Ever wondered how to get pee out of a mattress? We did too. Since we’re into having a quality mattress we wondered. What if you have a great mattress but now you have pee stains on it? You can try and clean it yourself but it’s not easy.
This is a great method because it uses inexpensive items that you probably have around the house already. When we learned about it, we had to test it out. Does it really work??
You can get pee on a mattress from a child who wets the bed, has an accident, an older person who needs assistance, or even from your pets…we don’t really care how the pee got there. It smells and doesn’t look good either. We want to get it out! After it’s out we want to make sure we don’t have to clean our mattress ever again.
How to get urine out of a mattress when dry
Our friend had a very old mattress full of pee stains. They were all dried on. She lent it to us so we could see if this method actually works. The owner of the mattress did everything he could to get the pee out. He tried to clean it himself but as you can tell it didn’t work. At all. There was an awful smell too! It was so bad that Diana’s husband opened the door to the mud room, he didn’t know we had the mattress in there. When he smelled it he wanted to throw up.
Honestly, I had my doubts about this method and if it would work. After all, this mattress had the number 1959 written on it so it’s over 50 years old! I think it’s past its 7-year warranty too. Yep, time for a new mattress! We’re up for the challenge though.
How to Get Pee Out of a Mattress
Here’s the step-by-step method we used to pee stains and smell out of the mattress. Here’s what you need to assemble to tackle that urine!
Items Needed:
- Hydrogen peroxide. We used 3%.
Get a large container of hydrogen peroxide if you have a large stain or a lot of surface area to cover as we did. We got a 32-ounce container at the dollar store. We ended up needing most of it for just the upper half and side of the mattress. - Baking soda.
- Dishwashing liquid, such as Dawn (brand doesn’t matter)
OPTIONAL but recommended: lavender essential oil. We used doTerra lavender essential oil. Lavender is what spas use to help you relax. It’s known to be calming and helps you fall asleep easier. It has a pleasant smell that almost everyone loves.
Supplies
We had gloves on to protect ourselves from the pee when we moved the mattress. Also in case we spilled. You may or may not need them. We got most of our supplies at the Dollar Store.
You also need the following supplies:
- A heavy-duty spray bottle with the end nozzle removed. Like this one. If you use a cheap one it WILL CLOG. Then you’ll have to dump the solution on the mattress.
- A plastic measuring cup.
- Plastic measuring spoons.
- Funnel.
- Vacuum cleaner or broom.
Get Pee Out of Mattress: The 5 Easy Steps
Here’s the exact recipe we used…
Step 1: Pour 8 ounces of hydrogen peroxide into your measuring cup.
Step 2: Add 3 Tablespoons of baking soda.
Step: 3 A drop of liquid dishwashing soap.
OPTIONAL: 5-10 drops of lavender essential oil
Step 4: Mix the solution together and pour it into your spray bottle. It’s easier to mix before adding but if you have clumps, that’s ok. Spray on all pee spots. Saturate the area so it’s really wet. Don’t forget to spray the sides or top too!
Step 5: Let the mattress dry. Vacuum off the residue. We love this cordless handheld vacuum. If you don’t have a vacuum, that’s ok. Just use a broom to brush the residue off.
How to Get Pee out of a Mattress Video – Watch us in Action
I have to say that Diana’s editing skills are getting better with each video! I love the part where she talks about the year written on the mattress. PLUS, there’s a blooper at the end! We’re so fancy now! The video shows mattress stain removal – not just urine.
Don’t Make Yourself Clean your Bed Again – Get a Waterproof Mattress Protector
IMPORTANT: Now that your mattress is clean, you need to protect it!! Yes, get a “mattress pee protector”! Otherwise, you’ll have to clean it again and again. After it’s all clean, be sure to use a waterproof mattress protector like this high quality bestselling mattress protector. It’s noiseless and very effective.
If your child (or anyone who has issues with bedwetting, even your pet) has frequent issues then you might also consider an incontinence pad. It even works for period leaks.
