Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts. She has over four decades of experience and has been writing and consulting for more than 20 years sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, stain removal methods, and textile conservation. Mary is a Master Gardener and an apple orchard owner.

Accidents happen. There are puppies, potty-training toddlers, uncontrollable laughter with a leaky bladder, and haughty cats that pee for pleasure. Whether it is human or cat pee, no one wants urine smells in their home. My current offender is a rescue pup that pees when she is excited or frightened. I am now an expert on removing urine stains and odors from every type of surface—but she's worth it!

So let's take a look at how to get pee smell out of carpet, clothes, mattresses, and upholstery. Urine is acidic and the longer it remains on fabrics, the more damage it can do and the more the odor-causing molecules bind to the fibers. Prompt cleaning is always best and offers the best chance to remove all of the pee smell. While there are many commercial odor removal products on the market, these methods use supplies you probably already have in your pantry.

For fresh pee stains, blot the area with paper towels to absorb as much urine as possible.

Older pee stains require a deeper cleaning that may take up to 12 hours of drying time. Depending on the age of the stain and the biological components of the urine (cat pee is the worst), you may need to use more than one cleaning method or repeat the steps to remove all of the odor. Use one cleaning product at a time until you find that the odor is gone.

Cleaning upholstered furniture is a bit trickier because there are so many types of fabric. If the upholstery can be cleaned with a wet solution (look for a W or WS on the care label), move forward with homemade solutions. If the care label recommends S (solvent) or X (professional cleaning) only, all you should do is blot up the pee and/or sprinkle the area with dry baking soda, then call a professional.

For fresh pee stains on couches with a W or WS care tag, follow the same steps as those for a mattress. If the stains are older, test the cleaning solutions (vinegar, peroxide, borax) on a hidden area first to make sure they don't discolor the upholstery. Always use circulating fans to speed drying.

Once again, check the care label. If the garment is labeled as "dry clean only," take it to a professional. Share the origin of the stain so they can take the appropriate measures. For washable clothes, follow these steps.