A typical problem for every housewife, especially if there is a small child in the house, is cleaning upholstered furniture and cleaning it from odors and urine stains. Urine, like any liquid, is very quickly absorbed into furniture upholstery, and when it dries, it begins to smell unbearably.
Having once encountered such a problem, every mother will want to know how to independently remove the smell of baby urine from the sofa using special sanitary preparations or folk remedies at home.
Let's consider the options for the most effective methods in our article.
Basic recommendations
You need to understand that complete removal of the smell of human urine from furniture upholstery is only possible if the “trouble” has just happened, and not yesterday or a week ago, when the liquid has already soaked the entire fabric to the ground.
What should you do in the first minutes after discovering a wet spot on the sofa? Here are some recommendations:
- Take 15-20 paper napkins or several dozen sheets of toilet paper. Fold the paper in several layers, press it tightly against the wet upholstery and wait until the urine saturates each napkin.
- Immediately replace the stack of wet napkins with the same clean ones and blot again. Continue until the paper remains dry. Napkins and toilet paper can be seen in disposable baby diapers and diapers - they absorb liquids well.
- Use a spray bottle. Wet the stain well with clean water and repeat the procedure again with napkins to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Now choose the cleaning method that is most convenient for you, described in detail below in the article and, following the instructions, begin removing the odor.
Have you already removed the smell of baby urine from your sofa upholstery?
Not really
Why is it difficult to get rid of at home?
Upholstered furniture in any home is not immune to urine stains, especially where there are small children and animals. In addition to yellow, dirty stains, a persistent, unpleasant odor appears. The stain smells until it is cleaned with special products. There are several reasons for this:
- the liquid penetrates into the deep fibers of the upholstery; if there is a lot of it, the foam rubber and wooden frame are saturated;
- as a result of certain reactions when urine comes into contact with a surface, substances are formed that are not washed out with ordinary water;
- old stains become a favorable environment for the proliferation of bacteria, their activity leads to an increase in the unpleasant odor.
You should not hope that the smell will disappear on its own over time. Therefore, you need to act immediately.
Reasons for persistent urine odor
Sweat and urine are the most unpleasant types of biological pollutants for the sense of smell. These secretions have a persistent unpleasant odor.
Important! The fact is that when oxygen interacts in the urine, irreversible oxidative processes begin, which after a certain period of time lead to the appearance of a persistent stench.
17 reliable and simple ways to get rid of the smell of urine on the sofa can be found in this article, 18 simple ways to get rid of unpleasant odors from the sofa can be found here.
Removing a urine stain from a light leather sofa
In the current circumstances, it is not recommended to use vinegar essence. This may cause permanent damage to the upholstery. The list of effective means includes:
- plain water;
- lemon juice;
- pale pink solution of potassium permanganate;
- soap solution;
- ammonia and vodka;
- dish gel, peroxide, baking soda.
What tools will you need?
The sofa in a large room is the favorite place of all family members, so it is the one that most often gets dirty and looks greasy and shabby over time. In addition, upholstered furniture absorbs surrounding odors best in the house. To eliminate the smell of baby urine from furniture, you need to be patient and have the “tools” at hand.
Sponges
A good housewife always has several clean sponges of different sizes in stock. They are the ones most often useful for cleaning urine from sofa upholstery. Next we will tell you in more detail how to use them.
Napkins
To quickly remove a wet stain from a sofa, you will need napkins. You can use both regular paper ones and special wet ones for cleaning premises.
Advice! If all the wipes in the house are gone, you can blot the upholstery with a disposable, moisture-absorbing diaper or even a clean baby diaper.
What precautions should be taken when treating a sofa?
Every housewife must follow safety precautions when treating a sofa for urine stains:
- make sure there are no small children or pets in the room;
- protect the skin of your hands and face with gloves and a special mask;
- open the windows in the room so that chemical compounds do not concentrate in the air (otherwise you can get poisoned);
- Instead of alcohol or vodka, it is strictly forbidden to use any perfume (this will only aggravate the foul odor).
