Comments on How to Remove Cat Urine From Carpet

I poured white vinegar and baking soda on the urine stain. I then went back to the computer and forgot about it all until the next day. The smell was gone! Later, I washed the area with an enzyme detergent, just for added assurance. Last night, suddenly my bedroom had a strong cat urine smell! Awful. Found that my tom's coat was wet w/urine; don't know how that could have happened. So he was sprayed w/OdoCide. Then the carpet was sprayed, just to be sure. Febreze has 'Laundry Odor Eliminator' a concentrate. Using the guide of how much to add to a full load of laundry, it was diluted then used in a spray bottle. It was sprayed all over any place that had a hint of urine smell. Between the two, my home now smells nice. The OdoCide also erases the odor of skunk on a pet's fur. Dollar General also has their version of Febreze which works, too.

I used almost every product on the market for cat urine in carpets. Nothing for pets worked. Then I found Bissell Fabric Refresher as a quick fix to get rid of the smell. Also, No-Go! Housebreaking Aid stops cats from re-urinating in the same places.

I have two cats. One who likes to go outside the box (so to speak). I do keep Petzyme or Nature's Miracle on hand to treat brand new soiling, but they do not work well on old stains. Keep it simple and cheap. The best treatments for cleaning and neutralizing cat urine and its odor are a vinegar and water solution, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda. There's nothing better. For carpeting: apply a vinegar and water solution to the entire soiled area. Buy a black light to see the spots if you're not sure. Soak it, blot it, and then let it dry completely. Afterward, apply baking soda liberally. Rub it into the carpet. Let it sit for a day or two. Vacuum it up and throw away the bag. If some smell is still present, repeat the process. By the second time around, you should have it taken care of. On smooth surfaces: First a vinegar and water solution, then hydrogen peroxide. Again, it neutralizes the odor. I disagree with the tip on using bleach. Yes, it helps neutralize the odor but it also creates mustard gas (bleach+ammonia in cat pee does not mix)! Please, do not do this. Or if you do, as the poster recommended, run like heck or you will be overcome.

I like the tips about Nature's Miracle, the fluorescent black light, and rubbing alcohol. What I have found prevents the problem from soaking into the carpet is purchasing plastic runners. I purchased a length of clear thick plastic carpet runners with pointy nubs to hold them in place from Orchard Hardware and Garden. I bought an excessive length and cut it up so the runner was much larger than the litterbox itself. My cat has his "accidents" in predictable places (i.e. around the litterbox despite my purchasing a box with high sides - BoodaBox) so his accidents land on plastic runner instead of the carpet. Much easier to clean. When he goes outside the box, I simply use a paper towel to pick up solid waste before sponging the rest up and I use papertowels and/or newspaper to sop up liquid waste before sponging it up. Then, when I wash and change the litterbox, I throw the runners in the washing machine with laundry detergent and bleach. Works wonders!

I have a cat and a dog, both of whom are indoors and like to have "accidents." It was so bad that the concrete underneath was stained. I had to tear up the whole carpet around the stain and throw it away

This stuff is a miracle with cat urine. Make a strong mix, according to the instructions. After blotting the urine, saturate with the OxyClean solution. Blot the area immediately. Repeat the process, but let it sit longer (2-3 minutes). Blot the area again. Do a sniff test. If a strong ammonia smell is still present, then repeat the process.

We have a cat that has a problem with spraying. My roommate bought No-Go from Petco and we sprayed it everywhere our cat sprayed. It completely stopped him from spraying. Then to get rid of the odor and stains we purchase Urine B Gone, which is amazing. It comes with a blacklight and you shine it on the floor and spray wherever it's glowing, it's incredible. Keep in mind it picks up any form of fluids - sweat, saliva, etc., so not all the glowing areas are kitty's fault. Good luck!

