Best Cleaning Products and Methods for Potty Training Accidents

One ounce rubbing alcohol to eight ounces water, add a dash of dish soap and mix it all in a spray bottle. Spray on the spot, wait about 30 seconds and blot with dry cloth. Repeat until clean, then rinse with a damp cool cloth. I use this on all my carpet stains. It works great, and even gets any smell out! I have 2 boys, 2 dogs, and a bunny!! My husband recently spilled a full gallon of dark beer on my white carpet, this homemade cleaner took out all the stain and all the smell!!

S.,
Ahhh, potty training! Life is so much better when they learn this skill:) Good for you for planning ahead. I have been thru potty training with 5 boys and here is my advice to you about it: Dont worry about the accidents. They really shouldn't be that bad, if your son is ready. I have never had to deal with an accident on the carpet or the furniture. Their underware should keep any and (for me) all #2 accidents contained. The worst is having wet outer clothes, and for boys the #1 always just shows up directly in front if sitting and at most running down their legs and collecting on their socks(especially if he is wearing shorts). I have always just washed their clothes like normal, maybe some spray n' wash with pee accidents and honestly with the #2 accidents I just threw the underware away...I know, I know, waste not, want not. But the alternative or so I've been told is to rinse them off in the toilet and ...ugh, gag,,,,cough,cough,gag-eeewww,,,yuk! No thanks, cant do it, dont want to!!! Lucky for me, I have only had to deal with @ 10 #2 accidents tops, out of all those kids...mine were all just ready,and all were night trained at the same time. When they are ready and you feel that they can do it, (for me this was when I could see them needing to go and holding it,then saying c'mon lets go in the toilet, and after they were able to successfully do that about 3 or 4 times when asked, that was it---on go the underware, off went the diapers for forever! When it was time, we never went back and forth...that was it, it was going to work and we didn't give up. Both my boys were completely done by 27 months and 29 months (the easiest was by far my oldest nephew, they were camping, he was 3 and was camping with his parents, his dad told him he could pee on a tree, and that was it from that moment on, never went back, stayed in his swimming trunks the last two days,HA! boys gotta love 'em). Some of the tricks of the trade I learned were:
I could tell they were ready as soon as they started being dry in the mornings when they would wake up....and...
Always give praise or a treat of some kind after they were able to go in the toilet. We always did clapping, telling everyone who was in the house, "hey guess what lil' billy did", and then a dum dum sucker....and...
I never pushed them to go, I never`asked them to go either, I would always say "hey, lets go potty" and if they refused or were upset by it, or unsure (which your son will probably be when you first start suggesting he try) I would say "okay, next time"--be ready to hear`yourself suggest he go many, many, many times ( ahh! the power of suggestion)....and...
Once the underware were on I never made a big deal about having accidents, it was always "Oh,man!...next time, lets get cleaned up right away"....and...
Always, always, always talk to him about what is going to happen, before you take away the diapers."Billy, on friday we are going to be done with the diapers, you are really getting the hang of this!", "tommorrow is the day...yeah! Big boy underware, here we come!" It is better that they have the heads up and time to prepare themselves and it is also a one last chance to gauge his reaction to the whole thing.

If it starts to feel hard, or stressful, he might not be ready (that is why you use the suggesting because it gives you a good way to gauge how your child really feels about it)so dont push it.

Dont worry, it will be over before you know it!

K.

When those messy potty accidents happen on things you can't throw in the laundry, I have found DP (de-pee) Stain and Odor Remover. It is great. I have used it on carpets, tile (including the tile grout!!), matresses, car seats and car upholstery. I've used it as a laundry pre-treat also. It is fantastic! Completely removes stain AND ODOR! Love this product!!!! (It's new and not widely available yet, but it is available on Amazon.com.)

another vote for Kids 'n Pets! It doesn't need to be rinsed, and it doesn't have a chemical or perfume smell so you can be in the room while it dries. I use it to clean the favorite stuffed animals and chairs and car too.

check ou the SNAP products at www.marketamerica.com/aaa4u. These are environmentally friendly and biodegradable. I love the SOS for odor control.
Are you training a boy? floating cheerios in the toilet or painting a smiley fast with a crayon on to the toilet bowl will give them something to aim at. there is another school of thought where you take off their diapers and let them run around. when they figure out what the sensation of a full bladder or bowel feels like and associate it with an accident, then they start associating it with bathroom duties and it is up to you to show them how to use the toilet. Mine are 15 and 19 and I promise you it will happen and they do grow out of it.

KIDS 'N' PETS BRAND® STAIN & ODOR REMOVER
By far the BEST for cleaning soiled fabric. I have used it for years and many others recommend it on mamasource.You can buy it at walmart and target. Its inexpensive and it smells like berries. Wonderful.

http://www.kidsnpetsbrand.com/

With the weather getting better (and staying that way hopefully), if you plan on having him "sans pants" as part of the training--try to get outside! Have the potty in a part of the yard he can get to easily.

If not, I've heard great things about a blend of 1 part Murphy's Oil Soap and 10 parts water in a spray bottle being good. It's more "natural" than other cleaning products, and cleans well. An enzyme based spray might also work for smells (Out Spot, or Pure Ayre).

When my daughter was little and had accidents, I used vinegar and water to clean our carpets. I used old towels to just blot afterwards.

Baby wipes work great for carpet and furniture cleanup. Especially the thicker kind. The bonus, you don't have to worry about harsh chemicals. My son is potty training right now and has had a few #2 accidents that have ended up on the carpet. Clean up the bulk of the accident with a paper towel and then cleanup any residue that is left with a moist baby wipe. It creates a bit of a foaming action if you scrub the carpet with it and will dry in just a little while. This will tie you over until your next carpet cleaning. I will admit, I used this trick when we were potty training our dog WAY before we were potty training our son. :)

Bio Kleen product called Bac Out. It is a lime based product tht breaks down tough stains like throw up and urine. It has saved me many times! You can get it at Fred Meyer in the Natural Section. You have to try it and it smells so good and it a natural smell, unlike many other cleaners.