Cleaning a Memory Foam mattress can be an awkward and time-consuming task. If you are not familiar with memory foam and its unique properties, you may want to learn a little more about it.
Table of Contents:
Cleaning Memory Foam
This process is designed to clean a Memory Foam Mattress, and can be easily adapted to use on mattress toppers and pillows.
What you will need:
- Hand vacuum or regular vacuum with soft brush attachment
- Woolite fabric cleaner
- Water
- Spray bottle
- Spray attachment for hose (if doing the task outdoors)
- Detachable shower head (if doing the task in the tub)
- Distilled white vinegar
- Hair dryer or electric fan
- Tarp
Cleaning Process:
- Vacuum the foam thoroughly with a hand vac or regular size vacuum using the soft brush attachment.
- Place mattress/topper/pillow in the bathtub or outside, near an outdoor water supply (if outdoors, make sure to place the mattress on a clean tarp or other clean platform to avoid getting it muddy or dirty).
- In the spray bottle, mix 1 part Woolite with 2 parts water and shake well.
- Standing the foam on end, spray entire piece(s), front and back, with Woolite solution. If cleaning the mattress, the job will be much easier with two people, one to hold the mattress, and one to spray.
- Allow Woolite solution to stay on for 30 minutes.
- Rinse with clean water, using detachable shower head if in the tub, or spray nozzle on hose, if outdoors.
- Gently squeeze out excess water by folding the foam and pressing down. DO NOT twist or wring the foam as this will cause damage.
- Empty Woolite solution and refill bottle with 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water.
- Spray down entire piece again with vinegar solution.
- Rinse again with shower head or spray nozzle and gently press out excess water as in step # 7.
- A hair dryer set on its lowest setting can be used to aid in drying; being careful not to hold the hair dryer too close or it will damage the foam.
- In the alternative, the mattress can air dry, using an electric fan to aid in drying.
- Make sure the foam is completely dry before replacing on bed.
Removing Stains from Memory Foam
The cleaning process above should remove most stains. For more stubborn stains, these methods may help:
- Dampen the stain with plain water and sprinkle with dry boric acid (20 Mule Team Borax, usually found in the laundry aisle of the grocery store), and blot the stain with a sponge or cloth in circular motion until it disappears. Blot dry and vacuum with hand vac or soft brush attachment to remove residue.
- Dampen a sponge or cloth with hydrogen peroxide and blot the stain in a circular motion (NOTE: hydrogen peroxide WILL DISCOLOR THE FOAM while eliminating the stain!
- Spray the stain with an enzymatic pet stain remover (such as Petzyme, available at most pet stores), and let sit for 15 minutes. Blot the area with a damp cloth and vacuum when dry.
- If these methods fail, you may consider contacting a mattress cleaning professional. Also, check with your mattress retailer as they may carry products specifically designed to assist with stain removal for your particular mattress.
NOTE: For stains that have soaked into the mattress padding, for health and sanitary reasons (i.e. bacteria can continue to grow inside the padding even after the surface stain is gone), it may be necessary to replace to mattress.
Removing Odors from Memory Foam
Odors from stains (especially urine or vomit) and from the air (such as cigarette smoke) can linger in foam. To remove odors, try any one (or more) of the following methods:
- Sprinkle the entire mattress/topper/pillow with baking soda and allow to sit overnight. Vacuum thoroughly with hand vac or soft brush attachment.
- Using a citrus-based cleaning product, spray the foam piece(s) lightly, and allow to dry. Vacuum thoroughly.
- Try a commercially available product such as Febreze (Proctor & Gamble) or FreshCare (Clorox), which are often effective at eliminating or reducing odors.
Additional Hints and Tips
- To extend the life of your mattress, it should be flipped and rotated (bottom to top) every six months.
- To prevent stains and keep your foam mattress/topper/pillows clean and fresh longer, change your sheets often and vacuum your Memory Foam regularly (using a hand vac or soft brush attachment).
- Before cleaning, always check the manufacturer’s tags on your Memory Foam pieces for additional cleaning tips, and make sure to follow all warnings and cautions on the tag to avoid damage.
