As soon as urine hits your mattress topper you have two problems: stains, and bad smell. If you don’t react quickly to neutralise and remove it then that smell will never fully go away. Bacteria will also breed like crazy.
Kids, pets and accidents happen at the worst possible time to most of us. Adult accidents are embarrassing but equally common. Either way you’ll jump out of your skin when it happens – but take a few calming breaths!
So you need to:
A) Remove the stain.
B) Neutralise/remove the urine smell.
You CAN do both without ruining your mattress topper if you use the right products and techniques. We’ll outline some safe and proven methods for all types of mattress toppers below. Everything we recommend can be bought in the UK.
Quick note before we begin: Always spot test by colourfastness ANY product on a hidden area of your mattress topper before you apply it to the urine stain.
QUICK! !
If You've Just Had an Accident, Do This First!
Important: Don’t rub the urine in!
Wait times are critical when dealing with urine. The longer it stays on your mattress, the longer it soaks in and binds itself to fibres and foam. This will make removing the smell (step B above) much more difficult.
Every cleaning technique listed here starts with these 3 basic steps. They apply to every type of mattress topper:
STEP 1: Blot with kitchen roll/clean white cloths. Time: Immediate action required.
STEP 2: Rinse with cold water/liquid soap solution. Time: As soon as possible.
STEP 3: Apply pressure with dry towels. Time: Straight after STEP 2.
Simple stuff. Let’s look at what you can do to neutralise that smell.
The Urine Odour Removal Process (All Types of Topper)
Care Label: ALWAYS read this first.
If it says “Dry Clean Only” or “Do Not Wash” then you’ll need to stick with spot cleaning methods (see below).
Once you know your mattress topper is CLEANABLE proceed with these steps:
Step 1. Blot Up Excess Liquid
Tools: Kitchen roll, clean white cloths, Microfibre towels.
Technique: Firmly press cloths/towels repeatedly over the stain. Blot up as much liquid as possible. Don’t rub.
Explanation: Rubbing will only spread the urine deeper into your mattress.
Step 2. Rinse with Cold Water/Liquid Soap Solution
Tools: Clean white cloth, Microfiber towel.
Solution: Small amount of mild liquid soap (washing-up liquid or liquid laundry detergent) mixed with COLD water. Do NOT use hot water!! !
Technique: Dampen clean cloth with solution. Gently blot over stain. Then blot over stain again with cloth dampened with cold water only. Repeat this process until you have rinsed out as much soap solution as possible.
Explanation: Hot water will “bake in” both stain and urine smell.
Step 3. Blot With Dry Towels
Tools: Dry towels or kitchen roll.
Technique: Press firmly over stain with towels until no more liquid is absorbed.
Advanced Tip: Stack towels on top of each other. Place a heavy book / flowerpot on top and leave for an hour. This should pull more moisture out of your mattress topper.
Now You Can Begin Odour Removal...
It’s important to understand that just because you’ve cleaned a urine stain, it may NOT smell completely clean to you.
Urine has uric acid crystals which remain behind after you’ve done all the steps above. In order to remove the smell you need to use a product that breaks down these crystals.
Note: These next two methods may cause color fading on some mattress toppers. Spot check by colorfastness in an hidden area before continuing.
Option 1 – WHITE VINEGAR Solution
Effectiveness: Works well on most mattress toppers.
Explanation: Vinegar is a weak acid which neutralizes alkaline salts left by urine. It also kills bacteria.
Solution: Mix white distilled vinegar with cold water in a 1:3 ratio.
Tools: Spray bottle.
Technique: Lightly spray or apply small amounts of vinegar solution to the stain. Leave for 10-15 minutes. Blot dry. Repeat this process if smell remains.
Step 3 (again): Now go back to Step 3 above. Rinse out vinegar solution with clean, water-dampened cloth. Blot dry.
ADVANCED TIP: Use an ENZYME cleaner instead of Vinegar.
Why does this work?
These are biological cleaning agents that literally “eat” away the uric acid crystals (source of the smell).
Super brands you can buy in the UK: Simple Solution, Urine-Off, and Bissell Pet Stain & Odor Remover (pet shops/supermarkets).
Carefully follow instructions on bottle. Usually you soak, wait a while, then allow to air dry. Spot check by colorfastness first.
Option 2 – Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) Treatment
Explanation: This is useful for when you have finished cleaning, but the smell still persists.
Time: Leave baking soda on overnight for best results.
Technique: Once you have completed steps 1-3 above, and the stain is clean but may smell:
Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda all over stain.
Leave for a minimum of 8 hours. Ideal would be 24 hours.
Vacuum up with upholstery attachment.
⚠️ Things you SHOULD NEVER use to clean urine off a mattress topper:
Ammonia-based cleaners. Urine contains ammonia. You’ll just smell it worse.
