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Dealing with urine in a mattress can be frustrating, especially if you invested a lot of money into a high quality mattress. The good news is that there are some easy ways to get rid of the smell and keep your mattress smelling fresh for years to come.
The steps and materials used are generally the same regardless of whether the pee smell is coming from pet urine (most commonly cats or dogs) or human urine. Follow the steps below to learn how to get urine smell out of a mattress.
Step 1: Strip The Bed
If you haven't already done so, your first step is to remove all bed sheets, blankets, covers, or toppers from the bed and treat them individually to remove the pee smell and then put them in the washing machine for a deep clean.
Step 2: Soak Up Wet Pee
If you're dealing with a fresh urine stain, then before treating the mattress, it's important to soak up as much of the wet pee as possible. This will help prevent any moisture from the excess pee from getting trapped inside the mattress. You'll want to use a paper towels or a disposable sponge or rag to soak up as much liquid as possible.
Step 3: Apply Baking Soda
There are quite a few cleaning products that can help remove the smell of urine from a mattress, but we’ve found that baking soda tends to work best and its one of the most cost effective options.
For fresh urine, simply apply the baking soda (dry) directly on top of the area where the urine was soaked up. Make sure not to spread the baking soda generously so that there is enough to soak up the urine. Let the powder sit for 4-6 hours.
For old urine stains and smells, mix baking soda and water with a 1:1 ratio and apply the paste to the parts of the mattress affected by the urine (or the entire mattress if the smell has spread) and gently scrub the solution into the mattress with a brush. Let the solution sit for at least 8-10 hours or until it drys to let it soak in and absorb the urine odor.
Step 4: Vacuum Up Loose Baking Soda
Regardless of whether you applied dry or wet baking soda to the bed, wait at least 4-6 hours or until it's dry (airing out the room can help it dry faster) and then use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of the residual baking soda solution.
If the smell is gone, this is your last step. If you're dealing with a stubborn smell that still hasn't gone away after going through the steps outlined above, then it's time to try some other cleaning solutions.
Step 5: Try Other Cleaners If Baking Soda Doesn't Work
If baking soda didn't do the trick, you may need to try using another cleaner.
We recommend trying a mixture of vinegar and water. Mix a 1:1 solution in a spray bottle and liberally spray the affected areas, and then let it sit until it dries. The vinegar will help neutralize the ammonia in the urine which produces the foul smell. And don't worry, the vinegar smell will go away too once it dries up.
Another option would be to try steam cleaning the mattress. After you finish steaming, then liberally apply a generous layer of dry baking soda to absorb the now-moisturized urine smell. Then vacuum up the dry powder after 8-10 hours hours.
If all else fails, try an odor elimination spay that's specifically designed for removing urine odor. Keep reading to learn about some of our favorites.
Best Urine Smell Elimination Sprays
There are a number of cleaning solutions on the market that claim to eliminate urine smell, but not all are created equal! If you've followed the instructions above to to get rid of the urine from your mattress but the smell is still lingering, try one of our favorite odor elimination sprays below.
Zero Odor Multi-Purpose Spray
This is one of our favorites because it works great for urine odor elimination and can also be used throughout the house for other purposes (such as in the bathroom after using the toilet). And it doesn't try to cover up the smell with fragrances. Instead, it goes right to the source of the unpleasant odors and destroys it - all without adding any lingering scents.
Angry Orange Enzyme Cleaner & Pet Stain Remover Spray
This is one of the best enzyme-based cleaners on the market. Cleaning enzymes break down the chemicals that produce the smell, so similar to products like Zero Odor, it eliminates the problem at the source instead of just masking the smell. Unlike Zero, it does leave behind a subtle orange smell.
Nature's Miracle
Much like Zero Odor and Angry Orange, this product targets the root issue of the smell - the urine itself. It can be used on sheets, hard surfaces, and in the air. So if you're dealing with regular urine accidents as they come (hint: a waterproof mattress protector is a great investment too!), this is a great solution because you can spray it in the air while the mattress is being treated, and you can spray it throughout the house wherever the scent may have spread.
Now that you know how to get urine smell out of a mattress, let us know which cleaning solution worked best for you in the comments below!