I used to work as a secretary for a major cleaning company, so I know what cat owners are facing when they have problem kitties. I grew up having cats, but I never had a big problem until recently. One of my cats urinated on the carpet. She had done it as a kitten and there was one spot where it had gone through. Foolishly, I saw the one spot where it had soaked through when she was a baby, but I had no time to deal with it because they were taking out the old carpet to put in the new stuff! Anyway, she re-offended and was it smelly! I tried Nature's Miracle Just For Cats. I think perhaps there was some old urine there. The stain on the flooring disappeared, but the odor remained. Then I applied the product to the carpet. While it was drying the odor permeated the whole apartment. I sealed the floor with KILZ, removed the smelly pad, but the carpet still smelled. I had to have a piece of carpet replaced with some leftover carpet from when the new carpet was installed. I also got some Scat Mats, a plastic mat that delivers a harmless static-electricity-type shock to the cat's feet. She also takes amitriptyline (Elavil) but I am going to see if I can wean her off it. Also I have Feliway Plug-Ins -- it can't hurt! I took the lid off her covered litter box and replaced it with a rim. I also clean the litter box every day, religiously! I think these plans might work. The main point here is that I had to take out the offending area and replace it with new pad and carpet, plus seal the floor. Good luck, everyone.

Hey, and so does dog pee. I have found a wonderful product, though, that gets up any smell wonderfully. It is called "Petzyme," and it is available at Petsmart for about $11/gallon. Soak up pee, use pet stain remover, let dry. Drench stain with that Petzyme, and watch the smell just disappear!!

First I clean up the urine stain with a strong carpet cleaner. Then I cover the stain with white vinegar. It neutralizes the odor.

I got this idea from a vet on TV. She said cat urine has fat in it. After blotting, soak the area with rubbing alcohol to break down the fat in the urine, then wash with an enzyme cleaner. This really works! AND the cat will not go back to the same spot.

Use a wet/dry vac! Soak area w/solution of water and small amount of laundry detergent, then vacuum up. Rinse w/water and vac up again. Repeat if needed. Apply Nature's Miracle. If odor is there 2 weeks later, repeat process. Don't get rid of the cat!

I agree that the product called "Nature's Miracle" is a miracle. It sometimes takes 1 or 2 applications, but I swear by the product. I also soak my litter pans in it when I empty all the litter from them. Makes a great airfreshener, too!

Enzyme cleaners sold at a pet store work great - but make sure you cover the carpet with plastic for 48 hours to keep the carpet wet. It takes that long for the enzymes to do their job. It will smell until you remove the plastic and the carpet dries.

My cat has been hitting the same spot for a while. I tried everything out there and found Oxi Clean was the only product that removed the stains.

Listerine will remove some of the smell.

"Nature's Miracle," while not cheap, works on removing the smell, the stain and the possibility of that particular spot being "hit" again. The cleaner is available in most pet supply stores.

