Ok- I'm really embarrassed to ask this: My 6 year old son accidentally had an accident and completely soaked himself and his mattress. (Not a regular thing- so I don't need advice on bedwetting- he was just SUPER tired that night.) Anyway- I found it when I checked on him at about 2am one night- changed him and put him in our bed- then woke my husband up (i know- I'm so mean lol!) and we soaked up as much pee as we could with some towels and then put the mattress in the garage to deal with later. Here is the embarrassing part: it has been sitting in the garage for over a week. I know I know- so gross. My excuses are that I work full time and don't usually get home with kids til it's time for homework, dinner, and bed- then I either have laundry that needs to be done (like immediately- like no underwear for the next day haha) or I have reports due, etc.for work that I work on til I pass out in bed lol. Yea- and that one night I opted to watch LOST on DVR instead of attempting the mattress. I think I have been avoiding it b/c I'm not sure what to do- I've gotten some advice from others- but figured this would be a good way to get lot's of opinions and then pick one! I'm definitely cleaning it tonight! So far, my favorite is to clean it with a mixure of vinegar and dishwashing soap, then soak it up with towels and put baking soda all over to soak up the moisture. I just went and looked- and we are out of vinegar as of now. But my husband is getting some now anyway. Any advice- or even shared experiences- will be helpful! And feel free to tell me I'm horrible for waiting too long to clean it! lol!
Kind of late on getting my thanks out- but here it is....THANKS to you all that replied- helped me out a ton! I ended up doing the vinegar and dishsoap- but also added a few other suggestions in there! The best part was that since it has been so nice out- the sun really help dry it and complete the whole process lol. I now have a mattress pad- water proof and machine washable- for ALL the beds in this house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not advice on cleaning it, but having experience with an occasional bet-wetter, it is much easier to buy a mattress pad that has a plastic liner and never have to worry about the mattress getting wet!
N.,
First of all stop beating yourself up over not getting-around-to -it.
It happens. Life is life and what it is. The washing of it sounds it great!
After that be sure and have some ODO-BAN. This is the best stuff to get
smells out and it kills bacteria. Wonderful stuff!! Also, as a suggestion, you may want to purchase a waterproof mattresspad cover. That way you will avoid this next time. But hopefully no next. But they gone over the mattress and take it off to wash up easliy. My best to you and God bless you!!
Natures Miracle pet stain remover. It works on cat urine so why not?
Resolve makes a carpet cleaner for pet urine. It is designed to break down the proteins found in all bodily fluids. I would try this first, and then move to the vinegar solutions if it is still an issue. Good luck!
Sometime soon, when the sun is bright, set the bare mattress outside for the day. The sun will both dry and disinfect it. It will also help eliminate the odor. You might put it out several times to really get rid of the smell. My mom says this is how people always used to deal with this problem. We used this method to clean the couch cushions after a naptime accident. Keep an eye on the skies, though, you don't want to let it get rained on!
I have to say I have been there. Well sorta, my step-son was about 9 when he did the same thing to our pull out couch. He was super tired and soaked it, himself and all the blankets and clothes he was in. Then, without telling anyone he did it, folded up the couch as if nothing was wrong. I found it later in the day when I was gathering blankets to put away. I was MAD, not because he did it but because he didn't tell me after we had had many discussions on the exact issue.
Here is what I did to clean it: because it is a smaller mattress, I set it outside in the sun. I then sprayed(soaked) it with Odo-Ban and let it dry in the sun. Then if I could even get a hint of urine smell when I BURIED my face in the mattress, I repeated the process. I couldn't really smell anything but I didn't want to smell it later, so I did it again. I left the mattress in the sun for a couple of days just to be safe. You can't tell now that anything happened to the mattress.
Odo-Ban is great like another mother said. It kills the bacteria and smells good. (Eucalyptus) It is safe to put in the laundry, with directions on the bottle. Besides urine (and other pet stains) it works great on sweat. I use it on my husband's clothes when he comes home from work and on my son's when the diapers overflow. I use it kind of like Febreeze. You can get a gallon jug for diluting for $10-$12. It will last a long time depending on how much you use it. I usually get mine at Sam's Club.
Hope this helps!
My son is a bed wetter, so I have mucho experience with this. I pat down bed right after (should this happen again), then I spray it down with Lysol. The smell is caused (so I've been told) by the bacteria in the urine and Lysol kills the bacteria. I soak the mattress and flip it until it dries. Lysol makes some better scents than traditional. I cannot smell any urine at all.
Good luck!
Your definetly not horrible just busy busy. As you said you are going to use vinegar. Get a spray bottle and put half vinegar half water in it. Then add about 3tbls of baking soday to the bottle. Spray the mattress really well, until you can feel it wet, soak it up with towels patting it dry or hairdryer will work as well. Then reapply the baking soda itself, this should work out for you. Good luck. We all become so busy and since you removed the mattress its just not something that is thought of night and day. Only when bedtime comes. lol
Yep, the vinegar, soap and water with baking soda is what will do it.
I have to agree with Marly. Vinegar and water. and since it is already in the garage, just clean it in there and then put a fan on it, this has always worked for me!
You've gotten great suggestions - just wanted to say - don't feel bad for waiting! Sometimes you just can't get everything done that needs to be done. :)
Natures Miracle, its a pet odor destroyer. You cannot find it at stores like Walmart but go to any pet store and they will have it. It ranges (in my experience) from about $11 to $18 for a big bottle. I had my 2 yr old do that last year to my 18 hour old pillow top mattress. I couldnt get the stain out for the life of me but I was able to get the smell out with a whole bottle of the Natures Miracle. Good Luck!!!
Do you own a steam cleaner? If you do then as strange as it sounds look in the aisle that has products for vac's and steam cleaners, what you are looking for is the shampoo formula for pets. I know, I know that sounds awful, but trust me I speak from experiance, and it has special enzymes that help to break down that urine odor. If you don't have a steam cleaner then I would still suggest looking for a pet stain removal shampoo, I have seen them at pet stores but also in walmart. I am not going to chastize you for being an over worked mommy...all of us have done something we regretted procrastinating later. Lots of luck, hope you find something that works= )
B.
