Removing Urine Smells & Stains
Related Page: Cleaning Upholstery, Mattresses & Furniture
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Cleaning pee from a mattress
March 2012
I have pillow-top mattress that is less than 5 years old. My friend and her children recently stayed with me, and the mattress was peed on quite a few times due to nighttime accidents. As a result, it now smells strongly of urine. Is there anything I can do to get rid of the smell? For both financial and environmental reasons, replacing the mattress is not appealing. However, sleeping on it as is is also extremely unpleasant! Would a really thick new mattress pad potentially block the odor? Thanks. plugging my nose at night
try putting mattress out out on a couple of warm sunny days... in the sun. Big O
I used a clean old towel to get the ''moisture'' out, then sprayed with a solution of water and vinegar. The smell went away but the stain remained... EP
Nature's Miracle (buy it in the pet store - I think it's marketed for pet urine, but no reason it can't work on human urine too). And then get a plastic liner for the mattress so you don't have a repetition of the problem. (I would have bought one after the first accident!!)
Whenever one of my kids had an accident, I would sponge it out with a mixture of hot water and Pine Sol. I wouldn't just slightly sponge it though, I let a good amount of the mixture go into the matress. Then, I would air it out for a few days. Sometimes I would put a fan on it for a few days. After that, if it still smells (which mine never did), you could spray it with vinegar and water, and air it out. Some people put baking soda on it, but I never mixed baking soda and vinegar, and in fact I'm not sure that mixing Pine Sol and vinegar is a good idea (may be toxic?). Good luck with that! Don't you love friends?
oxy-clean!!! spray bottle of magic! (at least until they're potty-trained.) smell no more
Cat peed in my furnace. Need it Cleaned!
Dec 2009
Last year my cat urinated in my basement-mounted furnace (the kind that has a floor register and the heat radiates up from the furnace). When we turn on the heater, the residue from the urine produces a smelly, cloudy, disgusting smoke in our house! I tried to clean it with an enzyme cleaner that breaks down the smell but the residue lingers. I have called several HVAC repair people who have no clue how to clean the furnace. One guy said that someone else had that problem and they had no idea how to help. The furnace is made of metal (steel?) Any ideas? It's getting cold! I would rather not spend $8000 on a new furnace. Cold in Berkeley
I put your question to friends who foster/rescue cats, and they told me that not all pet odor neutralizers work the same and said that ''Anti Icky Poo'' is the very best. They sent the question about the peed-on furnace to their favorite expert -- the Cat Faeries website (www.catfaeries.com)-- and got back the following:
''Anti Icky Poo is totally and completely unflammable! I called the manufacturer ? good news! You CAN use AIP down a heater vent or furnace. He told me to use about ? cup and let it follow the stream of the urine. I?d turn the heater off first though. And I think I?d go with the unscented version. It?s possible that when she turns the furnace back on the spice scent of the regular/scented AIP might come up.''
Anti Icky Poo is available in smaller pet stores, at vets or online-- it doesn't tend to be sold in the big box pet stores.
I should add that my cat friends tell me that it is worth trying out different pet odor removers if this doesn't work, as there are others (Feline Odor Neutralizer, Nature's Miracle) and/or contacting Cat Faeries yourself. Good luck! KittyLitty
How to remove dog urine smell from concrete?
May 2008
weird question I know, but my elderly dog has peed on our concrete garage floor many times and I cannot get the odor out by using regular floor cleanser with a mop. Does anyone have any recommendations for cleaning concrete? Can I use bleach? This urine smell is getting worse......thanks! dog lover needs help
Get some Nature's Miracle from a pet food supply store
Try Nature's Miracle or some other enzyme based cleanser. We had an incontinent cat for years and she did the same thing. You can buy it at any pet store and possibly Target. Been There
We have our dogs pee/poo in the backyard dog run which is mostly concrete with a bit of gravel on the side. At least once a week, more during the hot summer days, we wash the concrete with a mixture of bleach and water. This gets rid of the smell and it keeps the area sanitary. hates dog pee too
Dog Urine Smell Abatement
August 2006
We have had a cement dog run for about 6 years (about 80 feet long). Our two dogs have a house back there, water supply, food, and a bit of a running space. Sort of like La Puerta without the guacamole. We clean the dog waste daily without fail, and we have installed both a drain and a sprinkler system in it to clear away urine nightly. Every week we brush-scrub the cement with Anti-Icky-Poo (Nature's Miracle sux for us). The urine (not poop) smell, however, is beginning to be present in the house. It's awful.