Q. How do I find Urine's location in my carpetting? A. Finding urine's locationin carpetting is esential. Cats will generally urinate along the baseboard of a wall forming a parimeter in a room they feel is their territory. Dogs urine behavior is more gender related. Male dogs mark exterior corners while female dogs urinate in high traffic lanes of the carpet. Q. How come everything I've tried never seems to work? A. Few, if any over the counter pet urine removal products work because they lack the proper chemistry and ph to effectively NEUTRALIZE the alkaline compounds found in old urine. When cleaning carpets, dirt grease and grime are all acidic and so all cleaning agents are usually alkaline. Urine on the other hand, is alkaline in nature so alkaline cleaning agents makes the problem worse! To remove urine, you have to first neutralize the high alkaline ph with a carpet safe acid based detergent. White vinegar is a medium strength acid which can be added to most other pet products. Since urine usually goes deep into a carpet padding, thorough saturation of the area may be necessary to obtain satisfactory results. Before you decide to saturate or flood a given area of the carpet there are several things to consider. Will I cause secondary water damage creating a catastrophe? Posibly, however you can controll and reduce the liklihood of this happening if you follow these important precautions. First, what is the subfloor constructed of? Concrete / plywood / particle board ? In many cases the urine saturation itself either has or will cause more damage or swelling to a wood floor than removing the urine will. Getting it out may be the lesser of the two evils anyhow. Second, How powerful is the wet vac extraction system? Can it vacume water through a 1-2 inch thick stack of bath towels? That's thicker than any carpet/padding I've seen! Third, if you apply a limitted amount of cleaning solution (1/2 gal) at a time, odds are you'll be safe. Sucessively apply (pouring directly onto the carpet , extracting moisture with the hose cuff of your shop vac and reapplying , in succession until the full area has been treated. Walking or stepping up and down on a saturated cleaning area agitates the padding for more thorough results. Adding a strong airfreshener deodorizer to a final rinse can aid in deodorizing the odors. Once completed, rapid drying (24-36 hrs max) is critical in preventing structural subfloor dammage as well as the regrowth of odor causing bacteria colonies. Using BOTH a dehumidifier and a fan to dry the carpets will produce the best results. Many professional carpet cleaning services can also be called upon to do all of this work professionally.In my experience, about 1 in 10 residential cleaning jobs have significant urine contamination problems. If you decide to go that route, here's a few tips since I probably don't service your state! Make sure that the technician coming to your house is reputable. Unscroupilous carpet cleaners may charge $300.00-$600.00 extra for phony procedures that don't work. One of the most common examples of this is called the live bacteria injection process where a cattle syringe is used to inject worthless high priced cleaning products into the carpet padding. Once that fails they usually proceed to go further by removing and replacing the pad itself for another $300.00-$600.00 extra. Also, companies who use portable cleaning equipment caried into the house should not be comsidered for the job.All portable electric carpet cleaning equipment have less power than an ordinary household shop vac. Alternative equipment called "Truck Mounted" where the equipment is permenantly mounted inside a van and either powered by it's own 25hp engine or the v8 engine of the van has over 1,000 times the power of electric equipment. Although independent companies sometimes offer more eqperienced technicians, most national franchise companies in the pro cleaning business only use such "Truck Mounted" or "Van Powered" equipment. Listen carefully to what their procedure is for removing the urine and why they feel that way. Don't be afraid to talk to atleast 4 companies before chosing one. Companies that claim they need to see the job before they can comment or estimate aproximate costs may sometimes be using the tactic to get their foot in the door where, once inside may use very agressive face to face sales tactics you may find difficult to deal with. Theoretically, if one in ten customers have some form of pet problems, any seasoned pro should be able to give the information you're requesting, right?

I first used a black light to verify the locations of the cat's urine spray. I tried Odor Gun (available at auto parts stores and made by MEDO). It worked pretty good and had no scent of its own. I tried vinegar. This helped quite a bit, but left a strong vinegar odor. Then I found OUT - Cat Spray and Urine Stain and Odor Remover at WalMart. A 24 ounce spray bottle was less than $4.00. It was very effective. It left a nice, light pleasant smell, fast acting, and safe for carpets and fabrics. It was well worth the try. I did not feel like tearing up the carpet.

There is nothing worse than an elderly cat urinating on the carpet. One thing that comes close is the products that cover-up the smell but don't take it away. Enzymatic sprays just are not satisfactory. Of all the recommended commercial products listed on the Internet, (I've tried them) diluting Urine-Off and pouring it on the stain was the best (but still not satisfactory). When the powerful perfume smell dissipated after 2 days, you couldn't smell urine unless you got down on your knees or the room had been closed. That's the best you can buy, in my view. The following has been the best for me: 1) Blot up the wet pee. 2) Take a milk jug, mix up 32 ounces fresh hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 cup baking soda and a teaspoon (or less) of liquid soap. Mix and immediately pour it on the spot (the chemical reaction quits after 20 minutes). 3) With your shoes on, squish the liquid into the pad and brush it around the carpet fibers. Let sit for 15-20 minutes. If any liquid is to get into the carpet, it should be this first. It goes where the urine goes and attacks the spreading odor. That's why I would not pull out the Bissell as the first line of defense. 4) Rub off the spot with lots of paper towels and absorb excess liquid. 5) Bissell the area using hot water. Let the spot dry. If the odor is not reduced, try it again. 6) Use No Stay! by Pet Organics for a minty freshness that keeps cats away.

