Here’s a simple process for how to clean a mattress after bedwetting and how to remove urine odor from a mattress. These three steps make it easy with everyday household ingredients:
Blot the urine spot. Using a dry towel, press down repeatedly to soak up the urine. Be sure you blot instead of wiping. Wiping will just push the urine deeper into the mattress — and that will make clean up a lot tougher. Some people who have a wet/dry vacuum use it to suck out the moisture as well.
Mix up a simple cleaning solution. You can skip the fancy cleaning products and find what you need right in your kitchen: white vinegar and warm water. Mix it up 50/50 and use a spray bottle to apply it to your mattress. Then blot the mattress again with a towel. You might have to repeat this process for a bigger (or smellier!) spot. Of course, vinegar has a strong smell too, so opening a window or turning on a ceiling fan can be a smart idea.
Neutralize the urine smell. Once you’ve cleaned up the spot, sprinkle on some baking soda. Leave it there overnight as the mattress finishes drying (the longer the better – aim for about 10 hours!). Then, vacuum the baking soda up the next day. This should eliminate any urine smell from your child’s mattress. If you can still smell the urea after one treatment, repeat the process. While some people may try using a scented product, keep in mind that they only cover up the urine smell for a short time. They won’t make it go away. So, while the recommended cleaning process takes some time, following the above steps is a better solution for getting rid of a pee smell.
For more information, please check out this article on cleaning urine from a mattress