Cat Smells Stinking Up Your Home Here Are Five Diy Ways To Get Rid Of The Stink For Good
Lingering cat smells can be a headache for homeowners. Even if residents of the home become so used to the smells they no longer notice, you can bet guests and potential buyers will.
Plus, cat smells can be offensive to cats themselves. Cats mark territory with their urine. And a cat smelling the scent of another cat, particularly one from a different household, may develop behavioral issues such as aggression, agitation or urinating in inappropriate places.
Thats why understanding what causes a cat smell to linger, and learning how to get rid of it, can make your home a more pleasant place to live and visit.
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Last Resort: Use Ozone To Get Rid Of Cat Pee Smell
What if your cat pees on a valuable item ? Most of these cant be soaked in baking soda, vinegar, or enzymatic cleaners. But dont freak out! Quickly remove as much of the urine as you can using plain water and gently blotting with paper towels or rags until the towel comes away clear. Let the item dry. If and when the cat pee smell returns, take the item to a dry cleaner that has an ozone room and ask them to ozone treat it.
When Bosco peed on my new Coach briefcase, I called the Coach company in tears. They advised me to soak the briefcase in water and a bit of Woolite to remove the spot and most of the urine and fill the briefcase with a few towels to keep its shape while it air-dried. The dried briefcase looked great but still stank of cat pee. I headed for the specialty dry cleaner and, after 24 hours in their ozone room, my briefcase came back absolutely scent-free.
Ozone may not be the solution for your wall-to-wall carpeting, couch, or hardwoods, but it can save expensive clothing and other valuables.
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If The Stain Is Fresh
If the stain is fresh, it’s going to be damp with an ammonia odor and clear or yellow in color.
Cleaning Cat Pee From Hard Floors And Surfaces
If your cat pees on a hard floor or wall, you have two options. First, soak up the urine with a paper towel or cloth. Then you can either spray the area with an enzyme-based cleaner and wipe it up or use regular dish soap and lots of water Both Lund and Marrinan quoted the idiom the solution to pollution is dilution to sum up how important it is to wash away the pee as much as possible.
This means cleaning the location multiple times, letting it dry thoroughly between washings, and keeping your cat away from the location until all traces of the smell are gone.
Vinegar may also assist with neutralizing cat pee smell on hard surfaces. Vinegar is an acid that neutralizes the alkaline salts that form in dried urine stains. Mix a solution of one part water and one part vinegar and apply it to walls and hard floors. You can even mix in a little bit of baking soda to boost the solutions ability to eliminate odor.
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Baking Soda And Vinegar
Vinegar, while a bit smelly itself, works to remove the lasting odor of sprayed cat urine because vinegar is an acid that neutralizes the alkaline salts that form in dried urine stains.
A solution of one part water and one part vinegar can be used to clean walls and floors. Proponents say that the vinegar smell subsides after a few days, taking the urine smell with it.
Making A Diy Cat Pee Remover Solvent
If youve tried an enzyme-based cleanser and it just didnt get the job done, or if youd like to save money and use an at-home remedy instead, you can remove cat urine smell by making a vinegar and baking soda formula to help loosen the urea from the fabric.
If youre concerned the vinegar will smell bad, rest assured the baking soda should neutralize both the cat urine and vinegar smell, leaving your couch fabric smelling fresh.
To make a vinegar and baking soda cleanser:
- Mix equal parts white vinegar with water in a spray bottle and saturate the affected area.
- Allow the vinegar and water mixture to sit on the fabric for ten minutes.
- Blot up the excess moisture with a paper towel, pressing against the fabric. Dont rub the fabric as this can harm some fabrics and cause the urea to penetrate more deeply.
- Next, mix a little water with baking soda until it forms a paste. Apply the baking soda paste to the affected area and let it sit for about five hours. The baking soda will absorb any remaining odor on the fabric.
- Vacuum the baking soda off, and your fabric should smell fresh. If not, you can repeat this entire process again.
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What To Do If Your Cat Pees On Clothing And Linens
If your cat has urinated on a bedspread or linens that need to be dry-cleaned, get the linens to a professional cleaner as quickly as possible. The longer the pee stays on the material the harder it is to get rid of the smell.
