My daughters bed smells like urine in the morning...advice?

My oldest daughter is 5 and has autism! She still does not go to the bathroom in the middle of the night so she wears pull-ups to bed! I have noticed that when she wakes up in the morning her bed smells like urine even though her pajamas are not wet. I have been washing her sheets exactly how we wash the rest of our clothing. I use all free and clear detergent with extra white vinegar in the load, as well as white vinegar with essential oil in the softener dispenser. I also use wool dryer balls with essential oils. The smell is not coming off and I’m not sure what else to do! What do you all do that gets rid of the urine smell? I wash them once a week, sometimes more if they seem extra stinky. Do I need to just throw them out and get new ones?

18 Likes

New mattress and a waterproof will do the trick

Time to treat the mattress with an enzyme spray like Biokleen. I use this for cat urine on the furniture and mattresses and spray it directly onto clothes and blankets before they go into the wash. I have had great results for 15+ years.

6 Likes

Lysol the mattress and add baking soda to your laundry.

2 Likes

What oils do you use instead of softeners? I’ve never tried this.

Sprinkle baking soda everywhere even the mattress and vacuum leave an open box in the room

4 Likes

baking soda and white vinegar on the mattress. Look up how to get urine out of a mattress.

Get a new mattress and use a mattress waterproof protector:)

Mattress needs to be cleaned then I would get a Mattress cover to help.

Maggie Vernier what essential oil would you suggest for this?

Probably the mattress… when the accident happens, sprinkle baking soda on it and then a towel, and put on new mattress protector and sheet… in the morning I’d clean it and sprinkle baking soda on it again afterwards, leave for a few hours and vacuum up… I see a lot of parents saying stack multiple mattress protector and sheets on top of each other and when an accident happens just take that top layer off… It never worked for us. The sheets underneath would be stinking like pee, I’d just keep a clean set next to her bed. I know it sucks being half asleep, cleaning up ur kid and their bed… Hopefully she’ll grow out of it soon

I’m not really sure what to do to get rid of the smell but I know what can prevent it in the future if you’re able to do away with it or buy a new mattress. My daughter had accidents when she was younger and I bought a waterproof mattress cover. It worked well with protecting the mattress. When you find a solution, I would definitely recommend getting one to keep the mattress protected if you don’t already have one. I hope you’re able to get some helpful answers.

1 Like

Lysol laundry detergent sanitizer works when my daughter has accidents. Also a mattress protector works great too

3 Likes

This is what I did,my kids had twin size but if its bigger you’ll need help, .
Wrassle that mattress outside,in the yard ,balcony whatever. Scrub it down with hot soapy bleach water and let it air dry. Bring in when dry,it will smell sooo good.

1 Like

My son is autistic and 4. We have multiple sets of sheets with protectors between each layer so if there is any leaking we can strip it and wash them. We wash then much more then once a week generally a set every other day even if there isn’t any leaking to prevent the smell.
Also the multiple layers insures if there is a leak we can do a quick body wipe down and change as well as stripping the bed without having to wake wake him up and risk being up early

4 Likes

Is it maybe the mattress and not the sheets?

4 Likes

Add baking soda to the wash let soak …Clean the mattress dry with fan put baking soda on it then what I did was I put actual plastic over the entire mattress bc the bed covers never worked they leak every time the regular plastic worked I doubled it up and bought a washable bed pad to put under where my son sleeps over the sheet that actually worked better than the mattress cover since they always leaked! Easier to just put that in the wash instead of tearing the sheets up every time🥴

1 Like

Shes peeing and dry bu morning wash daily for two weeks see what happens

Could it be the bed that smells like urine?

5 Likes

Borax. In warm water. Might take a couple times if you have been putting them in the dryer.

2 Likes

Lysol laundry sanitizer works great! My daughter peed in her clothes one day and it soaked her shoes and I washed them twice but the smell was still there but gone as soon as I washed with the Lysol sanitizer

5 Likes

It’s mostly likely the mattress especially if you don’t have a good protective covering that goes over it.

7 Likes

Sounds like her mattress is the issue. Id get a new bed and waterproof matress pads. She may have wet it over night and just dried by morning.

20 Likes

Get a mattress cover that is waterproof- it has a thick plastic layer so it protects the mattress from moisture and its soft surface doesn’t cause problems with comfort.
They sell a urine spray. It kills the enzymes and takes away the smell. It’s at Home Depot called Odo Ban. Spray it on the mattress and let it dry all day, before you put on the mattress cover and fresh sheets- :gift_heart:

3 Likes

Odo Ban… You can get it at Dollar General or on Amazon

4 Likes

Sheets need to be changed like every day or every other day

2 Likes

2 cups of vinegar in the wash.

It’s more than likely the mattress that’s holding the smell

Could she have a urinary tract infection or bladder infection causing a more pronounced smell you can’t get rid of?

1 Like

Maybe needs the Doctor to order a urinalysis. Could be infection or too high in sugar or protein!

3 Likes

If she isnt peeing in bed she may need to see a doctor about her kidneys if she sweats and it has that smell.

1 Like

Get some mypetpeed. On amazon or their website. Strip the bed and saturate it with MPP. Aim a fan at it and let dry. Repeat til smell is gone.

