The Danger of Urine in a Mattress

We’ve all been there. That sinking feeling that comes with finding an unwelcome surprise puddle on the bed, whether from a pesky pet or your little ones (or perhaps someone else- accidents do happen!). Aside from unsightly stains, a lingering smell where you sleep at night is never pleasant.

Mattresses are rarely cheap, and leaving a stain can damage a warrantee or invite a hefty fee from a landlord.

But it’s not just an irritation. Urine in a mattress can be dangerous and lead to health issues too, from bug bites to respiratory issues caused by fungal spores. Luckily, a stained mattress doesn’t have to stay that way. We have some great tips and tricks to give your bedding a new lease of life while staying hygienic.

Is urine on a mattress dangerous?

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It’s not just your nose that suffers from a wet bed. Urine also has some serious risks to your health if it isn’t cleaned up properly. Urine contains bacteria, so if its left long enough it can develop mould.

Urine contains urea, uric acid and other compounds that can be a risk. That smell of ammonia that gets trapped inside your mattress is caused by bacteria eating away at the residue of the urine. Ammonia from an accident left to soak can cause issues and irritation in the nose, throat and lungs, and cause difficulties breathing. Not at all want you want from the bed you spend a third of your time in!

Here are just a few reasons besides the obvious that you don’t want to be sleeping on a stained mattress.

Allergies

The faeces of dust mites are also known to contain enzymes found to trigger allergies. Unfortunately, dust mites are attracted to urine as it settles, and live off the dust particles on the bed. If you’re prone to asthma attacks, leaving urine on a mattress could be more dangerous than you’d think.

Some of the side effects of sharing your bed with dust mites include difficulty breathing, wheezing, tightness in the chest, redness around the eyes, irritated and itchy eyes, and sneezing. To prevent worsening allergies, you should vacuum your mattress after every time you dry it to clean off excess dust.

Bed bugs

If you aren’t keeping your mattress clean, there’s the chance you could be hosting some uninvited guests. Bed bugs love warmth, histamine, and carbon dioxide which unfortunately means urine on a bed makes a perfect environment for them.

These bugs can cause itchy and irritating bites that might appear as small red bumps on the skin. Their tell-tale signs can include small spots of blood and brown specks (bedbug poo) on your sheets. These bites can even become infected if they are scratched. Not exactly how you want to wake up in the morning!

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Mould and bacteria

Damp conditions plus bacteria makes a dirty bed a breeding ground for moulds and mildew, as well as the bugs that thrive in humid conditions. Mould spores can be very dangerous if left to be breathed in overtime. They can badly impact your breathing and lungs, particularly if you already suffer from allergies and asthma. Moulds can exacerbate pre-existing respiratory issues, as they produce mycotoxins that can lead to allergic reactions as well as auto-immune conditions.

Be sure to clean any urine as soon as you can, since symptoms will usually worsen the longer you are exposed to the mould. This enters the body through contact with your skin, through the digestive tract, or being breathed into the lungs. If not treated, some moulds can even cause long-term damage to your lungs.

Odour

Not only is it nasty, it’s also bad for your health! The ammonia that causes the stink can irritate the lungs and again, cause problems with the respiratory system. If you can smell it, you can breathe it, which means that bacteria is hurting more than just your nostrils.

Poor Sleep

Understandably, sleeping on a stain isn’t nice. When there’s a lingering odour on a mattress, it can easily upset a good night’s sleep, especially if you’re already experiencing breathing issues! Children prone to bedwetting might find themselves losing out on valuable sleep when their bed is damp and itchy, which can be detrimental to growing brains.

Urine on a mattress can breed a whole host of health issues, but all can be lessened the quicker the mess is cleaned up. If you wake up to a nasty surprise, time is of the essence! Here’s what to do to keep the mattress safe and clean.

How to clean urine from a mattress

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Removing fresh urine

Step 1: Remove and wash Your Bedding

The first thing to do upon discovering a puddle is strip your mattress and wash the sheets and bedding in the washing machine. Urine stains will set if left, so this should be done straight away. If the first wash doesn’t do the trick, add a large splash of white vinegar and wash it through again.

Step 2: Blot (Don’t Scrub!)

Using a dry towel, try to blot about the urine to soak up as much of it as you can. It’s important not to scrub with back and forth motions! This will only work to push the urine further into the fibres of the mattress.

Step 3: Apply vinegar to the stain.

Find a spray bottle and fill it up with a mix of two parts water and one part white vinegar with a little bit of laundry detergent. Spray this onto the stain and get it thoroughly soaked.

Step 4: Leave it to sit

Allow the vinegar mix to soak into the mattress and work its magic. This should take around 15 minutes to work, and follow it up by blotting again with a dry cloth.

Step 5: Use some Bicarbonate of Soda

Liberally apply some Bicarbonate of soda all over the area and let it sit again as long as you can. Ideally this would be around 8-10hours, but be sure to clean it off before bedtime! If the stain persists, you can cover the area with cling film and leave it for an additional day or two if possible.

Step 6: Hoover it up

Clean the soda off the mattress with the hose nozzle of a vacuum, but make sure it’s completely dry first so as not to damage the machine. Give the rest of the mattress a go-over too to clean off any dust the mites can feed off.

And there you have it! If any stubborn smells or stains remain, you can run through this cleaning process again, or you can have the mattress professorially cleaned. When it comes to spending 8 hours a night sleeping on a health hazard, it really pays to invest.

Why Professional Mattress Cleaning is Worth it

Even a urine-free mattress can hold some dirty secrets. We lose approximately 285ml of fluid a night and 454g of dead skin a year- all of which is left to sink in your mattress if it’s not cleaned! Add to that, the average 10,000 dust mites a mattress holds and suddenly your mattress no longer feels as clean as it used to.

When you lay your head to rest at night, you’ll rest easier knowing the comfort of your bed is free of unseen dirt, bugs, and allergy-inducing particles. There’s nothing more valuable to your health and wellbeing than good sleep, so don’t risk it by leaving an expensive mattress to fester.

What A Cleaning Service can do for you

Here at A Cleaning Service, we provide deep cleaning for mattresses from the comfort of your own home. Our expert and experienced team are equipped with fantastic cleaning tech and know-how that can return even the filthiest mattresses back to their former glory. Take a look at our website if you’d like to know more.

We can provide you a free, no-obligation quotation to answer and questions you have about the service. As part of our process, we can offer you a 100% satisfaction guarantee as our aim as a family-run business is always to leave the customer happy. Our powerful extraction machines work amazingly to dig deep into the textile of the mattress and remove allergens and dust, and we always leave the mattress deodorised and sanitised so you can sleep easy.

Contact us today and find out how our professional mattress cleaning services can work wonders for your home. Or Download PDF version of this post below.

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