Urine even after being effectively cleaned and removed and leave behind an unpleasant pungent smell because of ammonia content. Therefore, you need to prepare a combination of solution containing cleansing agents with antibiotic and fragrant properties. Try to avoid strong chemicals to clean as it can affect the health of your loved ones. Pets like cats and dogs are highly sensitive to chemicals and it can make them sick. Therefore, we recommend you stick to natural cleaning solutions as much as possible.
Ways to Remove the Residual Urine Smell from your Car Seat
Lemon juice
Make a solution of water and lemon juice and spray it throughout the car. The acidic yet citrusy smell of lemon will effectively keep the pungent smell away for at least 2 weeks after one session.
Air fresheners
Enzyme based deodorizers work best for removing urine smell from car seats. These deodorizers produce enzymes to work on the odor causing bacteria and keep masking it till all microorganism are dead.
Vanilla
Vanilla has a warm and comforting yet unique smell that works on a great way on the pungent ammonia smell of urine. Dip cotton balls with vanilla liquid and leave them in strategic positions of the car for getting rid of urine smells.
Charcoal treatment
Charcoal rather than having a smell acts as a smell absorbent. After cleaning the car of the urine, immediately placing the charcoal in the car will make the smell dissipate in a shorter span of time.
Flowers
Flowers are the best natural scents that can be had for getting rid of smelly urine spots in cars. Simply put, the low molecular weight of the flower scent helps in easy diffusion and quicker elimination of odor. Place any flower of your choice in the car (rose, Jasmine, lavender) and let their smell do the work naturally.
Dogs
From Leather Seat
Step 1
Mop up the urine as soon as possible. Use damp paper towels to blot the urine from the surface. If the quantity is more use a damp cloth as paper towels may not be able to soak excess moisture.
Step 2
After the urine has been completely removed, clean the concerned area with a clean absorbent cloth. Paper towels can be messy and get shredded in the cleaning process, further adding to the work. For better results, use a Turkish towel as they are soft and super absorbent. Egyptian cotton towels are also a great option.
Step 3
Make a small amount of mixture of two parts water and one part vinegar. A dog usually urinate 75-100ml on a daily basis with one time urine amounting less than 10 ml. A small cup measurements of water and vinegar will be enough to thoroughly clean the area.
Great Danes are notorious for their pee amount, therefore, you may need large amount of the vinegar solution. Being an antiseptic, vinegar will kill the germs.
Disinfecting the leather is your choice. However, if you choose to do so, do it after the vinegar solution has been wiped off.
OR
Use a Pet Area Cleaner/Kennel Wash. Use a water based solution that doesn’t contain hazardous propellant or leave behind any chemical residue.
Step 4
Air dry or pat dry the leather surface. If required, take the covers off and dry them thoroughly in sun before putting them back over the car seats.
From Fabric Car Seat
Fabric car seats though economical than leather ones are stain prone and difficult to clean. Additionally they are thinner and may tear on applying excess pressure.
To clean dog urine from fabric car seat:
Step 1
Clean the urine off using a soft damp absorbent towel, preferably a kitchen towel or faux Turkish. This is important as rubbing harsh fabric on the already soft fiber may permanently damage its texture. Sqeeze off the excess water from the towel before cleaning.
Step 2
Generously sprinkle baking soda on the damp surface and let it sit for 5-15 minutes. You can even combine the soda with vinegar for more effectiveness. Do not leave the mixture on for more than 15 minutes as it can whiten the fabric and discolor it.
OR
Use a pH neutral fabric cleaner for the surface cleaning. Ensure that it is ammonia free or does not contain any harsh chemical. The chemical released from the cleaner can impact the health of your pet. For best results, spray it instead of drizzling the liquid over the fabric surface.
Step 3
After the stipulated time period, wipe off the cleaning solution. Dry it thoroughly before reusing the car seats.
From vinyl car seat
Vinyls are plastic based car seats. Along with being affordable, they are easy to clean and maintain.
To get dog urine off vinyl seats:
Step 1
Wipe the residual area using a damp cloth. Any soft fiber towel will work for vinyl.
Step 2
Make a mixture of cold water, dish cleaning liquid and white vinegar (one table spoon each of liquid and vinegar with 3 moderate sized cups of water or 2 large cups of water.)
Step 3
Prepare the leather and drizzle it over the surface. Alternately you can use a nozzle spray.
OR
Remove the vinyl covering. Soak it in detergent solution and thoroughly clean it using a sponge or with a similar soft rubbing agent. After cleaning, wash the residual sod, rinse excess water away and dry in the sun before reusing the seat covers.
For effective results:
– Remove the vinyl covers immediately after your pet has peed
– Use a deterrent with balanced pH
– Sponge in linear/ circular motions instead of localized sponging
Cats
Cats urine differs from dog urine in a number of ways that influences the cleaning process substantially. Firstly a canine’s urine is more of a diluted version that makes cleaning less tedious. Cats in comparison have more ammonia in their urine that makes it more concentrated and smelly by nature. The good news is cats don’t pee as regularly as dogs, especially so in moving cars or car seats.
However, if the situation arise, here are some methods to clean cat urine in car seats.
From leather seat
Step 1
Insert a towel or cloth between the leather cover and foam off the seat to prevent the urine from getting soaked in. This will help salvage the seat from the potential damage through cat urine to a great extent.
Step 2
Use a damp cloth to soak up the urine. The average size of a cat ranges from 2- 8 inches in height making a single time volume of cat pee more than 2-3 urine clumps. However, there are larger breeds like Maine Coons, Persians and Ragdolls that leaves more urine clumps on the cover. Smaller clumps can be soaked using paper towels. It is better to use cotton towels for larger clumps.
