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Mattress cleaning in your own bedroom
A mattress takes a lot over the years: sweat, the odd cup of tea, children's accidents, a dog that sneaks up at night, and the everyday wear of being slept on. Turning it over only hides the problem for a while, and sheets and protectors don't stop everything getting through.
A proper clean lifts most of it out, and it's done in your own bedroom, so there's no collection and no night without a bed:
- A clear price first. From a photo of the mattress, its size and any stains.
- Stains pre-treated. Sweat marks, spills and accidents treated before the main clean.
- Low-moisture extraction. Hot water and solution rinsed through the surface and pulled back out, so the mattress is never soaked.
- Drying taken care of. Air movers run while we pack up, plus a few simple steps for the rest of the day.
- Honest advice. If a mattress is beyond saving, we'll tell you rather than charge you to clean it.
Know your mattress
Mattresses can't be cleaned like carpets. They're thick, they hold water and you need to sleep on them that night, so the method depends on what's inside:
| Type | What to know | How we clean it |
|---|---|---|
| Open-coil sprung | Older and budget beds with a thin comfort layer; often two-sided | Low-moisture extraction, both sides if it's made to be turned |
| Pocket sprung | Individually wrapped springs under thicker fillings, sometimes wool or cotton | Controlled moisture; natural fillings take a little longer to dry |
| Memory foam | Dense foam that soaks up water like a sponge and dries slowly | The least moisture of all, with extra extraction passes |
| Latex | Springy natural or synthetic rubber, sensitive to heat and some solvents | Mild products and cooler water |
| Hybrid | Springs underneath, foam on top | Treated like memory foam on the sleeping surface |
The cover matters too. Quilted, knitted and damask tickings all clean well, but a few manufacturers' labels say not to wet-clean at all. Check the law label sewn to the border, or send us a photo of it.
How we clean a mattress
- Look it over. We check the type, the label and every stain, and talk you through the likely result.
- Vacuum. Dust, hair, skin flakes and crumbs come off the surface, the seams and the borders.
- Pre-treat. Each stain gets a product matched to what it is, given time to work.
- Extract. The hand tool sprays a fine layer of hot water and solution across the ticking and the vacuum draws it back up in the same pass. Stained areas get several light passes rather than one heavy one.
- Dry. Air movers go on, and we stand the mattress on its side if that helps air reach underneath.
- Check with you. We go over the result together before we leave.
Mattress jobs are done by Ciprian, the founder of Spotless, and his small crew. His Prochem carpet-cleaning course in 2018 (certificate no. 2018/020; the certificate is here) means he's fully trained in carpet cleaning, and the same low-moisture extraction skills apply to mattresses. We're fully insured on every job.
Stains and odours: what comes out
These are the marks we see most, and what to expect from each:
| Stain | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Sweat and yellowing | Lightens noticeably; many years of yellowing rarely vanishes completely |
| Tea, coffee and soft drinks | Usually come out well, especially recent ones |
| Urine (children or pets) | Fresh stains lift well along with the smell; old ones that went deep may leave a trace |
| Blood | Usually removable if it hasn't met hot water or a household product |
| General grime and dust marks | Come up well, and the whole surface brightens |
| Mould and damp | Not something cleaning can fix when it's inside the mattress |
Where smells come from
Most mattress odours come from what has soaked into the top layers: sweat, spilled drinks, accidents and the general staleness of a bed that's never aired. Extraction rinses that residue out rather than covering it, which is why a fresh accident leaves less behind than an old one. Damp from a cold room or a leak is different, because it lives inside the mattress, and a surface clean won't reach it.
Why we test first
On a mattress we haven't seen before, or a stain we're unsure of, the pre-treatment goes on a small area first, usually near the border. That shows how the ticking reacts and how far the mark will shift before the rest is done. If you've just spilled something, blot it hard with a dry towel to soak up as much as possible, then dab with cold water. Don't scrub, and keep cleaning products off it.