Try some sent booster in when u wash

Theres an oxy clean spray, it says for pet urine, but i use it in the laundry if our boys have an incident. It seems to work well.

2 Likes

All good ideas but only 3 people suggest you see a doctor for possible kidney problems. It was pointed out that kidney probs cause sweating that smells like urine.

Lysol laundry sanitizer.The urine bacteria is likely not coming completely out when you are washing them.Use extra detergent and do a extra rinse.Skip the vinegar and essential oils until you get the smell under control because sometimes the scents can lock in that all pee smell more.

2 Likes

All good ideas but only 3 people suggest you see a doctor for possible kidney problems. It was pointed out that kidney probs cause sweating that smells like urine.

Sounds like the mattress need to be trashed. Make sur the next matress is zipped into a plastic matress cover.

1 Like

If you get it clean or get a new one;
Get. This. Thing. Right. Here.
It’s not noisy, encases the whole mattress.
It has been a LIFE SAVER.
https://a.co/d/agHoWCL

If you’re not using enzyme cleaner it’ll never be clean from pee… the smell will always return once detergent fragrances fade. Enzyme cleaner… and use some on the mattress.

Could it be the mattress or mattress cover?

Soak in a bucket of 50/50 white vinegar and white… Then wash it.

Starters I’d get a waterproof liner for under the sheets, steam clean and sanitize the mattress, and then buy a laundry sanitizer, Lysol has a free and clear version of their sanitizer. I hire vinegar does kill some bacteria and definitely helps smells but doesn’t kill enough to be considered an effective sanitizer. We also have an almost 6 year old who has frequent accidents and the sanitizer always leaves the bedding smelling nice.

Start over with fresh bedding and don’t dry them when you wash them. I have that issue with my son. It’s like the dryer sets the smell in

Odoban spray. Can find it any where. My daughter wet the bed until she was 7. I would spray it (soak) sit on the mattress and put a fan on it to dry. And then I would also put fabreeze to make it smell better. Worked for me.

My children are grown now but I have a puppy that still has accidents. I use the same product that I used when my kids were toddlers. It’s called Kids & Pets. I buy it online now because I haven’t seen it in stores. I originally purchased it from K-Mart! lol

Check the mattress, the smell may be there.

1 Like

Use a reusable bed pad and a mattress protector. I use baking soda Laundary soap and set washer for extra rinse

3 Likes

Do you have a plastic sheet on the bed ? If not the mattress is absorbing the urine . Buy a bottle of Odoban . It removes all urine smells . My vet turned me onto it 30 years ago for pet urine . Fortunately I only had to use it a few times as pups .

1 Like

Washable bed protector preferably the zip on kind. And do ban. That stuff works better than anything

Steam clean her mattress & put 3 capfulls of this in with the cleaning solution & water.

1 Like

All our beds have waterproof covers, you just never know, puck or what ever

Throw them out and buy a new one

Clean the mattress with peroxide and while it’s drying dump baking soda all over it. Wait for it to dry and vacuum the baking soda up

You’ll need a detergent with enzymes in it to break down the Urine and smell. If it’s the mattress itself, get a carpet shampoo machine and use a cleaner with the enzymes (usually pet and odour cleaners).
Disinfectants kill bacteria but it just doesn’t break it all down properly to get rid of the smell.

Had the same issue with my 8yr old autistic son it’s more then likely the mattress because none of the mattress protectors work good for larger amounts of liquid so what we ended up doing was buying him an air mattress so we can Lysol it every morning when he wakes up and haven’t dealt with stinky since

You should try an enzyme cleaner. Vinegar neutralizes the smell temporarily but it doesn’t break it completely down and eliminate it. Those urine molecules are still there and continue to release odors.
Oxy clean has an odor blaster liquid laundry additive in a white and purple bottle, it’s like $6 at my area Walmart and it works well. Or you could use the arm and hammer laundry detergent with the purple lid. The bottle says plus oxy clean with odor blasters. It has that enzyme cleaner added to it.
My daughter still wets the bed and I run her blankets through a rinse cycle with just vinegar and water first, and then I put them on a long wash cycle with the arm and hammer laundry detergent I previously mentioned. I let it agitate for a minute and then pause the washer and let it sit and soak for 30 minutes to an hour and then resume the cycle.

I do also agree with the previous comments that suggest you treat the mattress with an enzyme cleaner and after it’s treated and dried, put a good waterproof mattress protector on it. I always find good deals on Amazon.
I also got one of those washable and reusable bed pads for my daughter that is large enough to cover most of her twin size bed. It goes directly under her between her and her sheet. I love it! Most of the time I can wash just the pad and her top sheet and comforter and leave the bottom sheet on, the pad protects it well.

Hot wash or bleach for the sheets and mattress cover. Same for any pjs, undies, towel etc that are whiffy - bleach is safest on elastics as hot wash can deteriorate plastics

Put a dose of zoflora disinfectant in the drum with the sheets when you wash them. This helps to get rid of the wee smell :blush:

We tried the knew product called poof it might work

Spray her mattress with this

Please have your daughter checked by a physician. Kidney, liver or diabetic issues can cause night sweats that smell like urine.