How to Remove Yellow Urine Stains From Carpet

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How to Remove Yellow Urine Stains From Carpet

Urine stains is a more in depth topic, so I broke it down into 3 parts, with a separate page for each part:

2) How to Remove Urine Odors From Carpet

3) How to Remove Yellow Urine Stains From Carpet

On this page, I will discuss part 3 - How to remove the yellow stain. If you have not already completed part 2, I'd recommend starting there before removing the yellow stain. It's always easier to do part two while the stain is still visible.

There are many variables that impact how difficult urine stains can be to remove from carpet. These variables include, urine concentration, animal type, animal age/health/sex, diet, medications, carpet type, how old the stain is, etc. Sometimes yellow urine stains can be easily removed with a little 3% hydrogen peroxide, and sometimes 3% hydrogen peroxide alone is not enough. If you have a urine stain in your carpet, start by spraying 3% hydrogen peroxide on the stained area, and leaving it for about an hour. If the stain does not disappear, proceed to step 2.

Step two is for everyone who was not able to remove the stain with step 1, or for people who have been told by a professional cleaner that the urine stains in their carpet are permanent. This process that I will show you is called an advanced oxidation process. We will be using 3% hydrogen peroxide, but we will also be using a UV light to decompose the hydrogen peroxide into hydroxyl radicals. This method is color safe, but be sure to test this process on an inconspicuous area of your carpet to ensure it does not damage your carpet in any way. See the demos below for a step by step guide on how to remove yellow urine stains.

You will need: 3% hydrogen peroxide, and a UV light (only if hydrogen peroxide alone does not work)

STEP 1 OF 2 - Remove Urine Stains With 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

This urine stain is about 7 years old, and in a nylon carpet. Urine stains in nylon carpet are generally most difficult to remove.

3% hydrogen peroxide can be used to remove the yellow stain. Hydrogen peroxide will oxidize the urine dye molecules making them invisible.

Dampen the stained area with 3% hydrogen peroxide. After an hour, if the stain has not disappeared, proceed to step 2.

STEP 2 OF 2 - Advanced Oxidation Process (only do this if step 1 failed)

For step 2, we are still going to use 3% hydrogen peroxide, but we are also going to add UV light to make the oxidation reaction stronger and more likely to remove the urine stain. Professional carpet cleaners generally don't use this method because it is quite time consuming. If you hired a professional carpet cleaner to remove urine stains, and they were unsuccessful, give this method a try because it may just get those stubborn stains out.

This chemical reaction is called an advanced oxidation process. The UV light splits the hydrogen peroxide molecules into hydroxyl radicals. These hydroxyl radicals then steal electrons from the yellow urobilin molecules (responsible for the yellow color of urine). This causes the urobilin molecules to collapse, hence reflect light differently, and become invisible. Be careful not to forget about the UV light, and leave shining on your carpet for days. Overtime, UV light can cause discoloration in carpets and fabrics. Also be sure to test this method in a hidden area on your carpet prior to using to ensure that it does not cause any discoloration or damage to your carpet.

This photo is taken under UV light and before starting step 2 (advanced oxidation process). The UV light will make the stain glow.

The UV light makes the stain glow. You can see the glow is starting to disappear in the area that was treated.

When the stain is gone, use a wet/dry vacuum or a cloth to absorb any remaining hydrogen peroxide from the carpet.

Dampen the stained area with hydrogen peroxide. I am only treating the circled area in photo 1.

You may have to groom the carpet tufts to expose staining at the base of the tufts.

Any Hydrogen peroxide that is not absorbed will decompose into oxygen and water.

Cover the area with a UV light. let the light sit on top of the stain for 30 to 60 minutes.

Cover the area with the UV light for 15 minutes. Repeat steps 3 to 6 until the stain is no longer visible.

in the area that was treated, the stain is now gone, and no longer shows up under the UV light.