9 ways to get rid of the smell of cat urine in your apartment

Why does the cat ignore the litter box?

Understanding the psychology of cats will help you find the cause of their bad behavior and eliminate it in a timely manner. In turn, this will prevent a possible recurrence of the unpleasant situation.

Cats can relieve themselves in the wrong place for several reasons and,
in almost all cases, this is the fault of the owner himself .

• Cleaning and washing the cat litter box is carried out irregularly. Cats by nature are very clean creatures. With rare exceptions, they can use the litter box more than twice in a row. If you are away from home from morning to late evening, and there is no way to immediately remove the used litter, this may cause your pet to leave a puddle in the most unexpected place. With such a rhythm of life, it is worth purchasing several trays for the cat and placing them next to each other. In this case, you should use a high-quality filler that really absorbs and neutralizes odors;
• Resentment. Cats very accurately sense the mood of their owner and can be quite vindictive. If you scolded, or, even worse, hit your pet undeservedly or simply because you were in a bad mood, he will certainly take revenge on you in a well-known way;

• Stress. Animals accustomed to a measured and calm pace of life may react unpredictably to the arrival of new family members or new pets. Small children or noisy guests may frighten the animal;
• Jealousy and desire to attract attention. If the love and affection of the owner suddenly begins to belong to someone else - a small child or a kitten - the animal may become jealous and draw attention to itself in a bad way;
• Discomfort. If your pet is trained to the litter box and the problem arose after changing it to a new one, perhaps the animal simply does not like it. The new tray may be too large or unstable, deep or, conversely, too shallow. Return the old toilet to its place; if the problem goes away, then you have correctly identified the cause. It could also be the filler. Perhaps it sticks to the paws, is too small, or its smell repels the cat;
• The tray is located in a hard to reach place . It is known that a cat’s litter box should not be placed in an open place, but should be chosen in secluded corners. But if you overdo it, it may be uncomfortable for the cat to approach you and this forces him to choose more comfortable places;
• Territory marker. During sexual activity, animals can leave marks that, in their opinion, should attract individuals of the opposite sex. This is why both male and female cats should be spayed or sterilized on time. The animal can also mark new objects in the apartment and things that have new smells, for example, the shoes of your guests;
• Disease. If the problem appears out of the blue, and none of the above applies to your case, take your cat to the vet. Perhaps your pet has cystitis and associates going to the litter box with painful sensations. If the cat is no longer young, the problem may lie in pain in the joints and the animal simply cannot step over the sides of the tray that are too high.

And of course, owners of kittens who are just learning to use the litter box cannot do without puddles.

"It is done! – 1:0 is not in your favor!

If, after all, your cat has made a mischief in the wrong place, you can completely correct the problem, but speed is important here, you need to act immediately before the puddle dries up. Because the longer the urine is not removed, the more unbearably it stinks, becoming more and more concentrated as it dries.

To prevent the smell of cat urine in the room, you should remove the wet stain before it dries.

Also consider the fact that cats tend to reuse the place they like, they are attracted to the smell of their own urine like a magnet, so it is in your interests to quickly and thoroughly eliminate the consequences of a cat crime.

Urine contains a very aggressive component - uric acid, which is water-insoluble crystals. They are in the presence of moisture and emit this unpleasant odor, and when you try to wash off the stain with water again and again, the odor returns with renewed vigor.

Uric acid crystals are needle-shaped in structure, collected in bundles. Therefore, they are firmly embedded in the surface and are very difficult to completely remove. This is precisely the task - to remove urinary sediment, the main threat to the cleanliness of your home, as thoroughly as possible.

From the standpoint of understanding the essence of the matter, it is not difficult to find the right ways to eliminate the smell of cat urine, but you must strictly follow the sequence of actions and not change them, otherwise the effect may be zero.

How to properly clean up a puddle of cat urine

If you notice a puddle in time, and it has not yet had time to be absorbed into the surface of the sofa or floor covering, it must be removed immediately.
The faster you do this, the easier it will be to eliminate the smell .

• Blot the wet surface with paper towels or toilet paper. Do not rub the paper over the surface, but rather apply it and press lightly. This way the size of the spot will not increase;
• Never try to wash the stain with a wet sponge. This will only spread the urine over the surface;
• If the puddle was made on the carpet, be sure to treat the area underneath it as well;

• The composition of cat urine is only partially water soluble. The main source of unpleasant odor is uric acid crystals, which do not dissolve after using conventional detergents;
• To neutralize acid crystals, use one of the following products.

Method No. 10. Operation “Sterilization/Castration”

Preventing cat odors from appearing is easier than removing the smell of cat urine from your apartment. If you just got a kitten and do not plan to breed cats at home, but you like the peaceful and docile nature of the operated cat, then it’s time to contact a veterinarian.

What veterinarians say about sterilizing animals - video

After all, cats mark territory under the influence of sex hormones, which give cat urine an impressive smell. A strategic and far-reaching solution for you will be to castrate or sterilize the animal in the clinic.