- Always clean a stain as soon as possible for easier removal and to avoid having it soak into the mattress padding.
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Just an addition to the entry on how to wash memory foam…
Keeping a team of footballers on hand to help handle the foam once it’s soaked with water is of utmost necessity. This stuff holds water like the sponge it is, and a large piece of sodden foam can weigh more than the person trying to wrestle it about. My neighbor, who witnessed the fun, is still laughing.
Best of luck. You’ll need it!
Hello,
Once you’ve cleaned you mattress, as best you can, you can sanitize it with a steam cleaner and then use a UV light to further kill any germs or bacteria that may remain in and on the mattress. Steam and UV light will kill any and most germ and bacteria.
lift with a partner
I tried cleaning a memory foam and hurt my back trying to lift. I was washing out a cat urine stain, using the bathtub. I tried to pick up enough to turn and strained my back. I ended up hernating a disc as a result.
Don’t lift unless you have a partner to help (!!)especially when its wet
Storage
How do I store a memory foam topper? I have a good one that I am not using as I got a new bed and want to put it away until I can give it away to someone. Do I roll it up, fold it or what???
dang
So I take it I cant just run it through one of those huge commercial washers and dry it in a dryer? This is gonna suck!
Anyone have drying tips?
Last year I washed my memory foam pillow. I put it in a big utility sink and submerged it in a weak solution of laundry soap. It came out fresh as a daisy, but I had to wait almost a month before I could sleep on it! The task of getting all the soap and excess water out of it left me aching for two days. Then, on a rack, under a screen, under a blistering summer sun, it took nearly 3 weeks ’til it was fully dry in the center (luckily no mildewing, though).
Now I keep it in double pillow cases hoping I won’t have to do that again any time soon. Good luck!
how to store a memory foam mattress
My daughter insisted on having a memory foam mattress when she moved to her apartment during her senior year of college. The best way to transport it back home after school was to place it in a space bag. Now that she is living at home again we decided to just keep it stored in the space bag. Think about. When she received the mattress in the mail it was shipped in something like a space bag. Why not store it like the manufacturer does.
CHEAP memory foam Mattress WARNINGS!
I would stay away from mawandpawsbargains store/ebay & lastingimpressionsfoam they claim that there products are made in the USA & have the same specifications as Tempur, wich is a flat out LIE, its as bad as the China fakes! there 12″ model doesnt rise to 12″ 11″ only, even after 2-3 days instead of 2-3 hours,/recommended, the middle of the grey base support is VERY soft hence the large sink hole I slept in,along with the wonderfull GRRRRR
curved hammock affect, the outside edges are very hard & firm, the 3″ memory foam is NOT 5.3 lb density, its more like cheap standard yellow egg crate foam, SUMMARY-so with a cheap, poorly made base, with an even cheaper foam topper layer, & a mattress that doesnt exspand to the full advertised height, your left with the biggest peice of junk mattress on the market, sleeping on the floor with a blanket, or a barn full of hay,or laying on the grass under the stars, would be FAR better. I would AVOID the before mentioned names, like the GREAT PLAGE” on feels like a Chinnese quality, Fake, Knock Off, Mattress. DONT be scammed by there email reply’s & fancey hyped up, bold faced, advertiseing LIES. After buying from ebay-seller-mawandpawsbargains, wich they buy from Lasting empression foam, while being the worst bed mattress exsperiance of my life, while wasting, & scamming my $299.00, for the 12″ queen mattress. A week latter being fed-up I just went to my local bed store & bought a nice quility bed, that was on sale, that beats the mawandpawsbargains & lastingimpressionsfoam, mattresses, wich are MAJOR peiceses of JUNK, hands down,my new bed is GREAT, I will soon be sleeping very nicely indeed. I will leave my mawandpawsbargains & Lasting empression foam mattress were it belongs in the Garbage can, GOOD RIDENS! I treully hope this helps some one out, to NOT make the same mistake.
re July 4th
What is a space bag
thanks allen! SAYING NO TO lastingimpressionsfoam
just saw these guys ad on craigslist but will definatly not buy from them! I wondered how could be so cheap! Guess they just lied. lucky i saw this article in my google search. thanks a lot!