Of course, it is better to treat the sofa outside, no matter what time of year. After all, both sunlight and cold help remove odors.
Work only with thick gloves
Folk remedies
Before dealing with an unpleasant odor, it is important to eliminate the stain at the scene of a recent accident. The choice of cleaning product depends not only on what sanitary products are in the house, but also on the color, type of material and pattern on the upholstery of the soiled furniture. Restrictions are possible both for light and dark fabrics and, of course, for leather.
Laundry soap
A simple and effective way. Wet the dirty area with water and rub with a piece of laundry soap. Leave for about 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and be sure to dry, using a hairdryer or iron. Suitable for cleaning all colors of upholstery and leather.
Potassium permangantsovka
Children's urine is not as “toxic” as adult urine. You can cope with the consequences of a “children's surprise” on the sofa using a weak solution of potassium permanganate. First, the stain should be washed with water, then wiped with a sponge soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. Wait an hour and, after rinsing off the solution, dry the upholstery.
Attention! Potassium permanganate will dye light fabric red. This product can only be used on dark fabrics and skin.
Lemon juice
Lemon juice perfectly eliminates unpleasant odor. You can squeeze fresh juice from one lemon or use citric acid from the store. If the juice is fresh, there is no need to dilute it, but the powdered acid should be diluted in warm water at the rate of 1 teaspoon per glass of water.
Soak the sofa upholstery fabric with a sponge soaked in the product, leave for 15-20 minutes, rinse and dry. For best effectiveness, it is recommended to combine the juice with a tablespoon of 9% vinegar.
Vinegar
If your child is no longer a baby, then his urine will cause much more damage to the sofa. It has a specific smell that is not easy to get rid of. Vinegar will help here. It is mixed with water in a ratio of 1 to 5 and the fabric on the soiled area of the sofa is moistened with this solution. Leave for several hours, rinse with clean water, and wipe dry.
Vinegar will also help when cleaning the microwave and washing machine, and when washing the refrigerator.
Iodine
Iodine is great for removing the smell of baby urine from the sofa. With a solution of 15 drops of iodine and 500 ml of water, thoroughly wash the wet stain on the furniture and allow to dry. Like potassium permanganate, it is not suitable for light-colored upholstery, as it will leave brown stains.
Alcohol
An alcohol solution or vodka is a universal cleaning agent for fabrics and leather of all colors. Apply a solution (50 ml of alcohol and 50 ml of water) or vodka to the surface washed from urine with a cloth. After an hour, dry with a hairdryer or iron.
Hydrogen peroxide
Ideal for cleaning sofas with white or beige upholstery. Dilute 50 ml of 6% hydrogen peroxide in a liter of water. A fresh stain is first washed with water, then the desired area is treated with a sponge soaked in the solution. Cover it with cling film for 10-15 minutes, rinse thoroughly and vacuum the upholstery.
Baking soda
Baking soda removes yellow stains well and easily removes the smell of baby urine at home. It is used either alone or in a mixture with hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing detergent.
In the first case, cover the entire dirty spot with baking soda powder and leave for 3 hours, then remove with a vacuum cleaner. The second method is similar to the first: pour a mixture of a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, 100 ml of peroxide and 100 ml of water onto the baking soda sprinkled on the stain. After half an hour, the resulting foam is blotted with a paper napkin.
Attention! Neither the first nor the second method is suitable for dark fabrics.
Do you use folk remedies to remove odor?
Not really
How to dry quickly
After all the work to eliminate the stain and odor has been done, all that remains is to dry the area. It is best to leave it to dry completely naturally. If you don't have time to wait, an iron or hair dryer comes to the rescue.
Hairdryer
Set the temperature to medium. Warm air is brought closer to the wet area at a distance of 30 cm. Drying time should not exceed 12 minutes.
Iron
First, lay gauze or thin cloth on the wet area, and then begin ironing. You cannot keep the iron in one place for a long time, otherwise the upholstery fabric will deteriorate.
