How can I effectively eliminate cat odors from the house?

Question

I am constantly embarrassed when people come to the house. They instantly wrinkle their noses or fan their face when they enter. Some guests won't even stay inside. Everyone says how bad the cat odor is in the house. I can't smell it, so I am always amazed at the reactions. I'll admit, my cats are a little "dirty" and more often than not, miss the litterbox. In some areas, the carpet is stiff with dried cat pee. I've tried Fabreze and various pet odor eliminators on the carpets near the litter boxes, but I'm still getting the same reactions. There's no sense in pulling up the rugs and getting new ones while I still have the cats. I tried that in the front hallway. I even sponged the floor, but the odor is still there, I'm told. How come I can't smell it?

Answer 1

You have become desensitized to the cat odor so you can't smell it. One thing that has worked for me is a strong solution of Pinesol and hot water 1 cup to a gal of water. Soak the urine spots, scrub with a brush,wait 10 min. then suck up with a wet dry vacuum. You might have to do this two times.

Answer 2

Are you homebound? Do you NOT leave your house? I would seriously think about getting rid of the cats if you can't manage to "keep" house around them.. How many cats are there? Maybe you could spring for a professional cleaning service for the carpets or rent a steam cleaner.. That would at least freshen/deodorize the carpeting.. Febreze or any other kind of "odor" eliminator is only going to cover the problem..The cat pee/poop needs to be scrubbed out of the carpet.. You can rent a carpet cleaner for pretty cheap and do it yourself if can... I can't imagine even inviting friends/family over if the house stinks so badly.. You can't smell it because you are used to it... BLAH! You can also keep up with the litterbox(s) better. By cleaning them everyday and adding baking soda to the litter.. That will help somewhat... Also, by cleaning up any cat urine/poop as soon as it happens.... AFTER you get the carpets cleaned it would be good to sprinkle carpets with baking soda and leave overnight.. Vacuum it up and it will help with any smells....

Answer 3

I was going to suggest removing the carpeting, but I see you say no to this. You cant smell it because you live with it and are used to it.
Removing the rugs/carpets is the best bet. Cleaning the flooring, sanding if its wood, a through cleaning top to bottom is what you really need. There is a retail product available I have seen recently. Another option is to clean house regularly, and pick up whatever mess you find. If the carpet is stiff, it's at least time for a thorough cleaning!

Answer 4

> Yes you absolutely have to do some extreme work with the carpet.
> I find air sanitisers help with the smell in the air (glade oust)
> What kind of litter are you using? I find silica crystals are significantly better at stopping the smell
> I try and air out the place as much as possible, I always have a window open
> The little persian kitten sometimes gets waste on herself and treads it around, she gets baths so she doesn't stink
> Am training her to use the human toilet coz its more hygienic
> I find the better quality food I feed her, and the less meat, the less stinky her waste is

Answer 5

Try Zero Odor it works great

zerooder.com

Answer 6

Blot up excess moisture with paper towel. Pour club soda on the spot and continue blotting. Lay a towel over the spot and set a heavy object on top in order to absorb all the moisture


Unmark your pet's spots

When housebreaking a puppy or kitten, it'll often wet previously soiled spots. After cleaning up the mess, it's essential to remove the scent from your floor, carpeting, or sofa. And nothing does that better than vinegar:
On a floor, blot up as much of the stain as possible. Then mop with equal parts white vinegar and warm water. (On a wood or vinyl floor, test a few drops of vinegar in an inconspicuous area to make sure it won't harm the finish.) Dry with a cloth or paper towel.


For carpets, rugs, and upholstery, thoroughly blot the area with a towel or some rags. Then pour a bit of undiluted vinegar over the spot. Blot it up with a towel, then reapply the vinegar-let it air-dry. Once the vinegar dries, the spot should be completely deodorized.

I used Vivid Safe Bleach and it removed every trace of the smell. It did not stain or lighten the carpet, but I would try a hidden area first. I poured the Vivid on the spot, rubbed it a bit, then covered it with paper towels and heavy object. I kept replacing the towels


I also advise: sprinkling baking soda on carpeting monthly, or as needed, before going to bed and let it set overnight. Vacuum the next day. They include a home-made carpet deodorizer recipe:

1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
15 drops of your favorite essential oil fragrance



use about 1 qt of water, with a squirt of dishwashing liquid, and 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar on the spots where there was urine to prevent odor.

When performing any of these methods always lay down a white towel over the now cleaned area and weigh it down with a heavy object or books so the towel will soak up the moisture as carpets can mildew if left wet and also cause the carpet to separate from the backing when spots are thoroughly dry sprinkle with Baking soda and leave until next day then simply vacuum up your carpet will smell clean and fresh again

Now to eliminate the cat box odor you must clean out daily remove any lumps (if clumping type litter) and any feces always keep the litter clean; cats hate dirty boxes as much as we all do and the litter box must be washed with White Vingar and hot water weekly, when you have done this pour a layer of Baking soda on the bottom of the box then half fill the box with your litter, do not fill to the top of litter box; cats hate this also, you must do these steps in order to help keep your house from being resoiled by the cats if cats detect urine they will resoil you can also if you wish to keep them from soiling those previously soiled spots spray undiluted White Vinegar over those areas and the cats will not go there again as cats hate the smell of vinegar


You can also use this method to clean your carpet Pour in one cup of White Vinegar to a half bucket of hot water rub but do not soak carpet, then blot up to almost dry then rinse with warm water then blot again and blot till almost dry leave as little moisture as you can in the carpet to avoid mildewing then place a towel over it weight down with heavy object over night then remove in morning then sprinkle with Baking soda and leave for several hours or overnight then just vacuum up I used this method for years when I had my senior cats who had illnesses


Good Luck !