Step 3
Make one mixture of cup of water and one cup vinegar. Pour it over the blotted area. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Wipe it off with damp cloth.
OR
Use an enzymatic cleaner on the pee area. Cat urine majorly consists of uric acid composed of ammonia and carbon dioxide. Only an enzymatic cleaner can effectively break down these two compounds and completely remove the stain.
Step 4
Wipe the area dry. Wait till the dryness is complete before applying a leather conditioner on the seat surface to regain the lusture of leather.
From fabric seat
Step 1
Blot the surface with paper towels or absorbent paper. If required you can cut the Turkish towels into small squares and use them for blotting.
Step 2
Use 4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and 2 tablespoons of warm water to make a cleaning solution. Spray it on the car seat.
OR
Mix 1/4 cup table salt + 1/4 cup borax powder +1/4 cup white vinegar stirred into a solution for spraying on the surface.
OR
Use an enzyme cleaner for the cleaning purpose. Go for a plant based cleaner that is 100% biodegradable and chemical free that won’t leave behind a residue.
Step 3
Wipe the area dry after cleaning. Spray the odor eliminator to remove the pungent smell.
From vinyl seat
Step 1
Blot the excess urine away.
Step 2
Make a mixture using equal quantities of liquid soap and vinegar.
Step 3
Put the solution in container with a spray nozzle and spray it throughout the area of wiped out pee.
Step 4
After completion of cleaning process, thoroughly air-dry the surface before re-use.
Toddlers
Toddlers or infants urinate 15-20 minutes with the frequency of their urine varying from every 3-4 hours to every 4-6 hours. Weather, anxiety or underlying medical conditions are some of the factors resulting in abnormal peeing problems.
The most common ways of cleaning toddler urine are:
From leather seat
Step 1
Use a clean rag or an old Turkish towel to mop off the excess urine. Do not use paper towels as they can disintegrate while attending larger volume of urine.
Step 2
Make a thick solution of detergent and water. Preferably 2 tablespoons of detergent with one cup of water. Opt for a biodegradable, non-toxic, eco-friendly detergent.
Step 3
Apply it over the pee wiped surface and let it sit for 5 minutes before cleaning it off with a soft sponge.
Step 4
Dry the seats through blow-dry or remove them and put them in the sun to dry.
From fabric seat
Step 1
Soak the residual urine off the surface. Use Turkish towels / Egypt towels for quicker results.
Step 2
Make a mixture of one cup water, 4 table spoon dish washing soap and one tablespoon of vinegar. The better if the dish washing soap is enhanced with lemons.
Step 3
Either drizzle the solution or spray it using a nozzle. Gently clean the surface in linear motions using a soft sponge. Do not scrub it as it will impact the fiber of the fabric.
Step 4
After completion of cleaning process, wipe it with a damp cloth and air dry it till all the moisture is removed. Alternately you can take the fiber sheets out and dry them in the sun for effective drying and removal of germs.
From vinyl seat
Step 1
Mop the residual urine off using a thick cloth. Old kitchen towels or bamboo fiber towels can serve as effective absorbents in this case
Step 2
Make a solution using equal amounts of vinegar and water and spray it over the surface.
OR
Sprinkle generous amounts of baking soda on the affected surface and let it sit for 15 minutes before scrubbing it off
Or
Use an ammonia free pH neutral Vinyl cleaner for cleaning. Rub it with a sponge over the surface, leave it for a minute and wipe it off with a clean cloth.
Step 3
Dry the surface before reusing it.
Does urine stains car seats?
Whether or not urine stains car seats is a variable factor and depends on factors like:
– How quickly you have removed the residual urine from the seat. The longer you take, the more risk of the urine absorbing inside the couch.
– The covering you have used for your car seat. Vinyl and leather hold off urine for a longer time than fabric covers.
– The agent creating the urine. A toddler peeing in your car seat will create twice the risk of staining than animals.
– Size of the agent. A larger dog or sometimes larger humans due to illness or other factors may urinate in large amounts resulting in increased risk of staining.
– Precautionary measures. Car owners taking precautionary measures have less risk of urine staining car seats.
Hacks to avoid urination on your car seat?
Pets
– Take them out for walks before the journey so their bladders are empty. If the journey is a long one, take multiple breaks every 2 hourly to relieve their bladders.
– Anxiety in pets can result in them getting hyperactive, showing signs of stress and urinating without warning during car rides. Calming and anxiety supplements given with the advice of a vet can solve the problem to a great extent.
– Hemp seed oil can help in relieving anxiety in dogs/cats with helping ease possible arthritic joints, a possible cause of incontinence in pets.
– Pet diapers are a solid method of first hand controlling the problem during journeys. Available in all sizes (small, large and medium), they can be used as a urine hack and in potty training young dogs for future journeys
– in case of smaller or medium sized pets, keeping them in crates designed to hold urine is another effective hack of preventing urination problems in pets while on journeys or inside cars.
– Using pet spray repellents combines scientific technology with the sniffing abilities of dogs and helps keep car seats clean from urine emergencies.
Toddlers / small kids
– Diaper training is one of the primary ways of keeping your toddler from peeing on the car seats. That said, keeping track of their bowel timings and hourly checking their diaper helps them be comfortable and in good mood throughout the journey.
– Keeping a travel potty helps a great deal in taking care of the peeing problems during journeys.
– Making sure that they relieve themselves before starting a journey in the car.
– Reducing the salt intake in their food before a journey curbs the urination spells effectively.
– Keeping an oil mat between the seat covers prevents the urine from seeping deep inside the fabrics.