Special preparations for cleaning upholstery
It often happens that a wet spot on the sofa was not noticed in time and became old. The problem was discovered only when the moisture had already evaporated and a persistent, pungent odor appeared. Specialized preparations for cleaning furniture will come to the rescue. Let's talk about a few of the most popular ones.
Dufta fresh
This product was specially developed to remove odor and stains from human urine. Available as a spray and concentrate. Quickly and effectively breaks down organic molecules of foul odor and destroys it. Main advantages of the product:
- Eco-friendly. Does not contain toxic or harmful substances.
- Safe for people, animals and the environment.
- Convenient. The maximum effect is achieved within 30 minutes after application.
Odor Gone Med
OdorGone Med is an American-made sanitary product. Neutralizes at the molecular level and removes urine odor. Release form: spray. In addition to odor, it removes toxic impurities and allergens from the air and from surfaces, and has antibacterial and antifungal properties. After processing, it leaves no traces, is harmless, and does not require protective equipment. We feel the result immediately after use.
Amway Home LOC
Amway Home LOC is a universal cleaning product from the American company Amway. Suitable for daily cleaning of all non-porous surfaces. Biodegradable concentrate, safe for children and animals. Helps remove the smell of baby urine from the sofa and carpet, but will be especially effective only on fresh stains.
After removing traces of urine, use a napkin on the upholstery and a sponge soaked in LOC to thoroughly wipe the stained area. Leave for 20 minutes, rinse with water and dry.
Eared nanny
A stain remover can help cope with the consequences of a “children’s surprise” only if the incident occurred recently and the color of the furniture upholstery is exclusively white. It is necessary to treat the stain with gloves, dilute the concentrate strictly according to the instructions, and after use, rinse thoroughly and dry.
Important! Stain removers are completely incompatible with leather surfaces! Be careful!
We use household chemicals
Today, in a specialized store you can purchase formulations designed to remove stains and odors. They have the greatest effect if the contamination is fresh. Old ones are difficult to process. To remove them, you will need Sanera Enzym and Odor Gone. These cleaning products are used in a diluted state. For spraying use a spray bottle.
The list also includes Dufta Fresh, Eared Nannies, LoC. All of the listed compositions do not contain chlorine or its compounds. This demonstrates their safety and versatility. To avoid damaging the upholstery of upholstered furniture, it is necessary to conduct a preliminary test. Instructions for use are located on the back of the bottle or cardboard shell (if available). Before you wash urine stains on upholstery, bedding and panties, you need to decide on the type of fabric.
To achieve maximum effect, the contamination after treatment is covered with polyethylene. After 2 hours, the mixture is washed off, and the area where the stain was is dried with a hairdryer. Afterwards you can evaluate the finished result.
If the sofa is made of leather
If a leather sofa has been stained with child urine, then you need to act quickly before the entire thing is saturated with moisture. Find the necessary folk remedies on hand or purchase suitable cleaning products to return leather furniture to its original appearance.
Preparing for cleaning
It is advisable to remove the stain when it is still wet. To do this, take paper towels, napkins, disposable diapers - anything that can absorb urine that ends up on the leather surface.
Don't try to wipe the urine away; this will only make the stain bigger and make cleaning twice as difficult. Instead, press down firmly on the stain, trying to blot as much as possible and absorb as much urine as possible into the paper towels. Change towels as they become soaked; you may need a lot of them.
Advice! Try removing the stuffing if the leather cushion on your sofa is stained. Typically, such furniture models have a fastener on the side or at the bottom edge of the cushion. Open it and take out the stuffing.
Now set the packing aside and will need to clean it with an enzymatic cleaner later. Don’t neglect cleaning the stuffing; this is very important, because even if a baby puddle was noticed right away, the liquid most likely managed to become saturated and get into the stuffing.
Even after cleaning the leather surface, the soiled padding will begin to emit an unpleasant odor after a few days.
If you cannot get the upholstery, you will have to contact the specialists of the furniture company, or it is better to immediately order the services of professional dry cleaning.
To avoid damaging the leather upholstery, choose specialized products for leather products when cleaning the sofa from baby urine.
