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Hi there!


My poor, sweet 90 year old mama suffers from incontinence (?) which is, of course, unfortunate. She wears Depends and washes thoroughly every day. But, she often wets through her Depends and her PJs or clothes get damp. OMG!!!! The stench is enough to make my eyes water. What’s worse is that I’ve been born with the most sensitive smeller in the solar system. No joke. So, I need some advise, please! Does anyone know of a product or sure fire way to get this nasty smell gone?? When I do her laundry I include Downey Unstoppable Inwash Scent Booster along with the detergent. In the dryer I add scented dryer sheets. Doesn’t work. When I open the dryer I almost gag from the horrible stench the pours out.


What can I do??? She can’t smell anything but, I don’t want her walking around stinking like this no matter how clean her clothes and body are. Jeeze, it’s the 21st century! There must be something available for this problem. If anyone knows of a solution, me and my nose will be extremely grateful.


Thanks muchly!

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There are products like Urine-Kleen to help with the laundry issue. Her bed should have a waterproof cover and the same for every chair that she sits in. If that wasn't done before she became incontinent, then the odor will never leave until you get rid of those items. Carpet can be a problem too
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Does she have a bladder infection? That can cause smelly urine. A urine specimen is needed.

Have her drink more water. (Seniors usually don't like drinking much.) Too little water causes dehydration which causes bad smelling urine.

Eating less protein can make the urine less stinky. (We're all fixated on getting enough protein but, in reality, we get plenty).

Had she been checked for kidney function lately?
Malfunctioning kidneys can be the cause of foul smelling urine.
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Some people put vinegar in the wash water. I haven't tried it.
Do you wash in hot water? It would make sense to kill the bacteria.
I've even heard of people boiling the smell laden clothes. (I'd only do that with cotton.)

There are commercial products to neutralize the urine odor. Google 'remove urine odor' or check Amazon. I don't know if they're effective.

There are products at stores that sell handicapped and assistive products. They have odor neutralizers, detergents and sprays.

It's a nauseating smell and can make some people gag. Good luck.
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There is a product sold widely at Pet Stores and on Amazon called Nature's Miracle. It's an enzyme thing and really worked for our incontinent cat odors. I've heard folks on this board say that it works well on all urine odors.
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I use an overnight pad inside of the depends that helps with leakage. I also find white vinegar add to the laundry helps. Then a gain dryer sheet. Been at it 3 years. Good luck!
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These products are only masking the problem. I soaked Mom's clothes in Vinegar and water. Then washed on the longest wash cycle. You may want to hang dry. Heat just makes the smell worse. Me too when it comes to smells. I actually start to feel sick.
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Janitorial supply stores sell a product often used around toilets and urinals that does wonders to the floor. I have an allergy to the enzyme so I have not used it in 25 years. You might want to give that product a try! I also use underpads anywhere she might sit.
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Thank you all so much for taking the time to share your knowledge. I very much appreciate it. Y’all are great!
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I love any detergent with Febreeze added to it. I think Tide & Gain use Febreeze and it works for my mom's stinky stuff.
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I do 1 cup of vinegar instead of soap in the washing machine first, on cold. Then I run it through again with laundry soap. Hang dry. So far so good. I've had to wash a few things 2 times with vinegar before the smell was gone.
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In addition to these good suggestions to try for removing the odor, I'm going to echo SueC's suggestion. Try to determine WHY the urine smells so terrible. Yes, no urine is pleasant, but urine that is unusually pungent could be indicating a health issue.
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Wash with 50/50 mixture of laundry baking soda and borax. The smell will be gone.  Use about a full cup of the mixture.  

I usually included a handful of soap flakes...not because it needed it to clean, but just for the nice smell it added.

This is also very cheap to mix up.    Find those boxes in the laundry detergent aisle at Walmart.      about 9cents a load!  

I found vinegar didn't really fix the problem, and while nature miracle really works well...it was way too expensive. 
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I can vouch for Katiekate's method (Borax and washing soda). In addition, you can also do the two-rinses cycle and add a cup or two of white vinegar to the first rinse. And yes, she needs to be checked out so the cause of the super stinky urine can be addressed for the sake of her health. Great question, and lots of wonderful answers here!
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