Pee happens. Whether you have small children or pets, you will need to know how to get the pee smell out of couches. Fortunately, several material-specific strategies help you remove urine from your couch.
When looking for the best ways to clean the urine smell out of couches, you must know what your couch is made of. It is essential to know this so you can adequately care for the issue without ruining your furniture.
Determine When It Happened
When you notice a urine smell on the couch, the first thing you should do is figure out when it happened. Fresh urine stains are much easier to take care of, as they haven’t thoroughly soaked into all of the fabric yet. Older urine spots may require more intense treatment.
For fresh urine stains, the first step is to soak up the excess liquid with a paper towel. Remove as much of the urine as you can by absorbing it.
Old urine stains can produce an unpleasant odor. Older stains usually require stronger solutions made of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and soap.
Check Your Couch Label
The care instructions on your couch’s label will tell you what kind of cleaning solutions you need to use. Generally, most sofas either have an “S,” “W,” “SW,” or “X” marking under the care instructions.
“S” Label
The “S” under care instructions indicates that you must use a cleaning solvent without water. Spot treatment is the only way to get rid of stains.
You can make cleaning solvents at home. Microfiber couches are commonly labeled this way.
“W” Label
The “W” cleaning label means that you should use water mixed with cleaning chemicals to form a solution. If your fabric can tolerate water-based cleaners, you have many more options. Most commercial fabric cleaners will be able to remove the stain and smell from your couch.
“SW” Label
If you have both the “S” and “W” on your couch label, this means you can use either a solvent or water-based solution to clean the fabric. Neither type of cleaner will ruin your couch, so you can use various cleaning mixtures to target tough stains and unpleasant pee smells.
“X” Label
Unfortunately, couches labeled “X” cannot be cleaned using any cleaning mixture. You can only use a vacuum cleaner to remove surface dirt and debris. It is best to call a professional cleaner to remove the urine smell in these cases.
How to Get Pee Smell Out of Couches
When you are trying to find out how to get the pee smell out of couches, first see what ingredients you have around your home. Most of the best ways to clean urine smell out of sofas require common household ingredients.
Fresh Urine Cleaning Solution
If you have a couch labeled “W,” you can use water-based solutions to clean the fabric. You can tackle a fresh pee smell with common household ingredients when you notice a fresh pee smell.
For this cleanser, you will need:
- One tablespoon of dish detergent
- Two cups of cold water
- One tablespoon of vinegar
Combine these ingredients together. It is best to patch test on a small part of your fabric to see if this solution fades or discolors your fabric. If it doesn’t, you are ready to clean the urine spot.
Dab the cleaning solution all around the urine spot using a clean cloth. Do not rub vigorously; this will spread the urine around the area.
Use precise dabbing motions and cover the entire spot with the solution. Rinse the urine spot with a damp cloth that only has water.
Your couch will air dry, and the urine smell should be gone. Vinegar breaks down uric acid, the main component in urine that produces odor. The detergent and water clean the stain and leave your fabric sparkling clean.
Old Urine Spot Removal
Now you know how to get the pee smell out of couches when it is fresh. However, older pee spots need the help of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.
This mixture penetrates the fabric into the deep layers to remove the urine smell and stain. You can also add dish soap to tackle the stain.
For this solution, you will need:
- One cup of hydrogen peroxide
- Three tablespoons of baking soda
- A few drops of dish soap
You should soak the urine spot with this solution for an hour or more. Rinse the spot with a damp cloth and blot it dry. Your couch should no longer have pesky pee spots with this hard-hitting cleaning solution.
High-Quality (Easy-to-clean) Couches from Woodhaven
If your couch still smells and is beyond repair, shop at Woodhaven Furniture for your new living room piece.
Our couches are clearly labeled with cleaning instructions to cover all possible scenarios. Our dark-colored couches are hard to stain and add rich color to any room.
Choose from our wide selection of clean, sleek couches today!
