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How to Permanently Get Rid of a Cat Pee Smell in Your House

Cats sometimes choose to pee where they shouldn’t – laundry baskets, bath mats, and hampers are all fair game. Since the scent of cat pee is hard to mask, you need to eliminate it at its source.

Get Rid of a Cat Pee Smell in Your House

How to Permanently Get Rid of a Cat Pee Smell: Step by Step

Use a cleaner with enzymes to get rid of a cat pee smell. Enzymes feed on bacteria that cause lingering pet urine odor, removing it from your home.


Locate the Source of the Smell

Sometimes the source of the urine smell is obvious – like if you saw your cat pee on your bed. But if you’re unsure where the cat pee odor is coming from, take the following steps to identify it.

First, look for discolored areas on furniture, rugs, and carpet. If you have hardwood floors, cat pee stains can make the wood look rough or bumpy. Urine may also look like a yellow sticky patch on hard floors.

To ensure you find all the cat urine spots, purchase a blacklight. Using a blacklight in complete darkness will illuminate the problem areas.


Clean Furniture and Floors with an Enzymatic Cleaner

The bacteria in urine is what makes a cat’s pee so pungent. Eliminate the bad bacteria by treating it with a bio-enzymatic cleaner that will feed off it. 

If your cat has peed on your hardwood or tile floors, soak up the urine with a paper towel and throw it in the trash. Then, use a cleaner like Nature’s Miracle Hard Floor Cleaner. Spray it on the urine area, wipe it, and repeat.

If your cat urinated on the carpet, laundry, furniture, or an upholstered surface, use Rocco and Roxie Stain and Odor Eliminator. You’ll need to do a color-safe test before using it. If the product doesn’t pull the color out of your carpet or furniture, soak the cat pee spots with the spray. Use enough product to penetrate below the surface stain. Allow it to sit for at least one hour before placing a towel on it to wick away moisture. 

After the carpet or furniture is dry, vacuum it.


Wash Laundry and Bedding with a Laundry odor-eliminator

If you have cat urine on laundry or other machine-washable items, get the smells out with a laundry additive. Most additives are safe to use with your regular laundry detergent, and you can also use them as pretreatment.

Here are a couple of high-rated pet odor-eliminator laundry additives:


Will Vinegar Get Rid of Cat Pee Smell?

While vinegar is a great all-purpose cleaner, it’s not the best choice for eliminating urine odors. It works well for dried urine on hard, sealed floors but won’t eliminate bad smells from upholstery or urine that’s seeped below floorboards. But that doesn’t mean it’s useless. Many experts believe the scent of vinegar deters cats from peeing in the same spot.

So, consider wiping away surface stains with vinegar and treating the area with an enzymatic cleaner afterward.


What’s the Best Way to Get Cat Urine Out of a Couch Cushion?

If your cat peed on your couch, here’s what to do:

For removable couch cushion covers: Soak up any wet urine with a paper towel. Remove the cushion cover and place it in the laundry machine with a pet odor-removal additive. Then treat the urine spot with an enzymatic cleaner. Replace the cushion cover once dry.

For non-removable couch cushion covers: Blot up any wet urine, soak the area with a pet odor enzyme spray, and let it sit for at least one hour. Place a towel over the spot you sprayed to absorb the excess moisture. Vacuum once dry.


What’s the Best DIY Cat Pee Cleaner?

You can make cat pee cleaner if you don’t have any on hand. Use this on sealed hard flooring surfaces and carpet.

Here’s what to do:

  • Soak up cat pee with a paper towel
  • Cover the area with baking soda and allow it to sit for ten minutes
  • Spray the baking soda with white distilled vinegar
  • Once the solution starts to fizz, wipe it away

Remove as much of the leftover baking soda by hand, and then vacuum the area.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)FAQ

How to stop a cat from peeing in the same spot on the carpet?

If your cat keeps peeing in the same spot, treat it with an enzymatic cleaner to remove all sources of urine. Then, spray the area with white distilled vinegar. Vinegar is a natural cat deterrent and may prevent the cat from peeing in the same spot.

How to neutralize cat pee?

You can use baking soda and vinegar to neutralize cat pee. If using those doesn’t work, try a pet odor eliminator spray.

Does Listerine get rid of cat pee odor?

Because Listerine kills bacteria, it may reduce cat pee odors. But before you use it, do a spot test. Colored Listerine can stain light upholstery and isn’t a good solution for unsealed floors.

For Best Results, Clean Up Cat Urine Quickly

Cat urine is one of the most challenging smells to get rid of, and if you’re not quick to clean it, the odor can return to your home during hot months. As soon as you see cat pee or stains, treat the areas with an enzymatic cleaner. 

If you’re in a pinch and don’t have a pet odor cleaner, try baking soda and vinegar. Baking soda will soak up urine and odors, while vinegar can neutralize and prevent the cat from urinating in that spot again.