How to get rid of cat pee smell from carpet, furniture and floors

Step by step: how to get rid of cat pee smell from carpet, furniture and floors

Safety first. Do not use bleach on urine: urine contains ammonia, and bleach plus ammonia can release toxic chloramine fumes. Never mix enzyme cleaners with bleach or other chemicals, which also destroys the enzymes.

1. 1

   Find every spot

   Sniff around corners, along walls, behind furniture and near doors and windows, then turn off the lights and scan with a UV black light. Dried urine glows yellow-green. Outline each spot with chalk or painter’s tape so you can find it with the lights on.

2. 2

   Blot fresh urine hard

   Lay a thick pad of paper towels over a wet spot with newspaper on top, then stand on it for about a minute. Replace the pad and repeat until the area is barely damp. Do not rub, which spreads urine deeper and wider.

3. 3

   Rinse with cool water

   Spray or pour a little cool water on the spot and blot it up again. This dilutes what is left so the enzyme cleaner can work on less. Use cool water, never hot: heat helps set the proteins in the urine.

4. 4

   Soak with an enzyme cleaner

   Pour enough enzyme cleaner to reach as deep as the urine went, which on carpet usually means the backing and pad, not just the surface. Leave it as long as the label says, often an hour or more, and keep pets off the spot.

5. 5

   Let it air dry slowly

   Blot off the excess and let the spot dry on its own, which can take a day. Some labels suggest covering it loosely with a towel so it dries slowly and the enzymes keep working. The smell may seem worse while wet and then fade as it dries.

6. 6

   Repeat on old and set-in spots

   Old stains often need two or three treatments. For large or old areas, rent a carpet extractor, use it with cool water, then apply enzyme cleaner again. If the smell returns every time, the pad or subfloor is soaked.

7. 7

   Wash bedding and fabrics

   Add a 1 lb box of baking soda to your regular detergent and wash as usual, then air dry if you can. If you can still smell it, wash again with an enzymatic laundry product before machine drying, because dryer heat can set the odor.

8. 8

   Make the spot unappealing and fix the cause

   Cover cleaned spots with foil, a plastic runner or furniture for a few weeks, or put the cat’s food bowl there. Scoop the litter box daily, and book a vet visit if this is new behavior.

Why is cat pee smell so hard to get rid of?

Because cat urine is concentrated, soaks below the surface and leaves residue that keeps releasing odor, especially when humidity rises or the spot gets wet again. Surface cleaners and fragrances do not reach or break down that residue.

Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States) recommends enzymatic cleaners because they break down pet waste odors, and warns against steam cleaning urine on carpet or upholstery, since the heat can permanently set the stain and odor by bonding the proteins into man-made fibers. It also says to avoid ammonia and vinegar, because strong chemical smells can encourage a pet to mark the spot again. The ASPCA makes the same point about ammonia: urine contains ammonia, so an ammonia cleaner can attract a cat back to the spot.

How to remove cat urine smell from each surface

The method is the same everywhere (blot, rinse, enzyme, dry), but how deep the urine goes, and what you can do about it, depends on the surface.

Humane World notes that when wood, paint or varnish is discolored, the finish has reacted with the acid in the urine and may need to be removed and replaced, and that once urine reaches the carpet padding you may need to replace parts of the carpet and pad.

Why is my cat peeing outside the litter box?

Often it is a medical problem, so a vet check comes first; after that, it is usually the box itself or stress. Cleaning will not stick until the reason is fixed.

Cornell’s Feline Health Center lists urinating outside the litter box among the common signs of lower urinary tract disease, along with straining, frequent trips, crying out and blood in the urine. It warns that a cat that strains and passes little or no urine may have a urethral obstruction, which is an emergency, particularly in male cats.

• The ASPCA recommends one litter box per cat plus one extra, scooped at least once a day and washed weekly with unscented soap or baking soda.
• Most cats prefer unscented, clumping litter about 1 to 2 inches deep, and large, easy-to-enter boxes in quiet spots.
• Spraying small amounts on walls and furniture is often marking, not a toilet problem; the ASPCA’s guide to urine marking covers causes such as unneutered cats and conflict with other cats.

Mistakes to avoid

• Cleaning with ammonia, which smells like urine to a cat and can bring it back to the same spot.
• Steam cleaning or using hot water, which sets urine proteins into the fibers.
• Spraying a thin mist of enzyme cleaner on top when the urine went into the pad.
• Mixing enzyme cleaner with bleach or other chemicals, which kills the enzymes and can make fumes.
• Putting a smelly item in the dryer before the odor is fully gone.
• Scolding the cat instead of checking for a medical cause and fixing the litter box setup.