Any suggestions on getting urine smell out of clothes?

[Ferdie]

My ds still wets his bed several nights a week. He will not wear pullups. For some reason his PJ's retain the urine smell even after washing. I have tried double washing, vinegar rinses and masking the smell with fabric softner, (yuck!). I think they need a good soak in something powerful. Any ideas??

 

Thanks - sorry if I grossed you out.

[Rich with Kids]

I add a few shakes of Baking Soda with each load. Works for us!

[kah]

Based on extensive experience in that department, soaking in a fairly strong Oxyclean solution works well.

 

Caution: It will fade some fabrics. It will remove the writing on the garment tag (the silky kind, anyway- like in Gymboree and Carter's.) It can react strongly with metal- not good in clothes with rivets or zippers. (Ate a hole through the fabric over the zipper on two different pairs of kids' canvas shorts.)

 

Considering the number of outfits I soaked during our 4 year run with urine issues :ack2: the number of casualties was actually very, very low.

[asta]

I was going to say Borax. That is what I used to use on DS's cloth diapers.

 

 

a

[Beth in OH]

If his pj's are synthetic, the fibers themselves may be retaining bacteria/odor. This is a common issue with athletic clothing. I recently tried WIN laundry detergent on my athletic clothes, and it worked wonders to get rid of odors remaining in otherwise clean clothes.

 

You can buy it online, and if you google it, you might also find it at a nearby sporting goods store. I bought mine at Dick's Sporting Goods.

 

Beth

[Lisa in Jax]

Try "Nature's Miracle," the pet stain remover. It works well for both smells and stains.

 

Also, if you'd like to try to end the wetting, you might try removing dairy from his diet. Milk allergy/sensitivity can be a cause of bedwetting. Peanuts/peanut butter can also be a cause of bedwetting, so if it's not milk, peanuts may be the issue.

 

My son stopped wetting the bed (at age 7.5) after we eliminated dairy and added digestive enzymes (for dairy) with each meal.

 

When I was a kid, removing dairy and adding magnesium/calcium pills worked after nothing else had worked. I was 12, so we'd tried everything... After only one night on mag and cal and no dairy, and I never had a problem again.

 

HIH,

 

Lisa

[Ferdie]

If his pj's are synthetic, the fibers themselves may be retaining bacteria/odor. This is a common issue with athletic clothing. I recently tried WIN laundry detergent on my athletic clothes, and it worked wonders to get rid of odors remaining in otherwise clean clothes.

 

You can buy it online, and if you google it, you might also find it at a nearby sporting goods store. I bought mine at Dick's Sporting Goods.

 

Beth

 

Yes!! It is the synthetic fibers because I have the same problem with his sports shorts. Interesting.

 

Thanks for the tips everyone!!!

[SilverMoon]

I use Bac-Out for jobs like that. It's usually found in good natural food stores. I'd spray it directly on the problem area and let it sit for five minutes or so before tossing in the washing machine. Or handwash in the sink. This is what I use on the kids' bathroom. It never fails to completely kill that "boys with apparent poor aim use this bathroom regularly" smell.

[asta]

DS always wet after milk until he was... old.

 

He doesn't have a problem with it now (teen).

 

a

[ereks mom]

FWIW, I also learned that throw-up = acid (stomach acid) = must be neutralized with base (baking soda solution).

 

I used this information to clean bedding, clothes, carpets, etc. when my kids were little & had accidents.

[WhereHopeGrows]

With cloth diapers, I have had great success soaking in distilled white vinegar. Vinegar helps neutralize the urine and helps break down the chemical "ickies" that you are smelling. I would soak in vinegar, then wash. When washing, use only enough detergent to get it clean, not so much that you still have a lot of bubbles during the last rinse cycle.

 

If needed, soak the items in vinegar water for up to 4 hours, then wash. Sometimes there is a build up stuff that has to be broken down with vinegar. I would suggest a couple of cups for something that is really bad. Hanging them to out in the sun to dry may help some too?

Edited June 25, 2009 by WhereHopeGrows

[WhereHopeGrows]

Yes!! It is the synthetic fibers because I have the same problem with his sports shorts. Interesting.

 

Thanks for the tips everyone!!!

 

One other idea, consider using cotton until the bed wetting stage is over. Synthetics can be so much harder to keep clean.

 

Another thing to try: RLR laundry treatment or Calgon water softener to remove build up. Might help?

[LaxMom]

Based on extensive experience in that department, soaking in a fairly strong Oxyclean solution works well.

 

Caution: It will fade some fabrics. It will remove the writing on the garment tag (the silky kind, anyway- like in Gymboree and Carter's.) It can react strongly with metal- not good in clothes with rivets or zippers. (Ate a hole through the fabric over the zipper on two different pairs of kids' canvas shorts.)

 

Considering the number of outfits I soaked during our 4 year run with urine issues :ack2: the number of casualties was actually very, very low.

