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How to Detect and Clean Cat Urine on Carpet

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We have all been there. You’ve just brought home your new kitten, and it has decided to use your carpet as a litter box. You quickly find out that the smell of cat pee is not nearly as cute as the little ball of fluff you’ve just gotten.

There are many ways to get rid of cat urine odor from carpets, but here are a few methods that have proven to be most effective: If you have a pet at home and have faced this issue, don't panic. There are many ways to get rid of the odorous smell.

1. Clean up the mess

Pick up all the pieces of urine soaked furniture and bedding. Launder them as soon as possible to get rid of the urine odor. Make sure that you use a detergent with bleach if available. If not, you can replace it with hydrogen peroxide or vinegar to remove any residual bacteria that may lead to bad odors in the future.

2. Use baking soda

Just place a bowl of baking soda in the room where your cat pees on carpet and wait for 12 hours before vacuum up or sweep away it out from carpet area. This is an effective way to absorbe it.

3. High-quality enzymatic cleaner

The best way to get rid of the smell of cat pee is to use a high-quality enzymatic cleaner. These cleaners will work to remove any kind of odor from the carpet and make it smell nice again. Also, if you can't find the specific type of cleaner that you need, you can make it yourself with household items!

Cats are natural predators and hunters. They've got an amazing sense of smell which is the number one reason why they can find their way back home from anywhere. But sometimes, that amazing sense of smell can come with a downside - like when they use a litter box and leave behind an unpleasant odor.

We have to keep in mind that cats' senses of smell are much stronger than our own, so don't be surprised if you can't even detect the cat urine odor. That means it could be time for you to do something about it! In order to get rid of this cat pee smell, you need to break down the components that make up the urine and eliminate them from your home.

A cat's urine contains two substances, amines and phenols, that are associated with a foul smell. In the US, more than 50% of homes contain at least one pet.

Cats are territorial animals and use their urine to mark their territory; they often spray it on furniture or plants as well as walls and floors. When cats feel threatened or frightened, they often urinate to defend themselves. Cats that have outdoor access can leave the house smelling like ammonia due to an accumulation of bacteria in their urine over time.\

Some other techniques that can help

First off all one needs to clean the area thoroughly with soap and water in order to remove any residual cat pee smell from the area.

Pet odor eliminator or carpet deodorizer

There are a number of ways to get rid of the smell of cat pee. One way is to use a pet odor eliminator or carpet deodorizer. These products will not only provide a long-term solution for the problem, but will also cover up any lingering odors until the cat urinates in that spot again. If you want to go with a more natural option, you can try baking soda. Simply sprinkle some on top of any urine spot, wait 30 minutes and then vacuum it up. Finally, if you don't want to spend money on anything at all, then vinegar is another viable option. Simply pour some onto any urine spots and let it sit for 10-15 minutes before cleaning up with soap and water.

Having a household cat can truly be nerve-wracking especially when you always have to take care of its mess around the house. With its unpleasant odor, cat urine not only spreads the foul smell but also affects your hygiene. While many cats tend to urinate almost anywhere, most of them love to do it on the carpet because of its texture. It is best to know how to detect cat urine on carpet before its odor ruin your day. With the use of a simple tool known as ultraviolet (UV) black light, you can track where your cat has shown misbehavior.

Cover the room in darkness

The ultraviolet light detects the stains caused by cat urine by means of showing you fluorescent spots. In order to see clearly if your carpet has cat urine stains, you need to cover the room in darkness. The best time of the day is nighttime when you can make sure that darkness will be filled in the room. Do not forget to turn off all of the lights in the room and draw the curtains on your window to prevent any outside lights from coming in. In a very dark room, you will easily spot any cat urine stain whether old or new.

Look for glowing colors

Upon scanning the entire carpet, you will notice glowing colors that let you know where the cat urine stains are. Stains that have already dried up and old enough to be neglected will display a bright green mark. On the other hand, those stains that are just new will show a bright yellow mark.

Mark the spots

Whenever a glowing color appears on the carpet, be sure to mark it. One easy way to do this is to place a scrap paper on every spot where there appears to be cat urine stain. Encircle the perimeter of the spot may also be done with the use of a white chalk.