Vinegar + baking soda + peroxide against urine on carpet and furniture

This composition is the most effective.

In fact, by applying these components in sequence, you will chemically break down the acids.

• After drying the stain with tissues, apply a water-based vinegar solution to the surface. It is prepared in a ratio of 1:3, where 1 is part of the content of 9% table vinegar. To prevent a wet spot from spreading, you can cover it with paper;
• After the vinegar solution has completely dried, sprinkle the stain with regular baking soda. Be sure to wait until the vinegar dries, otherwise it will neutralize the effect of the soda;
• After this, immediately spray the stain with a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and detergent. Pour 100 ml of peroxide into a spray bottle, add half a teaspoon of any dishwashing detergent and clean water so that the total volume of liquid is 200 ml. Shake the liquid and apply the composition on top of the soda;
• Leave the product on for 3-4 hours and then rinse with clean water.

The oxidizing chemical reaction, which is formed as a result of the interaction of peroxide and soda, will split the chemical elements into carbon dioxide and ammonium, which will simply evaporate. This product is equally effective when used on many surfaces - linoleum, carpet, upholstery, etc. But you should the product with caution on varnished parquet .
The chemical reaction may damage the paint finish.

Available means

Fans of natural ingredients are wondering how to remove the smell of cat urine without using chemicals. Time-tested traditional methods do not require large financial expenditures. However, treating damaged surfaces with detergents will not bring the desired result. There are available products that destroy the urea structure, which allows you to remove the cat urine smell from the apartment.

You can remove cat odor using the following means:

1. Natural vinegar, diluted with running water in a ratio of 1:2, must be applied with a spray bottle to the contaminated area and left until completely dry. After the procedure, the cleaned area will need to be washed with clean water in order to remove the characteristic vinegar smell. The cat will not shit on the treated area, as the unusual sour aroma will discourage the desire. It should be remembered that vinegar can destroy the color of textiles.
2. You can also remove the smell of urine using potassium permanganate, which has a disinfecting and deodorizing effect. The solution has a distinct pink color, so stains should be washed on hard surfaces. A weak solution will help remove cat odor from floors, floor coverings or furniture.
3. When deciding how to get rid of urine smell, you can use hydrogen peroxide, which can be found in every home medicine cabinet. This cat odor remover is used to clean upholstered furniture and carpets. Add 15 ml of peroxide, 2 tablespoons of soda and a few drops of any liquid soap product to the container. Spray onto the stain using a spray bottle, rub thoroughly with a brush, and wash off with water. Thus, you not only get rid of odor, but also preserve the appearance of furniture and household items.
4. The answer to the question of how to wash away cat urine may be freshly squeezed lemon juice. It is diluted with 200 ml of water and the area of ​​the house is washed. Animals cannot stand the smell of citrus fruits, so you can not only fight off the smell, but also make the room safer.
5. When thinking about how to eliminate the smell of cat urine, you can use regular laundry soap. It contains glycerin, which removes the crystals that make up uric acid. To destroy the aroma, the bar must be grated, dissolved in a small amount of warm water, the solution is left until completely dry, after which the formed crust is removed with a damp towel.
6. If the listed products are not in your apartment, and the question of how to get rid of the smell of urine is urgent, you can use vodka. It is used to get rid of odor and remove remaining stains. In addition, vodka kills bacteria that cause the formation of cat urine odor. The disadvantage of using it is that the treated area will smell of alcohol for a long time.

These methods solve the problem of how to remove the smell of urine, but do not guarantee that the cat will stop shitting. Therefore, before eliminating the smell of cat urine in the apartment, you need to observe your pet and find out the reason why he refuses to go to the litter box.

Getting rid of odor using potassium permanganate

After blotting the puddle with napkins, you can neutralize the unpleasant odor using a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Add a couple of crystals per liter of water to create a pale pink solution, soak a kitchen napkin in it and blot the stain. When the liquid dries, repeat the action. And so on until the smell disappears.

Be sure to make sure that all potassium permanganate crystals have completely dissolved, otherwise an irremovable stain may remain on the surface of the carpet or furniture. Also test the composition in an inconspicuous place to make sure it does not stain the coating.

Lemon juice

The juice of this citrus is often used to eliminate unpleasant odors in the microwave or refrigerator.

In this case it can also help.
Squeeze the juice from half a lemon and soak a cotton pad with it. Use a disc to thoroughly blot the wet surface. Lemon juice is an oxidizing agent that can neutralize the composition of urine.
By the way, many cats cannot stand the smell of citrus. Therefore, using lemon juice will protect furniture or a secluded corner from being reused by the animal as a toilet.

Glycerin (to remove odor from shoes)

This product should be used to eliminate urine from shoes or linoleum .

If it is enough to wash ordinary fabric shoes or sneakers several times by hand or in a machine with ordinary powder with the addition of vinegar, then shoes made of leatherette or genuine leather will not tolerate such treatment. Therefore, the stain is simply wiped with glycerin and left until completely dry. However, this is only effective if the stain is detected immediately. If we are talking about the inner surface, the lining is first treated with hydrogen peroxide and then sprinkled with soda.

