Tips on Getting Pet Pee Out of Mattress: What To Do To Remove Them?

One of the essential techniques you'll quickly learn as a new pet owner is cleaning pet pee on a mattress. It's a rather complex technique, but it can be rewarding, especially if you get your pup to learn how not to do it.

Everyone who keeps a pet with incontinence issues will probably face this problem repeatedly. Subsequently, it will become a bigger problem, particularly if they peed on a piece of expensive furniture.

If this happens, you might get tempted to delay its cleaning or cover the stain with a clean rag. However, this will only make your dog urinate more on the same spot due to the lingering sell of the urine.

Although we can all agree that it's always a hassle to clean after our pets, it's our responsibility as an owner to keep our house clean and germ-free, not just for us but also for our canine friends.

There are several ways to clean pet pee stains on mattresses. However, you might want to consider the factors stated below when cleaning one.

ALSO SEE: 5 Best Pet Odor Eliminators for Dog’s Urine Smell and Stains

How to Get Pet Pee Out of Mattress

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

Timing is Always Important

Always try to clean the pee area on the mattress when your furry friend isn’t in the room. Otherwise, it might give him an idea that peeing all over your things attracts your attention, and that’s not an opportunity that any loyal pup can ignore.

It might also help to change up the layout of the furniture if your pet consistently pees on the mattress, particularly in the same place, over a more extended period.

Avoid Chemicals that Immediately Come to Mind

When it comes to getting pet pee out of mattresses, many owners make the mistake of picking up the first cleaning product they come across to clean the spot. DO NOT DO THIS.

Keep in mind that not all cleaning products (e.g., liquid detergents, bleach, disinfectants) are pet-friendly and safe for the dog.

Aside from the danger of possible poisoning, many of them have an overpowering smell that might confuse your canine friend. Thus, once they smell the cleaning product's fragrance, it will only motivate your pup to repeat their misdeed.

Approach the Issue Correctly

When cleaning pet pee marks out of a mattress, some people approach it the same way they treat other stains, becoming a problem.

To effectively clean pet urine, you have to understand how it reacts to other chemicals to evade negative impacts.

Avoid using a regular detergent when removing traces of pet pee stains. Its formula might help clear the pee odor, but it will also leave a sticky residue that might further accumulate dirt and dust.

You should also be careful if you decide on using a sanitizer for masking the smell. Beware that many sanitizer products are toxic or contain chemicals that could end up poisoning your dog or being cancerous to your dog.

Regular detergent and certain sanitizer products are only two of the cleaning products you must avoid. There are other cleaning products in the market that you must take note of.

When choosing the best cleaning product for you and your pet, check the ingredients used in it and always ensure that it's pet-safe or pet-friendly (it will say at the back of the bottle).

However, to be extra safe, you can make your homemade cleaning supplies safe for the dog.

Now that you know what to avoid, here are a few tips on how to get pee out of a mattress and what you should keep in mind when attempting to do this.

Steps on How to Get Pet Pee Out of Mattress

Keep in mind that there are two methods when cleaning fresh or dry urine stains in your upholstery or memory foam mattresses.

These methods may also be used if a baby wets the bed or if you accidentally urinate while sleeping.

You do not instantly need liquid detergent or use a washing machine for this as long as you effectively clean up the pee stains.

Steps In Cleaning Fresh Urine From The Mattress

Remember that this is applicable when cleaning a fresh pee. Skip to the next section of this article if you found the affected area too late.

1. React Quickly Upon Seeing Fresh Urine On The Spot

It's imperative to eliminate the traces of urine as quickly as possible if you want the unpleasant odor to disappear.

It would be best to be thorough because your pup has a sense of smell that's a lot better than yours. Otherwise, they might still register their trace all over the area, and you'll have to do this all over again.

You may use paper towels to suck in all the excess liquid you can get, as long as it can get dry-passing. It isn't over, though, so do not stop there just yet.

2. Strip your Bed and Put Every Affected Bedding in your Washing Machine

As much as it might be time-consuming, you wouldn’t want to go to bed with that nasty urine smell. Might as well immediately clean those markings up by putting every urinated bedsheet on the laundry.

Do not forget to put laundry detergent on your sheets, preferably around the area that your pet peed on. If you want better results, you may also add a cup of white vinegar to the laundry.

Check to see if there are seemingly still pee stains on the area you might have missed before proceeding to the next step.

3. Gather Your Cleaning Supplies

Proceed on gathering cleaning supplies that you might find around the house that's suitable and pet-friendly. In that case, it may be baking soda, vinegar, dish soap, and hydrogen peroxide.

I will explain why these materials are essential in cleaning your pet's urine better than other cleaning methods.

There are also cleaning solutions that you might find helpful to prevent preparation on short notice.

4. Clean the Freshly Peed Area

As much as you seemingly want to finish cleaning the affected area immediately, get another paper towel or cleaning cloth. Go over the affected area and gently blot out the pee stains to clean the area.

You might ask yourself, why bother blotting? You see, the only way to free the mattress from unpleasant odor is to remove its source as much as possible.

Continue blotting the area until you feel like it’s become dryer than its earlier state.

5. Create A Vinegar-Baking Soda Solution 

Create a solution out of vinegar and baking soda. The ratio of the solution must always be one part baking soda to two parts vinegar.

Afterward, pour your solution into an empty spray bottle, which you may use to clean up your area.

6. Spray The Affected Area

This step is where you’ll spray the area of your mattress that they peed on with the solution or cleaning item on your hand.

Spray as much as you require until you’re confident that the smell has subsided. Once done, proceed with blotting the cured area using a different set of paper towels.

