How to Remove Smell From a Mattress
Your mattress spends years absorbing everything your body puts out while you sleep. Sweat, oils, dead skin, and sometimes urine all find their way into the mattress over time. So it is no surprise that at some point it starts to smell. If you want to remove the smell from your mattress and get it genuinely fresh again, this guide walks you through exactly what to do for every type of odour.
No expensive products required. No complicated process. Just clear and simple methods that actually work.
What This Guide Covers
- What Causes Mattress Smells
- Method One: Baking Soda for General Smells
- Method Two: Vinegar and Baking Soda for Urine Smell
- Method Three: Enzyme Cleaner for Pet Smells
- Getting Rid of Mildew and Mould Smell
- Fresh Air and Sunlight
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Causes Mattress Smells
Most mattress smells come from one of four things. Sweat and body oils that build up gradually over time. Urine from a child, pet, or adult accident. Mildew or mould develops when the mattress stays damp for too long. Or just general staleness from a mattress that has never been properly cleaned or aired out.
Each of these responds best to a slightly different approach, which is why knowing what type of smell you are dealing with makes the whole process much quicker and more effective.
Method One: Baking Soda for General Smells
If your mattress smells a bit stale or musty without any specific accident causing it, baking soda is your best friend. It is cheap, it is natural, and it works brilliantly at absorbing and neutralising general mattress odours.
Strip the bed completely and sprinkle a thick, generous layer of baking soda over the entire surface of the mattress. Cover the whole thing, not just one area. Leave it for at least 8 hours; if you can leave it overnight, even better. The longer it sits, the more odour it draws from the mattress.
Vacuum it all up thoroughly with an upholstery attachment, put fresh,h clean bedding on, and you should notice a real difference immediately. Do this every three to six months as part of regular mattress maintenance,ce and your mattress will stay fresher for much longer.
Method Two: Vinegar and Baking Soda for Urine Smell
Urine smell is the most stubborn type of mattress odour because dried urine leaves behind uric acid crystals deep in the mattress fibres. These crystals keep releasing that ammonia odour over and over again, which is why basic surface cleaning rarely solves it properly.
The most effective home remedy is a two-step approach that uses white vinegar and baking soda. Spray undiluted white vinegar over the smelly area and leave it for 10 minutes. Then blot up the excess with a dry towel and immediately cover the area with a thick layer of baking soda.
The vinegar breaks down the uric acid crystals first, and then the baking soda neutralises and absorbs what is left behind. Leave the baking soda on for at least 8 hours, then vacuum it up. This combination tackles urine smell far more effectively than either product used on its own.
For a full guide on urine smell removal, visit our article on how to get urine smell out of a mattress.
Method Three: Enzyme Cleaner for Pet Smells
If a cat or dog has had an accident on your mattress, please do not waste time trying to fix it with baking soda alone. Pet urine is significantly more concentrated than human urine, and the only thing that truly eliminates pet urine odour is an enzyme cleaner.
Enzyme cleaners contain enzymes that break down specific compounds in pet urine at the molecular level. The smell is not masked or absorbed. It is destroyed at the source.
Spray the enzyme cleaner generously over the affected area and leave it to air dry on its own. Do not rinse it off or blot it up early. As it dries, it keeps working. Once dry, check for any remaining smell. Most people find that one good application takes care of even quite severe pet odours.
For cat urine smell specifically, see our guide on how to get cat pee smell out of a mattress. For dog urine smell, see our guide on how to get dog pee smell out of a mattress.
Getting Rid of Mildew and Mould Smell
A mildew or mould smell from a mattress is a sign that moisture has been trapped inside it for too long. This can happen after a large liquid accident that was not dried out properly, or simply from years of sleeping in a poorly ventilated bedroom.
First, get the mattress into fresh air and direct sunlight as soon as possible. Sunlight kills mould and mildew naturally. Then spray the affected area lightly with undiluted white vinegar and let it air dry completely. Vinegar is a natural mould killer and will help deal with the source of the smell.
Once dry, apply baking soda over the area and leave it for 24 hours before vacuuming. If the mildew smell is very strong or the mould growth is visible and large, the mattress may be beyond home treatment,t and replacement might be the safer option. According to the CDC, mould exposure in sleeping environments can cause respiratory issues and allergic reactions, so it is important to take mould on a mattress seriously rather than just masking the smell.
Fresh Air and Sunlight
Whatever type of smell you are dealing with, getting your mattress into fresh air and direct sunlight after any treatment makes a real difference to the final result. UV rays from sunlight break down organic odour compounds naturally, and fresh air circulating through the mattress helps carry away anything the cleaning has loosened.
Even a few hours outside or propped up near an open window in good sunlight can take the result from pretty good to genuinely fresh. It costs nothing and requires no effort. Do not skip it.
For everything you need to know about removing urine stains and odours from a mattress in full detail, visit our complete guide: How to Get Urine Out of a Mattress: The Complete Guide.