 

It also creates a day-glo yellow residue when exposed to urine. :ack2:

[Marylou]

cheap and it works! I have experience!

[Dirtroad]

VINEGAR to the laundry... cup or so per load

[kah]

It also creates a day-glo yellow residue when exposed to urine. :ack2:

 

Yikes- I can't believe I never noticed that! Might have been the lack of sleep in those years...

[Ferdie]

Thanks!

 

I have some vinegar on hand so I think I'll try that first.

 

I really appreciate the suggestions about eliminating dairy. I think I'll try switching to almond or soy milk for awhile. We all love ice cream though so that maybe a little harder.

 

Thanks!

[Beth in OH]

Try "Nature's Miracle," the pet stain remover. It works well for both smells and stains.

 

This stuff is great on carpets--have you ever used it on laundry? Does it harm the color at all? Also, do you use it as a pre-treat directly on the clothes, as a full-strength or diluted pre-soak, or do you add it to the wash? I really like this idea!

 

Beth

(always looking for laundry help!)

[funschooler5]

Funny you should mention this, because I have the same problem with DS's pjs and sheets, and yesterday I finally found something that works: a 1/2 cup of baking soda in the washer, along with normal detergent. We use unscented All, and it just wasn't getting the odor out, even after multiple washings. Adding the baking soda got it out in one wash!

[Lisa in Jax]

I've used it on fabrics w/o any problems. In addition to urine stains, it also removes blood stains, so I've used it on comforters, sheets and undies. I use it full strength for blood, and use less for urine.

HIH,

 

Lisa

[FO4UR]

I love Bac-Out! That stuff is fantastic! Soak in the machine with a capful of bac-out overnight and run the wash in the am. I use Bac-out for cleaning carpets, stain treating, everything!

 

Also, detergent residue will hold in the smells, bacteria, of stuff. Make sure you rinse in warm or hot water - use less detergent, not more. And, I'll repeat VINEGAR - vinegar not only counter-acts the urine, it strips the detergent residue out of the clothes.

[LND1218]

I love Bac-Out! That stuff is fantastic! Soak in the machine with a capful of bac-out overnight and run the wash in the am. I use Bac-out for cleaning carpets, stain treating, everything!

 

Also, detergent residue will hold in the smells, bacteria, of stuff. Make sure you rinse in warm or hot water - use less detergent, not more. And, I'll repeat VINEGAR - vinegar not only counter-acts the urine, it strips the detergent residue out of the clothes.

 

:iagree: Use less or no detergent.

 

HOT HOT water - either turn up your hot water heater or add boiling water to your soak. Yes use vinegar.

 

You may need to wash them in something like Dawn dish washing detergent to help. A little will help strip the detergent build up on them.

[Zoo Keeper]

Hot water isn't absolutely necessary to get the smell out: we use a vinegar pre-soak and wash in cold water with baking soda (and less detergent) and it does wonders for that wet-the-bed-smell. We wash everything with cold water, and that good ol' vinegar works every time.

[Mothersweets]

I use Bac-Out for jobs like that. It's usually found in good natural food stores. I'd spray it directly on the problem area and let it sit for five minutes or so before tossing in the washing machine. Or handwash in the sink. This is what I use on the kids' bathroom. It never fails to completely kill that "boys with apparent poor aim use this bathroom regularly" smell.

 

 

Bac-Out is awesome!! It has a lovely limey-citrusy smell, too.

[Ferdie]

Thank you, ladies!!!!

 

I just wanted to post an update and let you know I did the vinegar soak and his PJ's smell great. This may have been an overkill, but since I had vinegar on hand I used a gallon vinegar and a gallon water. Soaked the clothes overnight. Washed normal.

 

I really appreciate the advice because we are going on a family vacation and am so relieved to pack nice smelling PJ's and sports shorts.

 

Thank you. Thank you.

[WhereHopeGrows]

Thank you, ladies!!!!

 

I just wanted to post an update and let you know I did the vinegar soak and his PJ's smell great. This may have been an overkill, but since I had vinegar on hand I used a gallon vinegar and a gallon water. Soaked the clothes overnight. Washed normal.

 

I really appreciate the advice because we are going on a family vacation and am so relieved to pack nice smelling PJ's and sports shorts.

 

Thank you. Thank you.

 

Yay for fresh smelling PJs! Keep in mind that you may need to soak his PJs every time it happens. Just consider it special needs laundry. Stick them in a bucket of water with about 1/4 cup vinegar, after quickly rinsing them. Then wash as usual. But be careful with vinegar as it does eventually kill elastic and cause threads to break. It's great, just use understanding that it is hard on fabrics when used too much.

 

Also, just a tip from my cloth diaper laundry...I find that hot water sets in smells. I'd use luke warm until the smells are gone, then wash in hot if needed.

 

Have a great vacation!