First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Blot up as much as you can with clean paper towels or a cloth.
- Don't rub; that pushes the urine deeper into the fibers.
- Rinse the spot under cool water to flush out what's left.
Fresh urine works into sheet fibers fast, and once it dries, both the mark and the smell become harder to shift. The care label decides whether you can wash the sheet at home at all, and the fabric's color decides which bleach, if any, is safe to use. Timing matters, since a set-in stain may take several rounds and may only partly fade.
On white sheets, getting pee stains out is mostly about pretreating before the wash, not washing harder. Old urine stains on sheets respond best to an enzyme laundry pretreater worked in before the detergent goes in. If the care label says dry-clean only, skip the home wash and take it to a cleaner rather than risk the fabric.
Before you start
What sheets, towels & table linens can take
Safe to use3
- Water
- Soaking
- Enzyme cleaners
Use with care6
- Hot water
- Chlorine bleach
- Oxygen bleach
- Solvents (alcohol, spot removers)
- Acids (vinegar, lemon)
- Scrubbing and abrasives
Avoid1
- Heat, once the stain is out
5 items
What you'll need
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- Clean paper towels or a clothTo blot up the wet urine without rubbing it in. (opens Amazon)
- Color-safe laundry stain removerTo pretreat the stain before washing; test it first on colored sheets. (opens Amazon)
- Clean, damp towelTo blot off the product residue once it has sat.
- Laundry odor removerFor a smell that is still there after a wash. (opens Amazon)
- Chlorine bleachOnly for white, bleach-safe sheets, as the last step. (opens Amazon)
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6 steps
Step by step
Step 1 of 6
Flush the urine out
Take the sheets off the bed and rinse the stained area under cool water. Work from the back of the spot so you push the urine out rather than further in. The goal is to wash out as much as you can before anything else touches it.
Step 2 of 65 to 10 minutes
Pretreat and let it sit
Pour the color-safe stain remover straight from its cap onto the stain, or dab it on with a clean towel, until the spot is covered. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before you move on.
Tip. On colored sheets, test the stain remover on a hidden corner before you treat the stain.
Careful. Don't leave the stain remover on longer than the label allows.
Step 3 of 6
Blot off the product
Blot the treated spot with a clean, damp towel to lift the stain remover and any loosened urine. Keep turning to a clean part of the towel as it fills.
Step 4 of 6
Wash by the care label
Wash the sheets on the setting the care label gives, with your regular detergent. Cool water is the right choice until the stain is gone. On colored sheets, add more stain remover to the wash along with the detergent.
Step 5 of 6
Check stain and smell first
Before the sheets go any further, look at the spot and smell it. If the stain or odor is still there, wash the sheets again and add a laundry odor remover to the wash.
Tip. Check in daylight, since faint marks are easy to miss.
Step 6 of 6
Bleach white sheets last
Once the urine is fully gone and the sheets are rinsed, white sheets that are bleach-safe can get a chlorine bleach wash as the final step. Follow the bleach label and use a diluted solution.
Careful. Skip chlorine bleach on colored sheets or any sheet the care label rules out.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for urine on sheets, towels & table linens
Pick a color-safe stain remover labeled for urine or body fluids, and keep a laundry odor remover on hand for the smell.
Puracy Laundry Stain Remover
ECOS OXO Brite Stain & Odor Remover Pre-Wash Spray
OdoBan Odor Eliminator & Disinfectant Concentrate
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on sheets, towels & table linens, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light before using any heat. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →How to tell it's working
Progress shows when the pretreated patch lightens and the water running off it gets clearer with each pass. Look at the patch while the fabric is damp, since heat sets whatever is left and you want to catch a trace before the dryer does. If you can still pick up the smell after a wash, run it again before anything hot touches the sheet.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your sheets, towels & table linens
White sheets
White sheets can take the whole method, and they're the only sheets where the chlorine bleach step belongs. Blot and pretreat as usual, and add the bleach only once the urine is out and the sheet is rinsed.
If a faint shadow is left after the bleach step, wash again and recheck before anything hot touches the sheet.
Colored sheets
Colored sheets need a hidden-corner test before the stain remover goes on the mark. If the color holds, pretreat and blot as usual, then add more stain remover to the wash along with the detergent.
Leave out chlorine bleach entirely on colored sheets, even when the rest of the set is white.
Sheets with a lingering smell
A smell that survives the first wash means some urine is still in the fibers, so the stain is not finished yet. Wash the sheets again with a laundry odor remover added to the wash.
