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How to clean blood, vomit and pee out of your kid's mattress

No matter what bodily fluid you're dealing with, we’ve got the remedy—plus a tip to save you from stumbling through making their bed in the middle of the night.

By Amy Grieves
How to clean blood, vomit and pee out of your kid's mattress

Photo: iStock/Tomazl

It’s the worst morning surprise: your kid’s mattress soaked in pee, blood from a nosebleed or vomit. Soak up as much as you can by gently blotting, then try this:

How to get blood out of a mattress

  1. Pour a small amount of peroxide and dab the stain away. Repeat as needed.
  2. Rinse the peroxide out with water and allow to dry.

How to get vomit out of a mattress

  1. Generously sprinkle baking soda on the surface. 
  2. Spray vinegar on top; let sit for a few hours, or until dry. 
  3. Vacuum up the dried remnants, wipe with a wet cloth and let dry. We like the BISSELL Little Green Machine to get the job done.

How to get pee out of a mattress

  1. Make up a solution of 2 tbsp baking soda and a few drops of Dawn Ultra dish soap. Add in 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide.
  2. Spray the kids' mattress or toddler mattress and let dry.
  3. Go over the spot with a steam vac, if you have one (they’re a solid investment!). Or apply disinfecting spray (half rubbing alcohol and half water works, too) over the dried stain to kill the smell.

Tip: Make a lasagna bed to preserve your mattress and save midnight sheet changes. Layer a waterproof mattress pad and a sheet, then another mattress pad and sheet set. In the event of a late-night accident or illness, strip a layer and throw it in the washer.

Helix Kids Mattress Merchant

We also love mattresses that come with water-proof or water-resistant covers built in. In fact, that's one of the greatest features we found in our Helix Kids' Mattress review. It stands up to all kinds of stains, spills and messes.

Score your own here.

Meet the experts who shared their tips, tricks and hacks:

  • Sarah Mcallister—Calgary With more than two million followers, McAllister’s company, Go Clean Co., is kind of a big deal on Instagram. Known for her undying love of powdered Tide detergent and for bringing the concept of laundry stripping to the mainstream, McAllister is a serial entrepreneur and mom of one.
  • Danielle Tays—Hampton, New Brunswick Better known as @momthatlovestoclean on TikTok, this mother of one and stepmom of two soothed her COVID anxiety by sharing her knowledge and tips. Boasting more than 450,000 followers, she and her like-minded cleaning squad refer to themselves as the #mopsquad.
  • Jamie Moorhouse—Toronto Along with partner Sean Campbell, Moorhouse started Condo Fresh Inc. in 2011 with a goal of providing professional cleaning and organizing with a natural spin. After encouragement from his customers, he recently launched his own line of natural cleaners, called Moorfreshouse Inc.
This article was originally published on Feb 23, 2022

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