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How to Get Dog Pee Smell Out of a Mattress: 5 Expert Tips

Kristin Hitchcock

By Kristin Hitchcock

dog pee on bed

No one wants their bed to smell like dog pee when they’re trying to lie down and sleep. Sadly, though, if your dog has peed on the mattress, it can be challenging to get the smell out. The urine can soak very far into the mattress, making it difficult to remove.

Luckily, you can eliminate the smell in just five straightforward steps. These steps cover everything you need to know about removing stubborn smells from your mattress. With a multi-pronged approach, it’s pretty much guaranteed that your mattress will smell better.

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The 5 Tips to Get Dog Pee Smell Out of a Mattress

1. Remove Bedding

First, you want to clean the mattress, not the bedding. Therefore, you should remove all of the bedding from the bed and wash it as you normally would. Hot water is best, as it helps eliminate the smell. However, you may also want to throw in a dash (or more) of vinegar, as this helps eliminate dog urine odors, too.

In many cases, though, your regular laundry detergent is plenty to help remove the dog urine smell from your bedding.

Person removing dirty linen from bed
Image Credit: pen kanya, Shutterstock

2. Blot Up the Urine

Next, you want to remove as much urine from the mattress as possible. Find the spot and blot it up with a paper towel or rag. Don’t rub, as this will only push the urine deeper into the mattress. Instead, just press down firmly.

If the spot is already dry, then you can add a small amount of hot water. This re-liquifies the urine, helping you remove it with paper towels. Only use a very small amount, as mattresses aren’t made to get wet.


3. Use an Enzymatic Cleaner

We highly recommend using an enzymatic cleaner next. These cleaners have enzymes in them that help break down the bacteria causing the odor. They’re extremely helpful in these situations and don’t require any scrubbing. Instead, you’ll want to blot up the cleaner when you’re done—just like we did previously.

Most of these cleaners have a short wait time, which allows the enzymes to get to work. This wait time is vital to their success, so be sure to follow the directions of the cleaner you’re using. Sometimes, they may work best when left for an hour or more.

Our top pick for cleaning up pet messes is the Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray.

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4. Use Vinegar

The enzymatic cleaner should have worked well on the stain. However, since we’re dealing with a stubborn odor, it’s time to use vinegar, too. Vinegar helps remove the odor relatively quickly and won’t damage your mattress.

First, boil some vinegar in a pot. As soon as it is hot, pour it into a spray bottle until it is halfway full. We recommend setting the bottle in the sink and then pouring the vinegar into it. A funnel makes it much easier. Next, fill the rest of the bottle with hot water.

Now, spray the solution on the stain and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Next, blot it again with a paper towel to help lift up any urine still in the mattress.


5. Sprinkle Baking Soda

Finally, we’re going to dehydrate the spot by sprinkling baking soda on it. You’ll want to leave the baking soda on for as long as possible. If you can, plan on sleeping somewhere else. If that isn’t an option, we recommend starting the whole cleaning process early in the morning so that you can leave the baking soda on the bed for at least 6 hours.

The baking soda helps dehydrate the spot (eliminating the chance for mold growth). It also helps eliminate any odors that are still hovering on your mattress.

After letting the baking soda rest for several hours, vacuum it up. Now the spot should be clean and odor-free.

cleaning mattress with baking soda
Image Credit: Nick Alias, Shutterstock

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Conclusion

When you’re dealing with a tough stain, your best option is to use a multi-pronged approach. You want to use several different cleaning methods to ensure you’re eliminating as much of the smell as possible. Luckily, by using an enzymatic cleaner, vinegar, and baking soda, you can easily remove most bad smells.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get rid of the dog pee smell in your mattress. You can use the same steps on many different fabrics, such as your carpet or a couch, as well.

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Featured Image Credit: Pixel Shot, Shutterstock

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