Solution attempts: We take the dogs out in the morning to pee in another spot. We've tried bleach to ''sanitize'' (don't do it), and we've had checked the drainage system to make sure the waste water wasn't seeping under the house. Before we shut down the operation and try to find another solution for our dogs (which we can nary afford), I'm looking for advice. Wondering if you've had success with a special cement coating, or some other solution, that would allow the dogs to have their run space without our back room smelling like, well, you know -- Pooped just thinking about it.
Well, I hope this responsee is not a waste of your time, but I wanted to put in a suggestion for another go at a bleach solution. Growing up with dogs on a cement kennel and years of working at kennels, I truly believe bleach is the only way to counteract the smell of dog urine. You do not need full strength bleach (nor is it healthy for you to use full strength bleach), but put bleach in a dilution bottle, attach to a hose and spray on urine. Let it sit for awhile and then scrub with a broom. Rinse. Even if it is collecting in some unknown, hidden place in your drainage system, the bleach should wipe out the smell - anywhere the urine can go, the bleach will follow. My thought is that the urine is not coming from the cement so much as the walls around the area (Especially if you have male dogs. While female urine supposedly is more ''fragrant'', males have the aim to put urine where it's hardest to clean:-). If it soaks into wood fencing or gets into cracks between the cement and the wall that you are unaware of, then you've got full urine smell coming at you. I'll be interested to hear what ends up working. Please post what ends up working for you!
It might work to replace the cement with a hearty ground cover such as dimondia. The dogs will probably be more comfortable, a good rain or hosing will wash away the urine and odor, and ground cover is easy to maintain. Julie
We have a small side yard which runs the length of the house and is used by our two dogs as their dog run. Even though we clean and hose down the area daily, the urine smell would linger. After some internet research, I found a recommendation (it might have even been a recommendation from BPN) for a product called ''Trail Instant Odor Control.'' I haven't been able to find it in stores, but have been able to obtain it on-line. We've used it for the past three years and are incredibly happy with the results. I use a fertilizer hose attachment to mix the solution with water and hose the area down. The product has an antiseptic smell (reminds me of the vet), but that dissipates as the dog run dries. As soon as the area is dry, we are able to open the windows on that side of the house. Hope this helps! jewelz
I don't have any advice for you, but I did want to THANK you for being aware of the problem and trying to do something about it. We live next to an all concrete backyard that borders our dining room and kitchen. Those neighbors have 2 Rotties who are never walked. In the warm months, we cannot open any windows on that side of the house because the baked urine smell is so bad. I am not entirely sure how THEY can stand it, but I kn ow we can't. I am looking forward to the answers you get so I might make a few suggestions to my neighbors anon
Cat urine smell in sofa
June 2006
Our new cat peed on our sofa. I immediately cleaned it up and soaked the spot in some odor remover from the pet store. Some odor was left and I used a different project. It seemed to be gone, but now I noticed it coming back or maybe the cat has peed again without us noticing it. We're on the fourth odor remover and still haven't gotten rid of the smell. It is especially bad after sitting on the sofa for a while, I guess because it kind of comes out when it warms up... The cushions are some kind of foam and the covers are not removable/washable. We have an extra slipcover on it which I have washed a few times and which is not smelly. It's kind of disgusting to sit on cat pee, but the sofa is fairly new and buying another one is not in the budget. Any suggestions how to get rid of the smell? Would it help to put it out in the sun? To soak it in some kind of something and then put it out in the sun?
