How to get rid of yellow stains on mattresses?

If your mattress is aging or yellowing, and you're starting to see yellow stains on the fabric, don't panic! We'll give you some tips on how to take care of your mattress.

What causes spots to appear?

Before tackling the subject of yellow stains on white mattresses , and to reassure you, yellow stains can appear quite systematically; they are caused by perspiration, cosmetics and body oils that we use (creams or makeup for example), sometimes by urine if it is a child's mattress for example, and to a rarer but not negligible extent: by overexposure to the sun.

Understanding what caused your mattress to yellow is quite crucial, as you will not clean it in the same way depending on whether it has suffered an accident or is yellowing naturally and evenly.

How often should you clean a yellowed mattress, or not?

It's common practice to clean bed linens: sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, and even comforters. However, we often forget to thoroughly clean our mattresses… yet, like all fibers, they harbor bacteria, and neglecting their care can affect the overall hygiene of your bedroom. Mattresses, regardless of their composition, need regular maintenance; it's recommended to wash your mattress at least once a year, and ideally every six months.

How to remove yellow stains caused by bedwetting?

First, we recommend cleaning this type of stain as soon as possible. The cover of a child's mattress is often removable and machine washable. As for the filling and core of the mattress, we recommend making a solution of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda .

With hydrogen peroxide, you can target the areas most affected by urine . First, soak a cloth in hydrogen peroxide—dab it onto the stained areas, rubbing if necessary until the yellowing stain fades. Then, sprinkle baking soda over the mattress using a sieve. Let it dry for at least 5 hours. If possible, ventilate the room well to speed up the drying process.

This cleaning will aim to wash and therefore remove the yellowing stain, but also to disinfect and sanitize the mattress, for even more pleasant nights.

How to remove sweat stains?

More common and equally unavoidable, perspiration stains can be quite stubborn. We offer several tips for dealing with them.

The natural solution: lemon juice, mixed with warm water.

If you don't want to use any products, you can opt for a 100% natural technique. Soak a clean cloth in a lemon/warm water mixture and apply it to the stains. Enhance the effect of the mixture with a brush (a nail brush, for example), being very gentle. Lemon has a whitening effect , even though it's yellow itself!

The more common solution: a mixture of white vinegar and dishwashing liquid.

This solution involves mixing half a liter of white vinegar , 20 cl of lukewarm water, and 2 tablespoons of dish soap. Dampen a sponge with this mixture and dab the stains, allowing them to air dry or using a hairdryer to gently blow warm air on them.

The solution from proven chemists: soda crystals.

Washing soda crystals work similarly to baking soda, but they also have disinfectant, degreasing, and cleaning properties. Mix them with water, in which they will dissolve. Dip a sponge into this solution and scrub the yellowed surface. If the stains are very stubborn, don't hesitate to go over the area twice. Then, rinse the surface with a sponge dampened with clean water. Let it air dry or use a hairdryer to dry it.

How to remove blood and/or coffee stains?

These stains, in addition to being much more colored and therefore more visible than yellow stains, have the particularity of requiring treatment with as little heat as possible to avoid transferring the color (in short, not cooking it). Use one of the techniques explained earlier in this guide, but with the stain cold or very slightly warm.

Here are our three favorite solutions and tips for removing yellow stains from a mattress , but there are others, particularly using sanitizing or stripping products like ammonia and white vinegar. If you live in Marseille or the South of France, you've probably heard of the Marseille soap technique: you dampen the soap and apply it directly to the mattress fabric. After rinsing, allow 5 to 8 hours for air drying. The soap has a detergent and therefore antibacterial power that is very beneficial in this case.

While removing stains is necessary, there are also clever techniques and tips to prevent them from appearing in the first place, such as using a waterproof and machine-washable mattress protector. If you're buying a new mattress, for example, we highly recommend choosing a mattress protector that will prevent the transfer of liquids (of all kinds).

If the stains persist, and you don't want to part with your mattress, another solution to consider is opting for a mattress topper . A mattress topper will provide an extra layer of comfort, while also offering optimal temperature regulation and giving you the feeling of having a brand new mattress.

You can opt for a memory foam mattress topper if your mattress doesn't have one, or a mattress topper with gel beads for a cooling effect, which in addition to allowing you to fall asleep in hot weather can be beneficial for people who sweat a lot... and therefore stain their mattress much more!

If all these options fail to solve your problems, you can always opt for one of our premium mattresses at a very affordable price !