After a night of drinking, you realize that you have done the irreparable in your sleep: you threw up on your mattress. And since bad things always come in pairs, your cat decided to add to the disaster because it couldn't stand the smell and it urinated right on top of that!
At the sight of the task awaiting you (cleaning your mattress), you’re thinking that it’s pretty much the end of the world .
And since you have a headache, you would prefer to avoid the noise of the vacuum cleaner as well as the smell of a ton of chemical products while you’re hungover.
You then start looking for a way to wash your mattress easily and simply with what you have available in the house through a Google search. And boom! You come across this Polysleep guide that gives you all the tips and tricks you need to wash your mattress EASILY and from TOP-TO-BOTTOM, so that it’s as good as new!
In this complete guide on the subject, Polysleep gives you the key to the questions you’re probably asking yourself, which are:
- How do you wash/clean your mattress?
- How do you clean urine from a mattress?
- How do you remove a bloodstain from a mattress?
- How do you wash mould off?
- How do you remove stains?
- How do you clean a mattress without a vacuum?
- Can you clean your mattress with a steam cleaner?
- How do you remove odours from a mattress?
- What natural products can you use to clean your mattress?
Good reading!
Washing a mattress naturally to remove everyday stains is possible!
The mattress is not a recent invention. The word mattress is even derived from the Arabic word matrah! And stains are just as old. So how did your great-grandma Dorothy remove everyday stains from her mattress in 1837? Probably with one of the following natural (or almost natural) solutions!
For those nasty everyday stains: white vinegar and/or dishwashing liquid!
Let's start with the more traditional of the two, white vinegar! An environmentally friendly solution of choice, this one is particularly indicated to remove mould stains and make your mattress look everything but musty! To do this, nothing could be simpler: Mix 500 ml of white vinegar with 200 ml of warm water and the equivalent of two tablespoons of dishwashing liquid to give your mattress back, especially if it's a foam mattress, all its glory!
Once this mixture has been prepared, soak a clean sponge in it, taking care to wring it out afterwards. Then use the best of your elbow grease! Scrub the stain but also its surroundings to avoid creating unsightly rings. Then wipe over the stain with a damp sponge, wrung out, and finally with a dry cloth to remove any moisture. Let it dry in the open air, and that's it!
You can also use only dishwashing liquid if you want to avoid doing the chemist thing. In this case, mix dishwashing liquid with warm water and rub the areas to be cleaned on the mattress with this mixture. Then rinse the treated areas with a damp glove and leave to dry for several hours. Voilà!
Baking soda or how to dry-clean a mattress!
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, you’ll have to use the vacuum cleaner! However, this will save you (or almost) from using liquids, and therefore you won't have to wait a long time for your mattress to dry.
How does this miracle solution work? It works as follows: sprinkle a mixture of baking soda and tea tree essential oil on the surface of the mattress, let it rest for 60 minutes and then vacuum the powder off. Easy peasy, right?
Cleaning a mattress with a steam cleaner: possible but not recommended!
What about cleaning a mattress with a steam cleaner? At Polysleep, we wouldn't exactly say no, but we don't recommend it either.
Why not? Because compared to the benefits, the disadvantages are not worth it! First of all, this device will only be effective if the mattress is not stained, which limits its applications.
Besides, if the mattress is too wet, rings could appear, not to mention the potential formation of mould due to humidity, which can be harmful to your health!
Ammonia: treating evil with evil!
Milo's urine smells like ammonia and your unsightly vomit stain smells like it too. It’s making you nauseous. So why use ammonia? Because ammonia is very effective in both cases! And it's fast. Three spoonfuls of ammonia, four droplets of washing liquid in a litre of warm to hot water, elbow grease to rub the stain with the above-mentioned mixture, and that's it! Rinse the spot you just rubbed immediately afterwards with a sponge moistened with clear water to stop the action of the ammonia and dissipate its smell. The dry the area, you can either pat it dry with a dry towel or use your hairdryer at low heat.
For vomit, it’s even simpler: soak a washcloth or mitten in a solution of water and ammonia, wrung it out and run it over the stained spot. Then, put some baking soda on the area to remove the smell of ammonia!
The ultimate solution: cleaning a mattress with soda ash!
This powerful disinfectant, which still requires a few precautions in use, is easily found in any drugstore worthy of the name. Soda ash can remove even the most difficult stains, including the worst of all—blood stains! To remove these stubborn stains, simply pour a cup of soda crystals into a basin and fill it with hot water, making sure that the solution is diluted evenly. Soak a sponge in the solution and rub hard on the stains to be removed. Then wipe a clean damp sponge over the stains and allow the mattress to dry.
“Ok Google! I washed and rinsed the blood and vomit stains out! Is there anything left to do?”
What the search engine will tell you is: “Yes, you still have two steps left, talcum powder and above all, drying the mattress completely!” You think your ordeal will never end. Don't worry, these steps are quick and easy too!
Talcum powder: to remove odours from your mattress so that they don't come back!
This step is crucial if you hate it when your mattress stinks. Talcum powder will magically make bad odours disappear and prevent them from coming back to invade your bed and your nose. How do you do it? It's just as easy: once you've rinsed your mattress, apply the talcum powder to the area that has just been cleaned. Let it absorb all the moisture it can for a day. In the evening, simply vacuum up the talcum powder and voilà!
Optimum drying: the key to maximizing your mattress cleaning!
Once your mattress has been cleaned and rinsed, it is VERY important to dry it in the most optimal way possible. Remember that a mattress that isn’t dry can be a nest of moisture, which can lead to mould, which is bad for your health.
So how to optimize the drying of your mattress? Wash your mattress in the morning to give it time to dry for the rest of the day. Once the mattress has been cleaned, rub the washed areas with a very clean towel and let it dry near a window or door that is slightly open. You can also cut things short by applying warm air with your hairdryer. Make your bed at the end of the day/early evening, after making sure the mattress is COMPLETELY dry.
You now have all the keys in hand to wash a mattress/remove the most stubborn stains with natural products (well, almost all of them) while minimizing your use of the vacuum cleaner! Isn't life beautiful? Thanks to whom? Polysleep of course! So all you have to do is get started, hang in there!
