Urine Stain (And AWFUL Smell) on Couch

Updated on August 30, 2008
D.C. asks from Berwyn, IL
28 answers

Hi there~
My daughter (who is potty-training) decided to use our couch as the toilet! ARG.
Not that my couches are the greatest but we don't have the $$ right now to invest in new ones.
I am not so concerned with the stain cause I can throw a slip cover over the couch but any advice on how to get that AWFUL SMELL out of my couch????!!!!!
Augh . . . it's nasty!
Thanks!!

1 mom found this helpful

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So What Happened?

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GREAT ADVICE LADIES!

We were able to remove the stain AND the awful smell! We used a pet stain remover first, then threw the cover in the wash (um, so embarrassing that I didn't know our couches zipped open until now) and used a diluted vinegar and water wash for the cushion and air dried everything. Lastly, we sprayed Febreeze and it was back to new- almost ;-)

Thanks again for all the help!

Featured Answers

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S.A.

answers from Chicago on

Do the covers come off? Can you unzip the covers of the seat cushions. My second child had an accident on the couch when she was potty training. I took the cover off and washed it and then took the inside cushion outside and soaked it with dishwashing liquid and a hose. Then squeezed all the water out several times and then let it dry in the sun. Then spray Febreeze all over it and let that dry.

Good luck!!!

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L.F.

answers from Chicago on

Try Fresh Wave or Odoban. I have used both for the cats no no. By male cat gets very upset if the box is not perfect or I change the litter. It has to work on human odors if it works on the cat odors.

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P.

answers from Chicago on

Try Borax. I just had to do the same thing on my sofa because my dog peed on it. The directions are on the box.

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J.W.

answers from Chicago on

Yeah, our daughter pretty much used the sofa as her own personal urine cake, too. I recommend "Nature's Miracle". That's the same solution pet owners use on pet accidents and it worked equally as well on our sofa. You can get it at any pet store.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.C.

answers from Chicago on

Vinegar. Works great on mattresses too for those nights and naps when you try pottytraining during sleep. Just dilute a little bit in a spray bottle with water and saturate the area. Absorb what you can with a towel and then let air dry for about 24 hours.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.S.

answers from Chicago on

D.
Go to the pet store and buy Natures Miracle. It is a pet unrine and stain remover that is all natural and works great. Saturate the area with it and let it sit for about 30 minutes the towel dry the area and let the cushion dry. I usually put it in front of a fan.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.K.

answers from Chicago on

Try white viniger and water premixed together. I can not tell you the measurements but the viniger goes a long way. Put the solution on the spot and wait 5 min. Take a towel and blot up the area. Then let dry. If you get a ring because there was too much viniger just take water to the ring and it will come out. My grandmother who was born in 1902 taught me this trick when I was a kid with pets but it came in handy when my son decided to pee on my couch when he was learning. Oh the toss salad smell leaves in a few days so do not worry!
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.T.

answers from Champaign on

D.:

That will be a story to tell her boyfriends! I suggest you get one of the enzymatic liquids that are used to remove the smell of puppy urine. You can get this at Pet Smart.

Good luck.

C.

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A.S.

answers from Peoria on

Our darling cat peed on a matress once. I thought we'd have to get rid of it, but we found a really good product that took the smell away completely. It won't remove your stain, but it will take the stink out of the middle of your cushion. Here is the website. It really, really works. Pour as much of it on as you think your daughter might have peed on the cushion and let it dry for a day or so.

http://www.nokout.com/

Good luck!
A.

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T.H.

answers from Chicago on

You could try saturating it with Nature's Miracle from the pet store. It is very effective with pet urine.

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C.G.

answers from Chicago on

Try Nature's Miracle...it is a pet product so I am guessing if it is strong enough for pets then it would work on human stains too. Good luck

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K.M.

answers from Chicago on

Kids and Pets cleaner from Walmart- it's found right by the carpet cleaner section- it has a spout and you just pour it on- I use it all the time when my kids have accidents on their mattress- works great and totally gets rid of the smell.

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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

My couch has covers on the cushions that zip off, I took them off and hand scrubbed the spots with baking soda and peroxide (check a small spot first to make sure the peroxide doesn't change the color...mine is a dark maroon and it was fine), then rinsed them out with water really well and let them air dry....No smell. I got to it right away though.

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M.B.

answers from Chicago on

I was told to combine a few drops of Tea Tree Oil with water in a spray bottle and spray it on the fabric and let it air dry. I would try a little first to make sure it does not cause any further dicoloration on the fabric. When my daughter was potty training I was told to use this method for cleaning the mattress if needed, fortunately we have not needed it...yet...
I would love to hear how it works! If you look up Tea Tree Oil on the internet there are a hundred uses for it!

