But when they went out of town and left me in charge of the dog, I learned what these piles were: SALT. Like the kind you keep in the kitchen that’s less than a dollar at the store or on Amazon.
Every time the dog would pee in the house, they poured a heaping amount of salt onto the spot while it was still wet. Yep, table salt. Kind of like this:
The salt will literally draw the liquid from the area, leaving a cake-like pile of salt you can vacuum up. Urine problem solved!
Want to try? It’s super simple.
HOW TO CLEAN PEE OFF FURNITURE OR CARPETS
- Pour a heaping amount of salt over the affected area.
- Wait at least an hour or two for it to fully dry. (I often wait more, but depends on how highly trafficked the area is.)
- Vacuum up the salt. (If still wet underneath, repeat steps 1 & 2.)
- Clean area with your normal cleaning spray or solution. (See my list of favorite cleaners HERE!)
That’s it!
You can try to soak up some of the urine with a rag or something before, but I’m always afraid (especially with couch cushions or rugs) that I’ll be pushing it IN. So I simply leave the salt on for a few hours, then vacuum. If there is still a wet spot, I reapply and do it all again. Be sure you pour a LOT of salt on the area.
This is also a really cool teaching moment for kids about osmosis. (See this experiment with potatoes for a fun activity!) Oh, and if you’re using vegetables that have a high water concentration, you can use salt to pull out moisture too. It works well with eggplant and cucumber. (See my Easy Eggplant Parmesan recipe on Penney Lane for how I use this method!)
Have you ever tried this? I mean, hopefully you don’t have to. But I’m guessing you aren’t reading this post unless you’ve heard your kid say, “Mom, I just peed…on the couch!”
Let me know in the comments if you try this or have another hack for how to clean pee off furniture or rugs!
