How to Get Pee Out of Car Seat

Add dish soap and white vinegar to an empty spray bottle and pour 8 ounces of water. Shake the bottle a few times, and spray the urine spot on your car seat. Next, clean using a microfiber cloth until the stain disappears. Lastly, take a wet towel and scrub the seat to wipe the soap out. 

Parents driving with their toddlers or pets know the possibility of them urinating in the car is high. Another trouble is the intensity of the smell of that urine in the car once it gets into your seat. 

The situation can be stressful, and cleaning your seat is intimidating if you don’t know what you are doing. But, we are here to tell you it’s not tricky and how you start cleaning depends on the fabric of your seat. 

In this guide, we’ll teach you how to get pee out of your car seat. Before starting, your goal should be to get the pee stain out as fast as possible. The task will be more difficult if you wait. 

How to Get Urine Out of A Car Seat

Below you will know all the materials you need to clean the urine stain out of your car seat and can read our easy step-by-step tutorial. Follow the instructions depending on the type of fabric you have in your vehicle. 

What You’ll Need

Cloth Seat Requirements

  • White Vinegar: This liquid has acidic elements that are perfect for removing stains and cleaning dirt. It does not have any chemicals in it that will damage your seat. Also, it gets rid of any bacteria that comes with most stains. 

  • Dishwashing Soap: It eliminates all bacteria from your seat if you use it generously. Also, it helps counteract the pungent scent of vinegar. It’s perfect for cloth seats since you can apply as much as you want without worrying about wearing them out. 

  • Microfiber towels: You will need these to clean and dry your seat. 

Leather Seat Requirements

  • Deep Leather Cleanser: For suede, nubuck, and unfinished leather, use a unique cleaning liquid for each to avoid tarnishing them. The cleaning process is easy. All you need to do is spray and scrub the stain down. 

  • Sponge: A sponge or cleaning pad is fine for wiping down stains on leather seats with the cleansing liquid you pick. 

  • Use A Bacteria Eliminating Cleaner or Enzyme: You can go with either one and get the same result regarding stuffing cleaning. 

Requirements for Both

  • Rubber Gloves: Always wear protection when dealing with a bacteria-producing liquid like urine. Gloves also help with making sure you don’t get any vinegar or cleaning liquids on your skin. It dries up your skin quickly and the smell is hard to get rid of. 

  • Warm Water: Slightly warm water is necessary for weakening the acidic chemicals in vinegar inside the spray bottle. 

  • Bowl or Container: Ideal for combining and storing your soapy water solution. 

Instructions

Whether your car has leather or cloth fabric seats, you should open your vehicle’s windows and doors before starting. Air circulation is essential to eliminate the foul smell coming from urine stains. Furthermore, it helps air out the scent of the cleaning liquid since it can be toxic when inhaled. 

Washing Cloth Car Seats

Step 1: Absorb Urine Spot with Paper Towels

Use your paper towel to dab the area with urine softly to absorb as much as you can. 

Be sure when doing it that you don’t push the urine into other spots on the seat. Spreading the stain will give you more work to do. 

Next, scan the area to ensure the urine did not spread into hidden corners or crevices so you can dry them out too. Follow this step until no more pee comes out of the seat. 

Step 2: Make Your Cleaning Solution

To complete this step correctly, you need a bowl or a container—mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar and dishwashing soap in this bowl along with 16 ounces of water. Stir the solutions until it becomes foamy. 

It is viable if you prefer a spray bottle over a bowl. Pour the liquid foam into the spray bottle, and you are ready to go. 

Step 3: Administer the Cleaning Solution and Scrub the Urinated Area

If you decide to go with the bowl, take a microfiber cloth and dip it into the foamy soap. 

Dip only a part of it because you don’t want to get the car seat moister than is necessary. Next, you can squeeze any excess liquid out of the wet towel and start to wipe the urinated spot. 

With the spray bottle option, spray only a little bit of the solution onto the area with urine. 

Don’t overdo it, so you don’t drench your seat with the cleaning solution. It would be best to wipe only the affected area so you don’t spread the urine out of its original location. 

Focus on the outer edges of the urine stain and work your way towards the inside. Go through this step continually until it’s thoroughly cleaned. 

Step 4: Wipe the Area Dry

Grab a fresh towel and use it to dry the area you’ve already washed. The goal is to make the car seat as dry as possible while removing any soap remnants. 

Step 5: Wait Until the Spot Air Dries 

Keep your car under the sun with the windows and doors open. It will help your seat air-dry faster if it’s hot outside. 

Washing Leather Car Seats

Step 1: Dab the Urine on the Car Seat Until Dry

For this step, you will need paper towels to push down on the urine until it is absorbed. Don’t wipe because it will spread and become a larger hassle to clean. 

Step 2: Remove the Leather Car Seat’s Stuffing

Find the zipper on your car seat and pull the zip down to remove its stuffing. Check if it smells like pee to see if you need to wash it. 

If your leather car seats don’t come with zippers, clean the urine as fast as possible. The last thing you want is the pee to absorb under the leather and into the stuffing. 

Step 3: Use A Cleaner Used for Leather to Wash the Car Seats

Before getting started, test the cleaner on an area of the leather under the seat. If you see that it does not damage or taint the leather, you can begin the washing process. The best tool is a sponge with a few drops of cleaning soap. 

Don’t wipe in an up and down motion. Try circular motions on the entire car seat, not just the area with urine. 

Step 4: Wash the Leather Car Seat’s Stuffing 

Clean the stuffing by hand using a bacteria-eliminating or enzyme-type cleaner. We recommend you go with enzyme cleaners when you are washing pet urine. You can use bacteria-based cleaners if your child urinates in the car. 

Step 5: Allow the Stuffing to Dry

Put the stuffing out under the sun or in a warm spot. In these locations, the stuffing will take less time to dry, and you will no longer smell urine. Expect to wait 3 to 5 hours for it to dry completely. 

Step 6: Dry the Exterior of the Car Seat

Pick an area under the shade so your leather can take the time to dry. Unlike the stuffing, you cannot place it under the sun because it will cause the leather to crack or harden.

FAQs on How to Get Pee Out of Car Seat

Why does it smell like pee in my car? 

If your child or pet is not at fault, the source of the smell could be your vehicle’s air conditioner. This situation occurs when mold and mildew accumulate around the AC. 

How do you dry your car seat? 

Sadly, there are no secrets to expediting this process. Leave your car in the sun for a few hours, and the seats will be fully dry. 

Can Febreze get rid of urine smells? 

Yes, it can, but you need to buy a specific version of this odor killer. Go with the Febreze Air Heavy Duty Pet Odor spray (effective in eliminating both kids’ and dogs’ pee smells), and the smell will be gone by the next day. 

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