To get rid of cat pee smell, soak every spot with Nature's Miracle Advanced Stain & Odor Eliminator for cats as deep as the pee went, then let it air dry. Find the spots first with your nose and a blacklight.
To get rid of cat pee smell, soak every spot with Nature's Miracle Advanced Stain & Odor Eliminator for cats as deep as the pee went, then let it air dry.
Find the spots first with your nose and a blacklight.
You can smell it the second you walk in, but you can't find it. That is normal: old pee dries invisibly. Spray the top and the smell comes back, because the pee went deeper than the spray.
Can't find the spot? Hunt with your nose and a blacklight
Get down and sniff close to the floor, along walls and in corners. If you have a blacklight, turn off the lights, sweep it room by room and outline each spot with chalk so you can find it again with the lights on.
Check the places cats go back to: the carpet by the door, the corner behind the couch, the bath mat, the laundry pile and the side of the bed.
Fresh puddle? Soak it up, don't scrub
Lay a thick layer of paper towels on the spot and newspaper on top. Stand on it for about a minute and repeat until the spot is barely damp.
Don't rub. Rubbing pushes the pee sideways into more carpet.
No steam cleaner. Heat can set the stain and the smell for good in man-made fibers.
The fix: soak every spot with an enzyme cleaner
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Perfume covers pee; enzymes break it down, which is why the ASPCA tells cat owners to use one. Our pick: Nature's Miracle Advanced Stain & Odor Eliminator for cats. It keeps working as long as there's pee left to eat, so the spot stops calling her back. How to use it:
Test a hidden patch first. Wait an hour, then wipe; if color comes off, don't use it there.
Use it full strength. Soak the spot until the cleaner reaches as deep as the pee went. On carpet that can mean lifting the corner and treating the pad and the floor under it.
Don't blot it back up. Leave the spot wet and let it air dry. The smell fades as it dries.
Old or strong spot? Lay a towel soaked in water over it for 1 to 2 hours so the cleaner keeps working, then let it dry.
Keep your cat and the family off the spot until it's dry.
How much: About 1 ounce on a 3 to 6 inch carpet spot, and a full 32 ounce bottle for a 3 by 3 foot patch. A light mist won't reach the pad.
The catch: It has a light fresh scent. Want none, or have a whole room to do? Anti-Icky-Poo Unscented comes in a 1 gallon jug.
Old spot, or the smell came back?
If urine soaked into the pad, it's a harder job. Soak it again, deeper, and let it dry fully before you judge it. If it still smells after that, that patch of carpet and pad may need replacing.
As long as your cat can smell her scent there, she may go back. Once the spot is dry, block it for a while with furniture or a mat.
Vinegar and other strong chemical smells. They can make a cat mark the spot again.
Citrus or essential-oil cleaners. Citrus and essential oils are poisonous to cats: they have fewer of the liver enzymes that break these oils down, and they lick whatever lands on their fur.
Other cleaners before the enzyme one. Other cleaners and detergents can set a stain for good, so the enzyme cleaner goes first.
On a mattress, couch, wood floor or clothes?
Mattress: Same soak, plus a full dry before anyone sleeps on it. Steps: cat pee on a mattress.
Couch: Check the care tag, test a hidden patch, then soak the cushion foam, not just the cover. Not for leather, suede, silk or wool.
Wood floor: Not for untreated hardwood, so test a hidden spot first. If the wood has gone dark, the urine has reacted with the finish, and a cleaner won't undo that. For other hard floors and tile, see stain removers by surface.
Clothes and bedding: Treat the spot with the enzyme cleaner, then wash with a one pound box of baking soda added to your usual detergent and air dry.
Outside on a patio or doorstep: test a hidden patch first, then soak the same way and let it air dry.
Stop her going back
A clean spot fixes the smell. A reason fixes the habit. If she's peeing outside the box, start with why cats pee outside the litter box and check in with your vet.
Want the full picture of what's causing the smell and where it hides? Head back to cat pee smell.
Not reliably. Dried pee can hide in the carpet pad and keep smelling, and as long as your cat can smell it, she may go back to the spot. Soak it with an enzyme cleaner instead of waiting.
Why can I still smell cat pee after cleaning?
Usually the cleaner never reached all of it. Pee that soaked into the pad needs a soak that goes as deep, and the smell fades as the spot dries. Still there once it's fully dry? Do a second round.
Does vinegar get rid of cat pee smell?
No. Strong chemical smells can make a cat mark the spot again. Use an enzyme cleaner.
Does bleach kill cat pee smell?
Skip it. Strong chemical smells can draw her back, and other cleaners can set the stain for good. Start with the enzyme cleaner.
Does baking soda get rid of cat pee smell?
It won't break down the pee. For washable bedding and throws, add a one pound box of baking soda to your usual detergent, then air dry. On carpet, the enzyme cleaner does the work.
How do I get cat pee smell out of the house fast?
Find every spot first, then soak them all in one pass and run a fan in the room. Let each spot air dry, and keep people and pets off it until it does.