Iodine

A little-known method is the use of iodine solution.

For 1 liter of clean cold water, add 15 drops of iodine and mix thoroughly.
The surface is treated with the resulting composition several times, then thoroughly dried. Not recommended for use on light-colored surfaces or upholstery and carpet fabrics.

If the stains are old

It may happen that you did not immediately detect the dirty trick and the stain had time to dry. Then the uric acid crystals included in the composition will begin to decompose and emit an even more pungent and persistent odor.

to find a stain is on carpet. From the front side it will not be visible, but if you turn the carpet over, its contours will become clearly visible. It is much more difficult to detect a dried stain on the upholstery of upholstered furniture. A UV lamp can help with this. The stain must be sprayed with water from a spray bottle, and then treated with any of the above methods, except glycerin.

Household chemicals from the store

If folk remedies do not help you or the stain is too old and the smell is very pungent, use special ready-made remedies.

The most convenient are
preparations in the form of sprays , for example:

• "DezoSan" is an effective product that removes rather than masks odor. Can be used for washing vacuum cleaner;
• "ZooSan" - should be applied to an already washed area. Can be used on any surface;
• “OdorGone” is a product with a completely natural composition that eliminates the cause of unpleasant odor.

If for some reason it is not possible to purchase a special product, any bleach that does not contain chlorine will do. It is best to use oxygen-containing compounds:

• "Persole extra";
• "Bio Clean";
• "Sandokkaebi Oxycle."

Useful tips

1. If the cat “falls in love” with slippers, a carpet, a chair or another place that is not suitable for cat litter, you need to pour vodka into a spray bottle and add a few drops of citrus essential oil (oranges, tangerines, lemons). Cats do not like such mixtures and will avoid the treated area.
2. It is not advisable to use concentrated bleach to remove urine stains. Studies have shown that cats, when they smell chlorine, behave excitedly, roll around on the floor, and sniff the area where it was treated. This is due to an aroma similar to cat pheromones. If exposed to chlorine fumes for a long time, your cat may be poisoned.
3. If you cannot find the place where the cat has marked its territory, you need to use an ultraviolet fluorescent lamp. In a shaded room under the rays of a lamp, urine will glow yellow or greenish. Fresh stains will be brighter, old and dried stains will be lighter. It is recommended to immediately apply adhesive tape, chalk, and then turn on the light and begin cleaning. If you see many purple spots in the light of the lamp, do not be afraid. This is how cleaning products behave.
4. A common reason why a cat refuses to use the litter box is poor cleaning of the toilet. Cats are known for their cleanliness. If you rarely change the litter, the animal will refuse to go to an unclean place. Excrement should be removed daily, and the toilet should be thoroughly cleaned once a week. Baking soda will help eliminate the unpleasant smell of a plastic tray. After removing the filler, you should pour sodium bicarbonate into the bottom and rinse the tray with it.

Recommended for you:

How to clean rust with soda

When urine appears on any surface, baking soda effectively neutralizes the stench and is an environmentally friendly, economical remedy against pollution of any complexity.

Products that will enhance the smell

If you really want to get rid of the smell, and not make it even more intense and attractive to your pet, under no circumstances should you wash the stain with the following compounds:

• Any chlorine-based products;
• Ammonia. Cat urine contains ammonium, so there is a chance that ammonia will only attract the cat to the same place;
• Flavors and fragrance formulations. Some people try to wash the stain with water and then spray it with air freshener, perfume and other similar products. Doing this is strictly prohibited, since such an effect will not eliminate the cause, will not mask, but will only intensify the smell of urine.

The article was written for the site.

Tags:Living room, Cleaning

Tips for cleaning different materials

The use of various cleaning products will be more effective if you take into account the material of the product:

• artificial and natural suede do not tolerate any liquid. You can try to save them from the smell: treat them with glycerin from the inside. If the stench persists, take it to a professional shoe cleaner;
• fabric. Rag products can be washed in a washing machine with detergent. Fresh cat feces will be easily removed. During the washing process, it is advisable to add aromatic fabric softener, or treat it with deodorant afterwards. To wash your hands instead of powder, use concentrated soap;
• leather shoes and leatherette shoes. For dark colors, potassium permanganate or iodine is suitable. Treat light-colored shoes with vinegar, soda, lemon, peroxide. Such products cannot be washed, they shrink;
• It is very difficult to get rid of the smell of cat urine in shoes with fur. Housewives use different techniques: they use chemicals, someone tries to remove the smell in the frosty winter air.

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As practice shows, it is better to do the following:

1. First, remove the insoles. You can try to wash them, but it is better to throw them away, since it is not possible to completely eliminate the stench.
2. Remove as much moisture as possible with paper towels.
3. Treat the boot using the “three-step” method.
4. Pack the inner space tightly with liquid-absorbing paper and dry in the open air.