Before applying the product to the stain, check its compatibility with the leather on the back of the sofa.
If after an hour there is no negative reaction, the product can be used. Otherwise, there is a risk that a wet spot on the sofa will not be the worst incident on your leather sofa.
Leather washing
Now you need to rinse the leather surface. To do this, use a clean cloth, dampen it with your chosen cleaning product and wipe the stain several times. It is very important to do this carefully so as not to rub the cleanser into the skin or stretch it.
By wiping the entire surface of the stain, from edge to edge, from seam to seam, you can slightly lighten that particular area, which will immediately catch the eye. Lightly wet and wipe the entire leather pad, not just the dirty area.
Advice! Among the folk remedies for fair skin, the following mixture is ideal: mix 1 tablespoon of any liquid dishwashing detergent, 1 liter of hydrogen peroxide and 100 grams of baking soda in a bowl. Mix everything carefully. Place a cloth in the resulting solution; when it is completely wet, wring it out. Treat the entire leather pad with this product.
Wash the padding using an enzymatic cleaner to remove urine stains and strong odors. To avoid deforming the pillow, wash the filling only by hand in plenty of water. After washing with an enzymatic detergent, it is important to rinse the pillow well several times with running water, squeeze thoroughly and dry. It is best to dry the stuffing outside; the sun's rays will help remove the smell of urine.
It is important to “transform” the completely dried filling and leather cover into a pillow without any deformation. Try to position the padding in the case in exactly the same way as it was originally located.
Advice! At the final stage, when the leather is completely dry, it is recommended to apply leather conditioner to it. Squeeze a little conditioner onto a suede rag and treat the entire surface of the leather pillow on all sides. The conditioner will make the skin smooth and soft, and will restore natural oils lost after cleansing.
Protection
It is almost impossible to predict in advance where the child will go to the toilet next time and when this will happen. Therefore, it is advisable to protect those objects where the child often sleeps, plays or climbs.
With these products you can forever protect fabric and leather from moisture, maintaining its original appearance and saving on detergents. The products can be used not only for clothes or shoes - the interior can also be treated with chemicals to protect yourself from unexpected troubles, which are presented not only by children - spilled coffee, an overturned glass of wine, etc.
Now you know how to protect upholstered furniture and clean textiles and leather at home using professional and improvised household chemicals.
Useful tips
To facilitate and speed up the process of cleaning upholstered furniture at home, use the advice of experts:
- The main thing when working with any chemicals is safety. Be sure to wear protective gloves if you are going to work with chemicals. Do not inhale sprayed liquids under any circumstances; wear masks.
- Test before each use of an unknown product. Carefully examine drug reactions so that negative consequences do not come as a surprise. If paint has disappeared from the area being treated as an experiment or another undesirable reaction has appeared, you should not use this product on any area; it is better to abandon it altogether.
- Please pay special attention: the area to be disinfected must be thoroughly moistened with water. Then the active substances of the chemical preparation will be able to penetrate into the upholstery more actively.
- The disinfectant solution must be diluted strictly according to the instructions. It is best to use glass or plastic containers, which are not intended for table use, and treat the entire area of contamination with it, and not just the middle.
- It is easier to remove a fresh stain than an old and ingrained one, so you cannot put off resolving this issue, but it is better to act quickly.
Features of cleaning furniture made from different materials
| Upholstery type | Removing stains |
| Velours | Dry cleaning and drying with cloths. No harsh chemicals. Do not use sponges or fluffy cloths. Vacuum only with a rubber attachment. |
| Flock | Dry cleaning with foam from a sponge or a damp brush, not wet, otherwise marks will be left to remove marks. It is important not to use a lot of water so that the base on the glue does not come apart. |
| Tapestry | Dry cleaning with a soft brush or vacuum cleaner. |
| Leather | Do not use solvents, stain removers or other aggressive detergents. Do not use a hair dryer for drying. |
| Faux leather | Wet cleaning. |
| Suede | Dry cleaning. Vacuum with a soft attachment. |
Rules for drying upholstery
If you are removing stains from a felt-tip pen, baby urine, food and other types of stains with your own hands, then after cleaning you need to dry the upholstery well. Do not use hair dryers, irons or other heating devices that may cause fading or deformation of the material. The best solution is natural ventilation, so it is recommended to open the windows or turn on the air conditioner. Inadequate drying leads to the appearance of mold and mildew, the proliferation of bacteria and dust mites - all this poses a threat to human health.
