How To Get Cat Urine Smells And Stains Out Of Shoes
Cats may urinate on our belongings for various reasons. They might think that their litter box is too dirty, or they may get carried away with playing and forget to go to the litter box until it is too late. Some cats, especially older ones, urinate outside their box due to medical reasons. Others seem to do it just for fun. No matter the reason, no person likes to find their shoes soaked in urine.
If you find that a pair of your shoes have become the victim of your cat, your first thought might be to throw those shoes away. But what if they are your favorite pair, or what if there is nothing else wrong with them? The good news is that there are a few things that you can do to get rid of the urine smells and stains from your shoes. Here are the steps to take to clean urine smells and stains out of your shoes so you can wear them again.
Simple Ways To Get Rid Of Cat Urine Odor
You love your cat. But that love can be tested when you walk into a room and smell the unmistakable odor of cat urine. Why did your cat pee outside the box? How do you get rid of the cat urine smell? Heres how to clean cat urine and remove the cat pee smell from carpet, non-carpet surfaces and bedding.
First, there are 3 things you should know about why your cat might be peeing outside the litter box:
If youve found cat urine in your home, heres how to clean it up and get rid of the cat pee smell safely and effectively.
Get A Wet Vac Working Overtime On The Wet Spot
If you have a hearty wet-dry shop vac handy, let it loose on the pee spot quickly and run it until it overheats. Saturate the area with cold water and give the vacuum another session, sucking up as much of the diluted cat pee water as possible. Using warm or hot water expands the cellular fibres in the carpet and could set the smell into the carpet even more. Really let it have it with the shop vac.
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How To Remove Cat Urine From Your Home
Once youve detected cat pee in your home, you need to make sure you tackle the root problem. This means cleaning first, and then tackling some of the particles that may still be releasing the smells into the air. You may be looking into how to remove cat urine from carpets, but it is possible that the smell is actually coming from couches or other furniture. Some cats tend to spray a long way.
How to get cat smell out of the house:
How To Get Rid Of Cat Pee Smell From Hard Surfaces
After blotting away any urine, mix a tablespoon of dish soap into two cups of cool water, suggests Johnson. Using a microfiber cloth, wipe down the soiled area with the solution, then use a clean cloth to dry the spot. If any odor lingers, sprinkle baking soda on the stinky spot and leave it for at least half an hour. Baking soda neutralizes odors instead of just masking them, says Johnson. Once the baking soda has had time to get rid the space of the cat pee smell, vacuum it up. Just make sure you close off the room to your cat and other pets while the baking soda is still lying aroundwhile its not harmful in small amounts, it could be toxic if your furry friend ingests a lot of it.
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How To Get Rid Of Cat Urine Odor
Never let cat pee sit there for any length of time. As bad as cat pee smells when it first comes out of their little bodies, the stench will become worse the longer the urine sits there as it becomes more concentrated.
The key to having cats AND a nice-smelling home is to clean up any accidents as soon as possible. Not doing so is basically inviting your cats to mark the area over and over again.
Here are some steps to take to get rid of cat urine odor in your home:
No one wants to live in a house that reeks of cat urine. If you follow these steps, you don’t have to worry about being ‘those people’ – your house should start smelling great in no time!
How To Find Hidden Cat Pee In Your Home
As mentioned above, cat pee sprayed but gone unnoticed is what gives cat pee its reputation for smelling particularly offensive. If you get a whiff of cat urine but cant quite pinpoint its location, try using a black light to detect it and then treat with Vital Oxide to bust the odor-causing bacteria.
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Eliminating Cat Smells: Prevention
Even though the methods outlined above can effectively remove smells, prevention is still the best with cat urine. Ensure that the litter box and its surrounding area are kept clean at all times, as cats will avoid an area if messy or unkempt. Also, check to ensure the cat isn’t suffering from an underlying health issue, especially if it had been litter-trained, and the behavior seems to have begun out of the blue. Also, avoid leaving physical products like shed hair, hairballs, and litter around. Keep areas your cat frequently visits clean always as having their smell on a place can keep attracting them there. Other things you can do to avoid cat smells include
Clean up urine as soon as it happens
Don’t wait whenever you find your cat peeing or having just peed in an area, clean it up immediately. Leaving the urine to stay there will only worsen the smell and make clean up and smell elimination harder later. Wipe down the area thoroughly with soapy water or water mixed with alcohol and dry with a vacuum cleaner or natural air. Repeat until the room or items are entirely free of the smell.
