Vinegar is an excellent urine stain remover; it breaks down the uric acid in urine and makes the stain easier to remove. When the cycle is complete, run the load again (this time adding detergent) and wash at the hottest water temperature recommended for the fabric.
Vinegar Cleaning Solution– Add one part white vinegar to one part water. Urine smells like ammonia, and this is neutralized with white vinegar. After blotting the area dry, pour the vinegar solution on the affected area, and let the solution soak for 10 minutes to reach the deepest fibers in the rug.
Neutralize the smell Then you're going to want to douse the spot with an enzymatic cleaner or simply make your own cleaning solution by combining (white or apple cider) vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio. Because the vinegar is acidic, it will neutralize the bacteria in the dog pee, offsetting its odor.
When vinegar is poured onto the contaminated area, within 5-10 minutes, that stain will be broken down and essentially eliminate the urine. On top of that, vinegar's components serve as a natural germ-killer, although not as effective as bleach, will kill the most common household bacteria.
When vinegar comes into contact with something alkaline, like dog urine, it causes a chemical reaction. This reaction produces bubbles, which help to break down the urine and remove the stain and odor. Vinegar is an effective cleaning agent for many household surfaces and materials.
The Urine Preservative Acetic Acid Degrades Urine Protein: Implications for Urine Biorepositories and the AASK Cohort Study.
A little bit of white vinegar and baking soda go a long way to getting rid of urine smells for good. However, there are a few precautions and tips to keep in mind when it comes to pee stains and stink. Clean up urine stains as soon as possible. This is going to avoid that eye-watering aroma.
Once you've blotted up the urine, mix 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of dishwashing liquid, 2 cups (470 mL) of cold water, and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of vinegar together in a small bowl and stir to combine them. The vinegar will help break down the uric acid that contributes to the urine smell.
Look for enzyme-based cleaners. These work by binding with, and destroying the uric acid in urine. Dry enzyme products mixed with water work by breaking down the uric acid into a gas of water and oxygen that evaporates into the air. Using product directions, mix the powder with fresh water.
Combat Urine with Hydrogen Peroxide and Surfactants Together
The hydrogen peroxide in Clorox® Urine Remover breaks down the odor at its source through oxidization and removes uric acid crystals.
You can use ingredients baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, vodka, orange, lemon, and salt to clean pet urine. You can neutralize and clean surfaces by using a combination of these products.
White vinegar is highly alkaline and can deodorize areas marked with dog urine, but it is not an enzyme cleaner. Urine stains contain organic enzymes that are difficult to remove completely with traditional cleaning methods.
For best results in neutralizing urine odors in your mattress, spread a thin layer of baking soda out over the entire mattress surface. If a specific area smells more strongly, you can use a slightly thicker layer of baking soda. Allow the baking soda to sit, uncovered, for 5 to 10+ hours, and then vacuum it.
Natural disinfectant - the acetic acid in vinegar works as a natural disinfected and deodorizer to get pee smells out of couches, mattresses, carpets, and other surfaces.
Mix one part distilled white vinegar with four parts water. If the stain is extra smelly, use half vinegar and half water. Pour (or spray) this solution on the fabric to neutralize the smell. If you have a microfiber couch, swap out rubbing alcohol instead of vinegar (which can leave a stain).
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Getting urine stains and smell out of fabrics can be hard, but when left to dry, they can become permanent, smelly nuisances that ruin mattresses, clothes, and even carpets.
You just need to get something that will break down uric acid—that's what causes the odor. Plain soap and other household cleaners can't completely eliminate uric acid, and as long as it's still around, the smell will still be around as well.
OdorKlenz Odor Solution for Nursing Home Smells
These engineered air quality solutions are effective for odor control and mitigation, along with the neutralization of chemical compounds in the air.
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.
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.
The white vinegar solution method works to both clean urine stains and eliminate lingering smells. Baking soda is a natural odor neutralizer, and white vinegar breaks down many of urine's strong-smelling chemical compounds.
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.