How to Get Pee Out of a Mattress & Remove Smell: 6 Easy Steps

The best way to get pee out of a mattress is to blot up as much as you can while it is still wet, then lift the stain with white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, and clear the smell with baking soda.

Accidents happen in any home with small children or pets. The right method depends on whether the pee is still wet or has already dried.

I've had to remove urine stains more times than I care to remember through years of potty training and puppy training in my own home.

This guide is for parents, pet owners, and anyone else facing a wet bed they need to sleep in tonight.

How to Get Fresh Pee Out of a Mattress

To get fresh pee out of a mattress, blot up as much of the liquid as you can, then lift what remains with white vinegar and baking soda. You have the best chance of a full cleanup while the pee is still wet, before it soaks deeper into the mattress.

Follow these steps to remove urine when it's fresh.

1. Strip the bed. Get the bedding into the washing machine straight away. Pee washes out of fabric more easily before it dries.
2. Blot the wet spot with a clean, dry cloth or paper towels. Press down firmly and keep blotting until the cloth lifts no more liquid. Do not rub, because rubbing spreads the pee and pushes it further into the mattress.
3. Mix equal parts white vinegar and cold water in a spray bottle. Lightly spritz the stained area, then blot the area dry again.
4. Sprinkle baking soda over the damp patch. Leave the powder to sit for at least 30 minutes (longer if the bed is not needed) so it soaks up the remaining moisture and smell.
5. Vacuum the baking soda off. Use a hand-held vacuum or the upholstery attachment on your regular vacuum cleaner.
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 until the stain and smell have gone.

Wet pee comes out with vinegar and baking soda alone. Once the stain has dried into the mattress, you need the stronger cleaning solution below.

How to Get Dried Pee Stains Out of a Mattress

To get dried pee out of a mattress, spray the stain with a mix of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap, leave the solution to dry, then vacuum off the residue.

Use the following steps to create and apply a stronger solution that penetrates dried urine stains.

1. Strip the bed. Wash the bedding just as you would for a fresh stain.
2. Mix 16 oz (473 ml) of hydrogen peroxide (3%) with 6 tbsp (90 ml) of baking soda and ½ tsp (2.5 ml) of natural dish soap in a spray bottle.
3. Spray the stain liberally. Make the area damp enough that the solution starts to soak into the dried pee.
4. Wait 4 to 6 hours. As the solution dries, the baking soda forms a layer over the stain.
5. Vacuum the baking soda off. Go over the area until no trace of powder remains.
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 until the stain and smell have gone.

These steps work well on pee stains, but sweat, blood, and spills each need a different treatment, which are described in detail in our cleaning a mattress guide.

Even after a urine stain has faded, the smell can linger in the mattress unless you take extra steps to remove it.

How to Get Pee Smell Out of a Mattress

To get pee smell out of a mattress, remove the stain first, then draw out the remaining smell with an overnight layer of baking soda. An enzyme cleaner deals with any smell that survives.

1. Remove the stain with the fresh or dried method above**.** The stale urine smell comes from ammonia, which is released as bacteria break down the urea in pee (Andreev et al., 2017).
2. Cover the area with a fresh layer of baking soda and leave it overnight.
3. Vacuum the powder off. Check the spot for any remaining smell.
4. Apply an enzyme cleaner (a spray whose enzymes break down urine residue) if the smell remains. Enzymes can break down urea, the main compound in pee residue (Kappaun et al., 2018). Follow the directions on the bottle and let the area dry fully.

How to Remove Dog and Cat Pee Smell from a Mattress

Baking soda and an enzyme cleaner also remove dog and cat pee smell, as long as you start sooner and finish with a cleaner made for pet odors.

1. Blot up as much of the pee as you can the moment you find it.
2. Follow the fresh or dried pee steps above to remove the stain, then run the overnight baking soda treatment.
3. Finish with an enzyme cleaner made for pet odors. This concentrated version lets you reuse your own spray bottle, which cuts plastic waste.

