How to Remove Sweat Stains from a Mattress

So the time to clean your mattress has finally come, huh? Months of taking off your fitted sheet and cringing at what’s underneath has ultimately taken its toll. Don’t worry – you’re not alone. I mean, when was the last time you thought about scrubbing your mattress? Sure, you might notice the sweat stains, but more often than not, we neglect to make a cleansed mattress a priority as long as we have something fresh on top. Why would we?

Mattress stains are embarrassing and annoying. The truth is our mattresses are home to dead skin cells, dust mites, pet dander, and – you guessed it – sweat stains. Maintaining your mattress’s cleanliness is key to keeping your sleeping space hygienic. Thankfully, they’re also quite easy to clean – and we’ve got all the tips on how to do it right.

Get ready to learn everything you’ll ever need to know about removing sweat stains and more from a mattress. Let’s jump to it.

Why Should You Clean Your Mattress?

Before we get into the “how” it’s important to understand the reason behind the why.

To start, thorough, frequent cleaning of your mattress provides a more hygienic living space. If you use a mattress pad or have a mattress protector, cleaning your mattress will be a less frequent component to your routine. However, it’s important to remember that dust, spills, hair, and more can accumulate on your mattress without being visible at first glance.

If you don’t use a mattress pad or have a mattress protector, the wear and tear of sleeping on your mattress will be much more visible. Sweat stains are the most common and noticeable consequence of sleeping on your mattress every night without any protection. Additionally, sweat stains are often overlooked as just a part of sleeping on a mattress. However, the truth is they can and should be cleaned often to prevent further mattress decay.

But what exactly is mattress decay? Simply put, it’s the neglect of your mattress that can lead to problems such as mold, bed bugs, foul odors and more. That neglect can easily lead to more serious consequences, such as your mattress losing its support, bumps forming in the mattress, and overall uncomfortability. Although sweat stains are only one component of how these problems can arise, it’s important to proactively take steps to ensure they don’t happen.

If this sounds like you, never fear. Fortunately, we’ve found the most effective and time efficient way to remove sweat stains from your mattress.

Materials Needed to Clean Your Mattress

The best way to remove sweat stains from your mattress is to have the right tools and cleaners. Most likely, you already have these items lying around your house! Here’s a list of where to start:

Hydrogen Peroxide
Baking Soda
Dish Soap
Water
Vacuum
Spray Bottle
Clean Cloths or Towels
Salt
Lemon Juice
Small bowl

Although you might have the right tools and cleaners in your arsenal, it’s important to know how to use them appropriately to achieve maximum results. Luckily, we’ve sorted it out so you don’t have to!

6 Steps for How to Remove Sweat Stains from a Mattress

You made it. You have the proper tools and cleaners under your arm, and now you’re ready to get down to business. Removing sweat stains from your mattress is achieved in six simple steps:

Remove all bedding. This may seem like a no-brainer, but we wanted to make sure there’s no confusion here. Plus, this is the perfect time to launder them!
Vacuum your mattress thoroughly. This is a job for your handheld vacuum, but if you don’t have one, that’s okay. Use the hose of your normal-sized vacuum. Yes, even underneath it. We know you’ve got the guns to get under there.
Shake some baking soda over all of the sweat stains covering your mattress and let it sit for thirty minutes. Once those thirty minutes have passed, vacuum the mattress once again.
Get your spray bottle and put a 1:1:1 mixture of hydrogen peroxide, liquid dish soap, and water. The amount of this mixture you’ll need will depend on how many sweat stains your mattress has. Spray the mixture onto the stains, and blot the stains with a clean cloth or towel. Slowly but surely the cloth will pick up the stain from your mattress.
Once you’ve treated and blotted the stains with your spray bottle mixture, make a paste of lemon juice and salt in a separate bowl. This mixture helps to remove any unwanted or residual odors left behind from the sweat. Apply the paste to the stains and allow it to sit for 30-60 minutes.
Once the 30-60 minutes have passed, wipe off the paste with a clean cloth or towel and allow the mattress to air dry. Once dry, your sweat stains will be removed, and your mattress will be cleaner than ever before!

In Summary

Removing sweat stains from your mattress can seem like a foreign or overwhelming concept, especially when you don’t know where to start. Thankfully, you now have all of the information and resources you need to make your mattress cleaner than ever before.

Here are some final key takeaways:

Frequently maintaining the cleanliness of your mattress helps keep your sleeping space hygienic.
Using a mattress pad or mattress cover can significantly reduce sweat stains on your mattress and how frequently you need to clean your mattress.
Most of the items you need to properly rid your mattress of sweat stains are already in your possession.
Once you’ve got the proper items, an easy 6-step process removes sweat stains and any unwanted odors from your mattress.

Happy cleaning!