First things first, know thy enemy. Urine is about 95 percent water and 5 percent urea, a waste product made in the liver. Because urine is mostly water, it’s typically clear with a slight yellow tinge and has a very mild odor. However, the amount and concentration of urea can vary, and when it’s high, the liquid becomes a darker yellow and has a strong ammonia odor — that pungent “urine” smell. The kidneys filter excess water and urea out of the bloodstream, turn it into urine, and pass it along for storage in the bladder. When the bladder gets full, it signals to the brain that it’s time to urinate — unless you’re a kid with an undeveloped sense of fullness. It happens. Certain medications, vitamin supplements, and foods such as asparagus, onions, garlic, and Brussels sprouts can give pee a distinct odor as well. Also, the longer it sits in the bladder, the darker and smellier it can become — and unfortunately, urine that usually ends up on mattresses has been in storage for a while.
How to Get Pee and Pee Smells Out of a Mattress
If you find yourself swamped in urine or you discover your child has wet the bed, here’s what to do: If you chance upon an old pee stain, or you discover your kid must’ve wet the bed the night before, the job is a little tougher, but it’s still possible to remove the stain and stench. Here’s your solution:
How to Clean Up Dog and Cat Urine
Dog urine is almost identical to human urine, so the cleaning routine will be essentially the same. Feline urine, however, is a whole different animal. As any cat owner knows, this stuff reeks. That’s because, while it’s still about 95 percent water with some urea, cat urine also contains a feline-specific amino acid called felinine. Humans can’t smell it initially, but once it breaks down into sulfurous compounds, watch out. To tackle cat urine stains, you can try either of the methods for cleaning up human and dog pee, but you’ll probably need something stronger — a store-bought enzymatic cleaner — to deal with the super-pungent odor. So try this method: If the pee is fresh, mop up the liquid with a dry towel like you would for human pee; remember, blot, don’t wipe. Once you’ve sopped it all up — or if you’re cleaning dried cat urine — lay a plastic sheet or tarp between the mattress and box spring (or layer a few towels in there), and dump about 4 cups of warm water over the affected area. The goal here is to dilute the residual cat urine and knock down the scent. Mop up the excess moisture. Now grab your enzymatic cleaner and depending on the product design, pour or spray it all over the stain. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, or however long the instructions on the bottle say, then sop up any excess moisture. Next, for additional odor-busting, sift some baking soda over the spot and let it sit for as long as possible. Finally, vacuum up the baking soda, and you should be good to go.
