Learn how to clean a mattress step by step: lift stains, urine, and odors with baking soda and simple tools for a fresher, healthier night's sleep.
Learning how to clean a mattress is one of the easiest ways to sleep healthier and extend the life of your bed. You spend roughly a third of your life on your mattress, yet it quietly collects sweat, dead skin, dust mites, and the occasional spill. The good news: with a vacuum, some baking soda, and a little time, you can deep clean a mattress at home in an afternoon.
This step-by-step guide covers exactly how to clean a mattress, how to remove tough stains and urine, how often to do it, and how to keep your bed fresher for longer. Whether you live in breezy Santa Monica, dusty parts of the Valley, or a Koreatown apartment, these simple methods work for every mattress type.
A mattress is a sponge for everything your body sheds overnight. Over months, it accumulates body oils, sweat, allergens, and dust mites that can trigger sniffles, itchy eyes, and poor sleep. Regular cleaning keeps allergens down and helps your mattress smell fresh.
According to the Sleep Foundation, routine mattress care also helps protect your warranty and prevents premature sagging. In a city like Los Angeles, where coastal humidity near the beach and dust inland both work against your bedding, a clean mattress simply lasts longer and feels better.
Beyond hygiene, a fresh sleeping surface genuinely improves rest. Fewer allergens and odors mean deeper, less interrupted sleep, which is the whole point of investing in a quality bed in the first place.
As a general rule, give your mattress a full deep clean every six months, and a quick vacuum and spot check every one to two months. Spills, accidents, and allergies call for immediate attention.
If you have pets, kids, or allergies, lean toward the more frequent end of that range. Stripping and washing your sheets weekly in hot water also dramatically reduces how much grime ever reaches the mattress itself.
Here is the simplest reliable method for how to clean a mattress from start to finish. Set aside a few hours, ideally on a sunny morning so the bed can air out.
Remove all sheets, pillowcases, and any mattress protector, and wash them in the hottest water the fabric allows. Hot water kills dust mites and bacteria that cool cycles leave behind.
Using your vacuum's upholstery attachment, slowly go over the whole mattress, including the sides and seams where dust and debris hide. This single step removes the bulk of dust, skin flakes, and dust mites.
Treat visible marks with a gentle solution before deodorizing. Mix a little mild dish soap or an enzyme cleaner with water, dab (do not soak) the stain with a clean cloth, and blot from the outside in. Avoid drenching the mattress, since too much moisture can lead to mildew.
Sprinkle a generous, even layer of baking soda across the whole mattress. Baking soda is the secret weapon for neutralizing odors and pulling out lingering moisture. Let it sit for at least an hour, and ideally several, with a window open.
Vacuum up all the baking soda, then let the mattress breathe. If you can, open a window or let sunlight hit it, since fresh air and UV light naturally freshen the surface before you remake the bed.
Accidents happen, and knowing how to get pee out of a mattress quickly makes all the difference. The key is to act fast and use an enzyme-based approach that breaks down the odor rather than masking it.
For fresh urine, blot up as much liquid as possible with dry towels, pressing firmly without rubbing. Then follow these steps to remove the stain and the smell:
To get the pee smell out of a mattress that has already dried, an enzyme cleaner is your best friend, since it digests the proteins that cause lingering odor. For blood, sweat, or coffee stains, cold water and a gentle cleaner work better than heat, which can set a stain permanently. For deep or old stains, you may need to repeat the process a couple of times.
The best cleaning is the cleaning you never have to do. A few simple habits keep your mattress fresher between deep cleans:
If your mattress is sagging, stained beyond repair, or simply past its prime even after a thorough cleaning, it may be time for an upgrade. Explore our selection of fresh, supportive mattresses or learn the warning signs in our guide to when it is time for a new mattress. Pairing a new bed with a quality protector keeps it cleaner from day one.
Blot up as much urine as possible with dry towels, then treat the area with an enzyme cleaner or a mix of equal parts white vinegar and water. Blot, sprinkle baking soda to absorb moisture and odor, let it dry, and vacuum up the residue.
Deep clean your mattress about every six months, and vacuum the surface every one to two months. Treat spills and stains right away, and clean more often if you have pets, kids, or allergies.
Use an enzyme-based cleaner, which breaks down the proteins that cause urine odor rather than just covering it. Apply it, let it sit, blot, then deodorize with baking soda once the area is dry.
You can lightly steam most mattresses to kill dust mites and bacteria, but use minimal moisture and let the mattress dry fully before remaking the bed. Excess water can lead to mildew, so avoid soaking memory foam mattresses in particular.
Yes. Baking soda is one of the most effective ways to deodorize a mattress because it absorbs moisture and neutralizes odors. Sprinkle it on, leave it for at least an hour, then vacuum it up for a noticeably fresher bed.
Now that you know how to clean a mattress, a fresher, healthier night's sleep is just an afternoon away. Vacuum regularly, deodorize with baking soda, treat stains and urine promptly with an enzyme cleaner, and protect your bed with a washable cover to keep it clean for years.
And when cleaning is no longer enough, the team at LA Mattress Store is here to help Los Angeles sleepers find their perfect upgrade. Visit us to test supportive, high-quality mattresses in person and start fresh. Your best night's sleep starts with a clean, comfortable bed.
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