Generally, it's recommended to leave the baking soda on a mattress for 30 minutes to an hour. But for a deeper clean, let the baking soda sit for 24 hours. To avoid caked-on baking soda, check it every several hours and remove it once it has absorbed all moisture, stains, and odors.
Baking soda needs time to interact and absorb smells. It works best if you let it sit on the mattress, undisturbed, for 12-24 hours. After it has sat, vacuum again with an upholstery attachment to remove all of the baking soda from the surface of the mattress.
For regular cleaning moisture, we love the old tried and true cleaner: baking soda. Strip the bed sheets and sprinkle the product liberally onto the mattress. Let sit for a few hours, then vacuum thoroughly.
You can also use baking soda to deodorize. Sprinkle all over the mattress and leave for eight hours or overnight and vacuum any residue.
Air out your mattress for a couple of days and if it still emits an odor then you can sprinkle some baking soda over it. Let it sit overnight and vacuum it the next day. A few drops of your favorite essential oil can be mixed in with the baking soda for a pleasant, soothing smell.
'There's an old wives' tale that suggests that sprinkling baking soda onto the mattress, leaving it to air for a few hours, and then vacuuming it off, can help to air it out,' Natalie explains. 'However, it's worth noting that not all mattresses are suitable for this home remedy,' she adds.
If you can't put your mattress out in the sun and fresh air, baking soda is the next best thing. Sprinkle a layer over the entire top of the mattress and leave for several hours (or better yet, apply before an overnight trip). Baking soda will break down acid and absorb any remaining moisture or odor.
Baking Soda
Pour the baking soda into a flour sifter and sprinkle a layer of baking soda over the top of the mattress. The flour sifter will help evenly distribute the baking soda. Let it sit for up to two hours. The baking soda will react with acidic odors to neutralize them.
The answer to a fresh and clean mattress could lie with baking soda, also known as bicarbonate of soda. Although this is traditionally used as a leavening agent in baking, the white powder also has many multipurpose cleaning uses around the home.
Rather than blotting up excess urine with a towel as you would normally, skip immediately to applying baking powder directly to the soiled surface. Baking soda absorbs moisture, and should darken in color as it draws the urine up and out of the mattress.
Sprinkle baking soda to keep it fresh
If you're looking to keep your mattress smelling clean and fresh, try sprinkling baking soda over the surface. Make sure you lightly cover the whole mattress and leave it for a few hours. Then, vacuum the remaining baking soda off your mattress and this will leave it odourless!
Mix 1 cup of baking soda with a few drops of lavender essential oil in a bowl, and then put the mixture in a strainer. Shake the fragranced baking soda evenly over the entire mattress. Leave the baking soda on the bed until your bedding is finished washing and drying.
Using natural ingredients to clean urine from your mattress is a great alternative to relying on baking soda. Vinegar is a powerful natural cleaner that can help remove urine stains and odor. Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle, apply it to the affected area and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
About a cup spread across the whole thing. Baking soda kills mold and absorbs moisture that could help mold and bacteria thrive. Let the baking soda sit for 10 to 15 minutes then vacuum.
Let the baking soda sit for several hours or overnight.
If you can let it sit for 24 hours, that's even better. The longer it sits, the better your results will be. Baking soda naturally neutralizes and absorbs odors rather than covering them up.
Does baking soda ruin your vacuum? Baking soda's minuscule size can clog the filters and potentially damage vacuum cleaners – particularly the motor. If you're using a bagless vacuum, the potential chokepoint would be the cyclonic filters and the post-motor HEPA filter. For bagged vacuums, it's the HEPA filter.
No, baking soda will generally have no effect on bed bugs. They will not ingest it, and if they do walk through it, it will not cause them any problems. 'Bed bugs may avoid areas with baking soda, but they would just relocate to hide in cracks and crevices or find another path to get to the occupants of the bed.
Baking soda and vinegar react, and one of the products of the reaction is carbon dioxide gas. This gas forms bubbles that are surrounded by the liquid. The laundry detergent makes the bubbles last longer, and a foam is produced.
Baking soda is said to dehydrate bed bugs. While baking soda may kill off one or two bugs, it's rarely strong enough to get rid of an entire infestation. Still, many people will try to use baking soda to get rid of these parasitic bugs.
While most bedsheet packages recommend washing your sheets before using them, not many do. Washing the sheets multiple times softens them over time, but on the flip side, the detergent leaves residue on the bedsheets that make them tight again. Baking soda helps break down the residue, making them softer.
It's in the science
There are two things that urine will do to a mattress if left unattended. Within 24 hours the mattress will start to smell like the inside of a men's public toilet and be warned, once that urinal smell sets in, it's almost impossible to remove.
A mattress develops yellow spots gradually, and several reasons for it. And you cannot control or prevent it. Sweat, urine, vomit, sebum, and age can cause these yellow marks.
The sweat, urine, and oils on your mattress can all create excess moisture and this is all that mould and mildew need to grow. Similar to other yellow stains, mould can look like small yellow spots covering a specific area of the mattress.