May 20, 2005

• oo yes we do want to hear it! heh. quick! try this! A liquid spill, such as vomit, can saturate absorbent materials, such as a mattress, well beyond the surface area that can effectively be cleaned. It is extremely difficult to remove the entire liquid spill from inside the mattress; however, you can try to remove the surface stain and odor. First, clean up as much of the vomit as possible with an absorbent cloth. To remove a vomit stain or odor from your mattress, the newest technology uses peroxide and detergents to penetrate the soiled area to remove the stain and deactivate the odor. Simply spray a product such as Bio-OX Citrus Concentrate on the soiled area, and then allow it to penetrate for approximately five minutes. Using a clean white absorbent cloth, blot the area, pressing down firmly (do not rub) for 30 seconds. Repeat this blotting process until the area is dry. If the odor persists, repeat the process. You can also try saturating the area with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. Let it sit for a few minutes. Then, using a clean white absorbent cloth, blot the area, pressing down firmly (do not rub) for 30 seconds. Repeat this blotting process until the area is dry. If the odor or stain persists, repeat the process. Another option is baking soda, which can be used to eliminate surface (but not deeply penetrated) odors. Dampen the area with clean water and then sprinkle baking soda over it. Rub the baking soda into the soiled area and let dry; brush or vacuum to remove the dry material.
• (and i've heard people rave about OxiClean, though i've never tried it myself. sounds like it works on the same theory as the peroxide)
• Peroxide. Thanks, I'll run to the corner store and get some right now!
• ew ew ew ew ew ew ew
• I eventually gave up and threw out a futon mattress that got soiled. There's really no way to clean the inside of a mattress, when most of the liquid soaks in. Febreze might also be good for getting rid of odors, after you've dealt with the stains.
• Silly to say, but focus on the odour, not too much on the stain. A bed sheet will cover any stains.
• Scissors.
• Fire. Fire solves many problems. Including this one.
• SideDish - from what I've heard, OxyClean is essentially Hydrogen Peroxide so six of one, etc.
• See what happens when you use the Bratzapper?
• If there's a chance it'll happen again, get a mattress protector with a rubber underside, the kind they advertise for bedwetting. My son's mattress would be a mess otherwise.
• I think poop gets it out. either that or kitten blood. Better try both just to be safe! Although the only sure solution is a sweatshop. Why are we outsourcing all the good sweatshop jobs to Asia damn it! I want my Nike's made by American kids!
• Isn't this a double post? :)
• Thank you for the advice. anyone know how to get rid of poop and kitten-blood stains?
• Tracicle: His mattress has a protector. Ours does not.
• Heh. Might I suggest one for you guys too? Nothing, absolutely nothing worse than a sick kid in your bed. Or an exploding diaper/nappy. *shudders*
• The good thing is that if you find bedbugs or silverfish, it's much easier to go for the fire idea.
• I may be a little late with this response, but having a little stain factory of my own, I have recently discovered the wonders of club soda. Much better than baking soda, particularly on carpet, ahem...Remember this when your little wonder starts potty training. Pour it on (alot), let it fizz and soak for about 10 minutes, then blot up as much as you can.
• I had good luck with Lysol spray cleaner on a mattress that a sick kitten got to. (Ew ew ew. Ew.) The Lysol got rid of the odor and the surface stain, and helped me feel better about germy-ness.
• As a add on to whatever cleaner you choose to use. I always use a wet/dry shop vac to suck out the funk, then rinse and re-vac till clear(way better than blotting). Naturally don’t use flammable solvents with this technique. Or just flip that matress over, What? you did that last time? Then i vote for fire "Fire solves many problems. Including this one". Oh and dont forget to rinse out the vac.
• Mesmer: may I borrow your wet/dry shop vac?
• Zanshin: Sure and you are in luck, i'm only 220 miles south of you :). Also i allways see rug steamer/cleaners at the local thrift shops. The water pumping sides often are shot, but the vac side is easely testable. Just the thing for spot cleaning.
• You can rent a Rug Doctor with an upholstery accessory from most supermarkets, even in the US from memory. We hired ours from our local Safeway/Albertsons when we needed one.
• Update: I poured some peroxide on the vomit stain and scrubed it with a bristle brush. After drying it with a hairdryer, my wife gave it a sniff test. Good enough. Meanwhile, the Heir-Apparent seems to be getting past the vomit-stage of his bout with the rotovirus. Bring on the diarrhea!
• Owl semen.
• You can get non-rubberised mattress protectors for adult beds, They won't protect against serious bed-wetting, but they will keep small stains off mattresses, are machine washable and they don't squeak like the rubber sheets. They make your mattresses last longer.
• Ew, squeaky mattress protectors? Ethan's doesn't squeak...I don't think. Probably best not to ask him.
• My grandma had rubber sheets on every single one of her beds. Trying to figure out which cousin is a bedwetter is more fun than lawn darts... but not as much fun as "librarian". The worst thing about rubber sheets is they make you sweat like pastor in a whorehouse.
• Well, not so much squeaky, but you always feel the rubber and it's not totally comfortable. Whereas I never notice my cloth mattress protector. Actually, I bought it to cover the vinyl mattresses the dorm had for us, and it made it much nicer.
• We don't have the rubber kind on our bed but Ethan's has one, it's terrycloth on one side and rubber on the bottom, and I think the biggest thing is that his bed always seems colder than ours when you first hop in. Usually if he's sick and in our bed I'll put a couple of towels between the sheet and the mattress, and that does a fine job. I can't imagine a vinyl mattress, either. We had fairly new fancy ones in our dorms, though, since they'd just gotten a big donation from someone...the mafia, maybe. Didn't stop them from using up the food budget two months early, though.
• Blame the dog; move on.
• The solution to baby vomit on a mattress is the same as with almost all other noxious stain. Using a damp cloth or sponge, blot until the surface gunk is gone. Then blot repeatedly with dry paper towels to draw more gunk out. Repeat the moisten and dry cycle several times, if needed. --Pat
• Field Guide to Stains for future reference - I keep a copy in the Kitchen!