i've thankfully never had to deal with cat pee on furniture, but i've used a product i think will solve your problem: Bi-O-Kleen Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator with Live Enzyme Cultures 32 fl oz it is natural, safe, and highly effective. it smells great (citrussy and fresh) which may double as a cat repellent. i bought it online at drugstore.com but you may be able to find it at whole foods or elephant pharmacy. their soy cleaner is also a miracle product that rivals products such as soft scrub with bleach but without all the chemicals. good luck! yalda
We had great luck with COIT cleaners, they got the smell right out. It was more expensive but the smell is gone. They were having a 40% off sale at the time, maybe it's still going on? Amalia
You said you used several odor removers from the pet store already, but not which ones. I have had great success with Nature's Miracle, but you really need to saturate the area, then just let it dry- it's an exzymatic reaction that breaks down the urine molecules that cause the odor soas long as you saturate every thing with the odor it should work. The lable warns agains staining fabric- I haven't had a problem with that. cat lady
DO get some (I kid you not) ''Anti-Icky-Poo.'' This stuff rocks (we gave up on Nature's Miracle). Anti-Icky-Poo (I love saying that) is a live bacteria that actually kills the odor-causing element. It comes in a diluted strength (spray bottle) and full strength (gallon jug). We use it in our dog run and on the dog bed (we have an incontinent dog), and it works really well. An interesting side note: according to the side of the industrial size bottle it also kills odors coming from ''dead body.'' Hey, you never know. == Tsan
Cat sprayed baby's room
May 2003
Help! My cat has sprayed (although he has been neutered)or maybe peed in the baby's room and I have tried everything to get the smell out of the carpet. I tried carpet spray that you vacuum off, baking soda, room deoderizers. Nothing seems to get the smell out. Part of the problem is that I can't see exactly where it is (there is no stain) but just have been treating the entire corner of the room that smells. If anyone has any suggestions, I would really appreciate it. anon
We always use Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor Remover whenever our dog had an accident and it worked wonders. Now that he's housebroken, we still use it for other spills. So far, it's worked great with wine, fruit punch, baby tylenol and mashed in strawberries. You can find it at your local pet center. As for finding the actual urine spot, use a blacklight. Under a blacklight, urine will glow in the dark because of the ammonia in it. I'm not sure how much these cost, but I'm guessing under $20. The pet store should have these too, or else try Target. Stain and Odor Survivor
Most stores that sell pet supplies have something called Nature's Miracle, which should help with the odor and is supposed to repel the animal from doing the same thing in that same spot again. Or, there's also Febreeze, available at your local grocery store. As for finding out where, exactly, any ''accident'' may be when you can't see it, there are black lights (also sold at pet supply stores) that are supposed to be useful for this. I haven't tried the light, but I have used the other two products with success. dpb
There are cat odor removal products which are enzyme based. You just wipe the liquid over the entire area in question with cloth or sponge even rugs, etc. and the enzyme breaks down the 'problem'. Sometimes needs 2 or more applications, but it really works nicely. FL
Nature's Miracle, available at most pet stores, will neutralize the odor and keep the cat from continuing to mark the area. Shining a black light in thep room will show you the exact spot. Nature's Miracle also makes a black light lamp but any will do. julied
Try Bac-Out by BioKleen--available at Whole Foods and health food stores. It is a natural enzyme and works great on cat pee. May take several applications, but it always works. julie
Try ''Nature's Miracle,'' available at all pet supply stores (make sure to get the one for cats). You saturate the area where the cat sprayed; as it evaporates, it takes the odor with it. It is nontoxic and very effective. Lauren
