How to Clean Dog Pee from a Mattress

Co-authored by Laura Smith and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: June 22, 2022 References

Your dog might be your best friend, but when they potty on your bed, you might not be feeling very warm and fuzzy about them. Fortunately, there’s no need to run out and buy a brand new mattress—cleaning up dog pee, even off of a mattress, is easier than you might think. In this article, we’ll tell you the step by step process for tackling fresh urine, tough stains, and odors so you can sleep peacefully again.

1

Remove any bedding from the mattress.

Strip the bed right away and wash your bedding in hot water. Take off any blankets, comforters, and sheets, and throw them into the wash. Wash your bedding right away to avoid any stains from the urine.^{[1]
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- If the urine is old, treat your bedding with a stain remover before putting it in the wash.
- Wash your bedding in hot or warm water to sanitize it and clean it completely.

2

Blot up wet urine with a paper towel.

Get as much moisture up as you can so it doesn’t soak into your mattress. If the urine is fresh, grab a paper towel and gently blot the urine up. Don’t rub or scrub the urine, since that can push it further into the fibers of your mattress. Keep blotting until the majority of the wetness is off of your mattress.^{[2]
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- If you’re worried about getting urine on your hands, wear disposable gloves.

3

Combine warm water and vinegar to make a cleaning solution.

A vinegar-water cleaning solution quickly gets rid of urine odor. Fill a spray bottle 2/3 of the way full with warm water, then fill the rest up with white vinegar. Vinegar is a natural deodorizer and disinfectant, so it’s a great way to get urine out of a mattress.^{[3]
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- Don’t have white vinegar? Use apple cider vinegar instead.
- You can also add 1 to 2 drops of lavender or citrus essential oil to make your cleaning solution smell great.

4

Spray the area with your cleaning solution.

Douse the entire area with the cleaner and let it sit for 5 minutes. Grab your spray bottle and spray a liberal amount of cleaner over the entire urine spot. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to give your cleaning spray a chance to work.^{[4]
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5

Blot the area again with a paper towel.

The towel soaks up the cleaner and removes most of the urine. Grab another clean paper towel and gently blot the wet spot. Again, try not to rub or scrub the urine, since that could drive it further into your mattress fibers.^{[5]
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6

Reapply the vinegar-water cleaner if you need to.

You may have to do multiple rounds of cleaning to get rid of urine. If your mattress still smells a little funny or has a dark spot, do the same thing again: spray it with cleaner, let it sit for 5 minutes, then blot it with a paper towel.^{[6]
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7

Sprinkle baking soda over the wet spot.

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer, which is perfect for urine spots. Grab your baking soda and sprinkle a thick layer onto your mattress, covering the entire wet spot. You can’t put too much baking soda onto your mattress, so in this case, the more, the better.^{[7]
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- Baking soda is also naturally absorbent, so it will help soak up any urine that has penetrated deep into the fibers of your mattress.

8

Vacuum the mattress after 8 hours.

Let the baking soda sit overnight to get rid of urine odor. In the morning, grab a vacuum and carefully vacuum up all of the baking soda. When the baking soda is gone, most of the urine and the cleaner you used should be gone, too.^{[8]
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- Be sure to empty the vacuum out after you’re done to avoid clogging your vacuum’s filter.

9

Let the mattress air dry for 24 hours.

Sleeping on a wet mattress can lead to mold or mildew. After you’ve cleaned your mattress, don’t put the sheets back on it just yet. Leave it uncovered to dry in the sun for about 24 hours to avoid any moisture problems in the future.^{[9]
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- Even if your mattress doesn’t look wet, it could still be moist on the inside.

10

Use an enzymatic cleaner on urine stains.

Enzymatic cleaners are great for odors and tough stains. If your mattress still smells like urine or has a dark spot on it, buy an enzymatic cleaner that’s made specifically for pet stains. Spray a liberal amount on the urine spot on the mattress, then wait the recommended amount of time on the bottle (usually 10 to 20 minutes). Blot the cleaner up with a paper towel, then let your mattress air dry again.^{[10]
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- It’s important to remove the urine smell completely from your mattress. If your dog can still smell their pee on the bed, they might think that it’s a potty spot, and continue to have accidents on it in the future.

11

Protect your mattress with a mattress cover.

Mattress covers protect your mattress from future pet accidents. When you have pets or little kids around, accidents happen—it’s just a fact of life. If you want to avoid cleaning urine off your mattress in the future, invest in a mattress cover. These thin plastic covers protect the outside of your mattress, and they’re comfortable to sleep on, too.^{[11]
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- Be sure you’re buying a mattress cover that fits your specific bed size.