Have you ever found your lucky dress was accidentally sprayed on with your baby’s pee? Or maybe your dog jumped on your lap and marked its territory? What should you do to get rid of the pee stains left on your dress or any of your furniture at home?

One common error people commit when cleaning pee stains is not getting to the root of the problem. For instance, urine usually penetrates deeper than the surface that you’re trying to clean. When you clean only the surface, you get only temporary results.

If you want more long-lasting results, just follow these simple tips:

Saving Your Precious Fabrics

• Wash the fabric immediately. As soon as you spot a stain, wash it immediately. Fresh stains can be easily eliminated because the substance has not been completely absorbed by the fabric. Run lukewarm water on the cloth for a couple of minutes to remove the stain and the bad odor as well.

• Wipe non-porous materials. Wiping the surface of the affected material is the best way to deal with pee stains on non-porous materials. Moist a piece of cloth with water and then use this to wipe the urine off. After doing so, get a clean, dry cloth to remove the excess water on the surface. This should be immediately done because it can affect the quality of the surface of the material, especially that of certain types of wood.

• Use a mild detergent or cleansing agent. Due to modernization, you can practically buy anything that can make your work faster and easier. Most of the time, embracing the modern ways of solving day to day problems is more efficient than following traditional methods. If washing the fabric with water doesn’t solve your dilemma, you can use a mild detergent or cleanser to remove it.

  Mix a small amount of detergent with water until it creates a foam. Put the fabric on the mixture and gently rub the affected area with your hands until the stain wears off. For cleansers, just spray it on the stain and let the washer do the cleaning. It is important to wash the fabric immediately because cleansers can leave marks and cause discoloration that will definitely cause more trouble than what you already have with your pee stains. Cleansers and detergents are widely available at convenient stores.

  Remember, you should select the appropriate detergent or cleanser for your fabric to avoid damaging it. Some fabrics can be very delicate. Because of this, using the right substance on the right material is very important.

• More furniture cleaning solutions. Are you clueless about removing pee stains on carpets, mattresses or couches, or on furniture that you can wash easily? It’s simple. First, put water and mild detergent on the affected area. Next, scrub it until it creates a foam and until the stain is removed. Wash it with lukewarm water to remove the foam from the detergent. Let it dry to avoid the development of bad odor, molds, and bacteria. Soak the cloth. If mild detergents don’t work because the stain has been there for too long, soak it on the water that’s mixed with detergent to soften the molds created by the stain. That way, it is easier to remove the marks.

• Get help from the cleaners. Stains that have been neglected for quite some time usually leave stubborn marks and nasty odors. They damage the appearance of your material and can also be hazardous to your health since bacteria develops in moist and dirty areas. When the bacteria enters your body, it may cause complications and cost you more than the price you have to spend to remove stains. Shirts, mattresses, carpets and any other fabric easily absorb any kind of fluid so they’re very vulnerable to stains. Pee stains on such items will require more care, especially if the detergents do not help in removing these marks. You can also bring your pee-stained properties to cloth cleaners to help remove stubborn stains and help restore the quality of your items.

• Prevention is better than cure. Perhaps the cheapest way to avoid pee stains is to train your kids to pee in the right place. At a young age, a child’s brain is like a sponge that absorbs almost everything that he or she sees or hears. Potty train your kids so they will avoid peeing on their clothes, on the carpet, or in their beds.

You can also use disposable diapers not only save your fabric from pee stains, but to also save time and energy since you no longer have to wake up in the middle of the night to tend a crying baby.

House-trained pets are also an advantage. Aside from getting rid of pee stains inside your home, doing their deed outside will make your place germ and bacteria-free.

To sum up: never leave pee stains neglected; choose the most suitable cleansing agent for your fabric, and wash and clean your materials to completely remove the bacteria.