How to Get Urine Stains Out of Laundry
Urine stains in laundry are an unfortunate fact of life. Because urine stains contain protein, you must treat these stains as protein stains and proceed accordingly. Treat both fresh urine stains and old urine stains in a similar fashion to remove them. With effort, you should be successful in removing the stains and restoring your garment. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Run cool water directly over the urine stain as quickly as possible after the stain occurs to remove as much urine as possible from the garment. Rub the fabric of the stain against itself gently to help remove the stain.
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2
Fill a sink with cool water and allow the garment to soak for approximately 30 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tbsp. of laundry detergent to the soaking water, if you desire, especially if you are treating older urine stains.
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3
Remove the garment from the cool-water soak and place it into the washing machine immediately. Add laundry detergent to the washing machine (an appropriate amount for the size of the wash load), set the water temperature to warm and start the wash cycle. Allow the cycle to finish completely.
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4
Remove the garment from the washing machine and assess the stain. If the urine stain remains, soak the garment again as you did in step 2. Wash the garment again, except the second time add chlorine bleach for a color-safe garment (1/4-cup) or oxygen bleach (1 scoop) for a garment that is not color safe. Add laundry detergent again and wash the garment again in a warm wash cycle.
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5
Assess the stain after the second wash cycle finishes. As long as the stain is gone, dry the garment in the dryer if you desire. If any stains remain, line-dry the garment.
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Tips & Warnings
Often drying a garment out in the sunshine will help lift a stubborn stain. If the stain persists past the bleach treatments, hang the garment outside to dry in the sunshine to finish removing the stain.
References
- Photo Credit laundry image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
