How to Clean Vomit From a Mattress: Step-by-Step

If you’re a parent of small kids, a pet owner, or you’re prone to stomach bugs, there’s a good chance that you didn’t just search up this article out of curiosity. If you’re here to learn how to clean vomit from a mattress or looking for the best way to remove vomit stains – or smells – you’ve got a mess to deal with and need some practical tips.

The good news: No matter how gross it may seem right now, your mattress is not ruined forever. As a mom and pet owner, I can tell you that my mattress and bedding has survived food poisoning bouts and a puppy-ate-a-sock incident or two – and yours will, too.  

Just follow our guide that leans on both my battle-tested knowledge as well as on some insights from our product testing experts on how to restore your mattress and bedding to its cleanest and freshest-smelling state. 

Pre-Clean: What to Do Immediately

Just as with any spill or accident, the key to combating a vomit attack on your mattress is to keep calm and act quickly. As these things inevitably tend to happen at 3 a.m., it might be tempting to clean up the visible mess and deal with the rest in the morning (especially if you’re also cleaning up and comforting a sick child as well), but that could make things worse for you the next day.

Here’s why: Vomit is full of butyric acid, enzymes, and bacteria, and especially if it’s the result of a virus, you don’t want those contagious particles lingering on a surface where you or your family members sleep. Plus, once it seeps into the mattress or bedding and dries up, it will be harder to get rid of the stains and the smell.

But have no fear. If you follow these steps, you’ll complete the clean-up fairly quickly.

• Step 1: Wear gloves and stay hygienic. You’ll want to avoid touching the vomit directly with your skin, as best as you can. Wear gloves when handling vomit, and avoid touching your eyes, skin, mouth, or other parts of your body until you’re done handling vomit and fully cleaned up.
• Step 2: Scoop up the mess. Carefully remove as much of the excess vomit as you can with the paper towels or dry cloths and dispose of it all in the trash bag. 
• Step 3: Scrape up the bits. Use a paper plate or flat cardboard edge to clean up any remaining solid particles.
• Step 4: Strip the bed. Remove the bedding including comforters, sheets, and mattress cover and set aside for washing.   
• Step 5: Blot, don’t rub. If the vomit seeped down to the bare mattress level, use dry cloths or paper towels to absorb the soiled area as much as possible. Blot the stain starting from the outside and moving in, to avoid spreading vomit around and making the stain bigger.

“Safety and hygiene are key when you’re dealing with vomit messes. Make sure you’re using all the personal protective equipment that you can, especially gloves. Avoid exposing your skin or other body parts to the vomit as best you can, and make sure you give everyone affected a good clean too.

Also, cleaning vomit from your mattress doesn’t end with your bedroom. After you’re done cleaning, make sure you’re disinfecting any equipment you used to clean up your mattress as well as all the areas you may have used to dispose of vomit or clean your bedding.”

Mary Fenton

Head of Product Content

How to Clean Vomit From a Mattress: Step-by-Step

Once you’ve gotten the area as dry as possible, the next step is to clean and treat the mattress before any of the remaining mess seeps in. 

We’ve put together a few of our favorite cleaning methods for you, from store-bought solutions to DIY cleaners that you can make with a few common household ingredients.

Enzyme Cleaner Method

Enzyme cleaners are store-bought products that are designed to clean up bodily fluids. You may not have an enzyme cleaner lying around in the heat of the moment, but they can be very effective.

• Step 1: Wear gloves and stay hygienic. You’ll want to avoid touching the vomit directly with your skin, as best as you can. Wear gloves when handling vomit, and avoid touching your eyes, skin, mouth, or other parts of your body until you’re done handling vomit and fully cleaned up.
• Step 2: Spray the stain. Spray the affected area with your enzyme cleaner until it is generously coated. Wait at least 15 minutes to let the cleaner soak in and start breaking down the vomit.
• Step 3: Blot the area. After giving the enzyme cleaner some time to sit, blot the area with a clean towel.
• Step 4: Use baking soda to coat the area. Cover the affected area with a thick layer of baking soda. Allow the baking soda to sit for at least 15-30 minutes and dry. You’ll generally see better results if you allow the baking soda to sit for longer periods of time.
• Step 5: Vacuum up the baking soda. Vacuum up the dried baking soda, or remove it using a clean paper plate or cardboard edge if you don’t have access to a vacuum.
• Step 6: Inspect and repeat as needed. Check the mattress for vomit stains and repeat steps 2-5 until they are gone. It may take multiple rounds of cleaning to fully remove stains.

Vinegar Cleaner Method

Vinegar can be used as a cleaner to fight stains and as a natural deodorizer. Many people have vinegar lying around the house, so it’s easy to use for a simple cleaner.

