Unfortunately, there's no golden rule to stain removal. For example, most food stains should be soaked in cold water, unless it's egg, mustard or a tomato-based product. Another tricky rule: Urine stains get cold water while sweat and vomit stains get warm-to-hot water. Take a minute to study our cheat sheet below.
You can wash pee-soaked clothes instead of throwing them away. Here's how to handle it: Rinse Immediately: Rinse the affected area with cold water to remove as much urine as possible. Pre-soak: Soak the clothes in a mixture of cold water and a bit of detergent for about 30 minutes to help break down the stain and odor.
Fresh urine stains
Using a wet/dry vac or paper towels, remove as much urine as possible from carpet. Rinse the stain once with cold water. Vacuum or blot excess water. Wet the soiled area with an enzyme-based product and allow it sit for at least five minutes.
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.
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.
Soak In Baking Soda (or Vinegar)
If the odor persists, fill a sink, bucket, or tub with water and baking soda and allow your clothes or bedding to soak for 15 – 30 minutes. White Vinegar can be used as an alternative.
Laundering your clothes gets them clean but also breaks down the clothing fibers. Hot water is more damaging to clothing fibers, leading to them wearing out faster and shedding more microfiber particles. Washing in cold helps protect your fabrics to keep them looker newer longer.
Make a solution of baking soda, peroxide and any dish detergent. The combination of the three is often powerful enough to drive away strong urine smells. The solutions is eight fluid ounces of peroxide, three tablespoons of baking soda, and a few drops of dish detergent.
When you're safely inside the bathroom, wet your pants with water or wet paper towels to get rid of the smell of urine. Then, pat your pants dry with paper towels or toilet paper. If your pants still look damp, stand in front of the hand dryer until they look and feel dry.
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.
You can try using a hot water treatment for stubborn urine smells that linger after washing. Hot water can help break down and loosen uric acid crystals that are deep in the fabric. Detergents can remove the crystals much easier once they're no longer clinging as hard to the fabric.
One study demonstrated an increase in water temperature from 40°C to 50°C reduced the time it took for participants to start urinating. Similar to the effect of hearing running water, the authors of the study suggest being in warm water is calming for the body and activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
Most urine stains can be cleaned either with a homemade vinegar cleaner, or a homemade hydrogen peroxide cleaner. Foams soak up liquids quickly, so all-foam beds can hold onto the smell of urine more than other mattresses. Many urine smells can be removed by making and using a simple baking soda paste.
But in the case of poop stains, cold water proves more beneficial. It helps prevent the stain from setting into the fabric, creating a solid bond. Aim the water on the reverse side of the stain to push it out of the fabric rather than through it.
Urine is generally the same temperature as the body — on average 98.6°F. This means that when the urine comes out of the urinary tract, called the urethra, it can feel warm on the skin that it touches, including the genitals, hands, or legs. In cold temperatures, a person may observe steam rising from urine.
If you are battling a dried or set-in urine stain, it's best to soak the fabric in a solution of cool water and oxygen-based bleach for at least 30 minutes. If the stain persists, let the fabric soak in your solution overnight and try washing again.
Should guys wipe after they pee? While most men are content with shaking after they pee, it's a good idea to make a small wipe or dab to ensure that there is no remaining urine. This will help keep your urethra and your undies clean! Toilet paper residue can be annoying and may lead to itchiness.
What causes Post Micturition Dribble? PMD is due to a weakness of the muscles of the pelvic floor, which surround the urethra. The pelvic floor muscles can be weakened by: Operations for an enlarged prostate.
Hospitals, nursing homes, health care clinics, and other facilities have relied on ZORBX® as the guaranteed odor remover for urine, bile, human waste and other body fluids.
Proper hygiene and wearing absorbent products can help manage this. Incontinence: Incontinence, whether urge or stress incontinence, can result in urine leaks onto your pants, causing an ammonia smell. Using incontinence pads or underwear designed to neutralise odours can significantly help.
Thank you for the excellent question. The Febreze Fabric Refresher with Gain or the Febreze Pet Odor Eliminator will both work well.
Cold water is fine for most clothes and other items that you can safely put in the washing machine.
Hot water molecules move faster than cold water — and the faster the molecules are moving, the better they can clean clothing and loosen up any germs or dirt in the fabric. Hot water is also helpful at killing the bacteria in your clothing that may be causing the bad smells.
What temperature to wash delicates at? While some washing machine temperature settings go as low as 20°C, most cold washes start at 30°C. A setting of 30°C is usually recommended for washing delicate clothes when combined with a delicate cycle, and not on quick wash.