If your cat has taken to urinating on the carpet instead of the litter box, it’s not because it’s upset. It isn’t trying to get even for something you’ve done. It could be that it has a medical condition which is causing your cat’s inappropriate urination. So, take your cat to the vet. But don’t leave it too long to clean your carpet of cat urine. The longer you leave it, the worse the smell will get.
Here’s how to remove cat urine smell from carpet before you need to throw the carpet out:
1. Find the stain fast
Don’t waste any time. Find that stain and use a clean cloth to soak up as much cat urine as possible.
2. Rinse and vacuum
Rinse the area of the stain with clean water, and remove the water with a wet/dry vacuum. Don’t be tempted to use a steam cleaner – the heat could make the stain impossible to fully remove.
3. Use an enzyme cleaner
Pour a liberal amount of an enzyme cleaner on the area of the stain. Let it sit for between 10 and 20 minutes. Pad it with a clean cloth to soak up as much as possible. Whatever cleaning solutions and chemicals you employ, make sure they are child and pet friendly.
4. Keep the cat away
If your cat isn’t at the veterinarian clinic, make sure you keep it away from the spot it has chosen to use as its substitute litter box. Cover the spot with a laundry basket placed upside down.
5. Repeat if necessary
The older the stain, the harder it will be to remove. You may have to repeat the cleaning process two or more times before the urine odor has gone.
What to do if the urine has seeped through the carpet
If you can still smell the urine after a couple of attempts to remove the smell from the carpet, it could be that the urine has seeped through to the subfloor. If this is the case, lift the carpet and use an oil-based stain block primer on the subfloor.
Unfortunately, you will probably find that you will need to replace this patch of carpet and the padding underneath.
Use odor neutralizers
You may also consider using odor neutralizers to help with the smell of cat urine. White vinegar or baking soda works well. The white vinegar is acidic and reacts to neutralize the alkaline in dried cat urine.
If you do use vinegar, mix a solution of one part water and one part vinegar to scrub the floor with. After a few days, the smell of both the vinegar and cat urine should disappear.
Essential tips when eliminating cat urine stains
Your cat could be tempted to reoffend if you don’t take the following precautions after the clean-up:
Make certain that the cat urine odor has been eliminated. If your cat smells its urine in an area, it’s probable that it will urinate there again.
Change the meaning of the area where it urinated. Cats don’t like to eat and urinate in the same area, so consider putting food and drink in the area that you have cleaned.
Avoid using ammonia-based cleaning products – they will have the same effect as a stained area that smells of urine.
Cat urine is relatively easy to deal with on carpets. Other stains are more difficult. Our comprehensive carpet cleaning services include spot removal, deodorizing, dealing with difficult pet staining problems, caret repairs, and on-location dry cleaning. For more information, contact Porter's.