• Step 1: Wear gloves and stay hygienic. You’ll want to avoid touching the vomit directly with your skin, as best as you can. Wear gloves when handling vomit, and avoid touching your eyes, skin, mouth, or other parts of your body until you’re done handling vomit and fully cleaned up.
• Step 2: Create your cleaning spray. Mix 1 part water, 1 part distilled white vinegar, and 1-2 tablespoons of mild dish soap or laundry detergent in your spray bottle.
• Step 3: Spray the stain. Spray the stained area with your vinegar cleaner until it is thoroughly soaked. Don’t be afraid to use a lot of your vinegar cleaner here. Large stains may have seeped deeper into a mattress than you can see, so it’s important that you use enough cleaning solution to cover the entire stain. Wait at least 15 minutes to let the cleaner soak in and start breaking down the vomit.
• Step 4: Blot the area. After giving the vinegar cleaner some time to sit, blot the area with a clean towel.
• Step 5: Use baking soda to coat the area. Cover the affected area with a thick layer of baking soda. Allow the baking soda to sit for at least 15-30 minutes and dry. You’ll generally see better results if you allow the baking soda to sit for longer periods of time.
• Step 6: Vacuum up the baking soda. Vacuum up the dried baking soda, or remove it using a clean paper plate or cardboard edge if you don’t have access to a vacuum.
• Step 7: Inspect and repeat as needed. Check the mattress for vomit stains and repeat steps 2-6 until they are gone. It may take multiple rounds of cleaning to fully remove stains.

Hydrogen Peroxide Method

Hydrogen peroxide is a natural bleaching agent, which makes it great for cleaning up certain messes and stubborn stains. That being said, it’s a little strong, so you’ll want to be careful when using it to clean your bed.

• Step 1: Wear gloves and stay hygienic. You’ll want to avoid touching the vomit directly with your skin, as best as you can. Wear gloves when handling vomit, and avoid touching your eyes, skin, mouth, or other parts of your body until you’re done handling vomit and fully cleaned up.
• Step 2: Create your cleaning spray. Mix 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide, 3 tablespoons of baking soda, and a few drops of mild dish soap or liquid laundry detergent in your spray bottle.
• Step 3: Spray the stain. Spray enough of your cleaning spray on the stain to dampen it, then let it sit. Start with a small amount of solution at first.
• Step 4: Let the area air dry. The baking soda will form a residue on the sprayed area as it dries.
• Step 5: Vacuum the area. Remove any baking soda residue until you can clearly see the mattress.
• Step 6: Inspect the mattress and repeat if needed. If the vomit stain remains, repeat steps 1-5 until it’s gone. If the stain is set in deeply, you’ll probably need multiple rounds of cleaning to remove it.

How to Remove the Smell of Vomit From a Mattress: Step-by-Step

No matter how well you clean, it can take a bit more effort to fully remove the odor of vomit from your mattress. If you’re looking to get the smell of vomit out of your bed, we recommend using an adapted version of our vinegar cleaning method.

• Step 1: Wear gloves and stay hygienic. You’ll want to avoid touching the vomit directly with your skin, as best as you can. Wear gloves when handling vomit, and avoid touching your eyes, skin, mouth, or other parts of your body until you’re done handling vomit and fully cleaned up.
• Step 2: Create your cleaning spray. Mix 1 part water, 1 part distilled white vinegar, and 1-2 tablespoons of mild dish soap or laundry detergent in your spray bottle.
• Step 3: Spray the stain. Spray the stained area with your vinegar cleaner until it is thoroughly coated. Wait at least 15 minutes to let the cleaner soak in and start breaking down the vomit.
• Step 4: Blot the area. After giving the vinegar cleaner some time to sit, blot the area with a clean towel to soak up excess vinegar spray.
• Step 5: Use baking soda to coat the area. Cover the affected area with a thick layer of baking soda. Allow the baking soda to sit for at least 15-30 minutes and dry. You’ll generally see better results if you allow the baking soda to sit for longer periods of time. If you’re trying to get an odor out, it’s best to let the baking soda set for hours, or even overnight, if you can.
• Step 6: Vacuum up the baking soda. Vacuum up the dried baking soda, or remove it using a clean paper plate or cardboard edge if you don’t have access to a vacuum.
• Step 7: Allow the mattress to air dry completely. Ventilate the room by opening the windows. You can also run a fan pointed at the mattress to speed up the drying process.
• Step 8: Disinfect. Apply a light spray of disinfectant or rubbing alcohol to kill any lingering germs. Allow it to dry.
• Step 9: Refresh with an essential oil spray. Lightly spritz the mattress with a pleasant essential oil spray like lavender before remaking your bed.

How to Clean Vomit From Sheets: Step-by-Step

Remember the bedding you set aside? After you deal with your mattress, don’t put off tackling the sheets and other bedding for too long. The more time that passes, the more stubborn the stains and smells will be to deal with.

