Niece Peeing the Bed... Help!

Updated on January 08, 2008
D.B. asks from Salt Lake City, UT
15 answers

i have the priveledge of having my six year old niece for the holidays! does anyone know how to rid my couch of urine odor & bacteria? she peed last night on the couch. & i haven't let anyone use the couch yet. and tonight she wasn't allowed a drink after 6:30 pm. any product info or advice is welcome!

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So What Happened?

Thank you all SO much for your wonderful and well needed advice! The day i asked for suggestions i received so many helpful responses... i ended up using "Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor Remover" pet odor spray which i purchased that day from my local pet shop for less than $10. I thoroughly doused my couch cushions with the formula then let them dry in the sun. Thankfully, we experienced a couple of great sunny days where we live (snow and all!) The cushions are great! My couch doesn’t smell. My niece also is voluntarily refraining from liquids two hours before bedtime in order to prevent further accidents until she is more familiar with our home. She has woken up at night, on her own, several times, now, to use the restroom and i praise her for being so responsible and conscientious! She’s proud of herself and instead of being embarrassed of what happened, she is able to use it as a learning experience. I’m also so proud of her. She's such a wonderful child! Our family is blessed to have her visiting and i think she is really enjoying her stay, too!
Thanks again for all the terrific suggestions!

More Answers

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L.N.

answers from Benton Harbor on

I don't have a way to combat the odor, but I do have advice for the future. I read somewhere (maybe on here) to put a plastic mattress cover on the bed, then a sheet, then another plastic cover and another sheet. That way if they wet in the night, you can just strip off the first layer of sheet and cover and the bottom layer will be dry and the mattress/couch will be protected. We did it for our 3yr old and of course, he hasn't we the bed since...go figure!
~L.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.E.

answers from Lincoln on

there is a product out there called zero odor (zeroodor.com) that is totally awesome. It isn't available in stores but it is worth the mail order wait!! It works on all types of urine- pets, kids, etc. and doesn't just cover it up!! I have 4 kids - one of them being an 8 year old that still wets the bed frequently so I use the spray regularly. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Iowa City on

Dear D.,

I work with a company that has a great enviro friendly solution to your problem. I know because many years ago, I had the same problem. It is a product called sol-u mel and it both deodorizes and disinfects at the same time. You can e-mail me or call me and I can tell you more about it.

Happy holidays!
M.
____@____.com
###-###-####

1 mom found this helpful
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W.P.

answers from Davenport on

I suggest the Goodnights over night underpants. My 6 year old son uses them and never has a mess in the mornings. You may want to get some Urine Be Gone that's made for pets, for the couch. It's suppose to take away any trace of animal urine, can't see why it wouldn't work in this case. It's sold in a spray bottle in the pet department. Hope this helped.

1 mom found this helpful

K.B.

answers from Salt Lake City on

D.:

I got this formula on Mamasource awhile ago: Mix dishwashing soap, rubbing alcohol and some water in an empty spray bottle. Less soap, equal shares of the other two-depending on how much you need. This can also be used for vomitting and pet clean up situations. It has worked well for me and most people have these three things at home, so you don't need to spend a lot of money. For really bad stains, I have added some OxyClean to the mix-but it takes awhile to dissolve completely.
All The Best,
K.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.A.

answers from Boise on

Be sensative to her! She is in a new place, and stress can cause more accidents at night. My cousin came to visit a lot as kids, and she wet the bed all the time. It is common and can be connected to emotional or psycological causes, so try not to make a big deal of it. Urin is sterile, so don't worry too much about germs. Try any pet stain remover, and odor destuctor. Get some rubber sheets, or some goodnights.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.O.

answers from Boise on

Go to Wal-Mart or your local pet store, they have a urine remover, it is made for pets but works on human urine just as good, Wal-mart also has a product that is seen on t.v to get urine out, I haven't tried it but heard it was good. I have used the pet one on my pets and whenever the little ones have an accident and it does work.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.B.

answers from Green Bay on

I wouldn't use vinegar, it can just add to the smell.

What's the fabric of your couch? If it's a light colour and colour fast, I would take a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water. Did you blot it up? Then wet down with water and blot again? You can do this a couple times and it can help dilute the urine that's been absorbed. With the peroxide solution, You might want to do a test patch first on the back or an area where you can't see. You could even add a nice cleansing essential oil. I've used a few drops of lavender and rosemary in the mix. It works great on areas where my son's diaper has leaked over night, but that's on a mattress of which I don't care about the colour fading or spotting. Sunlight is great too. After treating the mattress, I've put it out in the sun (that was some months ago, the sun barely rises up here this time of year).

Urine becomes ammonia when exposed to air, that's why it starts to smell worse as time goes by. Ammonia is a base chemical, not a acid chemical, but it can be just as destructive depending on how high it's pH becomes when left. I think that's why people want to treat it with Vinegar because that is on the acid side of the pH meter, but you're not trying to neutralise the pH as much as you are trying to oxidize the odour causing bacteria that grows in such a mess.

Good luck and let us know what you end up using and how it works.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.K.

answers from Great Falls on

I have always had good luck with a solution of white vinegar and water. Spray it on and blot it off. There will be a vinegar smell for a little while but it eliminates the urine smell.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I use a spray for cleaning up animal accidents. They work really well. Just ask at your local pet store.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.D.

answers from Madison on

D.,
I would dilute vinegar with water and blot it all out. Vinegar will neutralize odors and kills bacteria , but can be overwhelming straight out of the bottle. It works for cat urine, so child's urine would be no problem!

1 mom found this helpful
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R.W.

answers from St. Cloud on

I've learned doing daycare that human pee is a little different than animal pee. When our dogs pee on the floor it stinks forever, but when kids have peed on the furnature, the smell disappears in a month and doesn't come back. I have no facts to back that up - just experience.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.F.

answers from Waterloo on

I had a friend that tried baking soda and water, but ended up calling a professional. Maybe try a shop vac it can handle wet things, this would pull from below the surface of the couch. Honestly, I don't think that banishing her from drinking is going to help with the problem, some children just have this problem, and actually I have a 27 year old friend that still has this problem on occasion. :)

1 mom found this helpful
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K.C.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Our daughter is four and a half, and she still wets the bed. Kids do it at all ages. I got tired of cleaning up a mess every single morning, so we started putting her in pull-ups, or what we like to call "night time panties." What does your niece do at home? Does she wet at home? Do you have an extra mattress? I know they make plastic slip covers for mattress (we got ours at K Mart for like 5 bucks).. maybe you could use one of those on your couch cusions if you don't have an extra mattress. ? Or pull ups? I know they make a homeopathic product for bed wetting (saw at Smiths Marketplace) but I have no idea if it works. Most kids just have to out-grow it.

1 mom found this helpful
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G.C.

answers from Provo on

Try diluting baking soda in warm water and wash the couch with it. Let it dry and if the baking soda left a white mark rinse it with water. You have to make sure that the couch is dry...use a hair dryer if you need it. If the odor persists use some febreeze.

Good luck!

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