work on their mattress, mostly those with foam or memory foam mattresses. 🤷‍♀️

Will this tutorial work on a dark-colored mattress or a printed mattress?

While I used this on a white mattress, many have used this same method on colored mattresses and mattresses with prints. You will want to spot test it for color-fastness, but thankfully, you cover up mattresses with sheets and never see it.

My spray bottle is clogging, what do I do?

If you have problems with clogging, try the following:

  • Using less baking soda, mixing it in the peroxide really well first, then pouring it into the spray bottle
  • Pour the solution directly onto the bed and scrub it gently in with a cloth or carpet brush.
  • Mix the solution in a bowl, then saturated with a rag and blot it onto the mattress, making sure every time you blot, you use a clean area of the rag so you’re not putting urine back on the mattress.
  • Get a better spray bottle.

What strength peroxide should I use to remove pee stain from the mattress?

A 3% concentration of hydrogen peroxide is high enough. You can use higher if you want.

How long does a mattress take to dry?

It will usually take 2 hours or more to completely dry.

If you want to speed up the drying time, blot your mattress with some clean rags, turn on a fan or two.

The smell is still there. What can I do?

I would consider doing another round of the treatment above, spraying with vinegar and letting air dry, or someone recommended spraying with rubbing alcohol or straight cheap vodka.

The stain is still there! What went wrong?

If the stain is not lifting after multiple treatments, I would buy a new bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Peroxide loses its potency over time, especially if exposed to sunlight or the lid is left open too long, etc. Make sure your baking soda isn’t too old, too.

You could also be trying to treat a stain that isn’t urine. I cannot guarantee this solution works on all mattress stains (like oil and dirt and sweat) though some have said it worked on other stains on the mattress as well.

Will this urine removing solution work on my couch?

Many have asked if it will work on other fabric furniture, and I have never personally tried it. But, like always, you can experiment yourself in a small area. I don’t know how it works on leather or other couch materials however, and peroxide can change the color of your fabrics.

Will this pee stain remover work on my carpet?

Chances are good that this will work on your carpet! Carpets and rugs are also easy to vacuum so win there! Just test a spot if you are worried about color-fastness.

Can I use Baking Powder instead of Baking Soda?

One commenter asked this, tried it herself, and said YES! Worked like a charm.

What if I don’t have a vacuum?

Definitely not the end of the world if you don’t. You can use a dry towel and brush the baking soda residue to the floor and then sweep it up. Or pick up a simple stick vacuum or handheld vacuum for pretty inexpensive.

What mattress protector do you recommend?

I recommend waterproof mattress protectors. I also highly recommend ones that are also dust mite barriers for better health.

For a really good terry cloth topped, waterproof mattress protector, for not much money, SafeRest makes one of the highest ratest ones on Amazon!

For a 100% waterproof mattress protector that also protects against dust mites and allergens, with a soft top, Ultra Plus makes one of the highest rated ones on Amazon and it’s still very affordable!

Will this work if the pee stain on my mattress is really old and dry?

People have commented that they had pee stains on their mattresses that had been there for YEARS and they were magically removed with this formula. Give it a shot and it may surprise you that this can remove old pee stains with ease.

How to Remove Pee Stains from your mattress, and remove the smell! Fantastic easy tutorial on how to get urine stains out of a mattress.

Be sure to Follow my Cleaning Board on Pinterest for even more cleaning tips and ideas!

 

And check out my more of my amazing How to Clean tutorials!:

  • How to Remove Baby Poop Stains from Clothes
  • How to Remove Poop Stains from Carpets (and the Smell)
  • How to Remove Drink Stains from a Carpet (with just 1 ingredient!)
  • How to Remove Dried Blood Stains
  • How to Clean a Mattress
  • How to Clean a Curling Iron
  • 50+ Deep Cleaning Tips and Tricks for Every Room in Your House
  • Spring Cleaning Checklists and Printables
  • How to Remove Crayon Marks from Walls (11+ Ways)
  • How to Clean Stove Drip Pans (4 Ways)
  • How to Use Bar Keepers Friend on Stainless Steel Pans
  • How to Clean Copper Bottom Pots

What have you done to remove a pee stain from a mattress?

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Filed Under: CLEANING, HOME, PARENTING, PRESCHOOL, TODDLERS Tagged With: baking soda, bed, sleep, smell, stain removal

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Comments

  1. Sheila says

    April 28, 2017 at 1:56 PM

    OMG, THANK YOU THANK YOU! This worked like a dream. No scrubbing, no chemicals! The mattress looks brand new again! YAYYY

    Reply
    • Katelyn Fagan says

      April 28, 2017 at 3:51 PM

      Wonderful to hear!!

      Reply
      • Frustrated says

        July 14, 2017 at 1:40 PM

        Thanks a lot! I mixed your ingredients exactly and all it did was eat the pillowtop so now I have a pee stain and small holes in a brand new mattress!