Clean the urine stains

After carefully assessing the damage on your carpet, the next step is to remove the urine stains by cleaning them. Basically, you need an enzyme-based pet stain remover. To ensure the cleanliness of your carpet, carpeting must be done as well as steam cleaning. However, if the old cat urine stains have always been saturated, there may be a need to take away that area of the carpet. Worst scenario is to remove the entire carpeting and replace it with a new one.

In order to minimize, or even let go, the chances of having your cats urinate on the carpet, be more vigilant on taking care of them especially when it comes to hygiene.

How To Remove Cat Urine From Carpet... Quickly And Easily! (a funny and real story!)

Yet another cat-related nightmare! This time it's a lady who lives in Tehachapi, California. She had just finished a real estate seminar and was on her way home when she stopped to have a cup of coffee at a local Tim's Restaurant. After her coffee, she walked back to her car which was parked in the restaurant's parking lot.

As she got to her car, she noticed a strange smell. When she got into her car, she discovered that the smell was coming from the upholstery. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "There's cat urine all over the car! I'll never be able to live with myself again! I've always been so careful about my car. It is one of the few possessions I have that is absolutely, 100%'mine'."

She called her husband right away and told him what had happened. Then she called her real estate friend, Nancy Jones, who lives near Tehachapi, and asked her if she knew anyone who might remove the cat urine from her car. "Oh Lordy!" Nancy exclaimed. "I know just the guy. He's a good friend of mine.".

Other alternatives to clean cat urine

Cats are lovable creatures that make faithful pets to a great number of people. Unfortunately, as many cat owners may already well know, cats tend to urinate in different areas of the house. While it is no real problem when a cat urinates on marbled, tiled or stone floors, it may become an issue when it urinates on a rug or carpet. If not treated properly, cat urine can permanently stain carpets or rugs, leaving incredibly unsightly marks and perhaps even persisting odours all over one’s house. If one wants to keep a pet cat around, it is necessary that one learns how to clean cat urine no matter how tiresome or difficult it may seem.

By following these easy-to-do steps, one will surely be able to overcome the problem of how to effectively do that. First, it is important to note that the longer cat urine has been on a surface, the more time it has to really soak in and create a permanent stain. Therefore, when one sees some cat urine on the floor, one must get to the task of cleaning it right away.

Before anything, one must soak up the liquid. Using some rags or paper towels, soak up the cat urine by placing them on top of the liquid and carefully pressing them down. In order to avoid the risk of letting the cat urine get on your hands or feet, use rubber gloves or slippers when doing this. The next step involves a good vinegar and water solution. Vinegar is a key ingredient here as it is an excellent natural solvent as well as bacteria killer. Three parts water to one part vinegar is usually an adequate ratio. Pour the solution on top the stained area and let it settle in for about 5 minutes.

Important note

When the vinegar and water solution has properly settled in, using a hard brush to scrub away at the area.

In order to get rid of the smell of the cat urine and the vinegar and water solution, some baking soda will come in handy. Sprinkle an ample amount on top the surface and let the odours be absorbed. After a good 20 to 30 minutes of waiting, pat the surface with a clean damp rag or paper towel then leave it to dry. If desired, an electric fan can be used to hasten the drying process.

Now one can easily and effectively clean urine off the rug or carpet. Regardless, one should know that the best way to keep a carpet or rug clean is to keep it completely urine free. If one can train one’s cat or other pets to urinate outside or in a litter box, it would save one a lot of time and effort.

Caution

1. It is highly recommended that you perform a small spot test in an inconspicuous area before proceeding with the above recipe.

2. Do not use Hydrogen Peroxide that is higher in concentrate than 3%. Bleaching may occur on some carpets with a stronger solution. Read the label on the Hydrogen Peroxide carefully. The label will state the strength. Use only 3% Hydrogen Peroxide.

