How to Clean a Mattress (and What Not to Put on It)

To clean a mattress, strip the bed and put the sheets and covers in the washing machine; the mattress itself can't go in. For a spill or an accident, blot it and leave it, and keep store-bought cleaner out of it. The mattress is cleaned with hot water extraction and a final rinse, over the whole top and the sides, and it needs 12–24 hours to dry fully.

Start with what goes in the machine

Sheets and covers go in the wash. The mattress is the one piece of bedding that can't, so whatever has soaked into it stays there until the mattress itself is cleaned. For a cleaning visit, strip the bed first.

A fresh spill or an accident

Blot it and leave it. A store-bought cleaner worked into the cotton near the surface can make a stain permanent that we could otherwise have treated. A fresh spot is the easy case; the longer it sits, the worse the odds.

Urine on a mattress

A urine stain is three problems in one spot: the color, the organic part and the smell. Each one needs its own product, and household products usually handle only two of the three. There's no extra charge for treating urine marks, though it isn't always 100%, and old urine and old blood are the hardest stains to lift.

Why an old yellow patch stays

A mattress has cotton in its top layers, and cotton slowly stains itself as it ages. Cotton that has taken on color keeps it for good. So an old yellow patch can survive a clean, because it is the cotton and not dirt. The smell goes and the mattress feels fresh again, but the patch itself may remain, and we say which to expect before we start.

How a mattress is actually cleaned

• Hot water goes in, and it comes back out carrying what had soaked into the mattress.
• The whole sleeping surface and the sides get cleaned, not only the visible mark.
• A final rinse leaves no product behind, and what we use is safe for children and pets.
• It's done in your home, and nothing leaves the house.

We treat food and drink spills, fresh blood spots, urine marks, and sweat and body oils this way.

Drying, and a stain that reappears

The extraction pulls most of the water back out, so the mattress ends up damp at the surface, not wet through. Keep the bedding off it and a window open. Fully dry takes 12–24 hours, and in a Seattle winter you should expect to use all of it.

A spot that looked gone can come back while the mattress dries. Moisture is drawing old residue up from deeper in, which doesn't mean the clean failed. If it appears or returns within 48 hours, call us and we re-clean it free.

What it costs

• Twin$110
• Full$155
• Queen$155
• King$175

Stains and odors we can treat are included in those prices. The calculator shows the minimum order, which one twin by itself may fall short of.

Mattress cleaning in Seattle — what comes out, and when it's worth it

Mattress questions