If the clothing, linen, or textile item can go in a washing machine, run it through a cold-water cycle immediately and hang it outside to dry, Lund says. If you still smell cat pee after the item dries, try running it through the washing machine again with a cup of baking soda and/or quarter of a cup of apple cider vinegar, and place it outside to dry. Drying the textiles outdoors will help the smell dissipate, says Marrinan.
A Note About Cat Urine Collection Methods
Lastly, a note regarding the type of urine sample you can collect at home versus the additional type your veterinarian and their team is able to collect . Free catch urine samples are great and perfectly fine in most cases. However, when your veterinarian is concerned about the possibility of a urinary tract infection , theyll most likely want to collect a cysto sample if possible. The reason for this is that since the cysto sample is taken directly from your cats bladder there is no concern of contamination of the sample from your cats fur or genetalia, which often happens with a free catch sample and could otherwise interfere with or skew the results of the urine culture which your veterinarian may wish to have run on the urine.
So, there you have it a bit about the importance of the urine sample and how you can go about collecting it . I hope this article has been helpful to you as you strive to best understand and care for your cat.
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Enzyme Cleaner To Remove Urine
Youll use a cleaning agent with enzymes in it to help break down the enzymes in your cats urine. Not only will this help get rid of the smell, but itll also help get rid of the resulting stain. Youll need:
- Paper towels or a soft cloth
- Enzymatic pet odor neutralizing cleaner
- Saddle soap
- Olive oil
Step OneTake your paper towels and soak up as much of the urine as possible, and wipe away any excess urine that may have ran down the sides of your leather item, the inside, and wipe around the general stain as well. When you have all of the excess urine soaked up, get rid of the towels. Step TwoTake your enzymatic cleaner and spray the stain, making sure that you get just over the edges of the stain to help break the entire stain down. Let it sit for five minutes before you take a damp cloth and gently work the cleaner into the leather by rubbing it in a circular motion. Step ThreeAllow it to dry overnight until the leather isnt damp to the touch anymore. Take your saddle soap and get a soft cloth damp with warm water. Work the saddle soap into the leather to condition it and to get rid of any lingering stains, and make sure to go just around the outside of the edges of the stain. Step FourThe final step is to add moisture back into the leather to help prevent discoloration and cracking in the area that your cat urinated in. Take two or three drops of olive oil and apply it to a clean cloth. Gently apply it to the dry leather, and take another cloth to buff it out.
Why Is Cat Urine So Smelly
If youve ever spent time around felines, you may have noticed that their urine is particularly pungent. This phenomenon isnt in your head. Cat urine really does smell stronger than that of other animals, especially after some time.
The smell of cat urine gets worse with a bit of age. Thats because the bacterium in cat pee decomposes. When it does, an odor similar to ammonia is released. As the bacterium continues to decompose, mercaptans will be released from the odor. These are the same compounds that provide the infamously abhorrent odor to skunk spray.
Its even worse with older felines. As cats age, their kidneys become less efficient, which makes their urine smell even worse than that of younger cats. Male cats that arent neutered also have testosterone in their urine. Once again, this can increase the stench. After all, the hormones are there to signal for other males to keep their distance.
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Avoid Products That Contain Ammonia
Most importantly, avoid any cleaning products that contain ammonia. Ammonia is one component of cat urine, and if cats smell that, theyre more likely to go there, Dr. Kornreich says.
In addition, ammonia and other chemical cleaners can often set the stainthe opposite of what youre trying to do.
Heres what you should do to help eliminate the smell of cat pee from a surface.
1. Blot the Spot to Absorb the Urine
Find the stain as soon as possible and blot up as much of the urine as you can with a clean cloth.
2. Rinse and Vacuum the Area
Next, rinse the area with clean water and remove the liquid with a wet/dry vacuum. You dont want to use a steam cleaner, as the heat can set the stain, Roberts said.
3. Soak the Spot in Enzyme Cleaner
While enzyme cleaners come in a spray bottle, spraying a light coat over the stain wont do much. Instead, remove the sprayer and douse the spot liberally.
4. Let It Sit Before Blotting With a Clean Cloth
Let the cleaner sit for 10-15 minutes and blot up as much of it as possible with a clean cloth.
