Everything you need to know about urine stain removal

Urine stain nor its smell is appealing to anyone. However, when you have a baby, a toddler who is still bedwetting, senior citizens, or a new puppy dog or a kitten in your home, unexpected urine accidents are common. Cleaning urine stains and getting rid of the odor is a task in itself, it is not as easy as getting rid of ink stains.

The stain and the smell tend to stick around and are difficult to remove. Urine is a waste product composed of chemicals, blood cells, and other wastes. It comprises of 95% water and 5% other wastes, depending on what the human or the animal consumes. Proteins, salts, uric acid, ammonia, and minerals are present in the urine in different degrees.

Here is some information to help you urine odor and stain removal.

What should you know about urine stain removal?

• There are many types of urine stains that occur on different surfaces like carpets, upholstery, mattresses, and clothes.
• Each one needs a different stain remover and process.
• Before you start to remove the stains from an upholstery, you should know the material of the upholstery. There are eight types of fibers used in most upholsteries, which are olefin, acrylic, rayon, polyester, leather, nylon, cotton, and wool.
• Before you start working on a urine stain on clothes, it is important to consider if it would be better to get it cleaned by a professional cleaner. Same applies for carpets and mattresses.
• If you decide on doing it yourself, always ensure you clean the urine stain as soon as possible and not let it stand for too long.

What is an effective method to remove the urine stain from a couch?
As stated above, the effective method for urine stain removal depends upon the location of the stain. If the urine stain is on your couch then it best you start the removal process quickly. The steps involved in the urine stain removal are:

• First, blot the stain caused by the urine with an absorbent cloth. See that you do not spread the urine to the rest of the couch or furniture.
• Take a tablespoon of a liquid dishwasher with 2 cups of cold water, add a tablespoon vinegar, and mix gently.
• Take a white cloth, dip it in this solution, and slowly sponge the urine stain from inside out.
• Then take a dry cloth and again blot the affected area until it is dry.
• Repeat 3 to 4 times, until the urine stain is not completely visible anymore.
• If you can still see the urine stain, add a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. Repeat the sponging with solution-infused cloth and then the dry cloth until the stain disappears.
• Wet a clean cloth in cold water and dab the area until the chemicals are removed.
• If the stain is not getting removed or you just do not have enough time, you can also call on the upholstery cleaning services for stain removal or hand it to the dry cleaners to do the same.

Can market-bought stain removers be used to remove urine stains from mattresses?

• While DIY stain removal methods work well and they also do not discolor the mattress, you can also try to seal the mattress in a waterproof material before using it on the bed.
• However, another effective way is to use stain removers.
• There is a nice collection of chemical stain removers available in the market as well as online. These include stain removers from Minwax, Clorox, Rocco & Roxie, Petseer, etc.

Which is the best product for urine stain removal?
Apart from DIY urine stain removal options, you can also use certain other out-of-the-box alternatives like:

• Tide – The Tide detergent is also a good alternative to remove stains. Remove as much urine from the garment by rinsing it under cool water under high pressure. Pre-treat it by pouring Tide Turbo Clean Liquid on the urine stain. Set for 5 minutes. Pour detergent into the washing machine, before loading the cloth into the machine. Ensure to never wash the urine-stained clothes together with other clothes. Without rinsing the detergent, place the garment in the washer. Leaving the detergent on the stain give your wash extra cleaning power. Wash on the usual cycle. Unload the garment after wash immediately. If the urine stain isn’t removed, repeat the steps before drying the cloth. Always air dry the cloth if possible.
• OUT! Pet Stain & Odor Remover – This stain and odor remover is not limited for only stains caused by pets. It can get rid of tough stains like those caused by urine, wine, blood, dirt, feces, etc. With a natural bacterial enzyme formulation, this remover is safe to use on upholstery, clothing, tiles, carpets, bricks, etc. Additionally, if you are trying to get rid of urine stains caused by pets, it has a fast-acting formula that gets rid of pheromones, ensuring your pets do not soil the same spot again. Made with non-toxic ingredients, it is safe to use around kids as well as pets.