      • Wendy says

        April 7, 2018 at 8:22 PM

        That’s why you ALWAYS need to test cleaning products on a small area first to see if there is any damage or discolouration. Sorry, but you can’t blame someone else for your laziness.

      • Jill says

        May 7, 2018 at 2:36 AM

        👈 exactly!! EVERYone has said, “TRY A TEST SPOT”!!!

  2. Sheena says

    May 6, 2017 at 10:15 PM

    So I used this method and set my spray bottle down on my enteratainment stand afterwards and the thing started shooting water out of the spray bottle right at my televisions and all over!!! Completely ruined my 60 inch t.v. This mixture should not be in a spray bottle!! Sooooo frustrated!

    Reply
    • Katelyn Fagan says

      May 8, 2017 at 8:02 AM

      I am so sorry to hear that! The pressure of the baking soda and soap will make the bottle foam and bubble, that’s part of the reason I tell you to use the formula right away (also because the peroxide breaks down in light after a while). I’m not sure how else you would apply this mixture to your mattress without completely drenching your mattress, which could lead to issues with it drying super slowly. It can also help if you turn the nozzle to off when not in use, and definitely don’t put it next to electronics and other things that should not be wet.

      I will add a statement in the post.

      Reply
      • Showna says

        May 27, 2017 at 3:25 PM

        We used your method on really old stains and found that a cheap scrub brush(new and tossed after) got all stains out, not even a slight stain left. No odor either, Thank You

      • Katelyn Fagan says

        May 27, 2017 at 6:24 PM

        Wonder!! Yeah!! And a scrub brush is a great idea to help out really old stains.

  3. Cheryl Beglau says

    May 16, 2017 at 7:42 AM

    Thank you sooooo much. My cat pee’d on our really nice mattress and even though I cleaned it right away. I applied your recipe and then tried to smell the area. I disappeared right away. Now to dry and vacuum. This will be attached to my clipboard in the laundry room for easy access. Thank you and those who posted before you.

    Reply
  4. Heidi says

    June 4, 2017 at 4:23 PM

    No way! It totally worked right away!!!! You’ve made my night!

    Reply
  5. Cici says

    June 14, 2017 at 9:08 PM

    OMG, I cannot believe how well this worked, I also wish I would have taken a picture before and after as the after is so clean. no stain at all , no smell. yeah. THank You, Thank you , Thank you

    Reply
  6. RK says

    June 16, 2017 at 8:18 PM

    I had to come back to testify. This is an AMAZING remedy. I mean Amazing!! Granted I had to use 3 bottles of peroxide because We have a pillow top mattress, but it worked it worked it worked. Highly recommended the mattress looks infinitely better and not gross !

    Reply
    • Katelyn Fagan says

      June 16, 2017 at 9:04 PM

      Yeah!!!! Thank you so much for letting me know! I love hearing that it worked so well for others!

      Reply
      • Tonya Godfrey says

        June 25, 2017 at 9:06 PM

        Is there a certain amount of everything to use??

  7. Beverly McCarter says

    June 25, 2017 at 10:36 AM

    Why not dissolve the baking soda first?

    Reply
    • Katelyn Fagan says

      June 25, 2017 at 11:28 PM

      Sure! Why not? That would probably work well too. Give it a shot!

      Reply
  8. Roy says

    June 27, 2017 at 9:55 AM

    You saved my mattress… this solution really works. I don’t have the before photos of my mattress . I can show my he difference between after and before.its like magic.. my mattress now looks like new… thanks again.

    Reply
    • Sierra says

      July 12, 2017 at 8:42 PM

      I just used this and am in awe of how well it worked! I did personally use a sponge to get it way in there and it literally got rid of everything.

      Reply
  9. Kim says

    July 14, 2017 at 5:45 PM

    Ok- that was amazing. It’s like magic. I really thought I was going to have to throw out another mattress. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Kim says

      July 14, 2017 at 5:47 PM

      I will say that the solution kept clogging up the spray bottle- so I poured it into a bowl and saturated a rag with the stuff and blotted the stain until it was saturated.

      Reply
      • Katelyn Fagan says

        July 15, 2017 at 9:29 AM

        Great idea! I know, the biggest complaint is the clogging of the spray bottle. I am glad it worked!

      • Danielle says

        September 4, 2017 at 8:45 PM

        I was wondering if this solution would also work for a pillowtop mattress and if I would need to do anything different? I have a horrible stench of urine that I have tried to get rif of but I really want to try this now. Thanks for any info!

      • Katelyn Fagan says

        September 5, 2017 at 8:28 PM

        Test spot first! Not all pillow tops are made the same, so I can’t tell you it won’t damage anything because I don’t know what yours is made out of.

