How to Get Rid of Urine Smell

Co-authored by Kadi Dulude

Last Updated: June 10, 2021 References Approved

That particular smell of urine comes from naturally occurring bacteria and uric acid crystals, or in other words crystallized urine residue. These crystals frequently get trapped in porous damp surfaces, like clothes, fabric, or carpets, and release a strong ammonia scent as bacteria feeds on the urine.^{[1]
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Research source} This is why it's importantly to do more than simply wipe up or "blot" a urine stain; while the visible stain may be gone, the odor is probably not. This article provides you with a number of methods to help get rid of that unwelcome urine smell on your clothes, toilet, furniture, and floors.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:
Cleaning Machine-Washable Items

1
Place all soiled items in washing machine. Do not mix your urine-stained or affected clothes with your regular laundry. It's best to keep them separate until the stain is removed.
2
Add a one-pound box of baking soda. Add this to your regular detergent and machine wash as usual.
- Alternately, instead of baking soda, you could add 1/4 cup to your load along with your regular detergent.
3
Air dry items if possible. If it's nice and warm outside, take the item and place it in the sun. Sunlight and a light breeze can be very effective at removing and neutralizing odor.^{[2]
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4
Machine wash again if smell persists. But this time an add an enzymatic cleaner, which is a biodegradable and non-toxic cleaning agent and helps to break down and eliminate odors. Enzymatic cleaners are available at pet supply stores, home supply stores and big-box stores like Walmart.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:
Cleaning the Toilet

1
Spray toilet with vinegar. Do not dilute the vinegar. Spray all surface areas and crevices of the toilet equally. Then, let the vinegar soak for a few minutes.
2
Wipe the toilet down. Using a clean rag or paper towel, wipe down every nook and cranny of the toilet.
3
Dampen a fresh rag and re-wipe. Get a new, unused rag and wipe the entire toilet again to rinse off any remaining vinegar.
4
Repeat all of these steps on the floors, pipes and wall(s) around the toilet. This will help remove any traces of urine - which may be harboring an unpleasant scent - not only from the toilet but from the surrounding surfaces. After all, we all know spills sometimes happen!
5
Clean the toilet and surrounding region regularly. Keeping up your cleaning regimen will help ensure urine stains don't build up on the toilet and, in this way, make your bathroom fresh and clean.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:
Cleaning Upholstery

1
Use a fabric odor eliminator. Popular brands include Glade and Febreeze; these are available at any grocery, home supply, and drug stores. These odor eliminators come in spray bottles that you spray over your furniture until damp and then let air dry.
- Using fabric odor eliminators will give your fabric a nice, fresh scent. However, they generally mask rather than treat and fully remove bad scents and stains. Consider this only as a temporary solution.
2
Make and apply a homemade remedy. There are several different options that require ingredients you probably already have in your home. Remember to do a test patch with any solution before applying it to the whole stained area - you don't want your furniture to get discolored in any way, which is always a potential risk when applying any solution to it.
- Use baking soda and peroxide solution. Mix together 16 ounces of hydrogen peroxide, 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Apply onto urine stain until soaked. Leave on until completely dry. If a white residue appears, vacuum or brush off.
- Make a 50-50 water and vinegar solution. Combine equal parts warm water and distilled white vinegar. Soak a clean cloth or rag with the solution, and then rub the stain in a circular motion. You should do this at least twice. Then, allow the spot to dry. You can use a hair dryer or fan to help it dry a little quicker. If the odor is still there, you could risk spraying the spot with straight vinegar. At this point, the persistence of the smell suggests that the urine has worked its way into the fabric's fibers, so spray enough vinegar to do the same.
- Try rubbing alcohol. Dampen the stain and then blot with a dry rag.
3
Use straight baking soda. Baking soda is a natural odor-fighter. Pour a large amount of baking soda - don't be skimpy here! - over the affected area until it is completely saturated. Use a scrub brush to push the baking soda into the fabric's fibers in a circular motion.^{[3]
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- Once the baking soda has been sufficiently worked into the fabric, vacuum up the baking soda. This will aid the soda’s natural odor-fighting properties get into fibers and also remove the excess powder.^{[4]
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- You may want to do this twice if the urine smell lingers or is especially strong.^{[5]
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4
Purchase and use a commercial urine cleaner. Look for enzymatic cleaners in particular. Enzymatic cleaners break down the urine stain and the odor-causing molecules. They contain bacteria-producing agents that facilitate the growth of bacteria that in turn breaks down the urine.^{[6]
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- The best-known brands are marketed for pet urine, but can also be used for human urine. These include Simple Solution, Nature's Miracle, Urine Off, and Complete Pet Stain and Odor Remover from 8in1.
- Follow any and all instructions on the product.
- This method is the least labor intensive, but on the other hand does require purchasing a commercial product.
5
Hire a carpet or upholstery-cleaning company. This should be your last resort if the odor persists after you've tried all of the above options. Call the company of your choice and first tell them about your particular situation and see if they think they can take care of it. Ask for their different options; you may also want to check out some reviews of the company.
- Keep in mind that hiring an upholstery cleaning company can be quite expensive. It can cost almost as much to clean your furniture as to get new stuff.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:
Cleaning Floor Surfaces

