Does anyone have any hacks for getting rid of the urine odor in laundry?

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Does anyone have any hacks for getting rid of the urine odor in laundry?

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Try adding White vinegar to each load of her laundry. It’s an effective deodorizer, fabric softener and disinfectant. Good Luck.

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I used bleach and it helped a bit. Along with a good scented laundry soap. I'm not sure what else you can do. I cleaned her mattress with Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with water and a bit of soap and sprayed it real well then put baking soda on top of that. Let it dry and vacuumed it up. It got both the smell and stains out. So you might try adding the hydrogen peroxide to the wash. I would also put it on a soak cycle.

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I’ve been through this with my mom when I cared for her for 5 years in my home. Plus, I was a dairy farmer for 25 years and had to find something to help me remove barn stink from literally everything my late husband wore.

First off; use ONLY cold water. Warmer water isn’t good for washing away body wastes of any kind because the heat expands proteins (urine, feces, sweat, saliva, blood, milk) and makes them sticky, leaving behind traces of those proteins, and their smells. Cold water keeps the fibers of whatever you’re washing tight so the proteins have less “hiding” places to stick to, and the soap and cold water together wash them away.
Rinse with cold water and vinegar. Try a cupful per load until you start to notice things are smelling better…. and get rid of anything that still holds onto the smells after a couple of washings. Don’t put anything in the dryer that doesn’t smell better after a washing or two.

The heat from the dryer will set the proteins that don’t wash away, and industrial dryers run extremely hot… so the clothing that was being done in the facility may never smell right again, but you could try to save everything with this method…. Or you may find that some materials never smell right again no matter what. I was able to rescue some of my mom’s clothing with this method, but ended up throwing away about half because facilities ALWAYS use super-hot water and dryers, thinking along the lines of “sanitation”/hotter is better….the stink was well set into some of the items, and just not worth the effort.

Btw: the vinegar smell doesn’t linger for long, and it’s worth putting up with to get to the end result of deodorized clothing.

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I sure have a solution - Febreze Odor Eliminator which I find in the laundry section of our local WalMart. Terrific stuff.

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There are some products that remove Skunk Odor from clothing. If all else fails you might try some of those.

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I use hot water and add white vinegar. Unless I am "nose dead" it works.

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There are reasons for strong urine smell. Those should also be addressed. However, from having used cloth diapers for many, many years, I understand the desire to eliminate that odor as soon as possible. Begin by creating an odor absorber in the clothes hamper. Charcoal is pretty good for this. You can break up charcoal into small pieces and enclose it into a cotton bag. Place it at the bottom, even attach it with twine or lock-ties to keep it in place. As for the washing, you are using baking soda - try adding hydrogen peroxide. You can make a paste and apply it directly or add to the soak process. It should also help with stains. White vinegar can be used to clean surfaces around her living space that may also have odor. Simply make a solution of it mixed with water (2:5). Wipe with a cloth, wipe with a dry cloth, allow to dry well. I suggest you avoid stronger cleaners such as bleach, as they can discolor, breakdown fabric and leave behind an odor that can make the situation even worse.

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I've also used baking soda, vinegar, and Lysol laundry sanitizer. One other thing I haven't seen mentioned here is Liquid Alive. It's formulated to break down enzymes, and I add it to my wash and let it soak for a bit before adding detergent and running the washer. I also add white vinegar to the rinse cycle, and this has helped tremendously with the smell. Also, if I don't have enough laundry to do a load, I pre-soak with white vinegar water. I bought a container normally used for storing dog food, and use that for my "diaper pail"--it was larger than most pails and cheap enough to get at Walmart. I also cleaned the container with white vinegar and baking soda, and kept a dryer sheet in there to keep it fresh smelling. Good luck!

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Seventh Generation laundry detergent really Makes laundry white and removes the stains . The best price is at Target . I use it On all my sheets and Blankets . There is a good product I got at Wholefoods - A enzyme spray for Pets and stains - in a green and white bottle - it has a orange scent - when I used it to get Out the dogs pee in the rug it was like a Miracle . I would think it would work On stained clothes also . I was called biotine or something similar .

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I hardly respond, but this is my area of expertise. I highly recommend using Persil laundry detergent (which has enzymes that break down human protein stains) in the pre-wash and wash compartment. Clorox also has a laundry sanitizer that is safe on clothes and can be added in the softener compartment. This along with heavy soiling, warm water, and an extra rinse does wonders! I also recommend not putting in clothes that take up more than 50-75% of the washers capacity as it inhibits the clothing from being properly cleaned. Out of all the options I’ve tried this one is the best!

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Let it also be noted that if you are soaking the items while they accumulate it should be done in cold water, but once it’s time to wash the item if should always be treated with warm or hot water as it kills the bacteria. It’s always recommended to wash diapers and underwear on hot water, so while hot water can not be used on all fabrics, warm water is like a compromise between the two extremes.

