By clicking on the product links in this article, Mattressnut may receive a commission fee to support our work. See our affiliate disclosure.

What happens when you spray rubbing alcohol on your mattress?

Alcohol is recognized to be a good disinfectant all over the world. It is known to kill germs and remove any bad odors prevailing on your mattress. It is cheap and also readily available at drug stores. The only disadvantage of alcohol is that it is highly flammable. It can easily catch fire and spread around the whole area in minutes.

While working with alcohol, you should be extremely careful. Although an ideal disinfectant, it needs to be handled with extra care. 

Key Takeaways

Rubbing alcohol can disinfect mattresses by killing germs and removing odors, but it’s highly flammable and should be handled carefully. Dilute with water, allow to dry completely, and take precautions against fire hazards.

  • Alcohol evaporates quickly so won’t damage mattress, but flammability is a major risk.
  • Not an effective way to kill bed bugs which multiply too quickly.
  • Dilute with water and allow to fully dry before lighting any fire source.
  • Can disinfect hotel mattresses but take fire precautions.
  • Effective for cleaning and removing odors, but not ideal for bed bug control.

Why May Alcohol Not Be Your Best Choice to Use on A Mattress?

alcohol on your mattress damage

Alcohol may kill germs and make your mattress spotless, but it is still not a smart choice. The main reason for not using alcohol on your mattress is that it is highly flammable. Isopropyl alcohol is extremely volatile. Although it dries out in minutes, it leaves traces on your furniture, box springs mattress, and clothes. In case of contact with fire, it easily spreads around the house, burning everything to ashes. Even the vapors lingering in the room can catch fire.

Do Alcohol Help to Disinfect the Mattress?

It is imperative to sleep on a clean mattress for good sleep. But some dust mites, germs, dead skin cells, or sweat residue may hang about or under the surface of your mattress. Rubbing alcohol is an incredible disinfectant that removes any foul smell from the mattress. Follow these easy steps to purify your mattress:

  1. Remove all pieces of bedding and pillows from your mattress
  2. Sprinkle a little baking soda on the mattress for 20 minutes. It will help remove moisture and odors.
  3. Vacuum it to remove any dead skin, dust particles, and remaining baking soda.
  4. Mix an equal part of isopropyl alcohol (70% to 90%) with water. Spray it generously on the mattress, scrub it with a washcloth and leave for 15 minutes.
  5. Your mattress is sanitized; cover it with a mattress topper or any bed sheet.

Will Rubbing Alcohol Damage the Mattress Cover?

Rubbing alcohol evaporates quickly, so it will not ruin your protective mattress cover or matress itself. It is a known fact that alcohol is a volatile compound. If you spray it on a surface, it evaporates after some time. So, you may use it to disinfect your mattress. It is also highly effective in removing body odors or foul smells.

Spraying the alcohol mixture and leaving it for 15 minutes will remove the stink and microorganisms. If you want a better result, you can repeat the process. If your mattress topper comes with a removable cover, you can wash it to clean all the traces of the alcohol.

How Long After You Spray Alcohol on The Bed Can You Sleep on The Mattress?

It depends upon how dirty your mattress is and how long the disinfecting process will take. After spraying alcohol, leave the mattress for 15 minutes. As alcohol is a volatile compound, it evaporates after some time. If your mattress is too dirty, you must purify it several times. Wash it with warm water and let it dry for some hours, so you may sleep conveniently.

Can You Kill Bed Bugs with Rubbing Alcohol?

It is not the most effective way to kill Bed bugs. The alcohol needs direct contact with the Bed bug’s body to eliminate an infestation. It isn’t easy to find these creatures and spray them directly. Although small, they are great at crawling and running. It is impossible to find and spray one by one.

Moreover, bed bug infestations tend to spread rapidly. A female bed bug can lay an average of 250 bed bug eggs in her lifecycle. An alcohol spray kills just half of the available population. This isn’t a great way of dealing with Bed Bugs. Any negligence will cause the infestation to reach the inaccessible parts of your house. So, rubbing alcohol is not your immaculate solution to killing these blood-sucking creatures.

How Long Does It Take for Rubbing Alcohol to Kill Bed Bugs?

Rubbing alcohol contains about 70 to 90% isopropyl alcohol. It is not an efficient method to kill Bed bugs. It only works if you directly hit alcohol on the bedbug. This is nearly impossible, especially when you have a bug infestation in your home.

Bed bugs multiply in a very short period, and the alcohol eliminates only 15% of them. So, this method is ineffective in killing these pesky little bugs. If you need effective results, spray alcohol after every few hours.

How To Make a Homemade Bed Bug Spray Alcohol?

If you have no other option to repel bed bugs, you can make homemade alcohol spray. You just need two simple ingredients to make this simple spray. Take equal parts of water and isopropyl alcohol and put them in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle vigorously and spray directly on the Bed bugs.

This is a gentle reminder that bed bug spray is ineffective for bed bug infestation. If the bed bugs are only contained in a small space, you can use this alcohol bug spray to get rid of them.

Can You Use Alcohol Spray to Disinfect the Hotel Mattress?

It is the best practice to disinfect a hotel mattress before sleeping in it. We never know who was sleeping in there before you. Even with fresh sheets on the mattress, you can still be prone to some deadly viruses or microorganisms. You can use isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol to clean your mattress.

Some precautions to follow while disinfecting your hotel mattress. As we know, alcohol is highly flammable and can cause a fire hazard in the hotel room. Make sure you dilute the alcohol equally with water. This will help disinfect the mattress as well as not cause any fire hazards. It is imperative not to light up any fire after spraying. Open the windows to let the alcohol vapors out, which are highly flammable.

Conclusion:

Rubbing alcohol is a good option for cleaning your mattress. However, it is not the ideal bed bug control method. It helps you remove any dead cells, dust particles, and microorganisms. In addition to that, your mattress smells fresh and clean. Don’t forget to dilute the alcohol with water.

Disinfect the mattress with extra care, as alcohol is highly flammable. If done right, you will have a mattress that smells nice and is free of organisms.