1
Use a homemade, natural remedy. In a spray bottle, mix 5 ounces of hydrogen peroxide, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/2 a teaspoon of orange-scented dishwashing liquid or 3 drops of wild orange essential oil. Shake the bottle to combine ingredients thoroughly. Then spray the affected area until very damp and allow to fully dry. It will look like a powder as the formula dries. Then vacuum up the powder.^{[7]
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- You may want to repeat this process twice if the scent lingers.
- This formula works well on wood, linoleum, carpet floors.
2
Use a commercial cleaner. As with your furniture, enzymatic cleaners work best.^{[8]
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3
Rent an extractor or wet vac if dealing with carpet. This will help remove all traces of a urine stain in carpeting, which is more susceptible to urine soaking into its fibers, unlike hard surfaces. These machines work similarly to a vacuum cleaner but use water; they force clean water into your carpet and then force the dirty water back out.^{[9]
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Trustworthy Source
The Humane Society of the United States
National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
Go to source}
- You should be able to rent extracting and wet vac machines pretty cheaply from your local hardware store.
- Carefully follow any instructions that accompany the machines.
- Don't use any additional chemicals or additives with these machines. They work best with plain water.^{[10]
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  Trustworthy Source
  The Humane Society of the United States
  National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
  Go to source}
- Don't use a steam cleaner to clean urine odors from your carpets. The heat will permanently set the stain and the corresponding odor because it causes the protein in the urine to bind with the fibers in the fabric.^{[11]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  The Humane Society of the United States
  National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
  Go to source}
- You could also have a professional come in and clean your carpets or, if it's an area rug that's been stained, take it to a carpet cleaner's. However, this can be very expensive and it might be cheaper to just buy something new than to pay for these services.

Community Q&A

Question

Does vinegar kill urine odor?

Kadi Dulude
House Cleaning Professional
Kadi Dulude is the owner of Wizard of Homes, a New York City based cleaning company. Kadi manages a team of over 70 registered cleaning professionals, and her cleaning advice has been featured in Architectural Digest and New York Magazine.

Kadi Dulude

House Cleaning Professional

Expert Answer

Yes, vinegar works well against the urine odor. Leave bowls of vinegar around the room, and wash all possible surfaces with pure white vinegar. It will smell strongly while you are cleaning, but once the vinegar smell goes, it also tends to "take" all bad smells with it.
Question

Can I just use baking soda and a vacuum?

Community Answer

Yes, although you may need to repeat the method a few times to fully get rid of the smell.
Question

How do I eliminate the odor of urine from dirt in an area without proper drainage?

Community Answer

Purchase an odor-neutralizing, enzymatic product designed to neutralize the odor of urine from a pet store, and follow the instructions on the label. Re-treat the area more than once if necessary.
Question

Can I use peroxide or vinegar on a carpet?

Community Answer

Do not use peroxide. It will bleach the carpet. However, vinegar should be safe to use.
Question

What is hydrogen peroxide also called?

Abhimanyu Sinha

Community Answer

There is really no common name for Hydrogen peroxide and it is normally just referred to as Hydrogen peroxide. You may find it being referred to as simply "peroxide" or "peroxygen water" especially in brand names, but it is still more common to be called hydrogen peroxide..
Question

How do I get rid of the smell during class with the items on?

NY Blossom

Top Answerer

Ask to go to the bathroom and see if there is a way you can get a change of clothes. If anyone asks, just say you spilled soap or something. You could clean them in the sink with cold water, but this could raise some eyebrows. If it's a one-stall bathroom, it will work.
Question

Won't hydrogen peroxide bleach the carpet?

Revad

Community Answer

Yes, it will bleach the carpet. Go to almost any grocery, department, or drug store and they will have carpet cleaner that won't ruin the carpet.
Question

The products didn't work on my wife's disaster. What can I try?

Community Answer

If you mix ammonia in a ratio of 1/3 ammonia and 2/3 water, you should be able to get rid of urine odors, either animal or human.
Question

How can I get rid of a urine smell on myself?

Community Answer

You can use soap and warm water to wash the urine off, and change your clothes if the urine got on your clothes.
Question

My one bedroom has a urine smell. I have no idea where the child had a wee. The room is big and has a thick carpet. I have washed the carpet every week for two months, but it still stinks. Any ideas?

Tom De Backer

Top Answerer

Look elsewhere than the carpet. If you have cleaned the carpet, then maybe that's not what's causing this? Your child may have peed into a cup, placed it into a toy inside a teddy bear inside a cardboard box inside a cupboard? Suspect everything, and don't stop looking until you've found the source of this smell.

Warnings

Always do a test patch on the stained item with a homemade or commercial solution. You'll want to make sure it doesn't ruin your clothes, furniture or floors before committing to using it fully.

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Check in regularly if this is a regular problem in your home (whether due to pet or human). Consider using a black light, available at most home supply stores, to uncover older urine stains. You'll have to turn off the lights and then use the black light to discover the stains. Outline those areas with a some sort of marking, like a chalk outline.^{[12]
X
Trustworthy Source
The Humane Society of the United States
National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
Go to source}

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The number-one method of removing a urine smell is to not have one in the first place! Keep urine limited to places where it's acceptable to urinate (outside, bathrooms, litter boxes, etc.) - prevention is key!

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