How to Remove Pet Stains From Upholstery

Treat pet stains on upholstery at first sight for best results.

As a pet owner, pet stains are inevitable. You can have a litter box readily available for your cat, or take your dog outside several times a day and it still seems that no matter how hard you try to train your pet, accidents still happen. Pet urine, feces or vomit on your upholstery do not have to become permanent marks on your upholstery. You can remove pet stains from upholstery using products you may already have in your home.

Things You'll Need

• Paper towels
• White rags
• Water
• 1 tbsp. white vinegar
• Bowl
• Old spoon
• Baking soda
• Vacuum cleaner
• Club soda
• 1 tbsp. bleach-free liquid dish soap
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Eye dropper
• Ammonia

Instructions

Removing Pet Urine from Upholstery

1. Soak up as much urine as possible. Use a thick stack of paper towels to dab at the urine stain. Switch to clean portions of the paper towel frequently while dabbing. Continue blotting until no more urine can be soaked up from the upholstery.

2. Moisten a rag with cold water. Sponge the cold water onto the urine stain to dilute the urine. Blot the stain again with a thick stack of paper towels to until no more moisture transfers from the upholstery to the paper towels.

3. Mix 2 cups warm water and 1 tbsp. white vinegar in a bowl. Dip a clean rag into the vinegar solution and rub it onto the urine stain. Work from the outside of the stain toward the center.

4. Allow the vinegar solution to dry completely. This may take a couple of hours depending on the size of the urine stain.

5. Wipe down the affected area of the upholstery with a rag and plain water. Allow it to air dry.

Removing Pet Vomit from Upholstery

1. Scoop up any solid matter from the upholstery. Use an old spoon to carefully scoop the vomit from upholstery, taking care not to further spread the vomit. Spray on a small amount of water if the solid particles need to be loosened to remove.

2. Sprinkle a generous coating of baking soda onto the vomit stain. Allow the area to dry completely for a few hours.

3. Vacuum the baking soda from the upholstery. Use the soft brush hose attachment to vacuum up the baking soda. The baking soda will have absorbed a large amount of the vomit stain.

4. Sprinkle another coating of baking soda onto the affected area. This will help to absorb any remaining vomit from the upholstery. Let it dry for a few hours then vacuum up the baking soda.

5. Pour some club soda onto the vomit. It is important to thoroughly cover the stain without completely soaking the upholstery.

6. Blot the stained upholstery with a thick stack of paper towels. Continue blotting, switching to clean portions of the paper towels frequently, until no more vomit is lifting from the upholstery.

7. Rinse the area with a rag and plain water. Dry with a clean rag to soak up excess moisture.

Remove Pet Feces from Upholstery

1. Scoop up any solid matter from the upholstery. Use an old spoon or paper towels to pick up and discard the hardened feces.

2. Pour 2 cups cool water and 1 tbsp. bleach-free liquid dish soap into a bowl. Use your fingers to mix up the soap and water.

3. Dip a clean, white rag into the soapy water. Sponge the soapy water onto the stained upholstery.

4. Blot the upholstery with paper towels to absorb the excess liquid and lift the feces stain. Alternate between sponging on the soapy water and blotting with paper towels until all of the feces stain is gone.

5. Use hydrogen peroxide and ammonia for particularly stubborn feces stains. Fill an eye dropper with hydrogen peroxide. Drip the peroxide onto the feces stain so that the stain is covered.

6. Empty out the eye dropper and fill it up with some ammonia. Place two drops of ammonia onto the stain.

7. Blot the area with a rag and cool water until the stain is gone. Dry the upholstery by blotting with a dry cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Always test the product you are using on a small, inconspicuous area of the upholstery prior to applying it to a more noticeable area.

• Wear rubber gloves and work in a well-ventilated area when using ammonia.

• Never mix bleach and ammonia or products containing these ingredients. The toxic fumes produces by this combination could be fatal.

References

• Paw Rescue: Cleaning Tips
• Good Housekeeping: Stain Buster -- Feces
• Cat Urine Tips: How to Remove Cat Urine from Upholstery
• Cozy Cat Furniture: How to Remove Cat Urine
• Cat World: Cat Urine Odor & Smell Remover