Most people spend a significant portion of their lives on a mattress. Occasionally illness may intervene to disturb a good night’s sleep for you or one of your family members. While it may be unpleasant to consider, chances are someone in your family is going to throw up on his mattress and somebody is going to have to clean it up. If that person happens to be you, you want to make sure you do it right and do it fast.
Latex Foam Mattresses:
Put on household rubber or latex gloves. Remove as much of the vomited material as possible. Use a spatula or large kitchen spoon to scoop up solid material and deposit into the bowl. Soak up the liquid with paper towels. Dispose of the soiled paper towels in the trash and empty the solid material into the toilet and flush. Wash the bowl and utensil with hot water and detergent.
Remove any soiled bed linens and place them in the washing machine. Fill a spray bottle with two cups of warm water. Add 1 ounce of liquid disinfectant to the water and screw the spray cap on tightly. Shake gently to mix. Spray the soiled area of the mattress with a light misting of the disinfectant spray. Blot the area with a clean white cotton towel or dry sponge until you have extracted as much dampness as possible from the mattress.
Mist the soiled area with an enzyme-based cleaning spray. Follow label directions, as these may vary from product to product. Blot the soiled area with another clean cotton towel. Press down on the towel to extract as much liquid as possible. Repeat the process until the towel comes up clean after blotting. When finished, wash the soiled bed linens and towels in hot water with a disinfecting detergent.
If the mattress must be slept on for the remainder of the night, place a clean, dry towel over the damp area. Place bed linens on top of the dry towel. Encourage whoever is going to sleep in this bed to try to sleep on an unaffected portion of the mattress.
Once the mattress is no longer in use, remove the bed linens and move the mattress into direct sunlight. If possible, and if the weather permits, move the mattress outdoors to allow it to air out naturally. Both the sunlight and fresh air will help to diffuse any offensive odors, and the sunlight acts as a natural disinfectant. Once the mattress is completely dry and refreshed, bring it back inside and place it back on the bed.