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P.B.

answers from Chicago on

Vinegar neutralizes urine. A mix of half vinegar and half water works miracles. (You can also add a little bit of straight vinegar (1/2 cup or so)to your wash during the rinse cycle for clothes that have pee on them. Hope this helps!

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J.W.

answers from Chicago on

I love Nature's Miracle also. It really does work although it may take a couple times.

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H.E.

answers from Chicago on

Yikes, I know the feeling! My daughter has had several accidents as well on our couch. I have used Woolite upholstery cleaner. Its a spray foam you spray on the couch and scrub in. Its sold at Dominicks and Target. I was able to also get the fabric cover off of the cushion itself and throw it in the wash to soak on delicate cycle and let air dry. I know this might not be possible with all couches but if you can manage, do it. I have a microfiber couch and i have had to do it several times. I would take the foam cushion and let hot water run through it to get the pee out. Its a pain in the uknowwhat, but it worked. When dry its a chore getting that cushion back in the fabric pocket, but better than having a pee smelling couch or having to buy a new one!! If you can't do it, use the woolite and try to blot out as much of the pee out of the cushion with towels. You can also use a shop vac to get some of it out after using the Woolite. Maybe top it off with antimicrobial febreze. Good Luck!

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M.P.

answers from Chicago on

Pour vodka on it. That's what the canadians at the stratford theatre festival use on their amazing dryclean-only costumes that sweaty actors wear under the lights night after night. if it works for all that stinky sweat it could work for you.

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J.

answers from Chicago on

You can also try some pet stain remover products (find at PetSmart, Petco, etc.).
Many are formulated to remove urine stains & smells - Nature's Miracle is a good one.

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A.G.

answers from Chicago on

I would go rent a Rug Doctor from Dominick's and get the furniture attachment. ASk which cleaner is safe for furniture and pay the extra five dollars (can't think of the name right now). We had an issue with a puppy who peed all over my first new (well they were a year old at the time) couches that my husband I had bought ourselves ever! then the cat retailiated by peeing on them too! YUCK!! It worked great, they didn't smell at all after that. The other thing is this...I'm assumming that it penetrated deep into the cushion, see if the place where you bought it from sells replacement cushions. I found out for our couch the cushions were like $80 a piece to replace..not bad considering what a new couch costs. Hope this helps.

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J.R.

answers from Chicago on

If you have a membersip to Sam's Club, they sell this stuff called Odo-Ban. My parents used to get flooded all the time & the mildew scent would linger forever! Someone suggested they use this & ever since, they have had no problems! Good luck!

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K.T.

answers from Chicago on

I second (or third or 4th) the vinegar and water. Also let the room air out a lot - open those windows!

I wouldn't advise Odoban, only because I did not like the smell it left behind in my microfiber towels. Even after repeated washes in the machine, it still smelled like I was trying to cover up cat smell (like the vet's office). I thought it was almost more offensive than the urine itself, and more difficult to get rid of. But that might not be an issue for you.

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R.C.

answers from Peoria on

depending on the material of your couch, try using a pet cleaner. I know natures miracle worked really well for me when my dogs went to the bathroom everywhere. You can get it at just about any store. good luck

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E.D.

answers from Chicago on

I had the same problem with vomit- ech! I just took a chance, unzipped the non washable cover and washed it anyway. I put it on the delicate cycle with Woolite and let it air dry. While the cushion cover was washing I took the offensive cushion outside and sprayed more Febreze on it than you can imagine! Then I let it get some fresh air. It was a gamble I was willing to take and it worked.

I'm sure baking soda in some form would also be good.

Good luck!

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S.E.

answers from Chicago on

Nature's Miracle really does work. We've used it on cat and dog urine. You have to really wet/soak the spot and some even suggest then covering the spot with plastic wrap to keep it from drying too quickly. When it's wet it is some kind of live enzyme or something that actually "eats" the urine. It might take a second application and will still smell awful until totally dry and done. So be patient -- it really works!

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M.F.

answers from Springfield on

Vinegar is great at removing smells. Try it on a hidden spot first, but it should work great!

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K.G.

answers from Chicago on

I used resolve power something to get urine out of a microfiber couch. Get the strongest one available. It's in a red bottle.

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G.H.

answers from Chicago on

scrub it with furniture cleaner and baking soda and let dry ou in the sun

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