Skip to main content
SofaLimpio

Pet urine on a sofa: how to treat it and stop the smell coming back

Pet urine needs an enzyme-based treatment, not just surface cleaning, or the odour returns once the fabric dries.

At a glance

Topic
Pet urine odour
Stain
Pet urine
Risk level
High

What to do

  • Blot up as much liquid as possible with a clean, absorbent cloth before it soaks deeper into the cushion filling.
  • Use a genuine enzymatic pet-odour cleaner, not a generic fabric cleaner — enzymes break down the uric acid crystals that cause the smell, while surface cleaners only mask it temporarily.
  • Let the area air-dry fully and check again in a day or two — odour that returns after drying means the treatment did not reach the padding underneath.

What to avoid

  • Avoid steam cleaning before the enzyme treatment has fully worked — heat can permanently set the odour and stain into the fibres.
  • Avoid ammonia-based cleaners — to a pet, ammonia smells similar to urine and can encourage them to mark the same spot again.
  • Avoid scrubbing hard, which pushes the urine further into the cushion filling instead of lifting it out.

When to call a professional

If the urine has soaked into the cushion filling or a memory-foam base, or the smell keeps returning after you've tried a home enzyme treatment, professional deep extraction cleaning can reach padding a surface treatment cannot.

Editorial review

This article has not been editorially reviewed yet.

Get a quote