Whether you have a baby or a pet, you can find yourself having to clean pee out of your car seat. And while you might be thinking of how to get the smell and stain out, we have just the guide for you. Here is how you can clean out pee from your car in a matter of minutes.
Cleaning Pee Out of a Car Seat
Cleaning pee out of a car seat can be a little difficult, since the stains rarely get out. Luckily, all you need is some vinegar, dish soap, and water, to clean out a car seat. And with a few quick circular motions, you should be able to get that stain out fast. But this isn’t nearly enough detail to help you clean up. Therefore, here is a more detailed guide to help rub those stains out.
Cleaning Cloth Seats
Depending on the type of car seats you have, the process can change a little. So if you have cloth seats, your ingredients will be a little different from someone who might be cleaning pee off leather seats. Regardless, be sure to grab some rubber gloves, a spray bottle, and some absorbent paper towels, since both types of seats need them. and for cloth seats specifically, you need vinegar, dish soap, and water.
Step 1 : prepare the mixture with white vinegar or straight vinegar
The first step to cleaning out urine from your car is to prepare the necessary solution. Take one tablespoon of white vinegar, one tablespoon of dish soap, and two cups of cold water. Mix all of the ingredients together to create a solution that can easily break down the urine and disinfect the area. You can also use straight vinegar instead of white vinegar with dish soap to make a more concentrated solution. But make sure you wear rubber gloves when working on stains with a urine smell.
The white vinegar or straight is especially important as it is responsible for breaking down acid in the urine, making the seat easier to clean. you can even add the solution to a small spray bottle to make cleaning easier.
Step 2: blot off the urine, don't wipe
After creating the solution, you need to move to the car now and start cleaning. Put on the rubber gloves and use some absorbent paper towels to blot out any excess pee that might still be on the seat. Remember not to wipe the pee, as you could spread it to other areas of the seat, making the process of cleaning it much harder.
Be especially careful of seams, indents, and crevices, as the urine might have pooled there as well. When blotting the pee out, press the paper towel against the seat to bring out the urine. Keep pushing and blotting out the seat until the pee stops coming out.
Step 3: remember to gently scrub especially with a soft bristled brush
Once you blot out the urine from the car seat, you can move to actually cleaning out the stain. Dip a cloth into the cleaning solution, if you are using a bucket or a bowl, wring it to take out a lot of the solution.
Don’t use a soaking wet cloth on the seat, as that will make drying out more difficult. Wring out a fair amount of the solution, and now start scrubbing into the seat. On the other hand, if you are using a spray bottle instead of a bucket, you can simply spray the solution on the soiled area.
You do not need to create a solution at home to clean the urine and get rid of foul stench that usually comes from uric acid. Instead you can use an upholstery cleaner instead to clean off the urine and it will have the same effect, even against the urine smell.
Again, do not wipe or try to smear the solution across the seat, as that could weaken its integrity. Instead, lightly dab the cloth where the urine was to break it down. make sure to use the right upholstery cleaner, or enzymatic cleaners, which can get rid of the foul stench. Enzymatic cleaners are especially effective against uric acid that is in different pets' urine.
Start from the far edges of the stain and work your way to the center, dabbing the seat throughout the time. You can also use a soft bristled brush with the white vinegar to really break it down. By starting from the outside and going in, you can avoid the stain from spreading. Continue to spray and dab until you can finally clean the area.
Step 4: dry off the car and remove the stench with baking soda
When you finally clean out the stain, it’s time to dry the area with a dry absorbent cloth or some absorbent paper towels. Make sure sure the cleaning solution does not have too much dish soap, which can overpower the smell.
Use the dry absorbent cloth to blot out any white vinegar solution left inside the seat by pressing against the surface and pushing it out. Continue to blot out the liquid with an absorbent cloth or paper towels until none of the excessive solution spreads out.
After pushing out the solution, the next step is to finally let the seat air dry. If you have a vacuum cleaner that can suck out moisture, then you can use that as well. Otherwise, you can just leave the door open or the windows open and let the seat dry out once you blotted the seat with paper towels.
If the stink of urine doesn't go from the upholstery, baking soda can be a good method of reducing While the white vinegar solution disinfected the upholstery, it might not have taken out the stench. So just sprinkle some baking soda on to the area that smells and let it rest for a few hours or even
Cleaning a Leather Car Seat
Unlike cleaning out cloth seats, leather seats can be a little more complicated and can sometimes require more steps. More importantly, you will need a specific leather cleaning solution to clean your leather seats, since others can have adverse effects on the vehicle’s overall integrity. All you need to clean a leather seat is a sponge, a dedicated leather cleaner, and an enzyme cleaner for the stuffing. With this equipment, you can move onto cleaning your leather seat.
Step 1: Blot out the urine
Start by removing the pee from your seat by blotting it out. Always avoid the urine from spreading, so don't wipe the soiled area. Even when blotting out the urine stain, start from the sides and move to the center to avoid the stain from spreading any further.
Step 2: Unzip the leather cover to wash and disinfect from the urine
After getting urine from the affected area off, you will need to unzip the leather covers and remove the stuffing. You need to check if it smells like cat urine. If it does, you will have to wash the stuffing as well.
Step 3: Clean the leather seat cover with enzymatic cleaners
Cleaning the leather seat cover is not as easy as cleaning off a cloth one. You need to get a specific leather cleaner that can effectively remove the stain and even then you have to test it first. You can test the cleaner by first applying it to a part of the cover that is not visible. Apply it there to see if there are any adverse affects, or if the cleaner is not reacting as well to the seat.
If you see that the leather cleaner is working well and not leaving any marks, you can now proceed to clean the affected area with it. But if the cleaner is not working as intended, be sure to replace it and try another one. Remember to only apply a little bit of the leather cleaner to your sponge or cleaning pad.
Step 4: wash the stuffing
Other than cleaning the leather covers, you also need to move onto cleaning the seat stuffing. Buy a cleaner that works with your stuffing, or one has enzymes, ensuring that it cleans the stain properly. Enzyme based cleaners are very effective in breaking down the uric acid present in different pet’s pee. The pets can include dog or cat urine. Gently wash the stuffing with your hands, and try not to be too rough.
Step 5: dry out the covers and stuffing
After washing the seat stuffing, you need to let it air dry completely before putting it back. Even if it is slightly wet, it could lead to mold or fungus growing inside. You can also leave it under the sun, which helps take out the smell of pee.
As for the leather covering itself, leave it too dry in a cool area, since the sun can harden and bleach the covers. Furthermore, UV rays can also make leather crack, weakening its structural integrity.
Wrap-Up
Whether you have kids or pets, it not uncommon to find pee stains on your car. Luckily, as long as you can clean them quick enough, they are easy to remove and are generally painless. Just be careful of not using home remedies on leather seats, since that could weaken it significantly. Always use off the shelf cleaners that are easy to use and very effective. And when you follow these simple steps, you don’t have to worry about urine stains again.