After applying the mixture, let the area dry and repeat the process several times until the stubborn smell of urine odor has disappeared.

7. Cover the area with Baking Soda

This tactic further neutralizes the urine odor, as pet urine has a moderately high pH level of 6.5. You can neutralize urine using baking soda, which has a high alkaline level.

This method successfully won’t leave traces of scent for your pup to track if you follow the above steps.

Sprinkle baking soda onto the cured area, then let it sit for a while before cleaning it up using a vacuum cleaner. Let it sit for at least 8 hours or so.

8. Inspect the Mattress Of Potential Pet Pee Areas

See to it that you've thoroughly cleansed your mattress. You may even want to lean in to smell if the odor's already gone—we won't judge you for that, don't worry.

You may want to repeat steps 6 to 8 if you require. It's also a recommendation to change your bedsheets.

Steps In Cleaning Dry Urine Stains From The Mattress

If you didn't have the time to clean your mattress, or if it seems like it's too late to clean out pet stains on your bed. These tips may be what you need to do.

1. Inspect the Peed Area Carefully

Ensure to inspect every nook of the area, especially when you aren't sure where they're located.

Sometimes it's hard to see those stains, so use a pet urine detector on the mattress to see where the smell comes from.

If the dog can still smell urine from the cleaned area, it might make him believe that it is a perfect place to relieve himself.

2. Create a Hydrogen Peroxide-Dish Soap Solution And Apply To Pet Pee

In this case, unlike vinegar and baking soda solutions, this works better if the urine is dried or mismanaged.

Just mix a teaspoon of dish soap in a cup of hydrogen peroxide and stir until the ingredients are perfectly mixed.

Then, using a damp cloth, apply this concoction directly onto the pee stain on the mattress and allow the area to dry. You may also put this into a bottle and spray until the smell has dissipated.

3. Wait For The Mixture To Solidify

The mixture, in a while, should begin to solidify into baking soda-like characteristics when it dries. It will only take a few hours before this happens.

If so, you may use a vacuum to see if this works; otherwise, you may repeat the application of the solution.

Cleaning Tips You May Use To Clean Pet Pee

It's not inevitable to consider having more ingredients in the solutions you use to clean for effective cleaning. You might be able to remove that urine smell and keep your pooch out of the way.

1. Baking Soda and Vinegar Solution

One of the most effective home solutions for getting pee out of a mattress is a vinegar and baking soda solution. Seeing how urine is both alkaline and acidic, it is necessary to use the combination of these two natural alkaline and acidic substances to remove the odor entirely.

The smell of the vinegar solution will deter your pet from ever coming near the mattress they marked before.

2. Use Only Baking Soda

If you don't like the vinegar smell in your area, you can clean it by baking soda all over the affected area.

Dried baking soda absorbs moisture as well, so you may consider this property usable to remove stains and even the pee smell. Let the baking soda sit for a few minutes, then clean the affected place within your mattress.

After curing the mattress with baking soda, vacuum the area.

3. Try Hydrogen Peroxide and Soap

In addition, you can also try mixing hydrogen peroxide and some regular soap when battling pet urine odors. The properties of hydrogen peroxide will break down the scent of the urine, much similar to the properties of baking soda.

Like with the previous method, you should repeat the process multiple times until you get desirable results.

4. Add Lemon Juice and Water

The most popular homemade remedy among pet owners is also the simplest one – the mixture of lemon juice and water. The acidic nature of lemon can eliminate traces of urine and replace them with a pleasant aroma, and that's the most common way to get a pee smell and stains out of a mattress.

Another benefit of using lemon juice and water is that most dogs hate the smell of citrus, and it can function as an effective pet repellent for stubborn pets who continue to pee on the mattress.

To apply this homemade mixture/product, wet the dog urine stain with water and rub it directly with a lemon. If you prefer, you can first squeeze the lemon juice onto the stain before rubbing it directly or mix it up together and use any empty spray bottle.

5. Use Mattress Protectors

A mattress protector keeps your mattress fresh, hygienic, and free from stains, especially if you don't want that nasty urine stain and lingering odors. Even if your memory foam mattress does not require any protector, you must still get one.

This idea will help you to clean urine from a mattress easier, especially if you do not have access to any cleaning material at that time. It can also serve as a barrier so that your bed will still feel and smell fresh.

After Cleaning, Continue to Keep the Area Clean

After removing pee stain and smell from the mattress, you must train your canine so he won't repeat the mistake.

If no technique seems to work, you can use commercial dog repellents to use on furniture. You may also prepare your DIY homemade repellents to scare the dog off from any problematic areas.

For natural solutions of dog repellents, a helpful method is to use a bit of Cayenne Peppers because they contain a molecule that slightly irritates a dog’s skin but not enough to cause them any problems. Scatter some of this pepper on the area where your dog urinates, and you will be one step closer to having a clean mattress.

If your pup is highly stubborn, you can try some ammonia-based mixtures that make some of the most effective natural pet repellents. Apply them to the problematic area, and your dog likely won’t approach it any time soon. In general, homemade repellents are a little bothersome, and most owners will use commercial ones that are very effective.

Whether it may be simply having you sprinkle baking soda, applying hydrogen peroxide, or using a spray bottle containing vinegar.

Whatever may trigger your pet to do its business on your mattress, tackle the issue as soon as possible. When you know how to get pet pee out of bed, your chances of success are higher.

Regardless of whether you decide on using a store-bought solution or a homemade one, don’t leave the job half done and make sure that the smell has completely disappeared. The cleaning process will be more straightforward if you tend to them immediately.

READ NEXT: How to Get Dog Urine Smell Out of Carpet