Why Does My Mattress Have Brown Stains? (3 Reasons) 2023

After removing sheets of your mattress in the morning and you noticed that your mattress has brown stains.

And you might think why does my mattress have brown stains?

Because it’s not coffee, tea, or other stains then why your mattress has brown stains?

Don’t freak out, the brown stain on a mattress can be caused by rust or body fluids like sweat or urine.

So in order to remove those stains, you need to try tried & tested ways to clean your mattress and remove brown stains from mattress.

Why Does My Mattress Have Brown Stains (Reasons)

Let’s first know why your mattress causing those brown stains,

Because if you know the reason then you can prevent it from happening in the future.

Reason 1: Rust Mark Or Moisture

Those brown stains on your mattress can be rust marks which is pretty common.

This happens when your mattress gets older and the strings and coils inside of your mattress start to deteriorate and showcase color.

And rust can be also formed due to high moisture accumulation in the inner parts of your mattress.

This can happen because of high humidity levels, body fluid,s or fluid spills which can accumulate moisture under your mattress.

So this causes rust stains or brown stains on your mattress.

Reason 2: Accidental Spills and stains

Are you sure that your mattress gets brown stains automatically?

Because sometimes tea spills, coffee spills, or juice spills can happen on your mattress and you forget about that accident.

So you need to make sure that’s a rust stain or other coffee or tea spills.

Reason 3: Bed Bugs

If your mattress has rust-colored stains, it can also be caused by bed bug infestation.

The presence of bed bugs can also promote brown stains or spots on your mattress.

Rust stains happen because of water and metal reactions but bed bugs stains are totally different.

Bed bugs feed on blood and cause brown spots on your mattress and sheets.

You can also test whether those stains are caused by bed bugs or are just rust stains.

Dab hydrogen peroxide on the affected area and once it begins to fade then its bloodstain which is the first sign of bed bug infestation.

If the stain is persistent then it’s a rust stain.

Also Read: Do Sleep number Beds Get Bed Bugs?

Reason 4: Sweat Stains

As I said before any type of moisture like body sweat or humidity can lead to accumulating moisture under your mattress.

And when that moisture gets in contact with springs and coils then it can cause brown stains.

Humans can also release oil from our hair and skin, which can lead to light yellow or brown stains on your mattress.

So if you sweat a lot then bacteria can toil over your bed so don’t be surprised to see brown stains on your mattress.

Enough there can be many reasons why your mattress has brown stains but let’s deep dive into the solution part.

How to Remove Brown Stains From Mattress

Until now you must figure out what caused your mattress to brown stains so you can proceed further steps,

In this session, we will talk about how you can remove those brown stains no matter what the reason is.

First, we will talk about how to remove rust stains from mattresses.

For Rust Stains

As you can see rust stains are very tough to remove.

So you need to use strong cleaning solutions like white vinegar and salt or commercial products for rust stain remover.

So follow this process step by step.

Step 1: Gather Things

For this process, you will need these things.

Step 2: Create a Cleaning Paste

For cleaning those rusty brown stains, you’ll need a stronger cleaning solution.

You can either use white vinegar with salt or lemon juice with salt depending upon your preference.

Create a cleaning paste.

Step 3: Rub the Affected Area with Paste

After creating a paste, apply the paste on rusty areas of your mattress and rub the area and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

And now take a scraper and dig out the rust bits but you need to take out the paste completely for finishing the cleaning process.

Step 4: Let it Dry 

The previous step can easily remove the strongest rusty stains, but this step can completely remove the brown stains and smell.

Let your mattress air dry for a few hours.

You can take a paper towel or clean cloth to absorb the remaining liquid from your mattress.

And after that, you can use a table fan to dry your mattress completely.

For Accidental Spills

Another reason why your mattress has brown stains is that any coffee, tea, or juice spills.

Here is how you can remove accidental spills.

Things you will need

Step 1: Remove all bedding & Wash them

Remove sheets, comforters, pillowcases, and other washable things and throw them into the washer and wash them on gentle settings with mild detergent.

After removing the bedding, take a paper towel or clean cloth and wet them in the water and absorb the brown stain if possible.

Step 2: Create a Strong Cleaning Solution

Mix half cup of hydrogen peroxide with a half cup of water and mix the solution well and pour the solution into a spray bottle.

And spray the solution on the affected areas of your mattress.

Let it sit for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 3: Absorb the access Solution & Sprinkle Baking soda

Take a paper towel and absorb the excess solution from the affected areas of your mattress and sprinkle some baking soda.

Let the baking soda sit for a few hours, then you can vacuum up the baking soda.

This process not only removes all types of accidental spills but also removes the smell.

For Bed Bugs

As soon as you discover that the brown stain area causing because bed bugs infestation then immediately contact your nearby pest service.

Because you can’t find and kill every bed bug in your house.

After that, you need to remove all bedding and throw them into the washer and wash them in the highest temperature settings.

Washing bedding in hot water can kill bed bugs in them.

For blood spots on your mattress, follow these steps.

Things you’ll Need

Step 1: Create a cleaning solution

After removing and washing your bedding on the highest settings, create a strong cleaning solution.

For blood spots, you can use enzyme cleaner which can easily remove any blood stains from your mattress.

Otherwise, you can also use hydrogen peroxide.

Mix ⅓ part of hydrogen peroxide or enzyme cleaner with ½ part of water.

And pour the solution into a spray bottle.

Step 2: Spray the solution

Spray the solution on the affected areas of your mattress, and let it sit for at least 15 to 20 minutes.

And take a paper towel or clean cloth and soak up excess solution from your mattress.

Step 3: Sprinkle Baking soda

Now sprinkle baking soda on your mattress, and let it sit for a few hours.

And vacuum up all baking soda after a few hours.

Now, boom the brown stains on your mattress must be gone.

Final Words

There are lots of reasons why your mattress has brown stains like accidantal spills, rust stains, bed bugs infestation and sweat.

So you need to identify what is causing your mattress to brown stains and act accordingly.

Create a cleaning solution and remove those brown stains from your mattress.

If you have any questions regarding brown stains on your mattress then you can ask them in the comment section of this article.