what's the best at getting cat urine smell out of carpet & blankets?

Question

i've heard vinegar, and that seemed to work fairly well for the blankets in the wash... any other tips??

i'm about to move out & don't want to leave the place reeking! it's just in one area... and hopefully getting my kitty spayed (here in the next couple weeks) will end her bad habit before she starts doing it in the new place...

i should add, it's not fresh. i discovered it when moving some boxes :(
and discovered also that they ruined two pair of leather boots, a leather purse, and other things.

Answer 1

Here are a few home remedies that some people have found useful:

Vinegar and Baking Soda - First soak up as much of the urine as you can, then soak the area with a mixture of 1/3 cup of white vinegar with 2/3 cup of water and a little soap. With a clean rag, soak up any excess liquid pressing firmly and repeatedly until dry. Repeat this process using fresh water, and then use another rag to soak up the remaining liquid. After this, sprinkle some baking soda on the area and vaccuum up in 24 hours.

Peroxide - Some people claim peroxide works well in cleaning up cat urine and stains, though this can be tricky on surfaces which might discolor easily. Supposedly, peroxide breaks down the components in the cat urine which cause stains and odor. Pour a small amount directly on the area and allow to dry. Then rinse with warm water and soak up with a rag or paper towel.

Listerine Mouthwash - A number of people claim this helps eliminate cat urine odors when a few drops are added to your water & vinegar solution, or when mixed with a peroxide solution. It can also be mixed with just hot water and dabbed on the area. Most likely this is because of the amount of alcohol in Listerine.

As you can see, the issue of cleaning cat urine is complicated and there are no easy answers or quick fixes. You must be willing to consistently balance preventative measures with adequate cleaning methods and simply hope that your efforts will resolve the problem with time and persistence.

Step 1: Soak up as much liquid as possible. Use old bath towels (or a lot of paper towels!) and stand on them. Keep doing this until no more moisture comes up.
Step 2: The cleaning step involves making your own solution or using one of the commercial carpet cleaners. There are very good enzyme-based pet-stain cleaners out there, and it's well worth having some on hand if your pets tend to have accidents.
For a good homemade cleaning solution for carpets, mix 1 teaspoon milk liquid dish-washing (not dishwasher) detergent with 8 ounces room-temperature tap water. Using a clean cloth or sponge, blot the area, working from the outside of the stain toward the center.
Step 3: Rinse with clean water and blot with a clean towel.
Step 4: Mix 1 ounce white vinegar with 8 ounces water and repeat the above steps. This helps remove any soap residue, and it also deodorizes.
Step 5: Last, place a clean, dry towel over the area and stand on it to pull up moisture. Keep doing this until no more moisture comes up.

Many times the urine goes down through the carpet into the padding. Cleaning the carpet will not remove the urine from the padding. And, on damp or humid days, the smell will come back, as many of you said in your notes. If this is the case, you have one of two options: One, pull the carpeting up, cut out the area of padding that is stained, and replace it with new padding. You must also clean the back of the carpet with an enzyme-based pet-stain cleaner. Or, go to your pet store or veterinarian and buy an enzyme-based pet urine/stain cleaner. Some of them say to actually pour the cleaner on the carpet, allowing it to soak down into the padding, let set for a prescribed time, then blot up. I have had good luck with one or two of these products. You must follow directions exactly and be sure to blot up all the moisture. Use caution if you have wood flooring underneath.

Answer 2

Blankets or anything that can go into the washing machine, should be washed with hot water. This will take care of any odors. As far as the carpet, Natures Miracle and other products like it really do work.

Answer 3

You can get pet odor sprays from Wal-Mart for about $3.50. They work miracles: just spray it everywhere. I had a cat that got locked in the house for three days. There was plenty of food and water for him, just no litter box. Naturally, when I got home, he had "gone" all over the place and the apartment reeked to high heaven. After cleaning up the piles, I took a bottle of pet odor spray and just went to town all over my apartment. Within an hour, I had company over, and no one could tell that anything was amiss. It just worked wonders. Even delicate noses will be placated by pet odor sprays.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

One thing that works really well is a product I got in a pet store called Urine Gone. It has enzymes in it that break down the stain and help leave it smelling good.

Answer 6

New carpet and blankets. The bad part is that cats and dogs will always be able to smell it and it will upset some of them and they will wanna "mark" over it.

Answer 7

In a spray bottle mix vinegar and water, half and half. Spray the area thoroughly and let it set. You may have to do it several times, but this should help neutralize the odor.

Answer 8

Try a product called "Nature's Miracle" which is a liquid based stain remover, available at either petco or petsmart.

It's guaranteed by the company to work on urine, vomit, feces, hairballs and any other cat-related stain, plus I think it's organic.

http://petco.com/product/5986/Nature-s-Miracle-Just-For-Cats-Stain-and-Odor-Remover.aspx

EDIT: Natures miracle works great even on set-in stains

LOL I used to be a sales rep at petco, can you tell?

It really does work, though I use it myself.

Answer 9

Mix a little vinegar, detergent and hot water scrub it onto the carpet leave for a few minutes and scrub it out.

Answer 10

i use a cleaner called odoban its a air freshner multi-purpose cleaner and a fabric refresher works really well