So my dad wets his trousers on a regular basis. When I put them in the machine I put a washing capsule, softener and add baking soda too but they still come out smelling of urine. I set the machine at 40 and with a pre soak. Not sure what else I can do. Any advice welcome 🇬🇧
Have you tried using a different detergent? My girlfriend swears by arm and hammer with oxyclean, she even cleans her carpets with it. I have never smelled urine in her house. She uses vinegar to rinse and no fabric softener of any kind.
No high heat drying either.
OdorBan works very well also. The OdorBan mixed in a higher concentration is also a sanitizer not just an odor remover. (and it is enzyme based so it removes odor does not cover it up)
Is dad wearing incontinent underwear? Either Pull up or tab type?
If not you need to remove all his cloth underwear and have him use disposable underwear.
If he is currently wearing incontinent underwear and it is leaking through there are pads that you can use they will absorb a bit more. Do not double up on the incontinent underwear as the water / moisture resistant lining will prevent the other one from absorbing all it can.
For any soiled items I cold rinse first, sometimes twice with odour / antibacterial removal (without other clothes in there for maximum water), followed by normal cycle (can add other clothes at that point). I find lavender softener the best counteractive scent.
Also has he had a urine test?
Urine can smell extremely potent if there’s an infection! I know Mums urine smell hideous when she’s getting a UTI and those times her clothes / surroundings smell worse until the antibiotics take over.
My challenge is one wet pair of pants a day. I always know, in the morning, to expect a wet pair of pants so I'm going to try only one pair of incontinence underwear overnight (we use tranquility). So since it does not make sense to wash one pair per day (hubby told me I was going to blow the washing machine up – I just don’t like to let them set) I've resulted to spraying the pants with either a degreaser that has been watered down or just sprinkle the pair with baking soda until I have enough to make a cycle (hence the two full wash cycle).
I use the air-only side to dry the clothes and then finish off in a low heat setting when I am standing right there to take them out quickly. Hopefully, the tips on your post help but if you need to go further because these suggestions are not working, yes use the search function located to the top right of the page.
Bless you all, you are all doing the best for your loved one. We just lost my father to dementia with Lewy Bodies a month ago. He was home with us except the last 18 days. He needed too much medication then and home care was unable to handle him.
Wether your loved one is home or a memory care or hospital the only thing you need to do is what is best for your loved one AND you. It is a very tough and blessed journey. 😘
Instead of pre soaking, I would try doing a quick wash first then wash again using extra soap.
Both UTIs and dehydration cause urine to become concentrated and smelly.
I personally think that the capsules seem not to clean as well as liquid, but that could be my machine. If this is a regular thing for him then switch him to incontinence briefs.. Just remove the underwear from the home. If he's already in incontinence briefs then it's time to get a heavier version and see if you can get him on a bathroom schedule. You've ruled out a UTI, right?. Good luck!
Note. Aunt wears disposable underwear. She breaks through during the night and her pads and pjs are what is being treated.
For my mother, every morning her pants are wet despite wearing 1 pull up plus 2 insert pads. I take off her pants and immediately soak them in hot water in a basin, not washing machine. I don't use soap or anything else, just very hot water. After soaking for 15 minutes or so, I rinse again in clean hot water, then hang dry in the sun for at least a day or two if sun isn't hot enough. Then voila, no smell of any kind.
It works, even with soiled underwear, but with poop,you do have to wash it off in the sink or toilet so you don't contaminate the washing machine.
When my daughter was in cloth diapers, I put Borax in the diaper pail water. In the summer months I line dried the diapers, they always smelled fresh.
I have had cats all my life and if one of them pees on clothing I do a soak cycle with ammonia, it always gets the smell out.
Does he wear pull-ups or diapers? He’s incontinent, so he can’t wear regular underwear. & needs to be reminded &/or taken to bathroom. He’s needing help in bathroom too. He will have #2 in trousers soon…get him in disposable pull-ups or diapers Hugs 🤗
The reason I switched to just plain vinegar after I no longer needed it for the dog, is because the vinegar is less expensive and also works and the pee was only on the pants, pjs, bed pads. Things that went into the washer and not onto the floor or furniture or car seat or wheelchair etc.
The My Pet Peed product requires spraying and leaving to dry. No rinsing. When the stain is sprayed, there is a bad odor because the product releases the odor from the stain as it dissipates. Then it’s gone. The product itself has no odor. It can be used on all surfaces.
The vinegar smells like vinegar so if that’s offensive in the laundry room, you might want to try My Pet Peed. I personally don’t mind the smell of vinegar and it also works.
If my incontinent loved one were leaving pee and/or poop on anything not going in the washer, I would use the My Pet Peed.
They give a money back guarantee.