How to clean a Tuft and Needle Mattress

July 18, 2021 2:30 AM

Severe night sweats have left my beloved T&N mattress stained and a little smelly. I'm not sure how to remove the stains or get that gym bag smell out without damaging the mattress structure, and the T&N website has been pretty useless in giving clear instructions on what they recommend. Do you have a tried and true solution for fixing mattresses of this type?
posted by Hermione Granger to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

We poured about two boxes of baking powder and spritzed the bed so it was a paste that dried into a thick crust, then vacuumed that off after about a day. We had a mattress pad that could be laundered (a very thin pad from ikea) that we put on top and it cut down on the smell - dog pee - hugely.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 5:06 AM on July 18, 2021 [2 favorites]

+1 to Baking Soda+water for smell. Use more than you think is appropriate and then vaccum it up after it's had a good sit (about 4-5 hours, more is probably better). To prevent repeat occurances, we use a niceish washable mattress cover (we have one from Bloomingdales). We wash the mattress cover more in summer when we are sweaty people (maybe every other sheet change?) And then don't bother as much in winter.

Unfortunately I don't think you'll have much luck removing stains. You can try spot cleaning with a toothbrush stuff dishwashing soap and then dabbing at the soapy spots with wet towels, but honestly baking soda the mattress, put on a mattress cover +your sheets and call it a day.
posted by larthegreat at 6:02 AM on July 18, 2021

For this exact scenario, I use Rocco & Roxie Stain and Odor Remover and it works great with very little effort: spray it on thoroughly, vacuum when dry, done. As the name suggests, it takes up stains as well as odors.
posted by teremala at 6:38 AM on July 18, 2021 [3 favorites]

Another option you might consider is one of those enzyme cleaners like Nature’s Miracle - it was developed for pet stains but the enzymes work on all sorts of biological odors. I’d spritz to saturate and let it air dry.
posted by fancyoats at 6:51 AM on July 18, 2021 [1 favorite]

The odor remover that teremala recommended is exactly that kind of enzyme cleaner.
posted by flabdablet at 7:31 AM on July 18, 2021

If it’s possible to put it outside in direct sunlight, that can help a lot with both odors and stains - you’d probably want to do that last, after the other treatments.
posted by insectosaurus at 8:56 AM on July 18, 2021 [2 favorites]

I have this exact problem right now with old sweat stains on my (non T&N) mattress and it’s day two of working on it. Mix hydrogen peroxide and a drop of Dawn dishwashing liquid into a small spray bottle. You don’t want a lot of soap in there, you’re not going for soapy and foamy, so really just a drop or two depending on the size of your spray bottle. Shake it and spray and rub the stains with a white microfiber towel. You’re not going to necessarily see the stains life immediately, but you’re trying to get that mixture to penetrate the stain and get that area wet.

Pay extra attention to the edges of the sweat stains and you might need to return to it with that towel in an hour to further rub that area and spread out the wetness. Bonus if you get can get direct sunshine on your mattress, either by moving it outside, opening your blinds if you get enough sunlight in your room (I can get sunlight on the bed), or moving the mattress towards a sunny window.

I did this yesterday and the stains reduced significantly and I repeated it this morning. It’s been two hours now and my stains have faded.

I do have a mattress pad but the sweat stains still penetrated through. No A/C in Mexico will have you sweating! If I were to do things differently I probably would have removed the mattress pad and aired it all out if I knew I had a sweaty night’s sleep and clean the mattress right then and there.
posted by vivzan at 9:41 AM on July 18, 2021

Enzyme cleaner is the way, but you'll need to make sure to let it dry thoroughly--over a few days, at least.

Then for prevention of recurrence, get a vinyl-free waterproof mattress protector. Vinyl-free means it doesn't make crinkly noises or feel stiff. I have one and it has kept my mattress safe from menstrual bleeding heavy enough that I was directed to go to the hospital, and, uh, copious sex-related moisture.

I do replace it every couple of years, but that's more because I don't like looking at the staining on the protector.
posted by rhiannonstone at 12:08 PM on July 18, 2021

I've had some success with using baking soda dry--sprinkle it on first thing in the morning, let it sit all day and vacuum before bedtime. (If you wanted an option to try before anything that wets your mattress or might take a few days to process.)

When I was dealing with night sweats (horrible, turned out to be caused by my antidepressant, but somehow it took 3 years for doctors to figure that out), I got 100% cotton mattress covers and changed them once a month rather than waterproof ones. I was concerned the waterproof one was a contributing factor because it didn't breathe. And doctors kept telling me that I was probably too hot (I wasn't). Anyway, swapping out mattress covers helped cut down on mattress funk. I bought two so that I didn't have to launder them right away.
posted by purple_bird at 9:03 AM on July 20, 2021

For future protection, I like the Luna mattress protector
posted by radioamy at 7:11 PM on July 22, 2021