Be careful about spraying deodorants... they are only masking smells, not removing them. The chemicals contained in most deodorants exacerbate asthma in many people, and contain toxic substances. Did you try 1 part vinegar to 3 parts warm water on the contaminated area? If you're not sure where it sprayed, I would shampoo the entire area and wipe down walls, etc... Another great product that actually removes odors is zeolite, a natural substance. But it'll take forever to remove urine drenched materials... so I would locate the areas first. Parents for a Safer Environment, at www.pfse.net will be growing in capacity to provide tips on safer alternatives to toxic cleaning products. Susan
Try F.O.N. (stands for feline odor neutralizer) and can be purchased through many vetrinarian offices. It worked for us, good luck. anon
The pet stores sell a product called Nature's Miracle, which I've had a lot of success with. You saturate the problem area with the product and then let it dry on it's own. Some kind of enzyme breaks down stains and odors. Good luck! Nicole
Cleaning Urine from a Mattress
Feb 2003
I hope someone can help with this one. One of our cats peed on the bed, soaking all the linens right down to the mattress. The linens were easy to deal with, but what do I do about the down comforter and the mattress (The comforter was the harder hit of the two)? Can I take the comforter to a dry cleaner? And what can I do to get the smell of urine out of the mattress, short of turning it over? Thanks in advance, Nina
We had a problem with our cat peeing in the house which resulted in the dog peeing to cover up the cat pee. It was a nightmare. I used every single product but nothing got the smell completely out. We couldn't smell it but the pets could. I finally found the MOST AMAZING urine/feces odor removal product. The website is www.justrite.com. I started using this and both the cat and dog stopped peeing. I've used this on clothes, carpet, upholstery, hardwood floors, etc. It has worked every single time. If the cat or dog have an occasional accident I clean it up and immediately stray it with this stuff. I spray even things that can go in the wash.
This is also a family run business. A guy named Bill came up with this and basically works out of his home. He is usually the one that answers the phone and takes your order. He is also VERY helpful if you have questions on how to use his products. Diana
2000
My child is doing so well with the potty that i forgot to put a diaper on during nap. Since the mattress was soaked with urine, i wiped and blotted as much as i could. I was wondering if there were any cleaning strategies for such cases, if things grow inside the mattress or what people do in such cases. Thank you for any help and suggestions
In our case, we use a water-proof mattress pad (costs $9.99 at Anna's Linen), so we don't have to worry about our 2-year-old wetting her bed when she is not in diapers. We thought this is better than to risk damaging the mattress. Lin
Use borax (brand name Boraxo or 20 Mule Team) to get the urine smell/stains out. You wet the spot, then rub in a little dry borax powder and let it dry. (A hair dryer speeds things along.) Then you just brush or shake out the borax. Works like a charm. V
When my toddler's diaper leaked on the mattress, I put Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover on the mattress, and I haven't noticed an odor. You can get it at pet-supply stores. Hannah
10/99
I am looking for something that can be used to clean urine and the smell from mattresses. I'm thinking of using Pine-sol or the like, but am afraid to wet the mattress even more. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this that might be of help? Thanks.
Diana
I didn't use this on a mattress, but in my car, and I was getting out vomit, not pee, but I still think that you may want to try Mother's Little Miracle (I believe that's the name). I got a bottle at Rockridge Kids, and it did wonders for my stinky problem, and it's advertised to be able to handle just about everything a kid can dish out. I also used Febreeze in the car for the same problem, and it also worked pretty well. You can pick up both of these things for under $10, and give it a whirl. Of course, if it doesn't work these items are useful for other things. Oh, and you probably want to get a plastic sheet for the bed!
Our cat peed on our bed - how to get rid of smell?
