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As a cat lover we always tend to talk about the wonderful side of these crazy animals but there is another side that needs to be addressed also. Cat Urine. It is not pleasant and when you smell it, the only thing you want to do is find a way to get rid of it.
In 2017, our male cat Franklin (1 1/2 years old at the time) decided to show his displeasure at us having the audacity to add another dog to the house (sarcasm noted) by spraying.
I found this post I wrote then and decided to update it since Frankie is spraying again because we had a house remodel.
He started by spraying around his litter box and proceeded to hit every single room in our house over a period of about a month.
The first thing I did was take him to the vet to make sure nothing was wrong. The vet said it was common for this to happen when animals are trying to exert their position in the “pack”. He said having him neutered would also help so I scheduled his procedure for the very next week.
In the meantime, I needed to get this cat pee smell out of my house!
First, you need to make sure you know where the spots are and how big of an area is affected. To do this, I used a black light flashlight I purchased from Amazon.
Let’s face it, the damn pee goes everywhere when they spray! Aside from finding it on my curtains I also found it up the wall, on my computer monitor, on my clothes, on our dressers – it was everywhere….grrrrr. The flashlight was a huge help by lighting up all of pee in a fluorescent purple color so I knew where it started and stopped.
Once I isolated the locations and removed any items I did not feel were salvageable, I was ready to get started on the cleaning.
I shampooed the rugs with Nature’s Miracle Advanced Carpet Cleaner, washed the curtains and clothing, and wiped down the walls and computer equipment with Lysol wipes – no luck. It still smelled.
So, I did what I do best and that is I researched the death out of the issue. I knew I had until his surgery day to come up with a solution because that was the day I was ripping the house apart.
It took 6 different items but I finally have succeeded in removing the smell.
Let me tell you about the products that worked for me and how to use them (on carpet).
- Baking Soda ($2 a box or so depending on the size)
Yes, plain old baking soda. Sprinkle it on the affected area until it is lightly covered. I then took a broom and brushed it in so the baking soda went down into the rug.
- Vinegar ($1 a bottle or so depending on size)
Regular white vinegar. I put it in a spray bottle and saturated the affected area. You should hear a little buzz as the baking soda and vinegar mix and work together if you have enough on.
Now, wait until it is dry. It took about 30 minutes. Vacuum up the baking soda/vinegar mix.
- Nature’s Miracle Urine Destroyer for Cats ($4 – $15 a bottle depending on where you buy it)
Amazon has the best price on this by about $10 a bottle but it’s also available at PetSmart and other retailers. Make sure you buy the bottle that says “Just For Cats”. It has a lovely, clean smell and you squirt it onto the affected area and about 3-5 inches beyond. Just like any liquid, urine spreads so you need to treat the spot and a little more to make sure you get to all of it. Let it soak in for at least 10 minutes.
- Carpet Miracle by Sunny and Honey ($19.99 a bottle depending on size)
This is only sold on Amazon and it is the BEST carpet cleaner for pet stains and odors. It does tackle cat urine well but using it with all of the other items sealed the deal. I put some of this in a spray bottle and pre-treated all the affected areas by letting it sit on them for 10 minutes.
Then, I filled up my carpet cleaner with it and went to town, cleaning and scrubbing, rinsing and then going back and treating the worst areas again.
The company also provides a short video on how to clean your carpet for the best results: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VXpRdmMQ9M
- Skout’s Honor Professional Strength, Stain & Odor Severe Mess ($12 – $25 a bottle depending on where you buy it)
Once everything dried I went back and sprayed this lovely new, all natural product over the affected areas. I even used it to clean the monitor and laptop he sprayed with complete success. It took me 3 times of spraying it and letting it dry before the odor was completely gone but I had tried everything else and nothing was even coming close to touching the odor.
You can purchase this at Amazon but I found the best price for it was at my local Pet Valu.
- Mrs. Meyer’s Basil Multi-Purpose Cleaner (About $4 a bottle)
This has the best smell! Even my son loved it and asked that his room be cleaned with it. I used this to clean the walls and it worked great – much better than Lysol.
I bought my bottle at Target but Amazon has it as well as many other online sites and organic grocery stores.
Yes, it was a lot of work but much cheaper than replacing all of the carpet or having the house professionally cleaned
TIP: It is VERY common for the chemical in the urine to break down further, even after cleaning and a diluted cat pee smell may appear a few days later. Just spray it with the Skout’s Honor and it will go away for good.
It has been two weeks and the smell is completely gone! I hope this helps someone else out there who needs it 🙂
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