Will I be able to get the cat urine smell out?

How do I get rid of cat urine smell from the carpet?

• I need to get rid of the urine smell my cat has left in the carpet,have tried all sorts but it still comes thru regardless

• Answer:

  Not knowing more, or the extent of this problem you're experiencing or how long it's been happening, etc., I'll give you a basic overview and conclude with a specific suggestion marked with ***. Of course there are specific products manufactured for this sort of problem, but they are also expensive to use regularly. Stemming from many years of multiple pet ownership experience (currently 4 dogs, 5 cats - all indoors) and all of the crises that can and do result, I cannot stress this enough - Hydrogen Peroxide. Hydrogen Peroxide. No kidding. It will NOT bleach your carpet or ruin your hardwood floors or your furniture or any of that. It removes odors, and it maintains an odor free home just as good or better than those expensive products, but on a budget that can't be beat. (Maybe I should write a book on this - all of these instances coming to mind. The time our brand of cat litter was discontinued and the new transition didn't go so well - the times kitty has been accidentally locked in the bedroom all day because she was 'hiding out' and then decided to relieve herself on the mattress - and on and on...) Do yourself a favor and be ready at all times for a pet crisis. Have fun and go pick out a nice quality spray bottle that is dedicated for just this and always at the ready. Keep it filled with straight, plain-old hydrogen peroxide. It costs right around a dollar for 32 ounces. ALSO, even if you don't usually spend the extra pennies for a better paper towel brand like Bounty, you really should here, if only to use them for this purpose - a cheap, shredding paper towel when you're cleaning up something like this is almost as bad as the original problem itself. The basic approach is: 1. Sop up (press and dab) the main bulk of cat pee with a good, heavy-duty dry paper towel. 2. Spray generously with hydrogen peroxide. 3. Sop up peroxide. (Repeat 2 & 3 until you feel certain that all contamination has been accounted for) 4. Spray area (saturate) very generously with peroxide. Leave and let dry. (Step 4 works for absorbent surfaces and allows the peroxide to 'keep working'. Eventually it will dry and provided you did steps 1-3 thoroughly, the smell should be gone.) ***In your case, it sounds like the pee has had a while to take up residence. I would assess the area and determine the 'boundaries' of the smell/stain. Have a few bottles of peroxide on hand depending on how large of an area you're dealing with. Pour the peroxide and literally soak the whole area and outside the 'boundaries' just for certain that you've not missed anything. Sop it up with paper towels until the area is merely damp, (like step 3 above). This will hopefully 'pull up' some of the stubborn residual cat pee down in the carpet and padding. I'd probably repeat this at least once more, and then soak the whole area again completely with fresh peroxide. Don't be shy about it - really soak it, and then leave it alone and let it dry. Check it in the morning or however long it takes. If the smell is not completely gone, it should be significantly reduced. If needed, soak it again and see if there is improvement with any further treatments. The sooner you can address the problem the better chance at pulling out all of the odor. Just don't be afraid when it comes to pouring and soaking if necessary and letting it dry. Carpet removal or replacement may be the only solution in the worst cases or for areas of extensive/repeated soiling. But for everyday maintenance to serious troubleshooting with an amazing degree of effectiveness, do yourself a favor and get adapted to using hydrogen peroxide.