Pissed off

May 20, 2006 9:29 PM

So a kid just wet my bed...

My nephew came to stay, slept in my spare bed and peed in it. Is it possible to clean it? Or do I have to buy a new one?? At the moment he's in another bed and the damp patch is covered with a heavy cotton towel. Gross.

posted by brautigan to grab bag (18 answers total)

my friend whose kid wet his bed SWEARS by that Febreeze for pet smells (ie, cats spraying the carpet).
posted by j at 9:38 PM on May 20, 2006

My homless friend also swears by "Febreeze for pet smells" for urine odor.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:41 PM on May 20, 2006

You have got to be kidding. You're actually considering buying a new bed? Kids pee in beds all the time. Wash the sheets and the mattress cover, rub the stain on the mattress with a little cold water, and let it air out. It will be fine. Next time, use a rubber sheet, made just for this sort of thing, under the mattress cover.
posted by bingo at 9:53 PM on May 20, 2006

Hell, I don't have kids! And haven't wet my bed since I was, um, fifteen. My only recent experience with pee was a cats on wood floor nightmare which was impossible to remove due to, I believe, an enzyme thing that humans don't have. Water and a little fresh air? If so, thank you and happy days.
posted by brautigan at 10:00 PM on May 20, 2006

Get a stain and odor remover containing enzymes, such as Nature's Miracle. You can find all kinds of them at pet stores.
posted by Roger Dodger at 10:32 PM on May 20, 2006

fifteen?
posted by ab3 at 11:29 PM on May 20, 2006

You pissed your bed when you were fifteen?
posted by xmutex at 11:34 PM on May 20, 2006

I was joking. Although, according to my girlfriend of the time, I apparently peed in the corner of my bedroom when I was 17 and hammered drunk. No recollection or proof but, y'know, I coulda done.
posted by brautigan at 11:41 PM on May 20, 2006

Just for the record, it really isn't only kids who piss the bed occasionally, but don't ask how I know. A simple wash might leave an ugly ring on the mattress, but if you wash (lightly) the whole surface, then let it dry with a towel between the mattress and the rubber sheet, or preferably air-dry with no sheet, things should look ok.

Good on you for not griping at the kid.
posted by anadem at 1:13 AM on May 21, 2006

This happened to me too a couple of days ago (it was my kid peeing in my bed while I sort of slept as well). I washed the sheets etc. and put the mattress in the open air. There was not much sun, but it was dry by the evening and I did not smell a thing.

I do not hope it happens too often, but kids do wet beds, especially when in new, unfamiliar situations. We have cotton sheets (don't know the word for it in english, you put them between the mattress cover and the normal sheets) that are water repellent but do not feel as bad as rubber sheets. Those work great.

If you search AskMe you'll find some previous posts about bedwetting (like here), but basically the advice is: get a cleaner from a pet store or put it in the sun.

Please do not get too worked up about this (looking at your tags I think you might be). This is totally normal, the kid cannot help it.
posted by davar at 1:35 AM on May 21, 2006

Same thing happened to me two weeks ago. Here's what you do:
Order a mattress cleaning solution from Proklean called Super Mattress Cleaner. Its a little spray bottle. Spray the area that you think got hit and let it sit for an hour. Flip the mattress over and do the same spot (on the other side). It worked for me. Removed all the odor and the stain (and supposedly prevents mildew inside the mattress). I paid around $17.50 + shipping.
posted by special-k at 1:49 AM on May 21, 2006

My enzyme cleaner of choice is Simple Solution. If it can get the ammonia stench of cat urine out, it can do anything.
posted by overanxious ducksqueezer at 4:37 AM on May 21, 2006

Borax, sprinkled generously on the mattress, will both absorb the pee (if it hasn't soaked through too far) and remove the odor. Leave it on for a while then dustbuster it up. You can find borax in the laundry aisle at the grocery store. A few hours in the sun will help too.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:39 AM on May 21, 2006

I hope you rubbed his nose in it and told him NO! in a firm voice. Seriously, use a good enzymatic or oxegyn based cleaner. sop it up with absorbent towels and repeat. You could also consider renting a steam cleaner for furniture, and clean the couch while you're at it.
posted by Gungho at 5:43 AM on May 21, 2006

Young children do not have the scent glands that cats have, so it won't be the same nightmare. Clean thoroughly, let it dry, use whatever scented products mentioned above appeal to you, then turn the mattress over. If, in a couple of years, you flip the mattress for some reason, you'll have forgotten about it mostly, and won't be so squicked out.
posted by theora55 at 6:22 AM on May 21, 2006

Ditto Nature's Miracle.

Out of curiosity, how old is the kid? Did you mention it (gently) to his parents?
posted by radioamy at 8:25 AM on May 21, 2006

If possible, it might be a good idea to haul the mattress outside and let it sit in the sun for a while (after cleaning it). The sun has magical properties to dry up odors.

I wouldn't do this until after your nephew has left, however. No sense in embarrassing him in front of the entire neighborhood.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:36 AM on May 21, 2006

By the way you can get disposable absorbant pads that partially cover the mattress under the sheets (just in case he's ever coming back to stay again :-) ). They're sold with the nappies in big supermarkets.
posted by bifter at 2:21 AM on May 22, 2006