How To Remove Cat Urine Odor

How to remove cat urine odor is a popular question among new cat owners. Cat urine odor is particularly strong and can be very offensive. Cat urine is also difficult to clean so knowing the proper steps to completely clean it is important. Some products will only mask the odor until it becomes damp again and becomes a problem once more. Here is some information that will help you clean up cat urine and the smell that is accompanied by it.

Feline odor is particularly offensive because of the enzymes it contains and the formulation of crystals on the surface cats spray on. The pet urine dries, forming these crystals, and can be difficult to remove. Many products like Lysol and Febreeze may mask the odor, but they wont completely remove the cat urine odor. As soon as the soiled spot becomes damp, the odor will return. Here is how to remove cat urine odor completely.

Items needed:

• Clean Dry Cloths or paper towels.
• Cat urine cleaners. (Store-bought or homemade –see below.)
• Warm water

Steps for cleaning cat urine and removing cat urine smell from hardwood floors:

1. Soak up the cat urine with a clean dry cloth. Paper towels will also work, and the best for absorbing up cat urine is baby diapers. Cat urine will soak up better when wet so the quicker you can get to the spot the better. It can also stain hardwood floors if not cleaned promptly. If the cat urine has already dried, soak it with some warm water and then use the clean dry cloth to soak it up.
2. Using a clean warm, damp cloth, wipe down the wood to remove any added cat urine. After this, blot the wood dry with a clean dry cloth.
3. Removing the cat urine requires the enzymes to be broken down. This can be done with a variety of cleaners from store-bought cleaners specially formulated for cat urine or homemade products. Three popular products that can be found in the home for cleaning cat urine are; hydrogen peroxide and water, hand soap and a teaspoon of baking soda, or diluted white vinegar. (30% to 50% dilution)
4. Spray the chosen cleanser onto the urine spot and let sit for three to five minutes.
5. Using a warm, damp cloth, wipe down the spot to remove any residual cat urine and then blot dry.

Tips for hardwood floor cleaning:

1. Test the chosen cleanser on an inconspicuous spot before using. It is better to test it than find out if it will damage or discolor the hardwood floor.
2. Always blot, do not rub the cat urine spot. Rubbing can spread the spot around over a larger area.

Carpets are another popular target for cats to spray. Cleaning cat urine odor from carpets can be additionally tough because the urine can soak into the fibers and padding causing mold to go along with the cat urine smell. The process for cleaning cat urine from carpets is similar to hardwood floor with a few variances.

1. Blot the spot dry until you can hold the dry cloth on the spot for about 30 seconds and it comes up dry. This ensures you get most of the urine up from the carpet.
2. It is suggested using a store-bought cleaning agent designed to break down the enzymes in cat urine for cleaning carpets. You can try the aforementioned cleansers but they may not work as well on carpet.
3. Blot the spot again with a warm damp cloth and apply some pressure to the spot. Blot dry again with a clean damp cloth.

• Tips for carpet:
• For carpets it may be necessary to repeat the cleaning steps two or three times to make sure all the cat urine is removed or the pet odor can return.

Removing cat urine odor can be a simple process when done as quickly as possible and completely. Using the above steps can help insure that the cat urine odor does not linger in your pad for long.