My mom is in a nursing home and she is incontinent. I launder her clothes. At times, she has urinated through her slacks. When I retrieve her laundry, her slacks smell badly. Regular laundering does not remove the odor, it exists faintly. I thought I heard vinegar is a neutralizer?
By Modesta from New Bedord, MA
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I used to take care of my mom and she was incontinent also. I would add Febreze to the wash and it worked real well for the urine and other smells. I now have a cat that has accidents and I use white vinegar for that smell plus I use it as a fabric softener as well.
My mom is now in a nursing home and they do her laundry there. You might want to ask if they have a laundry service. There might be a slight fee for it but in the long run it could be worth the price.
It works for me. Try putting at least a cup of vinegar in the final rinse. vinegar works great as a fabric softener too.
You could try vinegar. It removes lots of odors, but I know that an enzyme based pet cleaner would work for sure, as would peroxide, but it might get costly. I would add Oxiclean to your wash and hang her things out in the hot sunshine so the fresh air and the UV rays can do their work.
I would add Oxiclean (or a generic Oxiclean) to the wash and half a cup of vinegar to the rinse. Maybe mixed in with Downy in a fabric softener dispenser then hang outside in the sun to dry. For stubborn odors, use Febreze and/or enzyme-based pet cleaner and odor remover. I like a brand called "OUT!" sold for $4.79 at Walmart in the pet area.
* In any area where you still smell urine after washing, just spray the enzyme cleaner on to the fabric and saturate the area. Let them sit for several hours or overnight while the enzymes do their work. It helps to put the clothes into a plastic bag so the enzyme cleaner doesn't dry out because it only works while it's wet.
I don't recommend anyone to use fabreeze. It like putting perfume on a filthy body. You must clean and disinfect first.
When my son was young and had accidents, I used to wash his clothing with a little ammonia added to the load, but I realize that it isn't as green as vinegar.
Another option, 20 Mule Team Borax Laundry booster powder. Great for eliminating odors. Thank you for taking such good care of your mom. God bless you!
Use vinegar AND Borax.
This is good to know, i already use this on my towels to get keep the soured smell out of them of them. They don't smell like vinegar either.
What about Dreft baby detergent, I used that for my sons diapers.
There is a product called Mother's miracle that take pet accident odors out, maybe that would help? Also, I use Gain detergent. it has such a fresh smell and may work for this.
What works very well for me is vinegar and baking soda in the washer along with reg. detergent. But, you must let it soak for a while before washing.
I use a pleasant smelling shampoo. Rub it on the smell and throw it in the dirty cloths, after washing it smells good again. I use white rain ocean mist from dollar tree, such a lovely fragrance.
How much vinegar and how much baking soda for large towels (like 4 of them?)
It's to remove the odour of dog pee!
Ta
Vinegar is an acid, baking soda is a base, when mixed they have a chemical reaction and cancel out one another, so you end up not benefiting from either one. If you want to use both still, I suggest putting baking soda in the wash cycle, then letting it go through one rinse cycle normally. After the first round of wash and rinse, you should repeat the rinse cycle adding the vinegar into the second time you run the rinse cycle.
I use a pet enzyme, sometimes it helps. Vinegar doesn't even touch it. I can't use perfumes as I am allergic to the smell. I have them outside right not, but that's not really practical. I even soaked it in the pet enzyme first, no luck. Baking soda isn't the answer either. I am open for ideas.
There is a product called Odoban you can get at Home Depot. I soak soiled clothes in hot water with Borox and a cup or so of odoban. Then I drain and put through a full wash with a splash more of the odoban.
I think using a pet-accident enzyme formula would be better than anything else. This is specially formulated for urine.
I hope this helps anyone out there with this issue. I tried all of the things that were suggested online. None of them worked very good. Still had that lingering odor. The thing I found that does work is go to a sporting goods store (Cabellas, etc) and buy a product that hunters use to remove the scent from their clothing. I bought Scent Killer. You put a capful in the washer and put through 2 rinses. After that I always rewash with my regular detergent and fabric softener. Takes more time but so worth it to have my mothers clothes not smell of urine. Hop
Shout works the best to remove urine smell. Work it in before washing and add to load.
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