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Husband with Alzheimer's, off and on accidents becoming more common. My washing machine is a new one that uses very little water, sometimes I have to wash his clothes twice.

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I have used nearly everything mentioned here, mostly just add white vinegar to the wash. We have dogs, so have urine odor and stain products on hand. They work!
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Reply to IreneKC
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Bio-Kleen Bak Out Stain and Odor remover , Seventh generation Laundry detergent
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Reply to KNance72
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Plastic/vinyl sheet on mattress, washable bed pad on top of sheet can be changed as needed. I eventually transitioned her to diapers and that was the best decision for both her and myself, I used a scented laundry detergent and baking soda and vinegar into the bleach well. Also something some of us forget to do, is open a window to address the odor inside the home. Additionally, another thing to do is dry the laundry outside in the sun which makes for a wonderful fresh smell.
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Reply to Evonne1954
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I use white vinegar for any odors anywhere. Amazing stuff.
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Reply to Nan333
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I use steam wash cycle. And the extended cycle. You can buy an industrial cleaner just for urine smell. I put a little in the wash
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Reply to Sample
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Bleach and hot water in the wash cycle.
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Reply to brandee
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amitebird: Search Amazon.
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Reply to Llamalover47
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I added Borax to the laundry detergent (All liquid or Tide liquid free of dyes and fragrances) for both of my parents. I also had mattress cover on the bed and washable pad under Mom, which I changed as needed. Also put disposable pads on both of their recliners.

Those new water saving washers are the worst! When I moved 8 years ago, I switched back to a Speed Queen. Has extra rinse cycle and I determine the load size.

Sending you lots of positive energy!
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Reply to DeniseV
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Try Nok out in laundry. Will remove virtually any smell including skunk without leaving odor or color changes.
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Reply to BenchmarkKid
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I saw on here where someone suggested Arm & Hammer Odor Crystals and the same brand detergent. I use both plus add white vinegar in the softener section. It has worked miracles with my mother’s sheets, clothes etc. I also stopped using hot water from another suggestion on here and I have been extremely happy with the results. I also use Odoban in her bedroom.
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Reply to Marysmomma93
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Vinegar in wash and rinse . Baking soda too
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Reply to Kalamazootx1
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There is a product called Poof that works well. It's actually for Dog urine but works for human urine as well.
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Reply to HorseGal
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Distilled vinegar added to clothes presoaked in COLD WATER.Baking Soda old time remover added to clothes NO Detergent. Lots of products to take ur'e money Check Consumer Reports for unbiased unpaid information
Also last.minute thought - the now available male catheter that is outside not into the body. Good Luck there is help and solutions.contact Urology Group in your area. prayers
For You
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Reply to Jsmickey
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I use washable pads large ones under my husband. They have a handle so I can move them up and down the bed if I need to I also put a disposable extra large pad under him on top of that movable pad so I rarely have to wash the great big pad maybe three times a week.
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Reply to Pokey33
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Use the extra water cycle. Also, I had an extra rinse never have a smell.
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Reply to Pokey33
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I dislike the energy saving washing machines which use very little water. It is not good for getting the urine smell out of clothes.
I also find myself washing items 2 to 3 times to get the smell out.

Here are some tips which may help you;

- try re-rinsing in the sink to get most of the urine out before going in the washer.
- If your washer has a pre-wash setting, use it. Otherwise, the clothing is washing in pee water. Or, just running the load twice, as you have found.

- For goodness sake - use incontinence products to manage the accidents! Get him adult briefs or pull-ups. Buy washable and disposable pads to cover the bed and his favorite chair. Do Not let urine soak into the mattress! It will be there forever.

- In the washer, I use about a tablespoon of Dawn dish soap and about 2 ounces of vinegar. Use a pre-wash cycle if you have it, and a second rinse.

- If you are able to, after clothes have been washed, hang them outside in the sun for a day. The sun and the fresh air will kill the smells. I toss them in the dryer for 5 minutes or so after bringing the clothes in to fluff and shake off any dust they may have accumulated outside.
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Reply to CaringWifeAZ
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Zero Odor is the only product I’ve found with pet urine. I can put my nose right down in the carpet fibers afterwards and there is no smell. It comes in a spray bottle, and you can order it from Target.
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Reply to SRADES64
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White vinegar. We poured it on urine spots on Moms bedding and night clothes, rolled it all up together and let it sit before washing. We had several sets of bedding for her bed and of course night clothes so there were always clean ones, soaking ones and a load in the wash. It got to the point where we had to change her bedding and often clothes several times a day.
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Reply to Lymie61
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I use Molly suds and add vinegar. Molly suds has no chemicals and vinegar is an agent to reduce the urine smell.
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Reply to Thunting
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Natures Miracle! It’s amazing!!!
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Reply to AnnieG25
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Odor Ban works great. Works on laundry as well as hard surfaces. Depending on how it is diluted it goes from an Air Freshener, a cleaner, Laundry additive, Sanitizer.