Keep the sheets out of the dryer until the smell is gone, and check again after each wash.
Dry-clean-only sheets
Sheets labeled dry-clean only should go to a professional dry cleaner as soon as possible. Tell the cleaner what the fabric is and that the stain is urine.
Don't try the home wash on those sheets, because the care label rules it out.
Old, dried or set-in stains
If the urine has been sitting for a while, start with a cool-water soak in a basin with heavy-duty liquid detergent, then launder. Fresh stains are much easier to remove than old ones, so expect a longer job.
Dried urine is harder, so scrape or brush off any crusted matter first. Then soak in cool water with a detergent or an enzyme presoak, and repeat the soak rather than heating the sheet.
If the mark is still there after a wash, go back to the enzyme presoak and launder again. Heat from a dryer can make a dried-in stain permanent, so it may fade rather than vanish completely.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on urine on sheets, towels & table linens?
You can spot-clean a small, fresh spot without washing the whole sheet: rinse, pretreat, and blot as in the steps. Some remedies may lift the visible mark, but the smell can come back if the urine isn't washed out, so wash the sheet before it goes back on the bed.
Helps1Skip5
Chemical safety
Never mix these
Some products in this guide react dangerously with each other. Use them one at a time and rinse with water in between.
Chlorine bleach + Oxygen bleach (OxiClean)
Both makers advise against combining them: OxiClean says not to mix it with chlorine bleach, and Clorox says the two bleaches cancel each other out.
If they mix by accident: Don't use the mixture; ventilate the room and avoid breathing fumes or touching it; call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for disposal advice or if anyone feels unwell.
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't use chlorine bleach on fresh urine
Bleach can give off hazardous gases when it mixes with the ammonia compounds in urine. It doesn't remove the smell either. Rinse and pretreat first, and save the bleach for the final white-sheet step.
Don't iron or steam the stain
Heat from an iron or steamer can lock urine and its odor into the fibers, especially in man-made blends. Keep the sheet away from the iron and steamer until the stain and smell are gone.
Don't rub the spot
Rubbing a urine mark pushes it deeper into the weave and spreads it across the sheet. Blot with a clean, damp towel and let the pretreater do the work.
Don't leave a pretreater on too long
Spray and liquid pretreaters can fade dyes when they sit longer than the label allows, and gels on bright sheets only need a few minutes. Set a timer and blot away the residue when it's up.
When to call a professional
A dry-clean-only sheet should go to a cleaner promptly, with the fiber content written down so they can pick a safe solvent. Sheets in silk, wool, mohair or spandex are a good reason to go to a cleaner too, since chlorine bleach is ruled out for those fibers.
Questions
Does pee or urine stain sheets?
Yes. Urine soaks into cotton and blended sheets and, as it dries, leaves a mark and a smell that can stay. Fresh urine comes out far more easily than urine that has dried, so start right away.
Why does the smell come back after washing?
The smell comes from urine still in the fibers, where bacteria keep breaking it down while there is moisture. If it returns, the urine wasn't fully removed, so wash again with a laundry odor remover before drying.
How do I know the stain is really gone?
Check the spot in daylight while the sheet is still damp, and smell it. If either the stain or the odor remains, wash the sheet again and let it air dry rather than using heat.
What about colored sheets?
Colored sheets may not be colorfast, so test the stain remover on a hidden corner first. If the test is fine, pretreat and wash as usual, adding more stain remover to the wash along with the detergent.
Can I use an enzyme presoak on pee?
Yes. An enzyme presoak is allowed on washable fabric, and it helps most on a stain that has dried or set in. Follow the product's directions and rinse thoroughly afterward.
Is hot water okay for white sheets with urine?
Yes, after the urine is gone. Cotton and linen tolerate the highest setting on the label, but cold water is the right first step for an untreated spot, since heat fixes the mark in place.
Is it safe to bleach white sheets after urine?
Only after the urine is fully rinsed out, and only on white, bleach-safe bedding at a diluted strength. Bleach alone won't take out urine odor, so check the smell once the wash is done before drying.
Can I soak an unknown stain in cold water before washing?
Yes. Cold-water soaking is the safe first step for a stain you can't identify, since heat is what locks in protein residues like blood, milk or egg. Soak it in plain cold water, then wash it on the setting the care label gives.
Urine on other materials
Other stains on sheets, towels & table linens
Start from the bigger picture
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.