• Step 1: Wear gloves and stay hygienic. You’ll want to avoid touching the vomit directly with your skin, as best as you can. Wear gloves when handling vomit, and avoid touching your eyes, skin, mouth, or other parts of your body until you’re done handling vomit and fully cleaned up.
• Step 2: Remove any solids and excess vomit from the sheets. Start by making sure any solid residue and excess vomit is removed. Use paper towels, paper plates, and dry rags as needed to scoop up the mess into a garbage bag. A toilet is also an option, though it can be tricky to aim the mess to get it in the bowl and you’ll have to disinfect it once you’re done cleaning.
• Step 3: Rinse. Hold the soiled area of the sheets under running cold water to get out as much of the vomit as possible. Try to rinse your sheets somewhere that makes it easy to clean up any leftover mess, like a bathtub or sink.
• Step 4: Create your cleaning spray. Mix 1 part water, 1 part distilled white vinegar, and 1-2 tablespoons of mild dish soap or laundry detergent in your spray bottle.
• Step 5: Spray the stain. Spray the stained area with your vinegar cleaner until it is thoroughly soaked. Wait at least 15 minutes to let the cleaner soak in and start breaking down the vomit.
• Step 6: Blot the area. After giving the vinegar cleaner some time to sit, blot the area with a clean towel to soak up any excess solution.
• Step 7: Use baking soda to coat the area. Cover the affected area with a thick layer of baking soda. Allow the baking soda to sit for at least 15-30 minutes and dry. You’ll generally see better results if you allow the baking soda to sit for longer periods of time.
• Step 8: Vacuum up the baking soda. Vacuum up the dried baking soda, or remove it using a clean paper plate or cardboard edge if you don’t have access to a vacuum.
• Step 9: Repeat as needed, or try a baking soda paste. It may take multiple rounds of cleaning to fully remove the vomit, so repeat steps 5-8 as needed. Note that the washer will also do some of the removal work here. You can also mix 1 part baking soda with 2 parts water in a small bowl to make a baking soda paste, which can sometimes work better for smaller stains. Apply the paste directly to the stain, working it in with a dry cloth or an old, clean toothbrush. Let the paste sit for at least 15-30 minutes before removing it.
• Step 10: Pre-treat with products. If you have a stain remover spray, you can apply it to the sheets and let sit for the recommended length of time.
• Step 11: Wash. Launder your sheets using the highest temperature setting allowed for the fabric. You can add in some color-safe bleach (or regular bleach if you have white sheets) if your sheets can handle it. You can also add in some laundry sanitizer, a deodorizer, or 2 cups of vinegar if you have it on hand to help fight odors. 
• Step 12: Dry. Dry your sheets on the highest temperature setting allowed for the fabric. If you have to line dry your sheets, try to dry them in sunlight if you can.

“There’s a lot of debate about what water temperature you should use to get vomit out of your sheets. On one hand, hot water can help to disinfect your sheets and kill off any lingering germs from the vomit. On the other hand, hot water is notorious for causing stains to set and it can be too much for more delicate sheets.

We’ve found that a balanced approach works well – do as much pre-cleaning work as you can on the sheets, then use the warmest temperature the fabric can handle to wash them at the end. ”

Jeremy Klein

Senior Product Testing Manager

How to Protect Your Mattress From Vomit

One thing that I learned (the hard way) is that having to do a full mattress decontamination after every accident was exhausting. Luckily, there are a couple of preventative measures that helped, and it could help you protect the mattresses in your home, too.

First off, with young kids, vomit can happen spontaneously, though sometimes there is some predictability, such as after they attend a party with lots of sugary sweets. One of the simple things I started doing was keeping a small pail within easy reach of the kids’ beds and instructing them on what to do, just in case. 

The other thing I did was invest in quality mattress coverings, which serve as a barrier in case of not just vomit accidents, but other messes like bedwetting, pet urine, or blood. In general, there are two main types:

• Mattress encasements: A mattress encasement is a heavy duty covering that goes fully around your entire mattress. It is intended to prevent the buildup of dust mites, allergens, and other irritants. Plus, they are typically waterproof to prevent stains from liquid damage. Encasements are a good option for sleepers who have a higher tendency to be sick, have accidents in bed, or anyone who wants maximum protection. The major tradeoff is that you can often feel a mattress encasement through your sheets, and it may make a crinkling noise from time to time if it’s waterproof.
• Mattress protectors: A mattress protector can also be effective for safeguarding your mattress from general stains and spills, but they mostly protect the top of the mattress like a fitted sheet. They’re easier to remove for washing, but obviously not as good at providing protection as a full-on mattress encasement. For most people, mattress protectors are protective enough, especially if you choose a mattress pad or protector that is waterproof.

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