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Reading conflicting info here. Wash in hot? Wash in cold? I used baking soda and Tide. Still smells.

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We get white vinegar in them right away so they are soaking in it until we do the load of bedding, a tub full of water and vinegar or we often just pour straight vinegar over the wet areas before removing the bedding, roll them up and let them soak. Then wash with Oxi Clean added, as long as you get the white vinegar on it right away it keeps the urine odor at bay.
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In previous discussions about getting urine odors out, I've noted mentions of bleach and of vinegar. I added warnings then, and will add it again here:

If you use bleach, do NOT use vinegar.
If you use vinegar, do NOT use bleach.

The mixture of these two commonly used items will produce chlorine gas. One or the other is fine, just not together!!
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graygrammie Jan 2021
I was wondering if anyone would mention that. My dad, a chemist, loves to tell the story of the green cloud mom created when she mixed bleach and ammonia. Then he gives you a lesson on why bleach can't ever be mixed with ammonia or vinegar or alcohol, complete with all the chemical names and abbreviations. And my eyes glaze over . . .
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Heat can set odors. Baking soda is not good for washing, it is used in DIY fabric softeners. Use soda (sodium carbonate) wash, which is a arm and hammer product or you can go to the pool store/aisle and use the sodium carbonate from there, it is the exact same thing.

I recommend using vinegar in the rinse cycle to kill the enzymes that cause odor. I make my own and use 20% in my rinse cycle. The stuff you buy already diluted (5%) you will want to use at least a couple cups until you get the odor dissipated, then 1 cup is ample.

If your machine is able, I recommend a good soak in the wash cycle. This will allow the detergent to permeate the fabric and hopefully get to all the odor.

Best of luck, this is a tough situation.
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LightandHarmony Jan 2021
I've bought the A&H detergent booster you recommended. Haven't used it yet, but yesterday washed with the reg A&H baking soda and added Borax and at least a cup of vinegar into the "fabric softener" dispenser (which releases in the rinse cycle) and used cool cycle. I've also switched to a longer cycle that soaks longer (new Maytag Bravo machine) and dried on delicate cycle. That seemed to work. Anxious to see if the A&H sodium carbonate works better than bicarbonate. Thanks. Your answer seems to make the most sense. i don't have a pre-soak cycle nor a laundry tub as many suggested. I do have a cycle that is just rinse and spin. Plan to try that on a blood spotted sheet this morning after adding hydrogen peroxide to the spots and then wash them regularly afterwards.
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I use a combination of Gain scented Tidepods, borax and a cup of Odoban liquid. Then a gain scented dryer sheet. You can also mix vinegar and fabuloso (1:1), but find a fabuloso scent you can live with because some scents mixed with vinegar smells worse than the urine, imo.
I love the Odoban. It tackles human AND pet urine smells. I have hyper olfactory sense and can't live with gross ordors; I smell things the rest of my family can't. Odoban is brand, and I've found it at Home Depo when the grocery stores stopped carrying it during Covid.
Good luck!
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LightandHarmony Jan 2021
Dyer sheets are a definite no-no with urine pads. It prohibits absorption of liquids. Not recommended for towels or anything that you want to absorb liquid.
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There is a product made by Clorox called Urine Remover and it works.
there is also a product called OdorBan it not only removes odors but it is a sanitizer as well. I used it as an air freshener I used it in garbage cans.
I did not use hot water as that can break down the backing and if the pad has a harder backing it can cause cracks so the pad will leak.
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LightandHarmony Jan 2021
Thanks. I will look for OdorBan.
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Try using 20 Mule Team All Natural Borax Detergent Booster along with your Tide. On your last rinse pour in 1/2 - 1/3 cup of white vinegar. This will remove the odors but will not smell like vinegar. Laundry will come out with a fresh smell.
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I wash in arm and hammer detergent. I run through two 15 minute cycles, warm water, cold rinse. Good luck.
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I wasn't even thinking about the modern washers that hardly use any water, if you have one of those I imagine a pee soaked bed pad would benefit from a pre-soak in a laundry tub, the bath tub or even pail.
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disgustedtoo Jan 2021
Didn't see this until I mentioned front loading machines can't be "filled" - oops. I also suggested a large bucket (probably not big enough for a full load of stuff) or the bathtub.
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Forget about baking soda. That's not going to do anything. Fill the washer with water and add a couple scoops of OxyClean crystals to it. Then soak whatever soiled items the person uses (bed pads, linens, clothes, etc...). When there's a full load, drain the water they've been soaking in out. Then put laundry detergent with a cup of bleach and wash everything in hot water. If the items are soiled with piss and crap cold water will not wash it out no matter what detergent you use. Put the washer on a two-rinse cycle if it has one. This will clean everything really well and none of it will smell.
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disgustedtoo Jan 2021
The "fill the washer with water" and soak the items might work on older top loading washers, but not the newer front loading ones. A large bucket could work for some, but not likely be able to hold a "full" load. Depending on how long it might have to "soak", perhaps use a bathtub? Easier to drain that anyway...
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I find if pads are air dried it has a musty smell and takes a few days to dry, works very well in the dryer for me. No urine smell what so ever and dryer is clean smelling. You can also add bleach if the pads continue to smell like urine.
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