3. Pet Urine may alter the chemical nature of dyes in some carpets causing discoloration, bleaching or dye run.

Home made urine removers

• White vinegar is a time tried and proven ingredient that aids in removing both urine stains and the odour. Combine one part distilled white vinegar to two parts warm water to create a spray. Remove as much urine/spray as you can using a paper towels. Mist vinegar spray over areas of cat urine and rub with a paper towel. An alternative method is to mix the solution in a bucket and dip a clean cloth into the liquid. Rub the stain with the vinegar solution. After the vinegar dries, wipe away both solution and stain with warm water.

• Another simple to make spray uses 15 ounces of hydrogen peroxide, two tablespoons of baking soda, and two squirts of liquid hand soap. Mix in a plastic container with a plastic spoon. Discard after use. Apply this solution to cat urine stains or odour areas, and then rinse away with warm water.

• Many cat owners and breeders use in Australia with great success is Bio-Zet, which is an enzymatic clothes laundry detergent. If you have washable cushions or the cat has urinated on your clothes this is a product you may want to try also.

Clean cat urine

1) Trying to remove the smell of Cat Urine from furniture and carpets can be difficult. Have you have tried most of the sprays and cleaning products you can buy in regular supermarkets and pet stores, but nothing seems to work? Let me show you a simple formula you can make at home for cleaning away cat urine odor and stains from your furniture and carpets.

2) I know what it’s like. You come home from work, open the door and the stale urine odor hits you in the face. I have had this problem in the past, but it was only a couple of days before I decided something had to be done. I wasn’t really worried about cleaning up the mess, I was more worried why my cat had started to pee on the furniture and carpet.

3) If you are looking for a simple formula you can make at home, which is safe and gets rid of cat pee odor and stains for good, then I have just the thing for you. This solution is well-known for getting rid of stains and odor on carpets, furniture and other fabrics. You only need a couple of household ingredients and an empty spray bottle.

4) You will need an equal solution of white vinegar and water, preferably warm. Mix the solution and add it to an empty and clean spray bottle for easy application. I would try using a small amount on an area of carpet or furniture which is not seen, to make sure it doesn’t affect it in any other way other than cleaning.

5) If the urine is fresh, try to soak up as much as you can using paper towels. It’s better to soak up as much as you can, otherwise you are simply spreading the cat urine over a larger area. When you have done this, spray the area in the Vinegar and Water solution and allow to soak in. Work into the affected area using a gentle brush or soft cloth.

6) When you have cleaned it thoroughly, allow to dry. Many people recommend to Vacuum dry, but I find this makes the Vacuum cleaner suck up some bad liquids and your machine may start to smell. Allow the area to air dry, and repeat a couple of times to get rid of the stain and smell once and for all.

7) When the area has dried, you can apply baking soda powder to the area, and brush using a gentle action. The baking powder is great at removing cat urine odor. You can simply vacuum away the powder, but make sure the area is completely dry before doing so. It may need a couple of treatments before the smell completely stops, but you will find this works better than anything you can buy in your local stores.

We have looked at what gets the smell of cat urine out of furniture and carpets, but it’s also important to look at why your cat is not peeing outside or in their cat litter tray. There can be many reasons for they are doing this, from health reasons to change of territory.

Bibliography

In the following paragraphs, you are going to read a very small sample (only 10 items) of the nearly 400 books, pamphlets and other publications I have collected concerning cat urine.

This is by no means an exhaustive collection. It simply represents a few of the many thousands of references I have on this subject. The information in this brief was obtained from the following sources:

1. "The Noble Savage: In Search of Animal Origins" by Gordon Rattray Taylor

2. "Cats" by Roger Catlin.

3. "The American Dog" by James A. Lincoln.

4. "The Biology of Cats" by E. L. Thorndike.

5. "The Domestic Cat: The Biology of Its Behavior" by William M. Wheeler.

6. "The Folk-Lore of Rats and Mice" by Harry M.

7. "The House Mouse" by E. L. Thorndike.

8. "The Life of the Ocean" by Ed Mayer.

9. "The Lives of Our Pets" by Ben Suarez.

10. "The Natural History of the Feline Mind" by Erich Klinghardt.

About the Author

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I love writing about interior design. I am in love with achieving harmony at home to improve the well-being of my family. I usually write for the "Visitacasas" blog, both in Spanish and English, and personally answer the questions about home decoration of all our users.