You spend about a third of your life on your mattress, and it absorbs a lot: sweat, body oils, spills, pets, and in Florida, plenty of humidity. Over time that turns into a stale or sour smell you notice every time you change the sheets. The good news is that most mattress smells come out with a few hours of work. The key is getting it clean and getting it completely dry.
What’s Causing the Smell?
- Stale, sour or “body” smell: sweat and body oils built up over months or years.
- Sharp, ammonia-like spot: urine from a child, a pet or an accident.
- Smoke: cigarette or other smoke in the bedroom. See how to get rid of smoke smell.
- Musty or damp: moisture trapped in the mattress, often from sitting on the floor or a solid platform. If you see spots or growth, see mold on your mattress.
- “New mattress” smell: a new foam mattress can have a smell when you unbox it. It usually fades over the first days; let it sit unwrapped in a room with the AC and a fan running before you put sheets on it.
How to Deodorize a Mattress, Step by Step
- Strip the bed and wash everything on the hottest setting the tags allow: sheets, pillowcases, mattress pad, and pillow covers. Many smells live in the bedding, not the mattress.
- Vacuum the mattress slowly with an upholstery attachment, including the seams and sides.
- Spot-treat stains with a small amount of mild detergent and cool water on a cloth. Blot, don’t scrub, and don’t soak the mattress.
- Cover the whole top with baking soda and leave it for as long as you can, ideally 8 hours or overnight. Run a fan in the room while it sits.
- Vacuum up all the baking soda, then flip or rotate the mattress if it’s designed for it and repeat on the other side.
- Put on a waterproof, breathable mattress protector before remaking the bed. It’s the easiest way to keep the smell from coming back.
Urine on a Mattress
Act fast. Blot up as much as you can with dry towels, pressing hard. Then use an enzyme cleaner made for urine, following the label, and blot again. Don’t use heat or steam first, since it can set the smell. Sprinkle baking soda over the area once it’s mostly dry and vacuum it up later. Older urine that has soaked deep into the foam is hard to fully remove; if the smell keeps coming back on humid days, replacement may be the realistic answer. For urine elsewhere in the home, see dog and cat urine smell.
Dry It Fast: The Florida Rule
A mattress that stays damp in Florida humidity can turn musty within days. After any cleaning, run the AC, point a fan at the mattress, and don’t put sheets back on until it’s completely dry to the touch, including the sides. Keep the mattress on a frame or slatted base so air can get underneath it, not directly on the floor. A dehumidifier helps in a bedroom that stays damp. See why a bedroom smells musty.
When to Replace the Mattress
- The smell comes back after two thorough cleanings.
- Urine has soaked through more than once.
- It got wet in a flood or leak.
- You see spots or growth on the fabric. See mold on your mattress.
When the Whole Bedroom (or House) Still Smells
If the mattress is clean or replaced but the room still smells, the odor has spread into the carpet, curtains, closet and the AC system. See how to get a smell out of carpet. If the smell is musty and keeps returning, there may be hidden moisture: we offer a free visual inspection with moisture readings and an infrared (thermal) camera. Lab testing is separate if it’s needed. Florida licenses: Mold Assessor MRSA4035, Mold Remediator MRSR4158. Once any source is handled, our whole-home odor removal treatment treats the air throughout the entire home, including one AC system and an attached garage. You’ll be out for about 8 hours. It’s an odor treatment only; it doesn’t clean the mattress or remove mold, so those have to be dealt with first.
Smell something different? See our smell-by-smell guide.
Whole-Home Odor Removal in South Florida: $997
Our Whole-Home Odor Removal Treatment is $997 and includes one AC system ($550 for each additional AC unit). You can buy and schedule it online, or call 877-224-2532 to request a free visual inspection. We answer 24/7; when you call, we’ll tell you honestly when a technician can be there based on that day’s schedule. Hablamos español.
About the author: James Rice-Peña is the owner of FL Cleanup and a Florida-licensed Mold Assessor (MRSA4035) and Mold Remediator (MRSR4158). He has worked in property restoration in South Florida since 2012, and FL Cleanup has earned 200+ five-star Google reviews.