We did a video review of the Coop incontinence pad and tested it with 20 cups of liquid, including real pee, here. It’s a pad that goes over the bed sheets that is super absorbent. If there’s pee you can pull it off the bed really fast and wash it without having to wash all the sheets too. It’s a time saver for the right situation!
That’s it!! It really works! If you have a mattress that has pee on it that you want to get out, try it, you will be amazed!
BEFORE:
AFTER:
This method works even if it’s old pee or an old mattress – even on set-in pee stains! We were inspired to try this by this post from Katelyn.
Mattress smells like urine?
If your mattress smells like urine, this method will also take out the smell (not just the stain).
How to get urine out of a memory foam mattress
This was not a memory foam mattress, however, this method will work on any mattress that has a cotton cover (or cotton blend). It may not work if the top is made of polyester – we haven’t tried it to confirm).
If you try this yourself, please comment and let us know how it went for you!
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So fun to see how well it worked for you!! And on such an old mattress!! Amazing!
Thanks Katelyn – we were surprised too! We were really doubtful that it would work but it did!
Thank you soooo much it worked great I really appreciate you fir putting this on youtube man I’m soooo happy it worked
Another mattress saved! Happy to hear it!
I tried this on my mattress after my cat peed on it and it worked great I was so happy about my mattress being clean it’s awesome thank you so much.
So happy to hear it worked for you!
How long did you let it dry?
We let ours dry overnight but depending on your climate and how much liquid you used it may dry in a few hours. This was in the summer so it dried faster but we didn’t finish until the next day.
No scrubbing??
I have tried so many diy mattress cleaners and every one has left my mattress worse than it started. I sprayed this one on this morning and the pee smell is already gone from the mattress and the color is fading. Fingers crossed it takes all the color out!
Let us know, sounds like it’s working!!
Does it work on memory foam mattresses ?
Yes
You two made my day! ❤️
Happy to help!
Can I use this on a rug?
We haven’t tested it but it depends on what it’s made of. If it’s polyester then be careful not to get too close because the heat can melt the fibers.
My mattress is really thick and my dog peed on it. How do I make sure it gets all the way into the mattress so it doesn’t smell
Excellent! I was in desperate need of a fix to this problem. You’re wonderful. Thank you
AH-amazing, just got a new big girl mattress for our daughter and she got sick and it got a good size stain on it. I did this and it looks brand new again!! Thank you Ladies!!
Can I use a hair dryer to speed up the drying process?
Wow that did a a great job! Well I hope it does the same for me! I have been staying at my parents beach house the past two months with my son and he had an accident, totally ruined the new mattress. I tried to fix it but looked ten times worse after. He had another accident on the same mattress and it’s a disaster. I feel awful that my parents new mattress is ruined. Well, fingers crossed, I just did major spraying. One question, you leave it on atleast overnight, correct? Thanks ladies!
Hi Lindsey,
This sounds like a big challenge but I think you found the solution. Literally.
It takes about 8-10 hours for it to dry. You can put a fan on it to help, open the windows if there’s a breeze.
Good luck and please come back and tell us how it goes. I hope your parents never even know.
Also if you can, get a waterproof mattress protector asap.
Thanks for your comment
Janet
Thank you for this cleaning recipe! We’ve used Nature’s Miracle, which mostly did the trick, but for such dense upholstery we need a little something extra to get the scent out. Only hesitation is the promotion of a predatory business (doTERRA), but the general idea of adding an essential oil to help with scent is fantastic! Quite excited to try this out!
Hello, thank you for this video. Will this method work on a pillow top mattress?
Hi, yes it will. Just be careful not to get it too wet. It can soak up so much water on that lower density foam and be tough to dry. The last thing you want is mold. So just use enough liquid to clean and if you can, put it outside or a fan on it.
I tried this recipe Jan 2020, on a mattress and It worked great! My cat threw up on a quilt and I’m trying this on it, a stain remover didnt work, so I hope this works!
I am so happy I found this! I have tried so many different solutions & spent so much money so I couldn’t believe this would actually work, BUT it does work & it works great!!! Follow directions & be amazed!