How to get cat pee out of mattress

As unglamorous as it may be, everyone has dealt or will eventually deal with a urine-stained mattress. Whether from a pet, family member, or yourself, accidents happen.

When accidents happen, we encourage you to tackle the clean up as soon as possible. Allowing urine to settle into your mattress will not only result in an unpleasant aroma but potentially lead to mold growth. Luckily, basic household items can help you avoid these adverse effects. Ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and liquid detergent will easily sterilize and renew your mattress after a urine accident.

Other Cleaning Guides for Mattresses and Bedding

Maintaining a clean sleeping surface is one of the primary ways to ensure comfortable, restorative sleep.

FAQs

How do you get urine stains out of bedding?

Removing urine stains from your sheets, blankets, and comforter is much easier than removing them from your mattress. When a urine accident occurs, remove your bedding and toss it in your washer along with one cup of distilled white vinegar. Do not add any laundry detergent.

Wash your sheets and blankets in cold water only, as hot water may cause the urine to set. Once the wash cycle is complete, examine the bedding to ensure the soiled areas are gone. If they are, rewash the bedding as you normally would. If the urine persists, soak your sheets and blankets in cold water and white vinegar overnight or until the stain disappears.

How do you prevent urine accidents from reaching your mattress?

Waterproof mattress protectors are an effective way to avoid urine stains altogether. They are also extremely low-maintenance. After an accident occurs, simply toss your mattress protector into the washing machine with any other tainted bedding. A good mattress protector will also guard your bed against allergens like dust mites, mold, and bacteria.

Do air fresheners get rid of urine smell?

Air fresheners may mask the smell but cannot remove urine. Therefore, they will not permanently rid your bed from the urine odor. To eliminate the smell for good, you will need to lift and remove the stain. This will require a cleaning agent like vinegar, baking soda, a protease enzyme, or hydrogen peroxide. Depending on the cause and age of your urine stain, we suggest following one of the above methods.

Can urine on a mattress cause mold?

Urine may dry, but if not properly removed, it leaves behind the salt found in uric acid. If you experience night sweats or simply live in a humid or rainy climate, this salt will continually draw in moisture. When the affected area becomes filled with moisture, it reactivates, disturbing odors and creating a breeding ground for bacteria-causing mold.

Are enzymatic cleaners safe?

Most enzymatic cleaners do not contain toxic chemicals. Enzymatic cleaning products are usually composed of biological compounds called enzymes—naturally occurring proteins that speed up chemical reactions necessary to eliminating stains. However, we advise double-checking ingredients lists to ensure your enzyme cleaner does not contain toxic chemicals. Certain brands may add unnatural oxidizing, or stain removing agents to enhance their product’s ability.

Conclusion

Knowing how to remove urine stains is a critical skill, especially if you want to protect your mattress from damage. Although these stains can be frustrating, removing them is not nearly as intimidating as it seems.

More often than not, basic household items are enough to successfully expel urine stains and smells. Follow one of the above methods and before you know it, your mattress will look and smell brand new.

A urine-soaked mattress is a situation where speed is crucial. The faster you can get to the urine, the more of it you can get out of the mattress and the less lingering smell you’ll have to deal with.

If you have a wet-dry vac, this is the perfect place to use it! If not, blot up as much of the wetness as you can.

Don’t stop with the surface wetness – put pressure on the mattress and try to extract as much of the urine from the inside as possible.

There are many excellent commercial products made specifically for removing cat urine odors, and there’s no doubt that one of these is probably your best and surest bet.

But don’t panic – if you don’t happen to have any of those products at hand, try one of the alternatives below.

Method One

After extracting as much of the urine as you can soak the urine stain with white vinegar.

Some recommend a mixture of half vinegar and half water, but I’ve used straight vinegar with good results.

Let the vinegar sit for a few minutes, then use more paper towels to extract as much of it as you can from the mattress.

Next, drizzle some dishwashing liquid over the area and scrub it with a damp brush (like a soft scrub brush or nail brush).

Wipe with plain water, then sprinkle the area liberally with baking soda and rub it lightly into the fabric. When the baking soda has dried, vacuum the area.

This method tends to leave the mattress smelling slightly like vinegar, but it beats the alternative.

Method Two

After extracting as much of the urine as you can, sprinkle the area liberally with baking soda, then soak the area with hydrogen peroxide.

Work the soda/peroxide mixture into the fabric with a soft brush and let dry. Vacuum up any remaining soda.

If the smell remains after the mattress is dry, repeat the process. It can take two or three scrubbings to completely eliminate the smell.

Method Three

After extracting as much of the urine as you can, make a paste from hydrogen peroxide, dishwashing liquid, and baking soda and work it into the fabric. Let dry and vacuum.

If the smell remains after the mattress is dry, repeat the process as often as you need to until the smell is gone.

Method Four

Extract the urine, scrub down the area with shampoo or dishwashing liquid, then soak the area with rubbing alcohol.

If the smell remains after the mattress is dry, repeat the process as needed.

If the urine has already dried into the mattress when you discover the problem, getting rid of the odor will be more of a challenge.

Just spraying the area with a fabric odor treatment like Febreeze won’t work unless you do something to neutralize the urine that has dried deep in the mattress, so you’ll have to scrub it with something.

Illness

Again, a commercial product specifically made to get rid of cat urine odor will probably be the most effective, but the methods above are definitely worth a shot.

If the weather permits and you can shift the mattress, doing the scrubbing outdoors and letting the mattress dry in the sun can help.

This behavior frequently can be a sign of an elimination-related illness such as a urinary tract infection.

Cats who are feeling stress may also exhibit this behavior. A waterproof mattress cover can be a lifesaver.

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