Cleaning Tips
NOTE: Always use cold water when cleaning pee. Hot water can set the smell in.
Urine is a protein stain and fresh protein stains can be removed by soaking and agitating or rubbing the stain in cold water before washing. Never use hot water because it cooks the protein, making the stain harder to remove. -
www.thespruce.com
Laundry
After the clothing/bedding/stuff has been scrubbed, rinsed, and wrung out by your kiddo, have them load it into the washer. I like to dump in about 1/2 - 1 cup of vinegar along with the laundry soap to help get rid of the smell. I've found that Norwex laundry detergent can really help with the smell, too (you can search online for a Norwex consultant in your area).
Flooring
Most flooring washes well with vinegar and water and a cloth. If you have special hardwood floors they may need some extra cleaning or polishing with a hardwood-floor cleaner after the pee has been cleaned up (this one's my favourite to use for that: Method Squirt + Mop Wood Floor Cleaner Almond).
Carpeting and mattresses
Soak the pee spot with a vinegar/water solution (1 part water:1 part vinegar); use a spray bottle or carefully pour it on (I usually do this part for the child). Let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes and then have your child scrub it well with a bristle brush. While still wet sprinkle with a generous amount of baking soda and leave to dry. Once it's dry vacuum it up (most of my kids aren't allowed to use the vacuum so they do a different chore for me while I do the vacuuming). This really helps to pull the smell out!
Clothing & bedding
Wet the stuff with cold water in a bucket, sink, or tub, sprinkle or spray on some vinegar, and scrub well. Rinse with more cold water once they've scrubbed it to help with the smell. The more it gets swished around and rinsed the better the chances are of getting the pee out.
Car & car seats/boosters
I use the same method for inside the car as I do for carpeting or mattresses. For car seats I have the child take the cover off, wash it the same as the bedding, and then wash down the plastic part of the seat. If peeing in the car is a regular occurrence I have them bring a plastic bag with them to sit on (the heavy duty construction grade ones are really large and thick and work well).
Love wipes
Some kiddos will refuse to shower or bathe after peeing and they start to smell pretty awful. Let them smell as much as they want to, but put loving consequences in place: stinky kids can't go on outings, join family movie night, or sit at the table during meals; you don't want them to be embarrassed by how they smell.
Love wipes can be a good alternative when your child refuses to shower: get a large container of baby wipes and write love messages and draw hearts all over the container. Let you child know that these are special love wipes, and when they use them they get Mom/Dad's love all over them.
*Alternate to baby wipes are soft flannel rags in a large jar or container. Fill jar with 3/4 cup water and 1 tablespoon of body wash and toss the rags in. Give it a quick shake to get everything wet, and you're good to go! (These are reusable and can be thrown in the wash. The soap solution should be changed about once a week.)
When to Clean
Before school
When the peeing happens at night or in the morning before school and there isn't enough time for the whole cleaning process before it's time to leave, I have the child gather all of their pee stuff and put it to soak in vinegar and water (a bucket, sink, or tub works). When they get home from school they scrub, rinse, and wring it and load the washer.
After school
Be sure to connect with your child when they come home before sending them off to do laundry: a snack, a hug, and/or some snuggle time will boost their brain after a hard day at school. If they have homework have them complete their homework time before they start on laundry - otherwise they will happily take hours and hours to clean in order to get out of doing any homework!
When it works for YOU
Sometimes (most of the time?) your child will decide to pee when it really isn't convenient for you, or when they are trying to push away your love and feel like no one wants them to be a part of the family.
The peeing needs to be the child's problem - not yours.
Their life stops until it's cleaned up - not yours!
Clean up happens when you decide it's time. As much as possible have a steady clean up routine, but sometimes you need to switch it up so you can have family time or get out the door.
Loving Your Child
with
the Pee
Snuggle time with your pee-ster
When your little RADish is covered in pee, or has that lingering, unwashed smell about them, it can be very hard to get close to them and show them love. However, this is a very important time to do just that: they can soak in a lot of love when they realize you love them even when they stink, and that nothing can make them push away your love.
Keep a beach towel handy (the bigger the better!) and use it to wrap around your child when you give them a hug or cuddle them for snuggle time. With some kids you'll need to keep aside a special set of cuddle clothes or a bathrobe that they change onto ONLY for snuggle time (and them back to their other clothes when you're done). Make them easy to put on clothes like sweats or shorts and a shirt.
99 Ways to Drive Your Child Sane - Growing Peas
