Figuring out how to get urine smell out of clothes is not simply a matter of adding more detergent to the washing machine. When urine gets on clothes, residue may form which, although washed, reappears once the cloth seems clean. It is best to remove as much residue as possible, then pre-treat, then wash and allow to dry to see if any smell occurs.
Fresh urine is much easier to get out of clothes than urine that has dried in the cloth or even been heat dried. Clothes which continue to smell even after washing can usually be treated again. The secret is figuring out why the smell remains and how to combat the residue rather than just masks it with a fragrance.
Why Urine Smell Can Stay in Clothing
Other chemical compounds in urine include uric acid and urea. When urine dries in the fibers of clothes, it can leave behind residues that will slowly begin to produce odors over time. This is part of the reason why something can still smell good right out of the dryer and be smelling urine again once it’s warm and/or slightly wet again.
A strongly perfumed detergent or softening agent may mask the urine smell for a brief time but will probably not eliminate the residue causing the smell.
You want to be able to remove the offending agent from your clothes so it can’t come back.
What You Should Do Before Washing
Before placing a foul-smelling item in your washer, consider its overall condition:
• If the urine has not yet dried on the clothes, use caution to blot or flush it out. Do not rub the urine deeply into the material. Whirlpool, the appliance manufacturer, suggests rinsing any fresh urine stain with cool water prior to treating the fabric.
• If the clothing has already dried out completely, there is a chance you can still successfully salvage it. Simply be prepared to let it soak for more time.
• Most importantly, consult the washing instructions on the care label prior to using any kind of stain remover, bleach, extreme water temperature or extended soaking time.
How to Get Urine Smell Out of Clothes Step by Step
1. Rinse Fresh Urine With Cool Water
Use cold running water for a fresh accident. The idea behind this is to try and wash away the urine before it can soak deeper and dry on the fabric as much as possible. Whirlpool suggests using cold water for the first rinse but not hot.
If the fabric allows, and you can rinse it on the reverse, then doing so will aid in pushing the urine residue away from the fabric rather than into it.
No minutes of vigorous rubbing; a good initial rinse and an effective pretreatment is typically better.
2. Choose an Appropriate Pretreatment
After all the excess urine is rinsed away, pretreatment of the stain is recommended. If, for example, the spill is on animal fur clothing, use a laundry-safe enzyme cleaner to get rid of organic stains and odor. They work because the active agents in enzyme products are able to help break up components of a biological stain.
Whirlpool, on the other hand, claims to use an enzyme cleaner as a pretreatment and lets it sit before washing.
The good news is even a simple liquid laundry detergent can effectively lift fresh, simple odors, so a stain remover or a mild liquid detergent from Persil can suffice when sprayed on the stain, too.10 Best Portable Washing Machines for Camping.Pay attention to product use and waiting times.
3. Give the Pretreatment Enough Contact Time
One easy way to ruin a pretreat and cleaner combination is by spraying on cleaner, then instantly rinsing it off. Pretreatment needs time to do its work; that duration will vary based on the product used, the type of fabric you’re treating, and how old the odor problem is. Whirlpool advises you should leave an enzymatic cleaner on for about 15 to 30 minutes, or more, for older spots.
Don’t vigorously scrub the garment in delicate fabrics.
You can gently agitate the areas as appropriate for the fabric’s needs and gently work the product into fibers as opposed to roughly rubbing or grinding it in.
4. Wash With Laundry Detergent
After presoaking, wash the article with a suitable laundry detergent.
Choose a wash temperature that matches the care instructions. The washing temperature that Tide suggests for soiled items of clothing is the highest temperature that will not damage the clothing.
For heavy soil or strong fabrics, a normal or heavy-duty cycle may get these items cleaner. When an item of clothing is heavily soiled, a longer agitation period or more water might be helpful, according to whirlpool appliances.
Do not assume that maximum temperature is the maximum cleaning power – take care of the fabric.
5. Consider an Extra Rinse
If the clothing was heavily contaminated or has a strong odor, an extra rinse can be useful.
The additional rinse gives the washer another opportunity to remove loosened detergent, urine residue, and other material from the fabric.
This is especially helpful when the garment feels clean but still has a noticeable odor after the main cycle.
6. Check the Clothing Before Drying
This is one of the most important steps.
Take the clothing out of the washer and inspect it before placing it in the dryer. Check both visually and by smell.
If you can still detect urine odor, do not immediately apply dryer heat. Treat and wash the garment again.
Tide specifically recommends repeating the treatment process if urine stains or odors remain before drying because heat can make remaining stains more difficult to remove.
For stubborn odors, air drying while you evaluate the results can make it easier to determine whether additional treatment is needed.
How to Remove Old Urine Smell From Clothes
Old urine odor requires a slightly different mindset.
Washing the garment a single time will often not suffice for dried urine. Depending on whether the article has been previously washed without pretreatement, urine traces will likely cling to the fabric.