  10. a mom says

    July 28, 2017 at 8:44 PM

    FYI…. I don’t wash our waterproof mattress cover, I just clean it with spray and microfiber cloth after accidents. It has stayed good. (i checked mattress once) I have the one that you recommended in your post.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      August 2, 2017 at 10:09 PM

      Started out with the spray bottle and had the clogging issue. I then used an old bicycle water bottle (squeeze type), and opened the spout half way to control the flow. It worked really well and I’m happy with the results. Thanks for sharing your magic cleaning solution! Kind regards, Lisa

      Reply
  11. Herry Hermawan says

    September 23, 2017 at 3:33 PM

    Thanks for sharing, i will try with my mattress

    Reply
  12. LeslieAdrienne says

    October 2, 2017 at 1:18 PM

    Absolutely fabulous solution!!! Previously tried other odor banning solutions and a rousing amount of ammonia… none of these worked… I was at my wit’s end… Thank God for this solution… worked like a charm. No stain, no odor no more issue!!!!!

    Reply
    • Katelyn Fagan says

      October 2, 2017 at 10:08 PM

      Yeah!! I am so glad it worked out so perfectly for you!!!

      Reply
    • Joyce says

      March 12, 2018 at 5:53 AM

      Leslie, it’s 530am and one of my 12yo twins is in bed w me after an ‘accident’. I’m frustrated but I just laughed out loud at your ‘rousing amount of ammonia’ comment!

      Thank you!

      Reply
  13. Rebeca says

    December 21, 2017 at 7:44 PM

    I just tried this, and the pee stain was gone completely, and previous stains faded dramatically. I will give it another shot tomorrow. This really works though, and I did add lavender essential oil and smells so good! Perfect for my daughters mattress, thank you!!

    Reply
    • Katelyn Fagan says

      December 22, 2017 at 11:07 AM

      Yeah!! So glad to hear! Thanks for letting me know!

      Reply
  14. Joh says

    December 25, 2017 at 9:07 PM

    What strength of peroxide do you use?
    Thanks

    Reply
  15. Susan Smith says

    January 18, 2018 at 9:44 AM

    Well, my dog is out of the doghouse–sort of! Your “recipe” worked unbelievably fast!! Since I have a pillow top mattress, I called the store where I purchased it to make sure it would be okay. She said she felt it would not be harmful, but she also gave me a good tip which I’m passing on. She said not to spray the mattress but use old rags, wet them and BLOT THE STAINED AREA. Every time you blot, use a clean area of the rag so you’re not putting urine back on the mattress. I did that and also used dry rags to blot and help dry the area. Since I didn’t soak it, the drying time was just about two hours. I turned on the ceiling fan over the bed to help with drying time. Thanks so much for your great recipe.

    Reply
  16. Greg says

    January 20, 2018 at 4:48 PM

    My daughter wet her mattress yesterday so badly I thought it trash. It had a waterproof protector on it, too that failed. Googled if there was any way to clean a soiled mattress and found your method. I used it just now and actually watched the stains disappear as I stood there for a couple minutes. I really can’t believe it. I’m very relieved. Thanks very much. Going to check out your other posts as well.

    Reply
  17. Judy Decker says

    February 8, 2018 at 1:14 PM

    I used your directions and it worked great!’ So happy cuz mattress is fairly new. Will tell anyone who has that problem what to use. My mattress looks new nand I’m so happy!! Thank u so much

    Reply
  18. D. Hillis says

    April 19, 2018 at 9:44 AM

    I realize this is an old article but this saved my mattress. My littlest was sleeping in my bad and had an accident. Our mattress protector failed to keep the pee off the mattress. I looked led this up and it was amazing!! Thank you!

    Reply
  19. Yolanda says

    April 23, 2018 at 10:19 AM

    Worked just as well on pillow top mattress. I have a mattress cover, a down pillow top on that and another mattress cover over that. Unfortunately my grandson pees like an old man. I told my daughter they would have to move out if the stain didn’t come out so you concoction saved them😁. I used cedarwood essential oils instead of lavender and the mattress and room smell great.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  20. Kelley says

    May 2, 2018 at 2:24 PM

    To everyone still having problems getting the smell out, try spraying a high percentage rubbing alcohol, or straight cheap vodka, on it! I had a couch that smaller terribly of wet dog, and saturated the surface with rubbing alcohol. Worked great!

    Reply
  21. Best Folding Wagon says

    May 5, 2018 at 1:34 AM

    As a mom to two boys, one who didn’t potty train until after age 4, I could have used this trick back then. It was a crazy time of urine on mattresses, having to get new ones all of the time as you could never get them clean or smell out. I am certain this will be helpful for parents who had to deal with the same thing!

    Reply
  22. Dana says

    May 9, 2018 at 12:54 PM

    This is a old post, but as I was putting the mixture I my mattress it like renewed the pee smell. So gross. But it already seems to be working… it seemed to help quite a bit witha blood stain (my son) fairly quickly. Fingers crossed. I have to do another one on my son’s mattress.

    Reply
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