How to get rid of yellow stains on mattresses?

Your mattress is aging or turning yellow, and you're starting to see yellow stains on the fabric. Don't panic! Here are some tips for taking 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 turn yellow is crucial, as cleaning your mattress differently depends on whether it's been in an accident or is turning yellow naturally and evenly.

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

It's very common in the general mindset to clean bed linen: sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases and even duvets. On the other hand, we often forget to thoroughly clean our mattress... but like all fibers, they collect bacteria, and neglecting their maintenance can have consequences on the overall hygiene of your bedroom. Mattresses, regardless of their composition, need regular maintenance, it is recommended to wash your mattress at least once a year, and ideally every six months.

How to remove yellow bedwetting stains?

First of all, we recommend that you clean this type of stain as quickly 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 based on hydrogen peroxide and bicarbonate .

With hydrogen peroxide, you can target the areas most affected by urine . First, soak a cloth in hydrogen peroxide - dabbing on the areas that have been stained, rubbing if necessary until the yellowed stain fades. Then, sprinkle the bicarbonate over the mattress with a sieve. Let it dry for at least 5 hours. If possible, ventilate the room well to speed up drying.

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 classic and also inevitable, sweat stains can be quite stubborn. We offer several tips for removing them.

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

If you don't want to use any product, you can opt for a 100% natural technique. You can soak a clean cloth in this lemon/warm water mixture and apply it to the stains. Optimize the effect of the mixture with a brush (a nail brush for example), making sure to be very delicate. Lemon has a whitening effect , even though it is yellow itself!

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

This solution consists of mixing half a liter of white vinegar , 20 cl of warm water and 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid. With this mixture of product, wet a sponge and dab on the stains, leaving to air dry or blowing hot air with a hair dryer.

The solution from proven chemists: soda crystals.

Washing soda acts like baking soda. It also has a disinfectant, degreasing, and cleaning effect. Mix it with water, in which it will dissolve. Dip a sponge into this solution and rub the yellowed surface. If the stains are very intense, don't hesitate to go over it twice. Then, with a sponge soaked in clean water, rinse the surface. Let it air dry or use a hairdryer.

How to remove blood and/or coffee stains?

These stains, in addition to being much more colorful and therefore visible than yellow stains, have the particularity of having to be treated with the least heat possible, so as not to transfer the color (not to cook it, in short). Use one of the techniques explained earlier in this guide, but cold or very slightly warm.

Here are our three favorite solutions and tips for removing yellow stains from a mattress , but there are others, including sanitizing or stripping products like ammonia and white vinegar. If you live in Marseille or the South of France, you will surely have heard of the Marseille soap technique: moisten the soap, which is then applied directly to the mattress fabric. After rinsing, allow between 5 and 8 hours of air drying. Soap has a detergent and therefore antibacterial power which is very beneficial in this case.

While removing stains is a must, there are also some clever techniques and tips to prevent stains from happening, such as using a waterproof, machine-washable mattress protector. If you're buying a new mattress, for example, we strongly recommend choosing a mattress protector that will prevent liquid transfer (of all kinds).

If the stains persist, and you don't want to part with your mattress, another solution is to consider: opting for a mattress topper . The mattress topper will allow you to have an extra layer of comfort, while providing optimal thermoregulation, and giving you the feeling of having a 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 a lot more!

If all these options don't solve your problem, you can always opt for one of our premium mattresses at a great price !