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.
Urine contains uric acid crystals. These enzyme products cling to uric acid, destroy it, and then remove the odor. Enzymatic cleaners not only remove urine stains and odor, but it also eliminates odor-causing bacteria around the stain. Spray the cleaner on the area and rub until the stain and odor are gone.
With a thorough cleaning, the smell of pet pee may dissipate within about 15 minutes, although most cases take several days to stop smelling after cleaning up the stain. If you leave a urine spot untreated, it may take up to five years to stop smelling on its own.
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).
The Problem: Urine smells that linger
In restrooms, persistent urine odors may emanate from urine that has penetrated porous grout on floors or walls, behind toilets and underneath urinals. Little or no caulking around toilets and urinals provide perfect places for urine odors to thrive.
In a large sink or bathtub, make a solution of baking soda and warm water, agitate to make sure the baking soda is evenly dispersed, add your stinky items—making sure the stained items are submerged and leave them there for 15 minutes to give the baking soda solution enough time to break down the uric acid present in ...
The easiest method to try is a vinegar and water mixture. Fill 1/3 of a spray bottle with white vinegar and the rest of the way with water. Spray the affected area well and allow it to penetrate.
In small doses urine probably does not have much affect on your health, but prolonged breathing or highly concentrated urine could be a problem. Sharp ammonia odor from urine can be irritating to the lungs, throat and eyes. Excessive exposure can even cause skin irritation.
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.
Vinegar application: If the test goes well, saturate the urine-stained area with white vinegar, allowing it to penetrate the carpet fibers. Let it sit: Allow the vinegar for 10 to 15 minutes. Vinegar is a natural deodorizer that can neutralize the urine smell.
Use baking soda on porous surfaces.
Then, pour white vinegar over the area to neutralize the baking soda and get rid of the urine. Don't worry if it starts to bubble and fizz—that means it's working! After you're done, rinse the area with water.
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.
When you breathe in these ammonia fumes, not only does it smell bad, but it can cause some severe problems as well. If your pet has urinated in a place with reduced ventilation such as a room or even in the house, it could trigger issues like asthma, pneumonia, and in some cases, even suffocation.
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.
In otherwise healthy people, the bacteria and microorganisms found in old urine stains may cause sinusitis, watery eyes, allergies, and inflammation of the airways.
If urine is kept for a long time at room temperature, it will give an ammonia smell produced by the bacteria, which will decompose the urea in the urine.
In the air, ammonia will last about 1 week. Ammonia has been found in air, soil, and water samples at hazardous waste sites. In the air near hazardous waste sites, ammonia can be found as a gas. Ammonia can also be found dissolved in ponds or other bodies of water at a waste site.
Mix baking soda and water to create a paste. Use a sponge to scrub this onto the floor and the base of the toilet. Scrub the caulk and tile grout. Let it sit for a few minutes.
To do this, sprinkle a thick layer of baking soda over the entire bathroom floor. Let it sit overnight, and then sweep or vacuum it up in the morning. If you have stubborn urine stains that just won't go away, you can use a commercial product like Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser.
Using Peroxide to Get Pee Smell Out of a Light Couch
Mix a cup of hydrogen peroxide, 3 tablespoons of baking soda, and a tablespoon of Dawn in a container. Soak up as much stain as possible with a paper towel or 4. Apply the mixture to the stained smelly area.
If your house smells like urine, and you've taught your young sons to aim into the toilet, not around it, you might have a pest problem, a plumbing problem, or a mold problem. Malfunctioning electrical wires might also cause a urine-like odor.
One way to combat this issue is to make a mixture of white vinegar, baking soda, and a few drops of dish soap. Once the mixture has been made, simply pour it over the affected area. Let the mixture sit for thirty minutes so that it can start to break down the odor-causing particles in the carpet.
When urine is highly concentrated, it contains more ammonia and less water. This can cause it to have a strong smell. Urine tends to be more concentrated when a person is dehydrated. This is often the case first thing in the morning or when a person does not drink enough water throughout the day.
Whenever possible, bring in the pros to tackle a urine accident on your mattress. If it's not properly cleaned, the salt in uric acid will remain in your mattress and draw moisture in. This will cause bacteria to grow, which leads to mould (and an awful smell).
“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. Whereas with dehydration, the concentration of ammonia is going to be higher and the smell would be stronger,” Dr. Kaaki says.