🛋️ Home & furnitureHow to remove mattress stains

Yellow marks from sweat, urine and blood · dilute with a cold-water mist and blot

Yellow marks on a mattress are mostly sweat and sebum that have soaked in over a long time, or dried urine or blood. You can't wash it whole, and it's so thick that once it gets wet it's slow to dry, so the basic method is to use very little water and draw the stain out from the surface.

🔬 Why this order works

Sweat, blood and urine are largely water-soluble, so diluting them with cold water and blotting removes much of the stain. Blood sets in hot water and urine smells stronger once dry, so cold water is the rule. Yellowing that has oxidized over a long time may remain.

🧺 Step by step

Tap a step when it's done to tick it off.

Check the cleaning method on the manufacturer's label, take off the sheets, and vacuum up the dust.
Press firmly on wet stains with a folded dry towel to soak them up.
Mix a few drops of mild detergent into cold water, mist it lightly onto the stain only with a spray bottle, and tap and blot with a cloth.
Mist on a little clean cold water and press with a dry towel to lift out the detergent. Repeat a few times.
Open the windows and use a fan to dry it completely all the way through before putting the sheets back on.

🧰 By material

① Spring mattress fabric

For yellow sweat marks, tap with a cloth dipped in oxygen bleach dissolved in lukewarm water, then wipe off with clean water. Test in a corner first.

② Removable zip cover

If the cover's label allows washing, taking it off and washing it is the surest method. Wash in cold water so it doesn't shrink, and air-dry.

③ Memory foam & latex

Foam holds water and is slow to dry, and it doesn't cope well with direct sunlight or heat. Use as little water as possible, dry with airflow in the shade, and never soak the foam itself.

🚫 Don't

Pouring water or detergent directly on it — it seeps inside and causes mold and smells.
Using hot water or steam on blood or urine stains.
Chlorine bleach on urine marks — combined with the ammonia it can produce an irritating gas.

⏳ If it has already dried

Old yellow marks are hard to remove completely, but repeating the oxygen bleach wipe over several days will fade them. Once it's fully dry, sprinkle on baking soda, leave it for a few hours, then vacuum it up to reduce the smell.

💡 Tip

A waterproof mattress protector or a washable pad stops sweat and accidents from soaking into the mattress.

❓ Common questions

There's blood on it.

Tap with a cloth dampened in cold water and blot with a dry towel, repeating as needed. If it remains, you can try dabbing on a little drugstore hydrogen peroxide, but it can remove color, so test on a hidden spot first.

I think the urine has soaked in deep.

As in the urine entry, blot it up and dilute with cold water several times, then use an enzyme cleaner. If it's wet inside, it can take more than a day to dry, so don't cover it in the meantime.

🔗 Related stains

Check the care label firstBleach, wash and dryer symbols explained

🧭 All stains

🧼 Basic rules & cleaning-agent guide

General home methods. For valuable garments or unknown fabrics, take them to a dry cleaner and say what the stain is. Follow product labels for bleaches and solvents, ventilate, and never mix them.