Chlorine bleach. May discolor and breakdown mattress foam. Also releases toxic gases if mixed with vinegar/ammonia.
Steam cleaner (on foam toppers). You’re injecting hot, moisture into your mattress which can cause havoc with memory foam or latex. Plus it will force urine smell into the depths of your mattress.
Cleaning by Material Type
We’ve given you some universal cleaning steps that work on every type of mattress topper. But there are some extra things you should know about each material.
If you have a spot-clean ONLY mattress topper then follow our universal stain removal steps listed above as closely as possible.
For machine washable toppers, see our instructions on how to wash a mattress topper at the end of the guide.
1. Memory Foam Mattress Topper or Latex Topper Cleaning Instructions
Most important factor: Moisture penetration.
Memory foam retains moisture, which could lead to internal mold growth if your mattress topper gets soaked during the cleaning process.
Solution: Use as little liquid as possible. Blot hard. Be sparing with your cleaning agents and don’t allow any liquid to pool on top of your mattress.
Drying is important: Once you’ve finished cleaning, leave your mattress topper by an open window with good ventilation (not direct sunlight). Put a fan next to it blowing on the affected area. Flip it if you can. You want every speck of moisture to evaporate before you put sheets back on.
2. Feather / Down Mattress Topper Cleaning Instructions
Similar to memory foam – but even more absorbent.
If your mattress topper says it’s safe to machine wash, then do that.
Stains can set in feather/down very easily so if you HAVE to spot clean then:
Stick to the steps above, and be ultra careful about using too much liquid. Less is more.
You may want to get it professionally cleaned if it was a large accident.
3. Wool Mattress Topper Cleaning Instructions
Dry clean only PLEASE.
Wool is naturally anti-bacterial but can felt if you rub too much. Blot only.
You can spot clean wool mattress toppers with a mild vinegar solution.
Air dry.
4. Pillow-Top (Polyester Fiber Top) Mattress Topper Cleaning Instructions
These are generally the easiest to clean as they’re very durable.
You still can’t saturate them with liquid. Follow steps above.
Drying will be your biggest concern.
How To Properly Wash a Mattress Topper After an Accident
Provided your mattress topper’s care label allows it, a good old fashioned machine wash will always be best for removing urine smell.
Pre-treat stain with small amount of enzymatic cleaner or vinegar solution. Allow to sit for 15 mins.
Place in washing machine. Use large capacity machines if possible (launderettes are ideal).
Add small amount of non-bio liquid laundry detergent. Bio detergents contain enzymes that will damage down/feather over time.
Run machine on cold (30 degrees maximum) and gentle/delicate cycle. Add extra rinse cycle if possible.
Drying is KEY: As soon as wash is finished, put mattress topper in dryer on low heat. Add dryer balls or clean tennis balls (for feather/down) and tumble dry until completely dry.
DO NOT PUT MEMORY FOAM IN A DRYER.
Flatten out on towels and allow to air dry if you can’t tumble dry.
FAQs
Q: I cleaned my mattress topper but the urine smell comes back when it rains/humid days.
A: This means that there are still uric acid crystals present in your mattress. They reactivate when they get damp and release that smelly smell again. Go back and clean using an enzymatic cleaner.
Q: Can I use my VAX/carpet cleaner on my mattress topper?
A: On no account should you use it on foam toppers. The powerful injection of moisture is too risky.
It is possible to use it on polyester fibre / feather/down toppers but you absolutely MUST extract every last drop of moisture out of your mattress and allow it to dry indoors for at least a week.
Always double check your warranty before using third party products on your mattress.
Q: How do I get set-in urine smell out?
A: You’ll need to reactivate the stain first. Lightly spray with water then apply an enzymatic cleaner liberally. Allow to soak as per bottle instructions, then repeat process.
It may take multiple attempts.
Q: How do I prevent future accidents?
A: Buy a high-quality waterproof mattress protector. They provide a breathable, waterproof layer on top of your mattress. ANY future accidents can simply be washed out!
When to Throw Your Mattress Topper Away
It may be time to bite the bullet and replace your mattress topper if:
You’ve done multiple cleaning treatments with professional grade products and neither have worked.
It was a large accident and you have a memory foam topper. Risk of mould is just too great.
Your mattress topper is past its best already. Maybe it’s time for a new one anyway?
Guard your investment for tomorrow
You've broken the urine smell code - congratulations! Removing urine odour takes time and patience. Most importantly remember that cleaning doesn't get rid of the smell, neutralising the uric acid does!
To protect your investment from future mishaps we recommend you secure your clean topper with one of our breathable waterproof mattress protectors available at MyHomeLiving.co.uk. Totally hassle-free and you can rest easy knowing your sleep space will stay fresh clean and hygienic.