Protein family: cold water first
How to get pet urine on fabric out
Urea, uric acid and bacteria. The smell is the hard part; ammonia cleaners make pets return.
Do this first
Blot
Fresh stain
- Blot
- Rinse cold
- Soak in an enzyme pet cleaner per label
- Wash with enzyme detergent and a cup of white vinegar
- Air dry and sniff
Dried or old
- Enzyme soak overnight
- Repeat
- Fabric care
- No ammonia, no bleach on urine (urine plus bleach makes irritating gas).
- Time
- 1 h to overnight
- How to tell
- Look: yellow ring; Feel: stiff when dry; Smell: ammonia
Where this fix comes from
- Household folk practice, checked against the guides above
- American Cleaning Institute, Stain Removal Chart
We check every fix against these published guides. We do not run a test lab of our own.
Before you start
- Test on a hidden seam first.
- Never mix cleaners.
- Keep it out of the dryer until the stain is gone.