The methods on this page work on any mattress, but memory foam holds onto moisture and needs a lighter touch.

How to Get Pee Out of a Memory Foam Mattress

To get pee out of a memory foam mattress, blot up as much of the pee as you can, mist the spot lightly with a vinegar or hydrogen peroxide solution, then let the foam dry fully.

Memory foam soaks up liquid quickly and dries slowly, so you need to use less liquid when cleaning than you would with other mattress materials.

Follow the method below when cleaning memory foam.

1. Blot a fresh accident with dry towels straight away. Swap to a fresh towel each time one gets damp, until the last one stays dry.
2. Apply the vinegar or peroxide solution as a light mist. Work in two or three thin passes and blot the area dry between each one.
3. Run the baking soda steps unchanged. The powder is dry, so it draws leftover moisture out of the foam.
4. Let the foam dry right through before remaking the bed. Run a fan across the mattress to speed up the drying.

To save yourself the trouble of cleaning, it makes sense to protect your mattress from accidents in the first place.

How to Protect a Mattress From Future Accidents

To protect a mattress from future accidents, cover it in layers that can go in the washing machine.

A mattress cannot be machine washed, but a protector, a sheet, and a bed mat all can.

1. Fit a waterproof mattress protector under your bottom sheet. After an accident, the sheet and the protector go straight in the wash while the mattress underneath stays dry.
2. Add a washable bed mat on top of the sheet during child bedwetting or pet house-training phases. Bed mats have a waterproof backing that keeps the bedding underneath dry. After a night-time accident, you only need to swap the wet mat for a dry one.
3. Keep a puppy or kitten off the bed until house-training is done.

With a protector and a bed mat in place, pee never reaches the mattress at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Pee Ruin a Mattress?

No, pee does not ruin a mattress as long as you clean it promptly and thoroughly.

A fresh pee stain comes out completely with the steps in this guide. Pee that sits untreated soaks deeper into the mattress, where it can leave a permanent stain and a lingering smell.

The longer the pee sits, the more work the cleanup takes.

Will Pee Smell Go Away On Its Own?

No, a pee smell does not go away on its own.

Urine smell comes from ammonia released by bacteria as they break down the urea in dried pee. Baking soda absorbs part of the smell, but only a cleaner that breaks the salts down removes it completely. Use the peroxide solution or an enzyme cleaner from the methods above.

How Long Does It Take for a Mattress to Dry After Cleaning Urine?

How long a mattress takes to dry depends on how much liquid went in and how much air moves over it.

The peroxide solution from the dried-stain method takes 4 to 6 hours to dry. A lightly misted vinegar spray dries faster than the soaked-in peroxide treatment. A soaked patch of memory foam needs the most drying time.

To reduce the time it takes a wet mattress to dry, point a fan at the damp spot.

Can I Use a Steam Cleaner on a Urine Stain on a Mattress?

No, do not use a steam cleaner on a urine stain.

Heat from a steam cleaner sets the proteins in pee, which makes the stain and the smell harder to remove.

On memory foam and latex mattresses, heat also damages the core material itself.

Can I Use Bleach On a Memory Foam Mattress?

No, never use bleach on a memory foam mattress. Bleach damages mattress foam, and using bleach cleaners can void the manufacturer's warranty.

Vinegar, baking soda, and 3% hydrogen peroxide remove pee stains without harming mattress foam, so nothing stronger is needed.

If you are unsure about any other cleaner, check the manufacturer's care instructions first.

Is Hydrogen Peroxide Toxic?

Hydrogen peroxide is toxic if swallowed, but the 3% household solution is safe to clean with.

Follow the usage instructions on the bottle and store it out of children's reach. Spot test a hidden patch of the mattress first, because peroxide can discolor some fabrics.

A bottle of 3% peroxide, white vinegar, and baking soda are the whole cleaning kit you need for a stained mattress.