Follow
Share

My husband has Dementia and pees in places that are not the toilet. I catch most of them fairly quickly but he has started doing it in odd places. I have just found it in one of my drawers. How can I get rid of the smell? Any advice please.

Find Care & Housing
Sheila, you will need to completely dismantle your dresser and clean the floor underneath, draws are not water proof and that urine traveled down.

I love a product called Sniper, it disinfects and kills odors. Order from nokout.com

My cousin swears by a product called Pooph, it is intended for animals but, urine is urine. She gets it on Amazon.

Best of luck, my grandmother had this same thing and it was the breaking point for home care. This was before any products for urine.
Helpful Answer (1)
Reply to Isthisrealyreal
Report
SheilainFlorida Feb 2, 2025
I'll order it tomorrow. I was doing laundry today and my clothes that I washed smell of urine so I wonder if he peed in the laundry basket too. Or else the smell transferred from his clothes. Oh ..I really don't need this. I have to be so vigilant with where he goes and what he does.
(0)
Report
See 1 more reply
Vinegar works sometimes. Products made for that purpose work sometimes. The truth is that once this stage of dementia is reached, it will go on and on. You can put Depends on him and he will pull them down and pee on something anyway. He will pee on your dining room table, on the curtains, on the door and in the refrigerator. My LO peed in the nightstand drawer, in his shoe, and climbed in the bathtub to sit in the shower chair and pee there. He did it deliberately, not out of spite or anger, but because something in his brain caused him to think he should.

This is the point where your husband needs to go to a memory care facility where they are prepared to deal with it better than you can at home. Or you can keep him at home and be prepared to replace everything he's anointed - carpet, baseboards, drawers, appliances, sinks, clothing, the couch, the TV - it goes on and on. You can't get the smell out of everything. I'm sorry, OP.
Helpful Answer (1)
Reply to Fawnby
Report
SheilainFlorida Feb 2, 2025
Thanks for your reply. Yes he has peed on lots of things that are on the floor, in the trash can, corners of the patio, in the garage in boxes, and the cats bed, which I actually caught him doing. He denies it if I tell him afterwards. I threw out the cats bed!
However this is the first for furniture.
He can't go to Memory care until my house sells and I have some money. I have researched it and I have 2 in mind.
(2)
Report
This from online:
"To eliminate wood odor, you can try the following methods:
Clean the surface with vinegar or a mixture of vinegar and warm water.
Let sunlight and natural air draw out the smell.
Use a scent absorber like activated charcoal, baking soda, or coffee grounds.
Seal the wood to prevent the odor from returning".

When we bought our building the tenant in the unit we moved into had had two diabetic cats that were incontinent; had them on the back porch so you can imagine. The building was build in the 1870s and the back porch added in the 40s, so that was some old wood which absorbed easily. We tried everything, but finally ended with sealing it in with more than a few coats of good sealer; so that back porch for years had a painted floor.

Once wood actually ABSORBS urine, it is very difficult, and I wish you good luck.
Helpful Answer (1)
Reply to AlvaDeer
Report
SheilainFlorida Feb 2, 2025
Thanks Alvadeer
I will try the vinegar and baking soda one. -The drawer is not real wood and has a laminate base, but it probably seeped through the joining edges.
(0)
Report
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter