How To Remove Coffee Stains From A Mattress

Spilling your cup of coffee on your bed can ruin your morning.

Not only do you not get to enjoy your coffee, but stains can void your mattress warranty, which can be a costly mistake.

Luckily, we’ve done the research, and learning how to remove coffee stains from a mattress is easy.

It is essential to get coffee stains cleaned up as soon as possible, but you don’t need specialty cleaning supplies.

All you need are a few essential household cleaning items, and by following the steps below, you will be able to get that unfortunate coffee stain out of your mattress and save the rest of your day.

What You’ll Need

You’ll need a few everyday household items to remove coffee stains from your mattress.

Now that you have everything you need, read on to learn how to remove coffee stains from your mattress. 

1. Blot the Coffee Stain with a Fresh Cleaning Cloth

Removing coffee stains from your mattress is easiest if the stain is fresh, so you’ll need to act quickly once your coffee has spilled.

Take a new cleaning cloth or paper towel and blot the stain.

Blot from the edge of the stains towards the middle—this will prevent the stain from spreading further. 

Do not attempt to rub or scrub the stain out.

Doing this will push it further into the mattress, making the stain more difficult to remove.

Instead, continue to blot the stain until your cleaning cloth comes up dry.

While you do this, it may take several cleaning cloths, so use a new cloth once the one you are currently using becomes dirty.

Pro tip: Dark-colored cleaning cloths can stain fabric when wet. The coloring can bleed once you start to use the cleaning cloth, which your mattress will absorb as a stain. To prevent this, only use cleaning cloths that are white or lightly colored.

2. Combine Vinegar, Dish Soap, and Water and Apply to Stain

In a bowl, combine ¼ cup of white distilled vinegar, one tablespoon of dish soap, and ¾ cup of warm water.

I recommend using Calyptus 45% Pure Super Concentrated Vinegar.

It’s extremely concentrated which allows you to make up to 9 gallons per bottle, plus it gets excellent reviews on Amazon.

Dampen a fresh cleaning cloth with the solution and blot the stain again.

Start blotting at the edge of the stain and move gradually towards the center to prevent any further spreading of the stain.

As before, be careful not to scrub the stain with your cleaning cloth.

Gentle blotting will be enough to get the stain out without working it deeper into your mattress.

Make sure to use a dish soap that is concentrated and has a cutting agent in it such as Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap.

3. Mix Water and Laundry Detergent, and Apply it to the Stain

If the spilled coffee contained sugar and creamer, you would need to take an additional step to remove the stain because both sugar and creamer increase the tenacity of the stain.

Mix warm water with a bit of laundry detergent and dab the solution onto the stain with a cleaning cloth.

Allow the solution to sit on the stain for five minutes, and then dab the area with a fresh, damp cleaning cloth to remove the detergent entirely from the affected area.

The stain should come off with it.

4. Once the Stain is Gone, Allow Mattress to Dry Completely 

You may have to use your mixture of choice a couple of times to remove the stain thoroughly, but once the stain is completely gone, dab the affected area with a damp cleaning cloth to remove any lingering soap.

Then, allow your mattress to dry completely before putting the sheets on it or using it again.

You can open a window and turn on a fan to speed this process.

Allowing sunlight to fall on the affected area of your mattress will help speed the drying process while also helping to prevent any mold from settling in as your mattress dries.

Maintaining airflow around your mattress will also speed the drying process of the affected area.

5. Deodorize with Baking Soda (If Necessary)

If after drying your mattress in the sun or with a fan, you continue to have a coffee smell to it, you can deodorize it with baking soda.

Simply sprinkle baking soda over the affected area and let it sit for an hour.

After it has sat for at least an hour, vacuum the baking soda from your mattress.

The following video demonstrates how to get coffee stains out of your mattress correctly.

00:07—Blot the stain with a fresh cleaning cloth.

00:11—Mix together ¾ cup of warm water, ¼ cup of vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of dish soap.

00:20—Dampen a fresh cleaning cloth with the solution.

00:22—Blot the stain with the solution.

00:26—Allow your mattress to dry completely. 

00:28—If necessary, deodorize your mattress by sprinkling baking soda on it.

0:30—Let the baking soda sit for an hour and then vacuum it up. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I remove a coffee stain from my mattress if the coffee stain is old? 

If the coffee stain has already dried, start by dampening a fresh cleaning cloth and applying the moisture to the stain.

Doing this will help to rehydrate portions of the stain, making it easier to remove.

Once you have removed as much of the stain as possible by blotting it with a damp cleaning cloth, continue the steps above to remove the old coffee stain from your mattress.

It may take several vinegar and water mixture applications before you can altogether remove the old coffee stain because it has dried into the mattress.

Why should I clean my mattress? 

Keeping your mattress clean not only prevents you from accidentally voiding your warranty; it also helps you to live a healthier life.

Mattresses can hold a plethora of allergens such as mold spores, dust mites, mildew, and indoor allergens such as pet hair and pollen.

Suppose these are not removed regularly by changing the bed linens at least twice a month and vacuuming your mattress at least once every few months.

In that case, they can lead to allergic reactions, disrupted sleep cycles, and even illness if left unchecked.

Cleaning your mattress regularly will also extend the life of your mattress.

The better care you take of your mattress now, the fewer mattresses you will have to buy, which will save you money in the long run.