We can thank urochrome, a chemical that's produced when the body breaks down dead blood cells, for giving urine its yellowish hue. While pee will leave a yellow stain – one that may intensify as it dries – it's not typically a stubborn mark to treat, especially when laundered within 12-24 hours.
Debra Johnson, a cleaning expert for Merry Maids, recommends running urine-soaked articles through a full-wash cycle using cold water and one cup of distilled white vinegar (without detergent first). Vinegar is an excellent urine stain remover; it breaks down the uric acid in urine and makes the stain easier to remove.
Old or dried urine stains can be difficult to remove, often leaving carpet fibers permanently discolored or with an unpleasant lingering odor. The odor of old urine is due to the bacterial decomposition of the urea in the urine which continues as long as there is moisture.
Stains get harder to remove with time, so clean stains as soon as you can. Most urine stains can be cleaned either with a homemade vinegar cleaner, or a homemade hydrogen peroxide cleaner.
Avoid Permanent Floor & Fabric Damage
Pet urine can cause permanent damage to your floors and fabrics. It can also create an unhealthy indoor environment. When urine is first deposited onto a floor or fabric, it has a pH of about 5 or 6, which is on the acid side of the pH Scale.
Pro Tip: Wash the urine-stained clothes separately to avoid cross-contamination.
A bad smell in the urine often goes away on its own, especially when it results from dehydration or something in the diet. A person does not need to speak with a doctor if they can identify a harmless cause of their smelly urine, such as asparagus. Other causes need medical treatment.
Before washing your urine-stained clothing item with a laundry detergent, you can try soaking it in a sink or tub with a mixture of baking soda and warm water—although, in most cases just washing it with a high-quality detergent like Tide will suffice.
It's important to remember that the sooner you treat a urine stain after it occurs, especially if it's still wet, the better chance you have of eliminating the stain and odor dried and set urine can leave behind.
If you notice a urine smell or a dried pee stain on a mattress, there's no reason to panic. You can still nurse that mattress back to health in a few easy steps. First, as with a fresh stain, toss the bedding and the washable mattress protector in the washing machine.
Soak the clothing in 2 cups cool water to 1 cup vinegar with two teaspoons of dishwashing detergent. Vinegar breaks down the uric acid in urine. Don't use heat at this point; it could set the stain. Rinse and wash normally.
Dried urine does not support microbial growth and is thus considered safe and suitable for regular shipment and storage. This is in contrast to liquid urine samples, which must be treated as biohazardous material at all times.
Cold water is also recommended for urine and blood stains. Other stains, especially oily or greasy ones, do better in warm or hot water. Grass and tomato-based stains also are easier to remove in warmer water temperatures.
And an unfortunate victim of these accidents is often our mattresses. Urine stains leave discolored, yellow circles on the surface of your mattress.
Take home message. Adult human urine is not sterile. The resident bacterial community may contribute to urinary health and disease in undiscovered ways. Bacterial genomic sequencing and expanded urine cultures techniques are major complementary tools for scientific exploration in urologic research.
If the stain is still there, repeat the process of soaking it in water and baking soda, and wash it again. Recap: A urine stain can ruin a piece of clothing, but it can also be removed if you catch the stain soon enough and follow the proper methods as shown above.
Wash on the usual cycle, on the hottest wash temperature indicated. Always check the instructions on the garment's care label. When the cycle is complete, unload the garments immediately. If the urine stain persists after washing, repeat the previous steps before tossing in the dryer, as drying will set the stain.
Hot water washes can help to break down urine molecules more quickly, but cold water washes may be gentler on fabrics. The downside is that laundry techniques alone may not entirely remove urine smells in some cases, so other solutions might need to be used first or alongside them.
“The smell gets more concentrated over time,” Dr. Kornreich says. Additionally, once a urine stain dries, you may no longer see it without using a black light. But you can still smell it, and so can your cat, which can lead them to pee in that area again.
Dawn dish soap has a million uses, including removing urine stains and odor from carpets.
Baking soda is a powerful option, as it absorbs the unpleasant odor. Sprinkling baking soda directly on the urine stain before laundering can significantly reduce the smell.
Allow 1-2 hours for Urine Off to dry. Drying may take longer in more humid climates/conditions. Repeat Step 9 as needed until urine odor and stains are removed.
If you urinate often, and your pee is very light-colored or even clear, it could be a sign of diabetes.