Where There is a Cat Pee Smell, There is a Solution to Get Rid of it

Whether your cute little kitty is litter trained or not, at some point, they will end up peeing outside of the box and that’s going to leave a smell (and possibly a stain, too). If cleaning up cat urine in your home is something you have mastered and yet, the pungent smell lingers, naught to worry, there are ways to get rid of cat pee odour quickly and efficiently. 

Some of the most common places where kittens or cats take a tinkle in the home include carpets/rugs, hard floors, mattresses, couches, and clothes/fabrics lying around. If you’ve been in any of these situations before, you already know that cleaning up the mess is not enough to get the smell out. Nevertheless, there are ways to achieve that, too, and that’s what we are here to help you with!

Read on to learn how to get rid of cat pee smell in your home with these very simple and effective solutions.

Hard Floors

Obviously, it is fairly easy to clean up cat pee from hard floors as compared to any porous material that absorbs the urine. That said, it is not uncommon for the odour to linger post-cleanup; hence, additional measures must be taken to get rid of it.

Here’s how to remove cat pee smell from hard flooring:

• If there is urine or dampness present on the surface, use paper towels to remove it.

• Measure 1-2 cups of cool water and mix in a squirt of dishwashing liquid. 

• Dampen a clean absorbent cloth in the solution (microfibre cloths work well for this), and wipe the floor thoroughly. 

• Dry the area immediately after using a dry cloth.

• Check for lingering odours and, if any, cover the affected area with sprinkles of baking soda. Allow the ingredient to sit on the surface for 30 minutes; this will give the powder a chance to absorb the unpleasant cat pee smell.

• Finish off by vacuuming or sweeping up the baking soda.

Carpets/Rugs

When you have to get rid of cat pee odour from carpets, the method used to clean it makes all the difference. Of course, you should also act fast to prevent the urine from soaking the carpet for too long which, in turn, gives the smell a chance to really set in.

Follow the steps below to clean cat pee from carpet and get rid of the smell:

• Use plenty of paper towels to soak up as much dampness as you can.

• Choose an enzyme carpet cleaning product as it will effectively break down the molecules present in cat urine.

• To apply the cleaning solution to the affected area, follow the instructions on the label.

• Once applied, place a sheet of plastic over the area and gently press down on it. This will help work the solution deeper into the carpet. Allow the plastic to cover the area for 15-20 minutes.

• If the product requires to be rinsed out, do so with a clean, dampened white towel. Simply wipe over the area repeatedly to remove the cleaning solution. 

• Once dry, check if the cat pee smell in your carpet has gone away; if not, repeat the steps above one more time.
• If that doesn't work, the smell may have leaked into the floor's substrate. You'll need to hire a professional carpet cleaner to do a deep steam clean of your carpets.

TIP: Vinegar is an effective natural alternative that can be used to get rid of cat urine odour in carpets. Simply mix the ingredient with cool water (1:4 ratio) and apply it to the carpet with a clean (white) microfibre cloth. 

Couch/Mattress

When your cat relieves itself on the couch or your bed, the nasty smell can last for days on end. This is particularly the case if the right measures have not been taken to clean up the cat pee from the couch or mattress.

For best results, follow the instructions below to rid couches and mattresses of cat pee odour:

• Blot the area with paper towels to dry it as much as possible.

• Pour undiluted white vinegar into a spray bottle and spritz the area enough so that the vinegar soaks into the material. Let it sit for 20 minutes; this will help neutralise the unpleasant smell.

• Clean the area further with an enzyme spray. Follow the directions on the bottle to do this.

• Allow the material to dry completely before checking for a lingering odour. 

• If there is still a faint smell coming from the affected area, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over it and leave it for 1-2 hours. Thereafter, vacuum up the powder, and the smell should be gone.

Clothes/Fabrics

If you’ve got kitty pee on your clothes or other fabrics, the first thing you want to do is soak it in a white vinegar-water solution to prevent staining, and the urine smell from setting in. About a cup of vinegar in half a bucket of cool water will suffice. After anywhere between 30 minutes and 1 hour of soaking, machine-wash the item separately in cool water using an enzyme-based laundry detergent. 

While this is typically enough to get rid of cat pee smell on clothes or fabrics, if the urine has dried up on the material, the smell and/or stain may not vanish after a single wash. Instead, consider pre-treating it with an enzyme stain remover, and then machine-wash the item 1-2 times. 

Remember, when you have pet cats, you have to be prepared for ‘accidents’ to happen. So, the next time you find that your cat has urinated outside of their litter box, you don’t have to panic because you now know the best ways to get rid of cat pee smell in your house!