Air cat litter area and other frequently visited areas
Open the doors and windows to allow in the fresh air. Do these, especially after you clean the room to let in the fresh air and help the smell disappear entirely and the room fresh-smelling.
In some cases.
Getting Rid Of Cat Urine Odor From Non
If your cat is peeing on non-carpeted surfaces such as ceramic tile, grout, vinyl plank, or linoleum, heres how to get a deep clean that removes the urine odor.
For a DIY solution:
Cleaning non-carpet surfaces requires a non-ammonia and non-vinegar based solution, whether its homemade or commercial. Note: Make sure any product you use to get rid of cat urine does not contain chlorine bleach. Cat urine contains ammonia and when it mixes with bleach, dangerous gases are created. OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover uses the power of oxygen to remove stains and help neutralize odors. Most people think of OxiClean VSR as a laundry booster, but it can also be used to clean many types of flooring, including ceramic tile, grout, vinyl plank, and linoleum. Its chlorine-bleach-free and can be used to clean up cat urine. Follow these steps to clean up cat pee and eliminate odor on solid flooring.
- Fill a gallon bucket with hot water. Using the provided scoop, pour one scoop filled to Line 1 of OxiClean into the bucket. Stir the solution with a long-handled spoon until the OxiClean dissolves.
- Apply solution to the floor and allow it to stand 1-5 minutes. Use a mop or sponge to clean the affected spot go ahead and clean your whole floor while youre at it if you want! You dont want any lingering cat pee smell in the air or on your floor.
- Dump the solution and fill the bucket half-full with cold water. Remop the floor with water to rinse.
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How To Prevent Cat Smells In The Future
Theres always a risk of the cat smells coming back. If your cat has an infection or a weak bladder, they may be prone to accidents.
Whenever you find cat smells, clean and neutralize cat urine causing the smell thoroughly. If not, bacteria can grow and the smells can get even worse.
After cleaning, ventilate the area well and get fresh air into your home.
If you feel like your cat might have some kidney issues or an infection, get to the vet to ensure you get your furry friend the right treatment.
Place the litter tray in a location that is well-ventilated, and clean it regularly. The smell of urine can get released into the air from the cat litter.
Always have an effective, cat odor neutralizing spray available if you start to get the hint of cat smells in the future. Cat urine odor removal is just one step in the process. Even after cleaning, it is possible that the molecules in the air keep the smell circulating in your home. Only a spray such as Odors Away can kill these smells and ensure you dont get the stale pet smell in your house permanently.
How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of A Couch
Cat pee can be hard to clean out of upholstery, and if it has soaked through to the cushioning, it can cause lingering odors, mold, and mildew. Fortunately, learning how to remove cat urine smells on your couch isnt too difficult with the right tools and know-how.
Your best bet to get rid of the cat pee smell is to use an upholstery cleaning machine. These cleaners have scrubbing attachments that make it much easier to remove stains and odors from your couch. You can soak the pee area without worrying about overdoing it because you can simply suck up the water, urine, and cleaner when youre done.
Use the carpet cleaner attachment to soak the stain with a natural cleaning solution designed for pet odors. Then vacuum up the urine and cleaner. Be warned you may need to soak and vacuum the cat urine several times to remove the stain and odor.
If you dont have access to an upholstery cleaning machine, enzyme cleaners can get the job done. Enzymatic cleaners are cleaning products that use enzymes to help break down stains and eliminate odors. Making your own enzyme cleaner with natural ingredients is easy. Mix three parts white vinegar with one part water in a spray bottlethats it!
Once you have the mixture, heres what youll do:
- Blot up as much of the cat urine as possible with dry towels.
