Cats are beloved pets, but they sometimes urinate in places they shouldn't.
Along with the companionship cats give their owners, they sometimes leave a more unwelcome notice of their presence by urinating where they shouldn't. Cat urine smell is a strong odor that can be difficult for pet owners to eliminate. If owners do not catch urine spots early, the smell can spread throughout the house as the stain sets. Simply blotting and rinsing with water does not always eliminate the odor, and many store-bought cleaning products replace the urine smell with the unwanted product odor. Experts have several tips for getting rid of that pesky urine odor.
Instructions
Clean Fresh Stains
1. Place paper towels on a fresh cat urine spot and stand on it to absorb the urine, as the Cats of Australia website recommends. Repeat until towels remain dry and the spot is eliminated.
2. Rinse the area with water and vinegar. The website Cat World recommends mixing one part vinegar with two parts warm water and spraying the area. Allow the area to dry, blotting with paper towels if necessary.
3. Sprinkle a handful of baking soda over the area.
4. Make a mixture of a 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide and one tsp. liquid dishwashing soap for hand washing dishes. Apply to the area and work it into the carpet with a brush, paper towels or your hands while wearing rubber gloves. Allow the area to dry.
5. Vacuum the area once it is dry.
Find Old Stains
6. Use a black light to find old urine stains that haven't been cleaned. The Cat Site recommends a black light that has a fluorescent tube. At night, turn off the lights and shine the black light along the walls and furniture. It will make cat urine glow.
7. Outline the soiled area in chalk, as the Humane Society recommends. This will help you spot them again after you turn the lights on again.
8. Rinse set stains thoroughly with water and blot with paper towels. The Humane Society suggests using a wet vac to push fresh water into the carpet and extract dirty water. Use only water with a wet vac---no chemical products.
9. Apply a pet odor neutralizer to the area. These are specially formulated to counteract the odor of pet urine. They are sold in most pet stores.
Tags: paper towels, black light, with water, Allow area, Humane Society, into carpet