The Smartest Ways To Clean Dog Urine From A Mattress
We love our canine companions. But, sometimes we don't always love the things they do, such as peeing on our beds. Getting the pee odors off the sheets and blankets is easy enough with the help of the washing machine — especially when you act quickly. The mattress, however, is another story. The urine can soak into the mattress, leaving stains and odors that are not easy to get rid of. Moreover, dogs like to mark their territory, and will re-mark (i.e. pee again) when they detect the smell of urine, even if it is their own urine that they're smelling.If the stains, odors, and the threat of your dog peeing on the mattress again wasn't enough — urine that isn't thoroughly cleaned from a mattress may allow bacteria and mold to grow, which can cause health issues, including allergies and disrupted sleep.
To avoid all of these issues, you'll want to know the best ways to clean dog urine from your mattress. Enzymatic cleaners are one of the best products you can use to accomplish this goal. Instead of simply covering up the odors, they can remove them completely to deter your pup from revisiting the scene of the crime and to ensure that anyone sleeping on the mattress doesn't face health issues caused by the urine.
Enzyme cleaners will break down and eliminate urine stains and odors
When you're looking for the best way to get pet odors out of your home, enzymatic cleaners are the safest bet to prevent yourself from getting stuck in such a cycle. Unlike some other cleaners that might disguise odors, enzyme cleaners work differently. Dog urine is an organic material. As you may guess based on their name, enzymatic products clean using enzymes, which are protein molecules capable of performing various chemical reactions.
When applied to a urine-covered mattress, the enzymes in enzymatic cleaners come into contact with this organic material and begin to break it down. Once the organic waste molecules have been broken down into much smaller components, the enzymes will be able to essentially digest them — removing all traces of the stain and odor from the mattress.
One pantry staple can also come in handy when cleaning a mattress
While enzymatic cleaners are the best option when you want to fully eliminate odors caused by dog odors, there is one pantry staple that you'll also want to have in your arsenal. There are a few baking soda hacks that pet owners swear by, and one relates to cleaning up dog urine. Baking soda is excellent at absorbing liquids. This, along with vinegar, can be a great way of eliminating the urine and odor.
The quicker you can act, the more of the urine you'll be able to remove. After stripping the bedding and sopping up as much liquid as you can using paper towels, spray a vinegar solution of 2 parts cold water, 1 part white vinegar, a few tablespoons of laundry detergent over the area . After about 15 minutes, blot the area. Now, it's time to sprinkle the entire area with baking soda. If allowed to sit for several hours (eight or more, ideally), it should be able to fully absorb the liquid. After the recommended time, you can remove the baking soda (and hopefully much of the urine that it absorbed) with the hose attachment on your vacuum cleaner. If it still smells, you can follow up with an enzymatic cleaner.
Avoid using bleach or other dangerous chemicals when cleaning dog urine from a mattress
If you don't have baking soda or an enzymatic cleaner on hand, you might raid your cleaning closet looking for something to try your best to get the urine stains or odors out of your mattress. However, you shouldn't grab just anything, as there are some that could damage the mattress or even threaten your health or that of your beloved pup. One of the main cleaners to avoid is bleach or any chemical cleaners that are formulated with bleach. Bleach is too strong and may weaken the fibers of the mattress. Moreover, bleach isn't safe to use around pets. Think about how strong the scent is for you. Now, imagine how your dog, with their heightened sense of smell, may perceive the odor. You could wear a mask to protect yourself from the dangerous fumes, but your dog won't have access to any similar protections.
Similarly, you should also never use ammonia to try to get urine out of a mattress if you have pets. It is toxic to pets. Like bleach, it can irritate the nose or throat. And, it can be very dangerous if ingested. This is one of the reasons why you should also avoid using Windex to clean up pet urine.