- Soak the urine stain thoroughly with the enzymatic cleaner, ensuring the solution soaks into everything.
- Allow the solution to sit overnight.
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Helpful Tricks For Getting Rid Of Cat Pee Odors In Your Home
Simple soap and water just wont work to eliminate the smell of cat urine. Among the best ways to get rid of cat smell, however, is to try an enzymatic cleaner like Natures Miracle.
These cleaners work naturally with enzymes to remove organic stains like pet urine. An enzyme cleaner appears in most pet products found in most pet stores, especially those specifically designed for pet stain removal.
Vinegar is the other go-to remedy to remove odor from carpet, clothing, and other surfaces and it is usually in the pantry of most households. Applying a vinegar mixture to the cat urine virtually guarantees that you can remove the stain and the smell with a minimum of fuss.
Tips For Cleaning Cat Urine Off Impermeable Wood Surfaces
- Factory- or pre-finished wood floors can be more affected by cat urine than site-finished wood floors. Pre-finished floors’ planks are individually stained and sealed in a factory. After the installation in your home, seams remain, which may allow for the urine to permeate. Site-finished floors are raw, unfinished wood floors that are first installed in your home and then stained and sealed. The benefit is that sealant has permeated and filled in the seams, preventing the urine from entering.
- Before you take any drastic measures such as sanding the floor, first try cleaning the hardwood floor with a cat urine odor removal product. If the wood floor has a solid finish, with no seams between the boards, there is no reason why these products will not work.
- Determine if your floor is actually made of wood, since many floors that appear to be wood are, instead, luxury vinyl plank, wood-look ceramic tile, or laminate flooring. All of these are liquid-impermeable surfaces and can be cleaned with a urine odor removal product. These products are specially formulated to eliminate odors and sometimes even remove the urine itself. Typically, they contain water, hydrogen peroxide, and a host of other agents such as sodium hydroxide and alcohol ethoxylates.
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How Do I Stop My Cat From Peeing In The House
If your cat is peeing in the house, a visit to your vet to rule out a medical problem is always a good idea. Your vet will also ask questions about your cats home environment and behavior to see if this could be the source of the problem. Something as simple as a change in the type of kitty litter youve purchased, or moving the tray next to the noisy washing machine could be enough to discourage your cat from using their litter box. Remember, cats like a clean litter tray and there should be one tray available per cat, plus a spare, at all times. For cats that spray, your vet will often recommend spaying or neutering or the use of pheromone diffusers and sprays.
Use Uv Light To Find The Cat Pee
Before you reach for the cleaners, be sure to figure out exactly where the cat has peed and how long the pee has been there. Start by following your nose, and look for discolored or damp-appearing spots . If the room stinks but you cant locate the source, try a UV flashlight.
Ultraviolet light illuminates any substance containing phosphors . This makes it easy for you to locate and treat set-in urine stains. Youll need to search at night, with all other light sources turned off. Once youre in the dark, turn on your UV flashlight and get searching.
Once you locate the soiled area, outline it in chalk or mark it some other way so youll be able to find it again when the lights are back on.
Keep in mind when you find a spot where the cat has peed that the urine may have traveled under a rug or subflooring, or pooled under the foot of a couch, table, or cabinet. When you pour liquid cleaner on the spot, use enough that it can follow the path of the cat pee and eradicate the scent.
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How To Get Cat Urine Smells & Stains Out Of Concrete
Normal cleaning with household detergents is good for getting rid of dirt and leaving your floor looking clean and fresh. But spots with cat urine smells and stains require a different strategy to eliminate the smell and stains.
The normal washing detergent may not cut it. However, this is not to say that the task is impossible. There are some known products that you can use to leave your concrete wall or floor smelling fresh and stain-free.
Use Vinegar Water And Baking Soda
Mix equal parts white vinegar and water. Cover the stain with this mixture. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes, and then add a liberal amount of baking soda to the top of the stain. The baking soda should sit for 46 hours. This will break down the urine odor and the scent of vinegar.
Vacuum or wipe off the excess baking soda, and allow the area to dry. If the stain or odor remains, repeat the process.
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