How to Get Human Urine Out of a Carpet

You don’t have to be a professional cleaner to know that urine is one of the most difficult stains to remove from a carpet. 

In fact, the stain isn’t your only problem as it can often leave behind an unpleasant odour to go with it.

Accidents happen and whatever the reason you need to get rid of urine, it needs to be dealt with quickly. 

With these simple steps, you will be able to get your carpets looking great again! 

Let’s take a look. 

The Quick Fix

If you need a solution straight away with basic household items, follow these steps

1. Soak up the stain as quickly as possible using something like kitchen roll or a tea towel, depending on how much liquid is present.
2. Blot and dab at the liquid to soak up the moisture. Don’t scrub.
3. Once most of the liquid is gone, add a washing up liquid and water solution to the stain, ideally with a spray. Let this soak in for 5 minutes. 
4. Blot and dab this as you did before but with a fresh towel/cloth
5. Once it is as dry as possible, add salt until the top layer is dry
6. Vacuum up the salt

This is a rapid solution based on what everyone will have already in their homes. 

More effective cleaning solutions can be found with white vinegar, enzymatic cleaners, bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), and hydrogen peroxide. These are particularly good if the stain has been left to soak through for a while. 

Below we’ll have more detailed steps for those who want the perfect cleaning solution.

 

Why Is Urine So Difficult to Remove?

Urine is one of the most difficult stains to remove from a carpet because it is a protein-based stain. 

This means that it can often bind with the fibres in the carpet, making it stubborn to remove. In addition, urine can also seep deep into the fibres of the carpet, making it even harder to remove. 

 

Steps to Getting Urine Out of a Carpet

1. Identify the stain

The first step in getting rid of urine from a carpet is to identify the stain itself. Once you have identified the stain, you can begin to treat it. 

Depending on the colour of your carpet, it may not be immediately obvious how large the affected area is, so you should cover a wide area when cleaning just to be safe. 

2. Blot the area

 

The next step is to blot the area with a kitchen roll, tea towel or something similar. This will help to absorb as much of the urine as possible. 

Be sure to continue blotting until the towel or cloth comes away clean. 

The reason we blot is that scrubbing can drive that urine further into the fibres of the carpet. When blotting, be sure not to use too much pressure.

3. Apply a cleaning solution

In terms of cleaning solutions, there are several different methods you can use. The predicament here is that with urine stains, time is a big factor. The longer you leave it, the harder it is to clean and the more likely it is that you’ll be left with that horrible smell. 

Not everyone has enzymatic cleaners in their home which is why in our quick-fix above, we mentioned washing up liquid, as everyone has that. 

Below are the best alternatives to washing up liquid, ranked in their effectiveness:

Enzymatic cleaners

These cleaners are the best solution to urine problems. If you have a pet that struggles with incontinence, you hopefully have this available. 

While most people don’t have enzymatic cleaners readily available, they’ll be your best solution if you have a dried-in stain or if other methods have failed. 

Hydrogen peroxide

Another rare household cleaner that is highly effective is hydrogen peroxide. You can use a one-part hydrogen peroxide, four-part water solution to create a potent cleaning solution. 

To make it even more effective, you can sprinkle bicarbonate of soda onto the stain before adding the spray.

Vinegar

White vinegar isn’t the best stain remover but it is great at getting rid of the smell. Spray this onto the area and let it sit in for five minutes. 

As with hydrogen peroxide, it works even better when combined with bicarbonate of soda. 

Carpet cleaner

If you don’t have any of the above in this list but do have a carpet cleaner, then use that. Unless the stain is dried, don’t use a carpet cleaner with a brush. Use a spray and use the blot method. 

As we mentioned there, whatever the solution you use here, you need to leave it to soak in and then blot out the excess moisture with a fresh towel or cloth.

4. Add salt

A great additional next step is to add salt. Salt acts as an incredibly efficient way of drawing out moisture, which is why you can’t drink salt water. 

When you spray on salt, any residual moisture in the carpet will transfer into it. You can then vacuum it away, hopefully leaving behind an odourless and stain-free patch of carpet. 

5. Rinse with water

Once you have treated the stain, you will need to rinse it with water. This will help to remove any residual cleaner or shampoo. You can then leave this to air-dry rather than applying any additional salt.

If you want to speed up the drying process, this can be done with a hairdryer on the low setting or by placing a fan in the room.

 

Final Thoughts

Urine is never easy to clean up, but on a carpet, it can quickly become a big issue due to the pungent smell it can leave behind. 

This is why it’s best to act fast. Hopefully with our steps above you can quickly solve the issue and get your carpet back to normal.