Did your pets accidentally pee all over your carpet? Sometimes if your apartment has strict rules, you may have to pay a fine or even risk getting evicted!
If that sounds like your problem, then we’re here to save the day. Learn how to hide urine stains from a black light and this will be a trouble of the past.
We’ll show you a few foolproof tricks which require items that you probably already have on your shelf.
Without further ado, let’s jump right in, shall we?
Why Does Urine Show Under Black Light?
Now you have gotten a notice from your landlord that there will be an inspection of your apartment with a black light.
Although you might be worried sick, have you ever stopped to wonder why urine shows up under black light? What is the mechanism behind it?
If you’ve ever tried shining blacklight over a urine stain, you’ll find that it has a yellow glow!
This is mainly due to the phosphorus which is present in the urine. This element has a yellowish glow of its own, which is just amplified under the energy of black light.
Moreover, urine contains uric acid and molecules of blood which also show up under black light.
Now that we know what is the culprit behind this glow, let’s see how we can stop it.
Here’s What You’ll Need
Before delving into the steps on how to remove the stain that’s ruining your sleep, let’s see what are the things that we’ll need to get started.
It’s best that you take a look at the list and assess what you already have and what you don’t. This systematic approach also works great while planning to clean tree sap off windows.
Here’s the list.
- Bleach
- Enzymatic cleaner
- Black light
- Sponge
- Water
How to Hide Urine Stains from Black Light?
Let’s look at some simple steps to get rid of even the toughest urine stains. After you’re done, the carpet will look as good as new!
Step 1: Search for urine stains with a black light
When you want to clean any urine stain that doesn’t show up on an inspection, you need to first invest in a black light yourself.
This is because stains that are invisible to the naked eye can look like a huge disaster under black light. Get a black light and inspect your whole apartment and rugs.
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Also remember, if you have a dog who’s had a little accident on your rug, there’s a chance that it won’t show up under black light. It’s only the cat or human pee that has a fluorescent glow to it.
Step 2: Use a cleaning agent
After you’ve identified which part of your carpet or sofa needs cleaning, it’s now time to get to work.
Now although soap and water are great for cleaning mineral spirits, they don’t do much in this case. The urine stain will still be vivid under the glow of the black light. So here are the cleaning agents you can use instead.
Bleach
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Bleach is a great way to clean stains of any kind. Although this is a bit unconventional when it comes to removing urine stains, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try.
However, bleach may also alter the color of your sheets or carpet. So, find out whether your surface is bleach friendly by calling up the shop from where you bought it.
If that’s not an option, you can always do a patch test on an inconspicuous area.
Moving on, to make the bleach solution, mix a cup of bleach in a gallon of water. Mix this well and then take some of the solution in a spray bottle.
Next, spray it on your urine stain and then scrub it with a sponge to lift the stain.
Enzymatic cleaner
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Sometimes bleach still fails to work and you might notice that the urine stain is still showing up under the blacklight. In such a case, a designated enzymatic cleaner will definitely save the day.
If it sounds too good to be true, here’s how it works. Remember when we told you that one of the main reasons for urine to glow was phosphorus and uric acid?
Well, an enzymatic cleaner breaks down all of that stuff. Simply pour some on the stain and leave it on to do its magic.
However, all enzymatic cleaners don’t have the same effect. Here are some enzymatic cleaners that we recommend.
Step 3: Wash the area well
After you’ve used the cleaner to clean the area, it’s time to give the carpet a final cleanse. To do this, we’ll only need lukewarm water and some towels.
Did you know that washing is also a great way to remove fingerprint dust from virtually anything?
Soak the old towel in the lukewarm water and wring the excess water out. Then, clean off any of the residual cleaners which are left.
If you use bleach to clean your carpets, then this step is a must. Otherwise, bleach could discolor or ruin even the most resilient fibers.
However enzymatic cleaners don’t need to be washed off in general. Yet, we still recommend giving it a final clean just to be safe.
Step 4: Let the area dry
Last but not the least, you’ll want to let the area dry. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at the number of mold problems people face just because they skimp on drying carpets and sheets properly.
Even if you use a water spot remover, you mustn’t skip the drying part.
Therefore, leave a fan on or keep the windows open so that the material has fully dried.
Conclusion
That’s all from us on this topic. Remember that if everything else fails, you can always just replace the fabric or rug.
We hope you enjoyed reading our post on how to hide urine stains from a black light.
Let us know your feedback and opinions in the comments below. Until then, stay safe!
Dog urine does to show up on black light.
Yes
Agree it most certainly shows up
What if bleach is not an option? Will the enzymatic cleaner do the job alone?