How to get pee out of a couch and get rid of the urine smell

Step by step: how to get pee out of a couch and get rid of the urine smell

Safety first. Never mix enzyme cleaners, vinegar, ammonia or bleach. Bleach plus ammonia, or bleach plus the ammonia in urine, can release irritating gas. Use one product, rinse, and keep pets off the spot until it is dry.

1. 1

   Blot up fresh urine with pressure

   Lay a thick pad of paper towels on the wet spot and press down hard, or stand on a towel-covered cushion if it is off the couch. Swap in dry towels until they come up barely damp. The more you pull out now, the less there is to smell later.

2. 2

   Take the cushion off and check underneath

   Pee runs through the cover into the foam, the deck below and sometimes the frame. Pull the cushion and look and sniff the platform and the back of the cushion. Treat every layer that got wet, or the smell will come back.

3. 3

   Find old or dried spots with a black light

   Turn off the lights and sweep a UV flashlight over the couch, arms, cushions and the floor in front of it. Dried urine glows yellow or greenish. Outline each spot with chalk or tape so you can find it in daylight.

4. 4

   Test the enzyme cleaner on a hidden spot

   Check the couch’s cleaning code first: enzyme cleaners are water-based, so they suit W and WS fabrics. Dab a little on the back of a cushion and wait 10 minutes to make sure the color does not change.

5. 5

   Soak the spot with enzyme cleaner

   Spray or pour enough cleaner to reach as deep as the urine did, usually a wider circle than the visible stain. For a cushion insert, that may mean soaking the foam right through. Lightly cover it with plastic wrap to keep it wet for the dwell time on the label, often several hours.

6. 6

   Blot and let it air dry slowly

   Remove the plastic, blot up the extra liquid with towels, and let the cushion dry on its own with a fan nearby. Enzymes keep working while the spot is damp, so do not rush it with heat. Drying through foam can take a day or two.

7. 7

   Sniff, then repeat if needed

   Once it is completely dry, check the spot up close. Old urine often needs a second or third round. If the smell is still strong after three rounds, the foam insert may need replacing.

Why an enzyme cleaner works when soap and vinegar do not

Because the smell comes from uric acid crystals that water and soap do not dissolve. They stay in the foam and release odor again whenever humidity rises. Enzyme cleaners contain enzymes and bacteria that break that residue down.

Humane World for Animals recommends an enzymatic cleaner if you can still see or smell the soiling, and advises against cleaning with ammonia or vinegar, since strong chemical odors may encourage your pet to mark the same spot again. It also warns against steam cleaners on urine in carpet or upholstery: the heat can set the stain and odor permanently by bonding the protein into synthetic fibers.

The ASPCA gives the same advice for cats: clean accidents thoroughly with an enzymatic cleanser designed to neutralize pet odors, and do not use an ammonia-based cleaner. Urine breaks down into ammonia-like smells, so an ammonia cleaner can make the spot smell like a bathroom to your pet.

Fresh pee, dried pee, cat pee and dog pee

The method is the same; how much cleaner and how many rounds changes.

For whole-room smells, see getting rid of cat pee smell and dog pee smell.

When to call an upholstery cleaner or replace the cushion

Call a professional when the fabric is coded S or X, or when the smell survives three thorough enzyme treatments. La-Z-Boy notes that some of its fabrics should not get hot water extraction or steam at all and that cushion covers on many fabrics should not be removed and laundered, which limits what you can do at home.

• Professionals can inject enzyme treatment into the foam and extract it, which reaches deeper than spraying.
• If the foam itself is saturated with old urine, a new foam insert inside the original cover is often the real fix.
• If a pet keeps going in the same place, see your vet. Repeated accidents can be medical, and the ASPCA says the first step with any elimination problem is to rule out medical causes.

Mistakes to avoid

• Using a steam cleaner or hot water, which sets the urine smell into the fibers.
• Cleaning with ammonia-based products, which smell like urine to a pet and invite repeat accidents.
• Spraying only the visible stain when the urine spread wider and deeper into the foam.
• Mixing enzyme cleaner with vinegar or bleach, which stops the enzymes working.
• Covering the smell with fabric spray or air freshener before the uric acid is broken down.
• Drying the spot with a hair dryer or heater, which bakes in the odor.