Urine stains are a significant pain to clean up, but they can cause irreversible damage to your floors, walls, or furniture if they are left to sit.
When urine stains occur on a grouted surface, the urine immediately sinks into the grout’s pores, leading to bacteria growth and terrible odors.
It is essential to clean urine stains on grout as soon as possible to avoid these fates for your grouted walls and other surfaces.
Keep reading to find out how to remove urine stains from grout and keep your house looking and smelling fresh and clean at all times.
What You’ll Need
Enzyme Cleaner
There are many different brands and types of enzyme cleaners, but some are marketed as pet urine cleaners.
They can easily be found in the pet aisle of grocery stores or on Amazon and they are excellent at removing urine from pets and humans.
Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover is a great choice because it’s from a trusted brand and gets excellent reviews on Amazon.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is an excellent way to break down and deodorize urine stains, and it will work well on grout.
If you have run out and need to order more, click here.
Toothbrush
Because the grooves where grout is typically found can be tiny and hard to reach, a toothbrush is a great way to scrub it clean.
Paper Towels
You will need a handful of paper towels to soak up excess urine and effectively clean the grout.
Ammonia
Ammonia will work with baking soda to remove the urine deep in the pores of the grout.
Some people shy away from ammonia because of it’s harsh smell.
I remedied this problem by finding Austin’s Lemon Scented Ammonia on Amazon, which gets fantastic reviews.
Vinegar
A small amount of white distilled vinegar will be used in combination with baking soda and ammonia to ensure that all of the urine has been cleaned out of the grout.
Lucy’s Family Owned – Natural Distilled White Vinegar has been my go-to for a long time.
Sponge
You will need a sponge or any other type of scrubber to get the grout completely clean.
Make sure it is not something that will scratch or damage the grout.
Step By Step Instructions For How To Remove Urine Stains From Grout
#1. Soak Up The Excess Urine
Assuming you are cleaning a fresh stain, use the paper towels to soak up any excess urine that may be on the floor or wall where you will be cleaning the grout.
After you have soaked up all of the visible urine, use a clean, damp paper towel or cloth to scrub the area and remove any urine residue that may still be on the surface of the grout or tiles.
#2. Apply The Enzyme Cleaner
Pour or spray enough enzyme cleaner to soak the stained area and let it sit per the instructions on the bottle.
For some cleaners, it may need to sit longer than others.
After the instructed amount of time, scrub the area and ensure all of the enzyme cleaner has been removed.
If any stain or odor remains, repeat this step as many times as necessary to get all of the urine out of the grout.
#3. Mix The Baking Soda Solution
In a large bowl or another container, mix 7 cups of water, 1/2 cup of baking soda, 1/3 cup ammonia, and 1/4 cup vinegar.
Mix the solution well and apply it directly to the urine stain.
Leave the solution to sit for up to an hour.
For smaller stains, you can leave it for up to 30 minutes.
After 30-60 minutes, scrub the area with a toothbrush until you are sure you have removed all of the urine.
The enzyme cleaner should have done most of the work, but the solution you mixed will help eliminate the odor more than just enzyme cleaner alone.
Leave the area to dry and enjoy your freshly cleaned grout.
Pro Tip: Use A Strong Enzyme Cleaner
One of the most important parts of getting your grout free of urine stains is to make sure you have a strong enzyme cleaner.
There are tons of enzyme cleaners on the market, but this one, which is found on Amazon, is a great product that will clean the grout and leave it free of bacteria and foul odors.
Question About How To Remove Urine Stains From Grout
If I can’t see the stain, does that mean it has been removed?
No, just because you cannot see the stain does not mean it is gone.
The porous nature of grout allows liquids to soak into it very quickly, and it is quite hard to remove.
If you have followed the steps listed above, it is more than likely that you have removed all of the urine, but make sure to complete each step in its entirety to get the best results.
Do I have to use baking soda to remove a urine stain from grout?
Baking soda is an excellent tool to remove urine and the odors left behind from urine from just about any surface.
So, while you don’t absolutely have to use baking soda to remove a urine stain, it is highly recommended because it breaks down the urine and deodorizes the area.
Can I use these steps to remove old urine stains that have been dried?
Yes, the above steps will work to remove old urine stains from grout, even if they have been dried and ignored for a long time.
Cleaning an old urine stain will definitely take more work than cleaning a new one, but the effort will be well worth it.
You will need extra cleaning solutions and supplies, so make sure you are stocked up before beginning the process.
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed learning how to remove urine stains from grout.
Whether you have a potty training child or perhaps an incontinent pet, urine stains are bound to happen from time to time.
Though it would be best if we could avoid them altogether, sometimes they are inevitable.
Urine stains on grout require quick cleanup to avoid bacteria growth and foul odors that won’t go away.
Thankfully, there are many handy tips and tricks to get the grout in your home free of urine and looking nice and clean.
The next time you end up with a big mess to clean up, know that you are prepared with the knowledge of how to remove urine stains from grout.
If this article was helpful, check out our related article on how to remove urine stains from a toilet seat.