Space Bag
“Space Bag” is the brand name of a line of plastic bags designed for storage. They have an opening in the side where you can connect a vacuum hose and suck the air out. That flattens the items inside and makes them store in a much smaller space. You can buy them at a lot of places — Walmart, Amazon.com, Target, probably just about anywhere.
Pay the price for being nice
I recently helped a friend back to my apartment after they drank a little too much at a party. After helping them in bed and and going to bed downstairs, I find the next morning the bed soaked with a large urine spot. That morning I used mild hand soap to spread around as I could, hoping it could help and let the mattress dry for the rest of the day after rinsing the spot with clean water. The surface dried and so I thought it was fine to sleep on that night and did so. The next morning I feel under the covers and find the spot to be damp again. A little disgusting… I’ve tried to follow the above directions, but feel as if I couldn’t get enough water out afterwards/use enough woolite mixture/use enough or not enough of both mixtures. Also I’ve begun this process at night time and am worried that leaving this outside overnight will not aid in the drying process as the temperature is only 48* outside. This is the best I can do in my current situation and am wondering if it is even helping…
humbug
i have a 3″ topper removed it sent it to landfill , not worth all the problems!!
Where do you get space bags from? Do you roll the topper or fold it to put it in the bag?
Lasting impressions memory foam mattress
Just had to set the record straight from Allen’s comments above. I have had back pain for years, I have tried the select comfort number bed which did not work for me. So we decided to try the lasting impressions memory foam mattress. It is everything that it is advertised to be and more. The first night I slept on it my back pain was gone. This mattress is absolutely wonderful. ‘Allen’ has no idea what he talking about!
love and hate
I love my memory foam topper (4″) my husband hates it, how do we solve this problem?
puppies
My dog had puppies this morning while I was at work… She had these puppies on my bed GRRRRRR! but anyways how do I clean the blood stains off my memory foam. Anybody Please Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i think it can be easy
My daughter has chronic diarhea. This morning she slipped in my bed and made a terrible mess. I searched the internet as to how to clean this up. As I didn’t want to mess up my mattress and i didn’t want to have a poopy bed either. The method above seems like it must be for a pillow cause there is no way i can do this by myself and i live in an apt. So knowing that more wet wasn’t gonna hurt it i set out to cleaning.
My favorite to clean up her “mess” is Clorox oxi magic and a sham wow. I usually pour it in a measuring cup and wring the sham wow back into there to make sure i have gotten the liquid almost out, if not all out.
So i applied this method to the mattress (it’s cover is in the wash) and i aggitated it with my fingers and waited the 5 mins. Sham wowed it and i must say the only draw back was that spot was cleaner than the rest of the mattress. i will have to do the whole thing in the summer on a hot day so it can air out.
It is still slightly damp to the touch, but paper towels fixed that.
Stain Removal Question
Thanks Raven.
Just like to know what a “sham wow” is?
Is the “Clorox oxi magic” a spot stain remover?
Many thanks all, most useful.
"SHAM WOW"
sham wow is a product that I believe is made in Germany that is advertised on paid programming. It is a useful product, you can just about use it on anything. you can probably google it and find a way to buy one. there will probably have a product guide so you can see what it is and how to use it also.
good luck!
Waterproof mattress covers
They do sell waterproof mattress covers especially for memory foam beds; they are rubber on the bottom and terrycloth on the top, They cost about $30 on Overstock, and are WELL worth the extra investment – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound (or 300 pounds!) of cure.
Where to buy Woolite?
I want to do this, but cant find what Woolite to buy in the UK. Is this Woolite the washing detergent or the carpet cleaner foam? Has anyone else used another product successfully?
Tesco has the Woolite for Delicates Non Bio (750ml) if that would be ok?
Idea!!!!!!!!!!
Lottie you could just cut the memory foam topper in half and arrange it so you have it on your side of the bed but he doesen’t have it. Everybody’s happy!