At home, it is difficult to remove chocolate stains from the sofa, as well as baby urine and other types of dirt. Fresh marks can still be removed, but to deal with old stains it is better to involve the employees of a cleaning company. The speed of their work is 3 times higher than the speed of a person who cleans himself. Cleaners will also determine the composition of the upholstery and select the optimal cleaning method, which will prevent changes in the characteristics of the material.
How to protect a sofa from a child's surprise?
To ensure that your sofa does not suffer from the inevitable “children's surprises” in the future, use removable covers. They can cover both the entire sofa and the part where the child usually sits.
Important! Covers must be waterproof and washable. An alternative to a cover can be disposable baby diapers, which are convenient to cover the seating area on each sofa.
These tips will not only protect your furniture from dirt, dampness, unpleasant odors and mold, but will also save you time.
Where do urine stains on upholstered furniture come from?
According to statistics, the main reasons for the appearance of such stains on upholstered furniture are:
- domestic cats, which every third Moscow family keeps, and dogs;
- small children under three years of age;
- people of advanced age and with serious illnesses.
Animals leave puddles on sofas for various reasons:
- because of illness;
- due to age (kitten, puppy or elderly animal);
- out of harm and revenge - for example, if the owners left the cat and went on vacation, or if the animal is nervous or sick.
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Methods for cleaning a leather sofa
If you find a puddle of urine on a leather sofa, you must remove the liquid with a paper napkin without rubbing. If there is an unpleasant odor, use a variety of products.
- Specialized drugs
To help remove the smell of urine from your sofa from the leather, you can purchase special formulations at the pet store designed to remove pet odor, for example, Nature's Miracle.
- Spray the product directly onto the stain.
- Wait until completely dry.
- Wipe with conditioner used to care for leather products.
Treatment with conditioner will restore the upholstery's shine and extend its service life.
- Comprehensive Home Composition
You can effectively remove urine odors remaining on leather upholstery using a composition you prepare yourself.
- Mix baking soda - 100 grams, hydrogen peroxide - half a glass, dish soap - a tablespoon.
- After obtaining a homogeneous consistency, apply the paste to the stain.
- Leave until dry.
When the covering is dry, sweep away the remains and check the result. If necessary, repeat the procedure.
If possible, take the furniture out into the fresh air: out into the cold in winter or under the sun in summer. This measure will completely remove the smell.
What cat owners need to know
Dogs rarely pee on sofas; owners teach them to walk. But if cats live in the house, you cannot protect yourself from the appearance of fragrant puddles on the upholstery of the sofa. Animal urine is more concentrated and has a stronger odor. After drying, it leaves white streaks. They need to be removed with a vinegar solution (100 ml of pure essence per half liter of water).
It is rubbed into the soft part of the furniture with a brush, then the upholstery should dry on its own. You can clean the sofa with a damp sponge dipped in soapy water. To prepare it, it is better to use a bar of laundry soap. It contains a lot of alkali, which can break down urine crystals.
If a cat craps on the sofa once, it will do it constantly. You can wean it off if you treat the dirty stain with lemon juice, and then lay out the citrus slices on the sofa, stuffing the dry peels into the cracks between the pillows. The aroma of the fruit will scare away the animal.
Features of removing different types of urine
Different methods are used for different urines.
Children's urine
How to clean a sofa from fresh baby urine:
- Dry the stain with paper napkins, towels or toilet paper. Do not proceed to the next step until most of the moisture has been drawn out.
- For processing, apply a soapy solution with soda: 1 tbsp. laundry soap for 1 liter. water.
- If the stain has disappeared, rinse the upholstered furniture with clean water.
- Dry the upholstery using any method you can.
