I've tried adding borax to my Tide detergent but would often have to re-wash. I found a new product called "Lysol Laundry Sanitizer" that gets the smell out the first try. It has no bleach so it is safe to use on colored fabrics. Also, the instructions on the bottle state that if you soak the fabrics for around 15 minutes, then it kills 99% of bacteria, which would be especially helpful when washing clothes soiled from bowel incontinence.
My mother has dementia and was constantly having accidents! 20 Mule Team Borax works SOMEWHAT for whites, but it WILL BLEACH color clothing and it doesn't remove all of the odor. "Febreeze Odor Eliminator" found in the detergent & fabric softener isles at Wal-Mart WORKS on ALL CLOHTING!!! Sorry I couldn't get the picture to paste, but below is the link for viewing product container so you know what to look for: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/711FJKCo3rL._SY550_.jpg
To get the smell out use distilled white vinegar. It really works. I just pour the vinegar in with the laundry detergent. I now wash all my laundry this way.
Washing there is a great technique, HOT WATER, 2 RINSE CYCLES. DETERGENTS I LIKE TIDE, I USE BAKING SODA FOR WHITES & WHEN I HAVE IT.. BORAX BOOST DETERGENT. YES, I gave put white vinegar in my rinse also. (I LIKE Liquid Fabric softeners, good brand Snuggles & faithful Downy. ) If you have the LUXURY OF A CLOTHES LINE, THAT'S WOULD BE AWESOME! ! HAPPY WASHING 😆😃😉
I put hand towels over my mothers diapers and a cotton button diaper over those! So in the morning...the towels are pretty saturated. I throw those outside in an open basket and every other day, I wash those with detergent on a longer cycle, add bleach, and softener...rinse cycle twice! Regular clothes that have pee on them...I "immediately" hand wash the section that has pee on it, let it dry and in the hamper with other clothes. Never have pee smells and I wash a lot of clothes.
This may sound counter-intuitive but we used a cup of ammonia in the wash. Believe me it works! My sister who has been a private care giver for 20 years learned this "trick" from our aunt who worked as an aide in the nursing home. Our mother had dementia and was incontinent when she slept. I washed sheets twice a day....this was the only thing that worked for us. There are a lot of good ideas here. Even though my mom has passed on to her glory as has my MIL I still come to this site. So much great advice and situations I may encounter in the future. I want to be as prepared as possible. Thank you to everyone!
Having good luck with the Scent enhacers by the fabric softner companys.. Snuggle packs are cheapest and do a good job.. you add them with the detergent, still use fabric softner...
Look for Lysol liquid in the detergent section(small brown bottle) it is hospital grade add it to your regular detergent in the washer...also sounds weird but if you have a farm supply store near you or online they have a cleaner/deodorizer for horse urine that ought do it! Both worked for me and didn't ruin the clothes or sheets like bleach or peroxide.
Get the urine/smell out before you start the laundry. Use a product exclusively for that purpose, even pet products work great. Or peroxide if it doesn't damage an inconspicuous area of the item. Be sure to rinse out Peroxide. Then use Borateam, BIZ, etc. in the laundry.
I happened to try some special liquid made especially for doggie accidents when I ran out of prewash for the laundry. My spouse is paralyzed and incontinent at times, so there would be times I needed a good product for this. I haven't found anything better. It doesn't bleach or ruin nice fabrics, and, it was made just for this! I know peroxide works great on whites and other sturdy fabrics, but pet urine and stain products do a great job on everything, including spills on bibs and blankets. It's sold by many names, and AMazon has big jugs for cheap. (Nature's Miracle, Simple Solution, Petzyme, etc.). I find these products to be cheaper and better than laundry prewashes or additives on the laundry aisle. As with Biz, I think most contain enzymes, which are exactly what's needed on all types of organic matter.
I used cloth diapers with my 6 children - same things work now. Baking soda comes in 10 lb bags in pool supplies at WalMart; Borax works; Vinegar in the last rinse works. Main thing is to make the load smaller than usual so that everything is well rinsed.
The only way to neutralize the ammonia is with chlorine bleach or iodine. Betadine solution or Betadine scrub. Borax is somewhat effective and so is baking soda & peroxide.
Yes i had same problem! I got fed up too with the "lingering smell"! I am now using an anitbacterial liquid which should be in your supermarket alot of products now are antibacterial. this seems to work and i wash at 50o!
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20 Mule Team Borax works SOMEWHAT for whites, but it WILL BLEACH color clothing and it doesn't remove all of the odor.
"Febreeze Odor Eliminator" found in the detergent & fabric softener isles at Wal-Mart WORKS on ALL CLOHTING!!!
Sorry I couldn't get the picture to paste, but below is the link for viewing product container so you know what to look for:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/711FJKCo3rL._SY550_.jpg
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