Updated : November 28, 2025
Published : November 13, 2018
Hayk Harutyunyan

Have you ever thought about how to clean your mattress? Did you know that your mattress even needed cleaning? I have to say, it’s not something that has really crossed my mind, until I dropped tea all over it. It left a nasty stain on the mattress, that sends shivers up my spine every time I catch a glance of it. I needed to get rid of it, so I’ve come up with the ultimate guide on how to get rid of those nasty stains.

How often should you clean your mattress

The answer to this question really does depend on how ‘dirty’ you are. Do you sweat really badly? Do you have a habit of spilling tea in bed? Get yourself two mattress protectors, and every time you change your bedding, change your mattress protector too. Pop that in the wash with your bedding too. Then try to vacuum your mattress at least once every six months. If you suffer from asthma, then vacuum your mattress once a month.

How to just generally clean your mattress

The first thing you need to do is give your mattress a good old vacuum. This will pick up any loose hairs, dog/cat hairs pr crumbs from those secret midnight munchies. And will also get rid of all of the dust that may have accumulated over time. Only once you have generally cleaned your mattress, would you be able to begin tackling any stains.

Getting rid of tea, coffee and wine stains

Unfortunately accidents happen, and although we would much rather our tea, coffee and wine were in our mouths, sometimes it ends up on the bedding and the mattress. Try and clean the stain as quickly as you can do.

Dribble a little sparkling water over the stain, then pour on salt to help lift the stain. After 30 minutes, wipe off the salt and vacuum.
Create a 50/50 mixture of water and white wine vinegar and spray it on to the stain. Then blot the mixture off. Continue to do this until the stain has gone.

How to get rid of blood stains

Blood, Urine and Sweat might all cause stains on your mattress. As they are bodily stains, they are protein based. The longer they are left, the harder they will be to remove. But here are a few cleaning tips you could try.

Create a paste out of lemon juice and salt. Apply your concoction to the stain and leave it for an hour. After the hour, simply wipe off the salt and then vacuum.
Apply a little hand wash detergent to the stain as it will help to break down the bodily fluid. Then just simply blot it off.

How often should you get a new mattress

We generally say that you should only get a new one when you feel you need a new one. But perhaps your mattress is just too stained to keep? Usually mattresses are replaced every 8-10 years. But if you’ve followed our tips on how to keep your mattress clean, then perhaps you will be able to keep your mattress for longer.

Find out how to safely and effectively dispose of your mattress in this post from the bed experts at Furl.

How to keep your mattress smelling fresh

There are three different ways that you can keep your mattress fresh. A couple are a little weird and wonderful and I was slightly sceptical to try them at first. But they really do work!

A sprinkling of baking soda

A very weird but wonderful way of keeping your mattress smelling clean, sprinkle a little baking soda over it. Of course using a sieve will make it much easier to keep it even. Leave the baking sofa for settle for about an hour. Then simply vacuum it off.

Deodorising Spray

You can buy a spray from most supermarkets, like Febreze Fabric Sprays, but you can actually create your own. Just add a cup full of fabric conditioner to an empty spray bottle. Then fill the bottle up with water, shake well and spritz over your mattress.

Fresh air

Fresh air is a great way of keeping your mattress fresh, but this doesn’t have to mean dragging it outside! When you change your bedding, open the window and allow the mattress to breathe in the fresh air for a few hours before remaking your bed.

Try to also pull the duvet back for 10 minutes in the morning before making your bed too.

A short guide on mattress protectors and how they can help

Of course you might not always be able to stop stains from penetrating your mattress. But you should do everything you can do to prevent them. This starts with getting a mattress protector. They stop all of that sweat and skin getting into the mattress itself. They are simple and easy to fit. And they can be popped into the wash as often as you want. They also mean that you don’t have to clean your mattress quite as often.

Here are a few of our favourite mattress protectors:

1. If you have little ones and want to prevent any accidents from hitting the mattress, then these waterproof protectors are a great option.

2. You don’t always want your mattress protector to take away from the mattress underneath it. You chose that mattress for a reason and don’t want to change the feel of it. If this sounds like you, then a thin soft mattress protector should do the trick.

3. Perhaps you would like a little bit of extra luxury? Then a luxury mattress protector will give you that extra comfort.

4. It’s not just your mattress that you should protect though. Your pillow also has to suffer sweat, coffee stains and dribble! So make sure that you use pillow protectors too.

Furl Mattresses

If you simply can’t clean your mattress or you have tried to clean your mattress but it hasn’t really worked, then why not buy a new one? We have lots of different mattress options available at Furl. You should really test a mattress before selecting one, so you can try ours out at our showroom. Mattress testing doesn’t have to be hard work – we’ve written a blog post on how to make it easier. In the meantime though, here is everything that you might want to know about the mattress we sell.

Pocket Sprung Mattresses

Basic 1000

Great value traditional mattress, 1000 individually pocketed springs, medium firmness.

Luxury 1500

A sumptuous mattress with wool, silk and cashmere fillings from head to toe for luxurious comfort.

Luxury 2000

Just like the luxury 1500 but with more springs for a slightly firmer feel.

Firma 1400

This mattress is designed for people who need or like an extra firm mattress. This no-turn mattress.

Slim 1600

Developed for the low slim look, this mattress has all the comfort in a slim design, with natural wool fillings.

Hybrid mattress

Duo 1200

A unique blend of traditional pocket springs and memory foam. 1200 Pocket springs provide you with a supportive base.

Foam type mattresses

Biorytmic Firm

Extra Firm all foam mattress with a hi-tech cover that contains natural minerals.

Memory Flex 750

Our award winning Memory Flex mattresses are made from special foam, which adapts to your body shape as you sleep.

Latex 750

The original Healthy Body-Moulding filling with a unique open-cell self ventilation structure.

But how do you know which is the right mattress for you? The right one for you, is the one that you actually find comfortable, but we wrote a blog post on it just in case you would like to read more.

We hope that our tips on how to clean your mattress have been useful, good luck!