5. Prevent Your Cat From Returning to the Spot
To keep your cat from returning to the spot during the cleaning process, place a piece of aluminum foil or an aluminum baking sheet over the area, or cover it with an upside-down laundry basket.
6. Reapply the Cleaner if Necessary
You may need to reapply the cleaner and let it dry again for older or particularly smelly stains.
Additional Tips For Remove Cat Urine From Leather
Along with our five methods we outlined above, there are a few other things that you can do to ensure that you completely remove the urine smell and stain from your leather products. They include but are not limited to:
- Double check the area around and under the stain. If the urine soaksthrough, the smell wont go away if you dont treat any hidden stains.
- You can deter a cat by placing a towel with essential oils around the area.However, some essential oils are toxic for animals, so be sure to double checkbefore you use them.
- Check with your veterinarian if your cats start urinating outside of theirlitter box. Theyll be able to rule out any medical problems.
- You can deodorize the entire area by placing a small bowl of vinegar aroundthe area where your cat likes to pee. Its also possible to use coffee groundsinstead of vinegar, but this scent tends to linger.
- Routinely clean and moisturize your leather items to remove any debris andprevent cracking. Cracked leather allows urine to soak in farther than itnormally would, and this makes it harder to get the smell out.
You love your cat and your leather items, and these five ways on how to get cat urine out of leather ensure that your leather items will look and smell nice for years to come. You may want to try one first and work your way through the list if it doesnt work as well as youd like. Keep working at it, and youll eventually remove the urine smells and stains.
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Removing Cat Urine Smells From The Subflooring
Urine can often soak through the carpet and into the subflooring, leaving a stain and a stench that cant be lifted with carpet cleaner and elbow grease.
If you have pet odor that will not go away despite your best carpet-cleaning efforts, neutralize the scent by using an oil-based, stain-blocking primer on the subfloor beneath the carpeting. Replace the padding as well as that area of carpet.
Here a few easy steps you can take to remove the cat pee smell from a cushion.
1. Soak the Area in Water
Soak the affected area of the cushion with water. Blot up as much of the cat urine as possible with a towel.
2. Soak the Area With an Enzyme Cleaner
Then soak the cushion by very slowly, pouring the enzyme cleaner on and around the affected area.
3. Let It Sit Before Blotting With Towels
Let it sit for 15 minutes, then squish out as much of the excess enzyme cleaner as possible before blotting with towels.
4. Let the Cushion Dry
If possible, leave the cushion outside as long as possible while it dries. Since cushions take days to dry, lay aluminum foil down before putting the cushion back, then put a second layer of foil over the top of the cushion to discourage your cat from peeing on the cushion again.
Mattresses require almost the same process as cushions.
1. Soak the Area in Water
Soak the affected area of the mattress with water. Blot up as much of the cat urine as possible with a towel.
2. Soak the Area With Enzyme Cleaner
3. Let It Sit Before Blotting With Towels
5. Rewash
Skouts Honor Laundry Booster For Stains And Odors
Skouts Honor is designed to be used for spot treatment of stained and smelly fabrics before laundering. It can also be added to the wash through the bleach dispenser. Some people dont like the odor of Skouts Honor, but others say that goes away with an additional rinse cycle or wash.
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Still Cant Get Rid Of Cat Smell
Sometimes, you may not know exactly where an old cat smell is coming from. Sprinkling baking soda on several suspected areas, giving your home a good vacuum and cleaning your hardwood floors with vinegar and water may help you find the source.
If these DIY options dont remove cat smells, or if you cant find the affected area, you may need to hire a cleaning company.
In extreme cases where the odor has dispersed through the furnishings and even walls of a room, it may be necessary to bring in a professional to treat the area, Vance says.
Clean Up Cat Urine Stains Before They Smell Worse
As bad as cat pee initially smells, the longer that urine sits, the worse the stench becomes. The smell gets more concentrated over time, Dr. Kornreich says.
Additionally, once a urine stain dries, you may no longer see it, but you can still smell it, and so can your cat, leading him or her to mark that area again.
When it comes to cleaning up cat urine, many cat owners make the same mistakenot cleaning it up quickly enough, says Meg Roberts, president of Molly Maid, a residential cleaning company.
Several products can help neutralize cat pee odor, including vinegar or baking soda and enzymatic cleaners. Here are some options to help you get rid of the cat pee smell.
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