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How to Get Rabbit Pee Out of a Mattress: 6 Expert Tips & Tricks

Kathryn Copeland

By Kathryn Copeland

rabbit on sofa

Rabbits are super adorable, but like all pets, they pee a lot! Luckily, they can be litter box trained, but, again, like all pets, accidents happen. If an accident occurs on your mattress, don’t panic!

Everyone has likely had pee accidents on their mattresses from some pet or other, so you’re not alone. We’ll help you out by going through a variety of cleaning methods that you can use to save your mattress, and primarily with stuff you’ll just find around the house.

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Before You Start Cleaning

The first thing you should do when you discover the urine is to throw all of your bedding into the wash immediately and put it through the usual cycle. This should be enough to remove all traces of urine. Once it’s going, it’s on to the mattress.

For Fresh Urine Stains

1. Start Blotting

This step is for fresh rabbit urine, so if it’s an older dried-up stain, you should move on to the third step.

Blotting the stain involves using a clean and dry rag or paper towel and pressing it gently onto the stain. Don’t rub it!

Rubbing the stain will actually push it further into the surface, so just dab it. Dabbing will allow the urine to soak into the rag, not your mattress.

person removing dry stain in the mattress
Image Credit: mdbildes, Shutterstock

2. Cover It & Wait

Once you’ve finished blotting, cover the stain with another clean rag or paper towel and leave it (a rag works better for this). This should allow the leftover urine to soak into the rag, which will also help it to dry a little faster.


3. Baking Soda, Vinegar, & Water

You can use distilled white vinegar, but if you don’t have distilled, regular white vinegar is fine. Pour the white vinegar and water into a spray bottle, it should be about 50/50, and gently shake it.

Spray the vinegar mixture on the stain, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then start the gentle blotting again. Following this, get out the baking soda and sprinkle it over the area – be generous with it!

Let the baking soda sit on the sprayed area for several hours (the longer, the better), which will help absorb the excess moisture and odor from both the urine and vinegar.

Once enough time has passed, you simply vacuum up the baking soda. If the stain is super stubborn, you might need to repeat this step a few more times.

mixing vinegar and baking soda
Image Credit: TY Lim, Shutterstock

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For Old Urine Stains

4. Hydrogen Peroxide, Detergent, & Baking Soda

This solution is designed to tackle older stains that have dried out. Put about 1 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle. Then, add 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of grease-cutting dish detergent and shake it well.

Spray the stain with your solution and let it sit until it dries, which might take several hours. The baking soda should dry and leave a residue that you vacuum up. If the stain is still there, you should repeat this step until it’s gone.


5. Enzymatic Cleaner

Using a commercial cleaner is your best bet for removing urine odor and stains with less effort. An enzymatic cleaner is the best option, like Hepper’s Advanced Bio-Enzyme Spray.

These cleansers are formulated to break down and remove the stains and odors that are the hardest to get out. They work on not only urine but also feces, vomit, and drool. Depending on the product you use, you typically spray it on, let it sit, and then blot.


6. Extra Odor Control

If your mattress still seems a little odiferous, baking soda is the king of odor removers! If it works in your fridge, it can definitely work on your mattress!

You can sprinkle your entire mattress with baking soda with a thicker layer over any areas where the smell is more concentrated. Let it sit for 5 (preferably 10) hours, then vacuum it up and repeat as needed.

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

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Tips to Prevent Your Rabbit Peeing on Your Things

Once your mattress is cleaned up to your liking, you should take steps to prevent your rabbit from peeing on your bed or your things in the future.

  • Spay or neuter your rabbit:You can have your rabbit neutered or spayed by the time they are 4 to 6 months old. Most rabbits will stop peeing on everything, and it can help solve aggressive behaviors.
  • Litter training:Rabbits can be litter trained, which might not stop them entirely from peeing outside of the box, but it should help reduce the behavior.
  • Get extra litter boxes:If your rabbit seems to gravitate to specific areas to urinate, place extra litter boxes in these spots.
  • Body language:Try to familiarize yourself with how your rabbit acts when they have to urinate. They are typically restless before they need to go, so put them in a litter box when you suspect they need to urinate.
  • Stay off the furniture:Rabbits sometimes urinate as a form of territorial marking, and beds and couches where your scent is more concentrated are targets. Keeping them off these areas will help prevent this.
  • Clean thoroughly:Again, territorial marking can be a problem, so clean any areas they pee on very thoroughly. Using an enzymatic cleaner will be much more effective at removing any scent that might normally keep drawing them back.
  • Mattress protector:If the problem continues despite your best efforts, pick up a good mattress protector. There are some products that don’t make that rustling plasticky sound.
  • Puppy pee pads:You can also use washable puppy pee pads in the areas your rabbit seems to urinate the most. This way, they can protect your floors or furniture (or both), and you just need to wash and reuse them.
  • Never punish: Punishing will only stress your rabbit out, and you’ll likely see an increase in the behavior.
Neutering surgery rabbit
Image Credit: Vladislav Mirenskii, Shutterstock

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Conclusion

Cleaning up rabbit pee on your mattress does require a little elbow grease and some time and patience. But products like vinegar and baking soda, which can be found in most homes, are really all you need. An enzymatic cleaner can be more effective.

But if you have any suspicion that your rabbit is urinating outside of the litter box more than usual and if they seem at all uncomfortable, speak to your vet. You’ll want to ensure there isn’t something wrong with your rabbit.


Featured Image Credit: Africa Studio, Shutterstock

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