Start by getting the area completely wet, apply a suitable enzyme based cleaning or stain treatment and leave to do it’s work for the directed time frame for garments of a washlable nature.
Soaking should remove persistent smells and is recommended with a color-safe, product prescribed, oxygen bleach on set in stains for no less than thirty minutes on suitable articles-this advice from Maytag should be taken within context of applicable articles and read product instructions first to determine which articles may or may not be suitable before use.
You may or may not use oxygen bleach. Examine your garment and verify with the garment care label that use is appropriate before using.
Wash and check before attempting to dry.
What If the Clothes Still Smell Like Urine After Washing?
If the smells linger after washing, you may have left some of the odor-causing material, or the initial cleaning agent did not effectively work its way through the affected areas. Try to pinpoint where the odor seems to be the strongest. If that area has been isolated in one location, try pretreating the specific location on your clothes, as opposed to just washing the clothes through one normal cycle again.
Enzymatic wash products may be helpful for biologically caused odors; Whirlpool advises that enzymes be applied in pretreating clothing soiled with urine, especially when it’s already been allowed to set for a long time.
If the clothing has been through the dryer, you may be required to repeat the treatment cycles a few times; putting it in the dryer doesn’t mean clothes will always be impossible to get clean, but it will make things much tougher. The main principle, though, is to not react to continued odors by consistently using more detergent; using additional detergent isn’t always best and can leave additional residue if it hasn’t been properly rinsed.
Can Baking Soda Help Remove Urine Odor?
Baking soda is commonly used as a laundry odor treatment.
Baking soda as a supplemental agent Both Tide and Maytag list baking soda as a useful adjunct to remove both stains and smells from urine-stained clothing. Maytag notes that a paste made with baking soda can be an effective, inexpensive option for helping remove odors and stains from jeans.It’s important to view baking soda as an available aide, not a foolproof answer to urine odor issues, however.
For mild fresh smells, a standard wash may be sufficient, while for stronger and continued foul odors, a specific cleaner for stains of this nature should suffice. Wash accordingly if using the baking soda.
Can White Vinegar Remove Urine Smell From Clothes?
White vinegar is the second household remedy for odors that is often recommended. According to Maytag, dilute white vinegar can be effective at removing urine odor, but vinegar is an acid and its routine use on clothing and even some fabrics/items with spandex or elastic is cautioned against.
Fabric types should be considered:
Don’t presume the use of vinegar is harmless just because it is a household product, as that is simply not true on all fabrics. Always pay attention to your clothing/item’s care label and spot test before attempting the procedure whenever reasonable.
The biggest consideration that you must always remember is NEVER to mix vinegar and bleach; these household substances can generate a toxic reaction if mixed.
Should You Mix Baking Soda and Vinegar?
It’s not recommended to use the combination as a single treatment on it’s own. Baking soda is alkaline, and vinegar is acidic and reacting them together produces carbon dioxide as bubbles that most of us know as fizzing. That reaction doesn’t instantly boost it for a wash.
Maytag warns against using the two together and stresses thorough rinsing if used on their own.
For a wash that has laundry, use one or the other, not the two mixed together.
How to Get Pet Urine Smell Out of Clothes
Pet urine can be especially persistent because the contaminated area may contain more than a simple surface odor.
Generally the same ideas should apply: Act quickly to remove the fresh urine; rinse well; pretreat the area; use normal clothes washing procedures according to the garment’s care instructions; and examine and air-dry the clothes. Enzyme cleaning cleaners For urine from your pet, laundry cleaners that are made for urine and can be put in the washer are good option. According to Whirlpool, enzymes cleaner is good for removing stains like urine that comes from organic materials like pet urine. If your pet has spilled urine into a blanket or thick, heavy bedding or clothes, just treating the surface may not remove the odor.
How to Treat Urine-Smelling Delicate Clothes
Delicate clothing requires more caution than cotton T-shirts or sturdy washable garments.
Some fabrics like silk, wool, rayon, lace, items with elastane, and other specialty fabrics might not respond well to some cleaners or long soak cycles. For these items, always start with care tag instructions. Don’t try to tackle bleeding items at home with the aid of some bleaching agents, vinegar, oxygen bleach or enzymes if the item says it should be dry-cleaned, unless the item’s maker or a professional dry cleaner say you can do so.
Items that will bleed into other fabrics may need a different technique to get out – if they don’t work with oxygen bleach, you’ll probably need a good, targeted enzyme-based cleaner – which you should spot-test! – reports Whirlpool.
If something very valuable or delicate is involved, dry-cleaning is likely the best approach.
What Cleaning Methods Should You Avoid?
Some common laundry habits can make urine odor removal harder.
Avoid immediate high heat
Do not put urine-smelling clothes straight into a hot dryer. Check the odor first and repeat treatment if necessary.
Avoid excessive scrubbing
Hard scrubbing can damage fibers and spread contamination.
Avoid excessive detergent
Adding significantly more detergent than recommended does not guarantee better odor removal and can make rinsing more difficult.