To treat cat urine that has soaked through the carpet into the padding, you have to reach the padding. A regular steam cleaning will not do the trick, it only cleans the surface. This is what works for me, every time, even on the worst spots: 1) Break up the urine: Mix a solution of warm (not hot) water and Shout laundry treatment in a bucket. Shout contains enzymes which break down the urine and makes it easier to physically remove. Pour the mix liberally over the area, until it is thoroughly soaked through to the padding. Place a garbage bag over the spot, and walk on it for a minute or two - to work the solution well into the padding. Smooth the bag down and leave it overnight. Remove the bag and use a steam cleaner to remove as much liquid as possible. Tip: applying extra weight to the top of the steam cleaner with your foot helps it to get better suction and remove more liquid. 2) Lather, rinse and repeat: Drench the area with a solution of hot water and carpet cleaner. Place a bag over the area, work the solution into the area with feet. Remove the bag, and remove as much liquid as possible with a steam cleaner. Repeat until the water removed by the steam cleaner is no longer yellow, and then do it one more time! 3) Deodorize and disinfect: Repeat step #3 with a solution of cool water and Odor Ban. This product is available at Sam's Wholesale Club and on the Internet, and beats every other product I've used hands-down. If you can't get it, use another product or combination of products that have both deodorizing (to combat traces of odor) and disinfecting (to prevent the padding from rotting as it dries) properties. 4) Dry: Place a fan to blow over the area. It will take a couple of days for the carpet and padding to dry fully. Once dry, urine odor will be gone.

The washing detergent Bio-zet, is non ammonia based. It was recommended to me by a veterinarian, to prevent cats from peeing in the same spot. I use this to mop my floors and to clean my carpets. I haven't had to worry about little accidents since using Bio-zet. You can buy this at your local supermarket.

Get some color safe bleach, mix 1 part bleach to 10 parts water, spray on soiled areas, let sit for at least an hour, then either wet vacuum the liquid up or dab it with paper towels. It's the bacteria that smells, and you need to kill that. Bleach is the only way, and color safe won't hurt the carpets like regular bleach. This doesn't get the stain out very well, but the odor is gone for good.

I had really good luck using urine-off, instead of spraying it on the carpet, I bought a turkey injector [a big syringe], put the urine-off in the syringe and "injected" it into the carpet, therefore, going all the way to the pad. I made sure I covered enough of area so there was no doubt that I got all the urine. I put a plastic bag over the area, loosely, just so the cat wouldn't pee on the area again and gave it a chance to to dry. A few days later, after it was all dry, I sprinkled some Arm & Hammer pet deoderizer down, waited a half an hour, then vacuumed. I cannot tell you how pleased I was !!

The best agents for cat pee odor and stain removal that I've found were also the cheapest. Water(if you don't have this at least, you are doomed), baking soda (I use the biggest box I can find for the least amount of money), vinegar(they sell store brand white vinegar at the grocery store in gallon jugs), and 20 Mule Team Borax (found in Walmarts, Dollar Generals, and occassionally in grocery stores). All three are no more than $3 in bulk amounts and the water you have already. The borax doesn't have to be the same, but I have yet to run across another brand name that comes in two and four pound boxes. Wet the stained area. Put a mix of Borax and baking soda directly on the spot. You want two parts Borax to one part baking soda. Then wet them with half and half vingar and water. Cover it with a towel. Leave it for an hour or two. Use the towel to soak up any left over water, then vacuum. It works wonders on the smell, the stain and the cats don't go there again. The baking soda and the vinegar won't hurt anything, but when you use the Borax, keep the pet away. Borax is harmless in small quantities but it absorbes moisture, which means if it gets in the pet's eyes or nose, it will cause damage. This is why Borax is also a great cure for fleas and roaches too. I have three indoor/outdoor cats, all males. They brought fleas. Fleas lived in my rug. During one summer, it got to the point where you could not walk through my living room without five of them biting you on the legs. I just threw the kitties ouside, dusted my entire carpet with Borax and left it for a day. I then vaccumed. Get the cats bathed, treated, etc. Repeat this once a week for a month. You have to repeat this because fleas lay eggs and those eggs will not be affected by the borax until they hatch, which is about every two weeks. It prevents the new ones from living long enough to leave more eggs to hatch. In a house that had a huge roach problem in the kitchen, I emptied half a four pound box of Borax inside an empty cabinet that I think they used as their home base. I saw about 100 of them running about in there. I left it alone for a week, and when I came back to it later, there wasn't even one live roach in the entire house. I felt like a great conquerer.