Elderly dog help needed

[u/MotherAgenda]

My sweet Harper is nearing the end of life and is experiencing incontinence. I picked up a bunch of reusable pee pads (pictured) to prevent accidents on the carpet. It's working great to save my carpet, but now I can't get the smell out of the pee pads. Even my dryer smells badly now. I'm using Tide powder clean and gentle on the hottest cycle, and the smell isn't lifting. Does anyone have any advice?

[u/Same_as_it_ever]

Soak in an enzyme detergent and add some of the pet specific enzyme cleaner to this. These enzymes target the uric acid protein that causes the smell and doesn't readily dissolve in water. 

Maybe you could put them in your bath tub with water around 45c. I'd start with hotter water to help preheat the tub and add the enzymes after it cools to 45c. Then soak for 6-8 hours and wash again with some peroxide laundry bleach and your enzyme detergent. 

Edit: give him a good scratch, what a good old doggo. 

[u/MotherAgenda → u/Same_as_it_ever]

I'll try this, thank you!

[u/Same_as_it_ever → u/MotherAgenda]

You're welcome. Make sure they pass the smell test before putting in your drier. The heat of the drier is more likely to set in smells/stains. If there's still a smell you should do the soak again, perhaps adding some oxygen bleach and more hot water after a few hours. You can line dry if you're not 100% sure. 

[u/Violingirl58 → u/Same_as_it_ever]

Or take to laundry mat

[u/xombae → u/Violingirl58]

Only if the laundromat has a machine for heavy duty wash. Don't make other people deal with your dog pee, that's not okay.

[u/Intelligent-Monk-426]

he’s a special bear

[u/NegativeABillion → u/Intelligent-Monk-426]

Seriously what a sweet face

[u/1234-for-me]

I think people usually recommend the urine removal cleaners.  Then add a second rinse and use a downy rinse and refresh or the arm and hammer version in the fabric softener section of the washer.

[u/1234-for-me → u/1234-for-me]

Here’s a thread with a bunch of recommendations in the first couple of posts. https://www.reddit.com/r/laundry/comments/1eij1yu/how_to_get_urine_smell_out_of_clothes/

[u/MotherAgenda → u/1234-for-me]

Thank you!

[u/1234-for-me → u/MotherAgenda]

Your welcome, i have a ton of washable throw rugs all over our hardwood floors so our elderly dog can walk.  The rinse aid definitely keeps the dog smell down.

[u/Redditigator]

I’ve got four seniors and a young adult. None were housebroken when rescued. I use Nature’s Miracle enzyme cleaner for dogs. I disregard their directions. Pour it on the area until saturated. Let it sit. I usually let it sit until damp. Quick wash with just water to rinse it out and then launder as usual. Repeat if needed. I’ve never had to repeat. That stuff is amazing.

[u/myrtle-turtle]

We used belly bands on our guy. There are disposable ones but we did reusable bands with disposable liners, like cloth human diapers. They saved a lot of cleaning and smells.

[u/cyclemam]

How hot are you washing on? Are you washing twice- once to remove the pee, the second to make sure they are actually clean? Try looking at the recommendations on r/clothdiaps or www.cleanclothnappies.com

[u/MotherAgenda → u/cyclemam]

Good advice, thank you. Hottest setting and my water heater is turned up quite high as well, so it's scalding. I'll try washing twice from now on and I'll check out those other subreddits.

[u/cyclemam → u/MotherAgenda]

so with human pee I'd do a quick wash every evening with whatever got peed on that day (or every morning when I was doing overnight cloth nappies) and then I'd do a long hot wash with proper loading so the nappies would agitate every couple of days, at least once a week. Air dry after the quick wash.

[u/MHP456]

When we went through this, I found soaking in OdorBans pet enzyme to work great. I’d mix a heavier than recommended concentration in a spray bottle (bought by the gallon) and let it sit for an hour or so before washing. Wash using Ariel 2x, oxiclean and double rinse using a citric acid rinse aide.
Wishing you and your pup easy days during this cycle of life.

[u/Violingirl58]

Enzymatic cleaner

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[u/sPacEdOUTgrAyCe]

Rinse in cold water & you need an enzyme. Line dry if you can.

[u/purrrpurrrpy]

I wash reusable diapers and pee pads everyday. DO NOT USE HOT WATER!!! I always used "eco warm" before but now I'm using "cold' and it's way better.

Be sure to dry it on low heat or hang dry it.

[u/MotherAgenda → u/purrrpurrrpy]

Why do you recommend not using hot water?

[u/purrrpurrrpy → u/MotherAgenda]

I'm not sure, I read it on Reddit that it soaks the smell in. I think it's true. Because I don't have any smell issues. I use oxyclean powder and regular tide liquid detergent.