Urine stains will set, so it's important to get your sheets and comforter into the wash immediately. If you wash your bedding and find the urine stain or smell still lingers, add a cup of white vinegar and run the wash again.
Urine stains leave discolored, yellow circles on the surface of your mattress. To help you remove these unsightly stains we've outlined step-by-step instructions below.
If your cat has left urine on your bedding, no need to panic—the stain and odor can be removed in a few simple steps. As soon as you spot the stain, remove the bedding and treat it with an enzyme-based stain remover formulated for pet stains or a dab of heavy-duty laundry detergent.
If left for days or weeks, depending on the fabric or floor type, it will change the dye structure, therefore causing permanent staining. Even if the soluble deposits are removed, the damage to the dye structure may already be done.
Old or dried urine stains can be difficult to remove, often leaving carpet fibers permanently discolored or with an unpleasant lingering odor.
As urine dries and breaks down, ammonia is formed. Ammonia undergoes a chemical reaction creating alkaline salts. Alkaline salts are hygroscopic; that is, they absorb moisture from the air. In all but the driest environments the salt residue will hold enough moisture to activate a moisture probe.
Urine can smell strongly when it is not fresh (e.g. the person passed the urine a while ago). This can be because the urine has dried on the person's skin, clothes or somewhere they live (e.g. carpet or chair).
Do not rub or scrub the mattress, as this risks pushing the urine further into the bed. Create a solution of half water and half distilled vinegar, and put it in a spray bottle. Spray the affected area with your vinegar solution. Blot excess moisture out again using towels.
It's in the science
There are two things that urine will do to a mattress if left unattended. Within 24 hours the mattress will start to smell like the inside of a men's public toilet and be warned, once that urinal smell sets in, it's almost impossible to remove.
Use a Blacklight to Find Urine Stains! If there are no smells or your dog isn't repeatedly marking one area, it doesn't mean you're in the clear. Rather than putting your nose to the floor trying to discover where that smell is coming from, you can find dried urine stains on carpet and furniture with a blacklight.
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.
Pee on a mattress can dry in as quickly as two to four hours, so it's important to treat it immediately.
Blot up as much of the wee as you can using a clean towel or cloth. Spray on the vinegar solution and let it sit for 15 minutes. Blot again. Sprinkle bicarb soda (aka baking soda) generously over the area and let it sit for 8 hours.
Urine from a pee accident can soak deeply into a mattress or slip past the waterproof pad, making the pee odor and stain tough to remove. Read on to see how these household cleaning products can eliminate the smell and residue.
Once you've removed the urine, you need to clean the area. Whether you're sorting an accident on your little one's mattress or cleaning somewhere in a care home, it's vital that you remove the bacteria and disinfect the surface fully, to make it safe and stop the smell from lingering.
Not only is it nasty, it's also bad for your health! The ammonia that causes the stink can irritate the lungs and again, cause problems with the respiratory system. If you can smell it, you can breathe it, which means that bacteria is hurting more than just your nostrils.
Try mixing a cup of peroxide, three tablespoons of baking soda, and a couple drops of dish detergent. Spray the area, allow it to sit for about 20 minutes, and rub the area until the foul smell is eliminated.
No surprise here. In just a few days after urine is deposited, microbial activity begins to decompose the urine. This process releases ammonia gas. It's chiefly the ammonia that creates that distinct pungent odor we smell when we encounter urine contamination.
Dr. Kaaki says the number one reason for bad-smelling urine is dehydration. “You always have a certain amount of ammonia in your urine. When you have more water, the ammonia is diluted, and it smells less intense.
How Long Does It Take for Pee to Dry on a Mattress? Urine can dry fairly quickly. In fact, it may virtually disappear within about two to four hours.
Sometimes, eating a diet too high in protein or salt can cause urine crystals to form. Dehydration from not drinking enough fluids can also lead to the formation of urine crystals. In some cases, an underlying health condition may cause urine crystals, and the person will need treatment for the condition.
Medium-dark yellow urine is often an indication that you are dehydrated.
The time it takes for urine to evaporate relies on room temperature. Urine evaporates at an average rate of 3.2 liters per day, or 30cc per hour. It evaporates approximately 8.8 liters daily on warm days and 0.4 liters on cloudy days. Because pee doesn't evaporate quickly, you can smell it longer on cold, humid days.
Waking up with wet pajamas or sheets from pee is the main symptom of bedwetting. You likely won't know that you wet the bed until it's too late.