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I use enzyme soaker powder and COLD water. I do the separate rinse cycle first with the soiled clothes. Then I add the rest of the clothes and still use “heavy soil” option and pre-wash. I add the detergent and use Lavender clothes softener. I find lavender to be quite strong and make her clothes smell fresh. I will say that the front loader washing machine does my head in and that I actually manually add water through the soap dispenser. The clothes have come out so much better after. I get the front loaders are designed to use minimum water with friction BUT when it comes to urine / heavy soiled items, I find more water is better. Having said that, I do so accepting it could break and if it does, I’m off to buy a top loader!
Dont use dryer if you can as it will set the smell but if you do, use the scented dryer sheets.
I have also at times added urine destroyer made for cats to the rinse haha.
Ive got the laundry under grip,.. my frustration is Mum getting pee in places around the house like carpet / chairs.

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Hi

have you tried baking soda? If you have tried, try white vinegar.

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Odoban.
Sold at Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

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Exactly what I was going to say

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Baking soda and vinegar diluted and added to wash separately. If dark colours: try just the baking soda

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See if you can get the facility laundry people to add baking soda to her laundry

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The CNA at assisted living told me to get some fabric dryer sheets for that smell it works.

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I add about a half cup of vinegar to the wash along with Tide and it takes the smell away. You may need more.

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Even though my father wears nighttime Depends 24-7, he cannot relieve himself without wetting his clothes (congenital stubbornness with Alzheimer’s is a bad combination). Therefore, we often go through two to three pairs of pants and upwards of four pairs of pajamas daily. Needless to say that I wash at least one load of clothes each day. Like someone else, I have found that Lysol Sanitizer works well. It can get pretty expensive, and I have found that OdoBan concentrate works equally as well or maybe better. You can order it through Amazon in gallon-sized containers (it also works to eliminate urine odors in carpet). Just place it in the fabric softener dispenser of your washer so it will be dispensed during the rise cycle thus maximizing its effectiveness. As others have mentioned, washing more frequently would certainly help but if that is not possible, maybe using OdoBan can help.

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Lysol Laundry Sanitizer works wonders for eliminating odors and bacteria/viruses.

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Odoban removes ALL odors. It removed cat urine odor from my garage cement floor. That was full strength. I follow the instructions and use it as a general cleaner, room deodorizer and disinfectant and in my laundry. I use it my my carpet cleaning machine too. You can find gallon size containers at your local big box DIY stores. Spray bottle version can be found at most grocery stores but I make my own using my own spray bottles.

https://odoban.com/

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I used Persil or Tide pods and Resolve Urine Destroyer for my late mom’s laundry. She was wearing pull-ups but there was always something going into her bedding and pants. It worked pretty well for us.

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I imagine you have to treat her clothes with the same care as diapers to avoid cleaner irritation.
I googled remove urine smell diapers and found an in/depth article at
https://momlovesbest.com/ammonia-and-cloth-diapers

What about a diaper pail and a laundry basket to limit the problem?

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Baking soda or powder....pretty sure it's baking powder should absorb odors.
I pour some in my garbage bags to stop them from smelling if I can't take them
out immediately. You may want to try this.

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Vinegar soak first. Hope this helps

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Oxyclean Armor and Hammer laundry detergent

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Have you tried baking soda? Is that the same as washing soda?

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No, they are not the same. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and the soda wash is sodium carbonate.

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In addition to laundry detergent pods, I add Lysol laundry sanitizer. I put it in the dispenser normally used for fabric softener.

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Good Morning,

Baking soda and vinegar together works every time. Great for athletes too.

Gets rid of the sour smell. This is great even for clothing that has been packed away. It freshens things up.

I think the problem is the once per week washing. It's too bad the laundry couldn't be done daily. Tide can be too strong on an elderly person's skin.

I know it's a tough call with laundry because if the facility does it oftentimes some clothing can be missing in action.

Hope this helps.

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I know this is going to sound very old-school but the best product I've ever tried for getting the urine smell out of clothing and bedding is 20 Mule Team Borax powder. It's cheap too. I've tried everything and this is what really works.
If you have one of the newer washing machines that don't actually fill up with water you will have to dissolve it first. I keep an old milk gallon jug. Fill it up and add the powder. Then pour it in with the laundry.
It also works great to clean your washing machine too.

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If your machine has a “bulky” (or similar) setting, it usually adds more water to the tub. I use it for almost all loads because the low water settings tore up my clothes.

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I use Arm and Hammer OxyClean liquid detergent- it has a very clean fresh smell that lasts quite a while after coming out of the dryer.

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Does anyone have any hacks for getting rid of the urine odor in laundry?

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