When replacement makes more sense
Cleaning is worth it when the mattress is still comfortable and supportive and the problem is on the surface. Replacement usually makes more sense when it sags or has lumps, when springs creak or poke through, when a large spill or leak has gone right into the core, when there's mould or a musty smell throughout, or when there are bed bugs. If you're replacing it soon anyway, put the money towards the new one. We can collect the old mattress through furniture removal.
Want a price for your mattress? Send a photo of the mattress, its size and any stains on WhatsApp, and we'll reply with a clear price, usually the same day.
Children, pets and accidents
Children's mattresses see the most accidents: wet nights, spilled drinks, sickness and the occasional felt-tip. Fresh accidents usually come out well if they're blotted quickly and we get to them within days rather than months. Pets on the bed leave hair, muddy paw marks and body oils, and older cats and dogs can have accidents too. Hair is vacuumed off first, then the marks are treated like any other stain.
Cot and toddler-bed mattresses are smaller but get the same care. Many have a removable, washable cover over a foam core, so check the label: if the cover can go in the machine, wash it yourself and we'll clean the core's surface; if it can't, we clean it on the mattress. Either way, keep the moisture low and let it dry fully before the baby goes back down.
Keep children and pets off the mattress until it's fully dry, and get a waterproof but breathable protector on it afterwards. For pets on carpets and sofas as well, see pet carpet cleaning.
Drying, airing and the bed itself
A mattress cleaned with low-moisture extraction is damp to the touch, not wet, and usually dries in a few hours. Thickness, fillings and how warm and airy the room is all make a difference. To help:
- book a morning slot so it has the whole day
- open a window, or leave the heating on in winter
- keep the air movers running as long as we suggest
- leave the bedding off until a firm press with your hand feels dry
We don't take beds apart. The mattress stays on its frame or divan and is lifted or stood on its side where we need to reach the borders or underneath. Clear the bedside lockers and anything stored under the bed so we can get round it, and on a bunk bed, the top mattress is cleaned where it lies if there's room to work.
Keeping it fresh afterwards
- Use a washable protector and wash it with the sheets.
- Air the bed each morning by pulling the duvet back for half an hour before you make it.
- Rotate the mattress head to foot every few months, and flip it too if it's two-sided.
- Vacuum the surface and seams now and then when you change the bedding.
Our mattress care guide has more on making a mattress last.
Rentals, guest rooms and end of tenancy
Landlords and letting agents book mattress cleaning in furnished lets between tenants, often with carpet cleaning and sofa cleaning on the same visit, so the place is fresh for viewings. Tenants leaving a furnished flat book it to hand the beds back as they found them. Short-let and guesthouse hosts use it for guest beds, and plenty of people book it for a spare-room bed that hasn't been slept in for years before visitors arrive. If there's furniture to clear first, see property clearance; larger guesthouses and hotels should look at our commercial cleaning page.
Booking a mattress clean
How pricing works
The main thing that sets the price is the size of the mattress, from a single up to a super king, along with whether one side or both need doing. Heavy staining adds time, so a photo helps us give you an accurate figure. Adding a mattress to a carpet or sofa clean is the easiest way to get everything done in one visit, and you'll always have a fixed price before we arrive.
Before we arrive
- strip the bed, including the mattress protector
- clear the bedside area and under the bed
- let us know where the van can stop
- check we can use a tap and a socket
- keep a spare bed or sofa in mind as a back-up, though most mattresses are dry by bedtime
There's no need to bring the mattress downstairs. We carry the equipment up to the bedroom, even in a terrace with a tight landing or an apartment on an upper floor.
Where we clean mattresses
We're based in Dublin and clean mattresses across Dublin and all of Leinster. You can watch real mattress jobs on our YouTube channel, one of them in Sandymount, and south Dublin readers can see our Foxrock mattress cleaning page. Outside Dublin the process is exactly the same; see mattress cleaning across Leinster, and send your area or Eircode with the photos.
