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What Causes Yellow Stains On Mattress And How To Remove Them?

Q: What causes yellow stains on sheets?

<p>There are lots of potential reasons&mdash;from sweat and urine (the most common ones) to rust, dust mites, and bed bugs.</p>

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What Causes Yellow Stains?

Oct 4, 2021

Sagging, tearing, holes, and staining are the things that can shorten the lifespan of the mattress. These are also the signs that you need to buy a new one—but if you don't want to do it right away, you can try to fix these problems. Surface stains—especially yellow stains—are probably the easiest problem to fix from this list. Here, we'll tell you everything you have to know about what causes yellow stains on mattress and about removing yellow stains on mattress.

Yellow stains on mattress: all types

Sweat stains on mattress. The problem with sweat stains is that they are invisible at the beginning. Over time, they become visible and pretty notable because of the bad odour. The stains caused by sweat typically appear in the feet, palms, forehead, and cheeks areas—so sweat stains often occur on the pillow as well. Sweat and body oil is the leading cause of yellow stains because we all sweat—some more, some less.
Rust stains on mattress. Rust doesn’t appear out of nowhere—this happens when water or sweat reaches the coils of the mattress. This problem can only occur for innerspring and hybrid mattresses with springs, so if you have a memory foam mattress, you don't need to worry about rust stains. These stains are easy to distinguish from other stains because of the color—it's closer to orange-brown than to yellow.
Water stains on mattress. These stains don't smell and they don't actually look "too yellow"—their color is something in between beige and ivory. They occur when you spill water on a mattress and don't dry it properly after that.
Urine stains. These stains look bright and they smell. These stains are very difficult to remove, and odors are even more difficult to get out of a mattress.
Mold stains. Mold can look like small brown/yellow spots on a particular area of your mattress. Mold stains appear because of excessive moisture and they can also be removed if done carefully.
Yellow stains on mattress caused by dust mites. The dust mites are very common but they are not the most common reason for yellow stains. They are extremely dangerous to both asthmatic patients (mites worsen lung inflammation) and to healthy people (mites cause allergic rhinitis and can make this condition chronic). The stains caused by dust mites look like small yellow spots that occur on the pillow/on the mattress.

How to remove yellow stains on mattress pad or a mattress?

Here, you'll find a guide on removing a yellow stain on mattress, as well as some useful tips, and some recipes that will help you fix your mattress problems.

First, make sure you have all the necessary tools—you'll need a vacuum cleaner, a bowl, a fine-mesh sieve, towels, and spray bottles.
Remove the bed sheets and mattress protectors. Then, vacuum the mattress carefully.
If there is a urine/sweat stain, you can remove it with hydrogen peroxide, soda, and dishwashing soap. Mix a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide with 3 tablespoons of soda and soap (you'll only need 3-5 drops, that's all). Stir the solution, spray it on the mattress (that's why you need a spray bottle!), and let it soak. Wait for 1-3 hours until the solution is dry.
To remove the odor, mix 1 cup of soda with 3-5 drops of essential oil—lots of experts recommend lavender oil, but it's really up to you which one you'll choose. Use a fine-mesh sieve to sprinkle your good-smelling soda all over the entire stain area. In 30-60 minutes, vacuum it.

You can use various solutions, actually. Some mattress owners prefer mixing 2 tablespoons of soda with 1 teaspoon of dish shop and 1 cup of hot water, and cleaning the stain with a towel with this solution. Some prefer vinegar, soda, and water solutions (equal parts of vinegar and water). The others prefer Oxiclean—and we can't say that it works worse than the mixtures we've just talked about.

FAQ

What causes yellow stains on sheets?

There are lots of potential reasons—from sweat and urine (the most common ones) to rust, dust mites, and bed bugs.

Are yellow stains on mattress bad?

Yes, they can be dangerous because if water, blood, sweat (and other body fluids) can lead to mold to grow quickly. Sleeping on a mattress with mold, in turn, can lead to asthma, allergy, and difficulty breathing.

How to prevent sweat stains on mattress?

Clean the mattress every 6 months, sleep with the AC running, buy a mattress protector (it must be breathable). If all these don't work and you have a memory foam mattress, consider replacing it with a new, hybrid or innerspring mattress (they are not as hot as foam mattresses).

Is it normal to have stains on mattress?

Yes. No matter how well you clean, dry, and look after the mattress, there will always be stains and spots. But if you do everything properly, you'll minimize the risks associated with stains.