Avoid random chemical combinations
Never mix chlorine bleach with vinegar, ammonia, or other household cleaners. Use one appropriate cleaning system at a time.
Avoid ignoring the care label
The same treatment that works on a cotton shirt may damage silk, wool, elastic, or other specialty fabrics.
A Simple Method for Different Urine-Odor Situations
| Situation | Best starting approach |
| Fresh urine | Cool rinse, pretreat, then wash |
| Mild odor | Quality laundry detergent and appropriate wash cycle |
| Strong odor | Enzyme-based pretreatment followed by washing |
| Old dried odor | Pretreatment plus an appropriate soak if the fabric permits |
| White washable fabric | Consider oxygen bleach if the care label allows |
| Delicate fabric | Follow care label and consider professional cleaning |
| Odor remains after washing | Re-treat before drying |
| Odor returns after drying | Repeat pretreatment and washing; avoid further heat until resolved |
The exact method should always be adjusted to the fabric and cleaning-product instructions.
How to Prevent Urine Odor From Returning
Prevention starts with treating accidents promptly.
If clothes are stained, do not leave them bunched in a hamper without air for a prolonged period. Rinse or pre-treat the clothing and launder if it becomes practical; wash clothes per the care label instructions.
For frequent accidents involving kids, pets, or caregiving, consider keeping a quality enzyme-based laundry pretreatment product on hand to streamline operations.
Don’t forget to dry laundry completely before putting them away! Tide says you need to ensure completely dried clothes before placing them away in order to prevent undesirable musty odors.
It’s not really about getting clothes to smell fresh for a couple of hours; it’s about getting the clothes not to smell like their source of contamination when placed away.
Final Takeaway
Learning how to get urine smell out of clothes comes down to removing the residue rather than simply covering the smell.Start by rinseing the stain in fresh, cool water, first treating with a stain remover or enzyme cleaner designed for pet odors and using a hot water wash on the warmest temperature that the clothing label allows for.
This will involve a little extra pretreatment or a soak; or the application of a cleaning product with an oxygen-bleach is likely to need be used on an old or particularly stubborn smell; and care should be exercised at all times with any cleaning products and particularly on any special garments and above all the clothes must be inspected prior to being placed in the dryer; if they have been through the wash but a urine smell remains they must be retreated and washed at least a second time, before heat is used.
By following the sequence mentioned above, with a bit of application and hard work, it’s possible to have quite a number of urine smelling garments restored and cleaned.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the fastest way to get urine smell out of clothes?
For fresh urine, rinse the affected area with cool water as soon as possible, pretreat it with an appropriate laundry detergent or enzyme-based product, and then wash according to the care label. Check for odor before drying.
2. Why do my clothes still smell like urine after washing?
The wash may not have removed all of the urine residue. This is particularly common with dried or heavily contaminated fabric. Pretreating the affected area with an enzyme-based product and washing again can help address persistent odor.
3. Can I use baking soda to remove urine odor from clothes?
Yes, baking soda can be used as an optional odor-treatment method. It can be dissolved in water for a pretreatment soak, provided the garment is compatible with the process.
4. Is vinegar safe for removing urine smell from all clothes?
No. Vinegar is acidic and may not be suitable for delicate fabrics or garments containing elastic. It should also never be mixed with chlorine bleach.
5. Should urine-stained clothes be washed in hot or cold water?
Use cool water for the initial rinse of fresh urine. For the actual wash, use the warmest temperature permitted by the garment’s care label.
6. Can urine smell be removed from clothes after they have been dried?
Often, yes. Dried or heat-exposed urine odors can be more difficult to remove, but pretreatment and repeated washing may still help. Avoid additional dryer heat until you are satisfied that the odor is gone.
7. What is the best cleaner for stubborn urine odor?
A laundry-safe enzyme-based cleaner can be a useful choice because it is specifically designed to work on organic stains and residues. Always choose a product compatible with the garment and follow its label instructions.
Conclusion
Knowing how to get urine smell out of clothes starts with treating the odor at its source rather than trying to cover it with fragrance. For fresh urine, rinse the affected area with cool water, apply an appropriate enzyme-based cleaner or laundry pretreatment, and wash according to the garment’s care label. Enzyme cleaners for urine odor removal can be particularly useful for breaking down organic urine residue.
More advanced or ingrained odors may require extra pre-treatment, pre-soaking, or a re-wash, especially when dealing with how to remove stubborn odors from clothes.
Some set stains can also be treated with color-safe oxygen bleach for laundry stains, if the fabric will tolerate the treatment. The most critical step is to avoid the clothes in the dryer. If any urine odor remains, re-treat the stained clothes, and wash them with-out adding heat that will set in residual smells and stains.
If you act quickly, use the appropriate cleaner, and closely observe care-labels, most urine smells can be eliminated. You have to exercise patience: make sure to pre-treat the residue well, wash according to the proper instructions, and avoid the dryer until you know there are no smells.
