Cat Urine Odor - How to Remove It
Odor Removal ProductsRemoving cat odor is practically impossible. The only way to completely get rid of it is by ripping up the carpet, sanding down the wood or getting rid of the furniture that has been saturated. The cat will keep on urinating in the same area if you do not get rid of the smell completely. But if you are looking for a quick way to cover up the smell, there are many.
Start by finding exactly where the deed has been done. If it is on hardwood or linoleum then you are in luck. By quickly responding to the problem you can cover up most of the smell. Wipe up what you can with a towel and then use your usual cleaner to deodorize the smell. On wood flooring the urine can sometimes rot the wood, so be careful and make sure you clean it thoroughly.
However, if your cat made it to the carpet or your favorite couch you have a lot of work to do. Start by dabbing up the mess with a towel. For carpet put your entire weight on the floor to try and get all the urine out of it. The best towels to use are cloth towels, the paper towels do not quite cut it and tend to be messy. If you have any cloth diapers, they work the best.
Next you should use baking soda and coat the entire area with it. Any type of powdered odor remover would work fine as well. Sometimes it helps to have the fragrance ones to try and cover up the smell a bit more. Once you have left the baking soda or other powdered cleaner for a couple hours, vacuum it up. Do the same process for any cushions involved in the fiasco.
Now for the deodorizing process, open all your windows and turn on the fans. Point the fans towards your open windows. If you have an ionizer, or several of the bathroom ones, plug them all in the room that has been affected by the smell of urine. Start digging out your candles and light as many as possible. The best scents to cover the smell are pine and citrus. These are both effective at covering the scent and making your home smell nice.
Now pull out your stain remover and odor removing products. Spray on the affected area and allow to sit for several hours. This will make sure they will break down the cat urine and help prepare for long term deodorizing. For the short term, and if you are preparing for guests, throw a decorative towel or cloth over the smell. If this still does not cut it for your guests then put something else decorative over the towel.
For long term removal of the smell, life gets a lot more difficult. Cat urine has a tendency to stick around and if you do not completely get rid of the smell then the cat will urinate in the same spot until the smell is entirely gone. To avoid this you will have to do some major cleaning. Also start looking as to why the cat is deciding to urinate inside at this point.
Have you provided a private place where you allow your cat to go? Did you accidentally leave it inside too long without letting it out? Or is this a regular occurrence that needs to be taken care of before it gets worse. A good mixture of taking care of and preventing these types of accidents will keep you safe for a while. Eventually you might have to take out sections of carpet or hardwood if you let the problem get too far.
Pamella Neely writes about crate training puppies. Her site offers a free crate training schedule.