Clorox makes a Urine Remover that also works well on laundry.
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Reply to Grandma1954
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Do a soak with vinegar. About a cup. Let it swish around and then stop and soak for a while. Then let go thru the rest of the cycle. I use Tide HD original and find it gets smells out. With my Mom, she wore a lot of polyester. I found that the dryer brought the smells back up. So I hung her pants outside.


Use Chuxs under your husband. They have two sizes, blue is small and peach is larger and I think padded more.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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Always remember the first wash does little - but rotate the item in and amongst the urine that's on the item, even if there's soap, too. I used to always do a rinse cycle first, along with some soap or sometimes just vinegar.

Then washed the articles two more times.

After we moved, my newer washer didn't have a rinse cycle, so I started washing anything urine soaked three times. Sorry to waste waster, but nothing smelled that way. Always used a hypoallergenic unscented fabric softener sheet in the dryer.
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Reply to QuiltedBear
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I use sports wash detergents for our athletic clothing (tennis, hockey). It doesn't mask the odor with a scent. I've not tried the other types people have suggested -- I don't like my laundry to have any fragrance. It can be purchased on Amazon and there are several brands to choose from.
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Reply to Geaton777
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White vinegar - diluted - - put int he fabric section of machine
depends on funds - we use disposable underwear - it depends on what funds are available - so maybe a disposable pad inside an incontinence underwear - two lots of protection (and changing you just need to take out the pad and slot another in with a quick wipe down - using wipes which can be dipped into cleaning bowl of water and a little disinfectant - and a disposable bed pad - it would save on washing - a bin outside if you are able - cheap bin bags to tie them in - the amount of washign /electric used weighed up to the disposables might work? It certainly cuts down on the amount of washing. Washing - can be a wipe down - flannel with a bowl with a little shower gel in and disinfectant - and dont forget anti chaff cream - doctor should prescribe - they also sell waterproof mattress protectors - even waterproof quilt covers - they all help - dont forget the gloves - - although of course have initial cost. If too much maybe there are some charities around you that can help.
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Reply to Jenny10
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Yes, try Odoban. It can be used for a variety of things including laundry to deodorize. The skilled nursing facility that my Mom was in used it in their laundry. It comes in different scents. I have the eucalyptus. A friend used it to remove cat urine smells as well. It is available in one of the major big hardware chains and other places.
I buy the large gallon to dilute and use for disinfecting/cleaning, but they have since come out with some more specialized products and I think there is now one just for laundry.
I also used it to clean my husbands bath and shower/ showerheads/faucets etc... when he got bacteremia from serratia marsecens acquired with a foley catheter.
Hope this is helpful info.
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Reply to Pjdela
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S
SamTheManager Oct 14, 2025
Absolutely can concur with this product. Don't work for them, just use them all the time for the same thing. And those scent crystals helped as well. You shouldn't have to wash them 2x, but you can wash them with laundry detergent and add Odo Ban into the bleach dispenser.

The other thing is get washable pads that go under your loved one. We used 2. They have plastic backing so they don't actually make 2 layers deep but they can be rolled out from under the patient and then there's a clean one in case there is fecal material on the top one while you are changing them.
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Add bleach to the wash cycle when you wash the sheets.
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Reply to brandee
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There's a product called 'Pooph'. It's like a miracle for those smells.
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Reply to BurntCaregiver
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You can also purchase the large pads they use for dogs. (I got mine from Amazon - Dog Bed Cover, 30x70”). I have three… just in case. I put one on top of the fitted sheet and also have one over the waterproof mattress pad that’s on the bed under the fitted sheet.

Each morning, I take the top wet one off (very, very rarely does he soak through onto the one under the sheet, but it does happen, hence the extras) each morning, put a new one on and put the wet one into the washer, along with wet pajamas and the towels and wash cloths I use for his daily shower.

For the couch where he watches television, I put a smaller, disposable pad with a towel on top, and change them as needed.

If he soaks through that pad, I use upholstery cleaner on the couch, then spray it with Clorox Urine Remover (which is designed to use with pet “accidents”.) It seems to remove any odor that might linger after cleaning.
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Reply to RDianeSpriggs
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Oxy-clean worked well for us. Also there are fragrance options you can add to your wash, advertised for sweaty sports clothing. I don't know if those simply mask the smell with fragrance, however. Even a fragrant bleach might work.

We ended up using disposable waterproof pads. When my parents started on hospice, the hospice supplied them.

Also what helped is buying several fitted sheets, knowing they would be washed often.

I hope you can find what works for you. It was a daily occurrence, with Depends, Poise pads, disposable waterproof bed pads, etc.
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Reply to DaughterofAD3
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