About 75 percent of dog owners let their pets share their bed. While those cuddles may feel great, it's not so wonderful when your pup has an accident. The good news is that dog urine is less concentrated and smelly than cat urine, but that's a small consolation when a stinky puddle is percolating into your mattress. Get to work cleaning immediately when you discover your dog peed in the bed to limit the amount of urine that seeps deep into the mattress.
Remove the Bedding
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Strip the sheets and blankets from your bed immediately. If you get these up quickly enough, the urine may not reach the mattress. Wash your bedding with a cup of vinegar and your usual laundry detergent to break up and remove odor-causing enzymes.
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Blot the Stain and Apply a Vinegar Solution
Use paper towels to soak up as much of the mess as possible. Do not scrub or you may push the liquid further into the mattress.
- Add 1 cup of white vinegar, 2 cups of cold water, and 2 tablespoons of laundry detergent to a squirt bottle. Vinegar should break up the odor-causing enzymes trapped in your mattress.
- Spray the solution liberally over the stain and let it soak in for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Blot the vinegar solution with paper towels.
Use Baking Soda
Cover the entire area with baking soda, which absorbs moisture and smells. Scoop up and dispose of the baking soda once it becomes yellow or saturated with liquid and then apply more baking soda. If you have a wet/dry vac, you can use it to remove the soiled baking soda; otherwise, the damp baking soda may damage your vacuum. Keep removing and reapplying the powder until the newly added baking soda remains white and dry. Leave the powder to sit for eight to 10 hours and then vacuum it up.
Apply an Enzyme Cleaner
Dog pee can smell stronger than human urine, so you may need a specialized enzyme cleaner to remove the odor from your mattress entirely. These products neutralize and break down these smelly enzymes, helping to eliminate odors. Only use nontoxic enzyme cleaners designed for use on pet stains to avoid injuring your dog.
For best results, select an enzyme cleaner with pet repellent. Despite their name, these repellents aren't designed to keep your pup away entirely but to discourage pets from returning to pee on the same spot.
Tip
Before putting clean sheets and blankets on your bed, check to ensure the odor is no longer present. If it is, you may want to try reapplying vinegar, baking soda, or enzyme cleaner until the smell has disappeared completely.