Carpets are one of the most (if not the most) abused items in the home. They’re subjected to dirty shoes, mud, spilled drinks, dropped food, and even hair dye. Worst of all is the occasional accident by small children and family pets. Yep, I’m talking about urine stains. If they’re not dealt with properly, they’ll permanently stain your carpet, and the smell will last forever.

In this post, I’m going to explain two ways to get urine smell out of your carpet and remove any stains.

How to get urine smell out of carpet with just dishwashing detergent

You don’t have to spend a small fortune on expensive cleaning fluids and specialist tools. If the urine stain is fresh, then you may be able to remove it using simple liquid dishwashing detergent. Here’s how:

1. Use a clean cloth or paper towel to blot the stain and lift any urine. Do this as quickly as possible.
2. If you have a wet/dry vacuum cleaner, use it to suck up any of the remaining urine.
3. You only need a small amount of dishwashing detergent solution to do the job: a mixture of one teaspoon of detergent in one cup of warm water is plenty. Mix the solution and pour it into a spray bottle.
4. Spray the stain with the solution, and leave for a few minutes.
5. Use a clean cloth or paper towels to dab the solution and lift the urine out of the carpet, and then rinse with warm water.
6. Repeat this process – spray, leave, lift – several times until the urine stain has disappeared.
7. Now here’s where you ensure the urine smell is out of your carpet: mix two tablespoons of ammonia into a cup of water and rinse the area. Voila!

How to get a more stubborn urine smell out of your carpet

Sometimes it’s impossible to tackle a urine stain right away. It could be that you’ve been out for the afternoon, and when you return you find your dog has been unable to control itself.

The longer you leave a urine stain, the more it will smell. Leave it too long and the odor will permeate the whole house. If you come home to find a urine stain on your carpet, you’ll probably need something a little stronger than dishwashing liquid. Try this method using white vinegar and baking soda:

1. Soak up any still-wet urine with paper towels or a clean, dry cloth.
2. Mix a solution of half-and-half white vinegar and water.
3. Pour this solution onto the urine stained area of carpet. Scrub the area with a brush (as you would to remove acrylic paint from carpet). The vinegar will react with the urine, neutralizing that awful odor.
4. Use a paper towel to blot the urine out of the carpet.
5. Leave the carpet to dry, and then sprinkle a couple of handfuls of baking soda onto the carpet where the stain was.
6. Now it’s time to get rid of that urine smell from your carpet forever. Mix a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent into a half cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Pour this onto the stain, and scrub well.
7. Leave to dry, and vacuum. Job done – the stain will have gone, and the urine smell, too.

What if the urine odor or stain is extra stubborn?

If the urine stains on your carpet are extra stubborn, or have been there a long time, you may need to call a professional. The technicians at Porter’s Cleaning Services use a variety of tools, techniques and cleaning fluids to remove all types of stains and odors from carpets.

It may look like something out of CSI New York, but don’t be surprised to see us bring in black lights and UV glasses to locate the stains so we can get the urine smell out of carpet.

No matter the source of the urine stain, there’s no need to live with it. Get in touch and we’ll rid your carpet of that urine odor for good.

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