Jan 2003
I hope someone can help with this one. One of our cats peed on the bed, soaking all the linens right down to the mattress. The linens were easy to deal with, but what do I do about the down comforter and the mattress (The comforter was the harder hit of the two)? Can I take the comforter to a dry cleaner? And what can I do to get the smell of urine out of the mattress, short of turning it over? Thanks in advance, Nina
We had a problem with our cat peeing in the house which resulted in the dog peeing to cover up the cat pee. It was a nightmare. I used every single product but nothing got the smell completely out. We couldn't smell it but the pets could. I finally found the MOST AMAZING urine/feces odor removal product. The website is www.justrite.com. I started using this and both the cat and dog stopped peeing. I've used this on clothes, carpet, upholstery, hardwood floors, etc. It has worked every single time. If the cat or dog have an occasional accident I clean it up and immediately stray it with this stuff. I spray even things that can go in the wash. This is also a family run business. A guy named Bill came up with this and basically works out of his home. He is usually the one that answers the phone and takes your order. He is also VERY helpful if you have questions on how to use his products. Diana
Neighborhood cats' habit of urinating on our back porch
Feb 2002
We just moved to a new home where neighborhood cats have established a habit of sleeping and urinating on the back porch. Is there a way to: 1. get rid of the smell (we no longer dare store any items out there) 2. discourage the cats from coming back? Thanks Anne-Marie
This guy Bill came up with the most effective cat pee smell solution we have ever seen. http://www.justrite.com/ This stuff works better than anything in the pet stores (we tried Nature's Miracle and a few others, but the smells persisted). Brian
See Neighborhood Cats for more advice
Cat pee small on the car seat smells up the car
August 1999
when we were traveling we brought our car seat into my aunt's house where her cat peed on it. we have removed the cushioning and washed it thoroughly; however, the plastic and the webbed straps (which are not removable) still stink despite numerous soakings in various detergents and baking soda solutions. we can't use the seat because it smells up the car and our son's clothes when he sits in it. does anyone know of a product that will get rid of the smell? thanks, susan
I don't know if this work now because the stain is set, but try white vinegar. We have a rabbit and a cat and I've used it on our carpet when either of them had the occasional accident. Hope this works. Jeanette
Try FeBreeze. It's available in your supermarket. You spray it on, and the odor dissapates as the item dries. For a persistant odor, you might need to treat several times. My friends swear by it for cat pee odor, and I have found it very effective for body odor that wasn't being removed by dry cleaning. Dawn
Nature's Miracle--available at pet stores--works great
Re cat pee: Try Nature's Miracle, available at pet stores and drugs stores sometimes. It's good. Linda
There are products in pets stores specifically for removing pet odors. I can't think of any brand names though. Also, Febreze, which you can get in most stores, works well too. Good Luck!!! JC
There's a relatively new product called Febreeze that is specifically for removing bad odors from textiles, that you might try. I can't actually vouch for it, never having used it, but the ads look good! The one-drop deodorizies a skunk stuff is bogus, as far as I'm concerned--I tried to use it to deodorize my diaper pail, and it didn't help much at all. If the project were mine to handle, I would try soaking in vinegar too--vinegar can cut through some amazing stuff. Or, any chance of just replacing the straps with new webbing? Maybe a luggage-repair place would know how to do it? Good luck! Meg
From the moderator... I've received a few posts warning people of dangers associated with using Febreeze around pets. I wanted to let folks know that this is NOT TRUE - it is an urban legend. Look at: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blfebrez.htm?COB=home=febreeze=112_300_T
re the cat pee smell There is a product called Odor Out that works really well. I think I bought it at a pet store. It is an enzyme of some kind.I even used it when my son peed in the floor furnace but that's another story... Leah
We use Nature's Miracle and it really is a miracle. Two years ago one of our cats managed to get himself locked inside one of our closets for three days (he's blind, out of it and kind of aloof so it took us that long to notice he was missing). While there he made himself at home on a bag of newborn clothing and used it as his litter box. I called the company and they told me that the trick to their product is that it works in the drying phase. So, they instructed me to wash the clothes in a certain amount of the stuff, and to then hang it outside to dry. They told me not to put it in the dryer. I followed their directions and it worked! There was absolutely no evidence that the clothes had been peed on. Several months later I used them on my newborn with no problem. I couldn't even tell the clothes that had been peed on from those that were in a different bag. BTW, anyone who tells my mother about this (are you listening Dawn?) will not be very happy when I get through with them :-) Sophie