Cat Urine Odor

Julie O. is right. They need to replace both carpet AND padding. And maybe even apply KILZ to the floor if the problem got that far. I just moved into base housing over the summer and the people before us apperently let their dogs go free in the house. They tried to give us a hard time saying it was just the heat. But I gave them a hard time and you need to too. It could be a potential health hazard. GOOD LUCK!!! :-D

Hi K., you might want to try steam cleaning the carpet (with a rental machine or a Bissell, if you have or can borrow one) and instead of the regular carpet shampoo substitute PineSol (or some other pine cleaner). I haven't tried this but was told that it worked great for bad odors by a janitor at the place I work.
C.

I got this off a cat website:

Cat Urine cleaner - How to clean pet urine odors from carpet using household products

You need : Black Light

Ingredients
Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Dishwashing Detergent
3 % Hydrogen Peroxide

Directions:

1. If the carpet is newly soiled, first absorb as much of the cat urine as possible using paper towels or an old towel. Place towels over the cat urine area and tread on them so as to absorb as much wetness as possible. Repeat with dry towels until no more moisture can be absorbed.

If the cat urine has dried and you are not sure where the soiled area is you can use a black light (pictured above) to detect it. In a darkened room the black light will pick up urine and other stains. Hand held black lights can be purchased for between $15 to $25

2. Next, wet the area with a solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water. Make sure you use enough of the solution to penetrate the fibres deep down. Allow it to dry. You can assist drying by blotting with paper towels as described above. A fan can also be used to assist drying. The acidity of the vinegar will neutralize the ammonia in the cat urine.
3. When it's dry, apply a liberal amount of baking soda over the affected area and drizzle it with a quarter of a cup of hydrogen peroxide mixed with a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent. Work it in with a scrubbing brush or your fingers (be sure to wear rubber gloves) to dissolve the baking soda and work it down into the carpet. Allow it to dry. Then vacuum.

The vinegar will neutralize the ammonia and hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer capable of killing bacteria which cause the urine smells. Baking soda is a well known deodorizer which absorbs odors. Sprinkle it on your carpet monthly then vacuum up to keep your carpet smelling fresh all the time.

Important. Never use ammonia or ammonia-based products on the carpet. One of the ingredients of urine is ammonia and your cat may well be encouraged to re-offend in the same area if it detects the smell of ammonia. Many household cleaner cleaners contain ammonia so be sure to read the label.

You may have to repeat the above process a few times for heavily soiled areas.

Caution, you should test your carpet for color fastness in an inconspicuous area for 24 hours.
Use only 3% Hydrogen Peroxide

Hope this helps.

Hi there,
you definitely have plenty of enough advice. to remove the whole mess if you can is best. But just to add to everything else you have here........I know that charcoal if laid all around the smell areas does soak up the smell....I tried it before when I had the prob. with my cat and when I'd pick up a piece of the charcoal it definitely DID smell BAD just like the urine....but did not rid of it completely of course....maybe just a temporay "help".
K.

I know that you are supposed to use something w/o amonia b/c that makes the urine smell worse. But if they have already had it professionally cleaned I don't know if you can get the smell out any better yourself. Read your lease and see if you can get out of it. If they promised to clean the carpet to get rid of the smell then they have admitted to the problem. I would find a way out of it or demand that they replace the carpet. You shouldn't have to live with that smell. I was a pet sitter and some people's homes had that horrible odor and I couldn't stand it for the 15 minutes I had to be in their house!

Hi there is aspray called Urine be gone it works on human as well as pet urine , its about $20 with the black light that works good b/c u can go around the house and see exacatly where the urine stains are and spray and watch it disappear , walmart targert and most likely kmart and cvs i have seen it in i have used it on my old carpet it did not stain , but maybe ask your landlords to pay for half the carpet or look for loop hole sin your lease i hope this helps. good luck!

The house we moved into was badly damaged by a cat that peed EVERYWHERE but the litter box. We had to use Kiltz on the subflooring and half way up all the walls (carpet and pads were replaced, and hard wood floors). Natures Miracle seemed to work a little. It took several years for ALL the smell to be gone but only some months for us to be able to clean it up and move in. Might want to pass the word on to the home owners. It's a terrible thing to have to deal with and I had to worry more that my cat didn't add to the problem!!! HA - I just noticed your request was from '07???

I know something that just might work. It is called anti-icky-poo. The website has the same name. They even use thsi stuff to get out smells in homes that have been crime scenes, etc.

It also works great to get outs smells if your child has an accident in their car seator on uplostery that can't be washed.

I love this stuff and it does work on smells taht have gotten into teh subfloor and drywall too.

I just moved into an apartment and have the same problem. Nothing works. Urine turns into ammonia and it won't come out. They have to replace the carpet pad underneath. Why won't your landlord replace the carpet? You have to look over your lease very carefully to make sure you can break it.

K.,
I hate to tell you but if it smells that strong, it won't come up. Even replacing the carpet might not help. It could also be in the wall into the drywall. I'm sure there has to be an agency out there that would help you get your deposit back and break your lease.
Good Luck!

I have a cat who started peeing on the carpet after the baby arrived. We have not replaced our carpet. I have tried Simple Solution Cat Stain & Odor Remover on the carpet, tile and hardwood. It worked well on the tile and hardwood but not as well on the carpet. The odor was reduced but I wanted to really get down into the padding and subfloor. I found this product and used it just yesterday on the carpet. There's too much to explain on how it works so it's easier to just go to the website and read it yourself. There's a guarantee if it doesn't work for you. The guy who answers the phone, Bill, is super nice and gives you great info and advice. You'll need a blacklight to locate the pee areas and I believe you can get one at Walmart for $10. You'll still see a faint glow of the pee area under the blacklight even after you cleaned it but this is normal. The glow just won't be as bright so you can tell what's fresh and what was previously-cleansed. Good luck!

http://www.justrite.com/

K., Hi, I'm J. O. in Boyds, MD. The owners need to replace the carpet AND padding, otherwise the urine odor will be there forever. Once there is heavy animal staining, it reaches the pad, and no amount of "deodorizing" can remove the odor. Save your vinegar and your back. Threaten to back out of the lease or begin steps to do so if they continue to refuse to replace the whole thing. It's only one room, after all, not the entire house. And, they will never be able to rent to anyone else as long as it's in this condition. Meanwhile, use some febreeze on it, burn candles or candle tarts, or spray a lot!!! My sympathies!

I know someone who has rental properties and has run into that exact problem. He said that the only thing that has worked is to use "Nature's Miracle" that you can find at a pet store. Make sure you pull up the carpet and spray on the padding. He swears by it. Good luck.

since u have tried all of those remedies to eliminate the odor and none have worked, i believe u can file a complaint for a hearing with a landlord/tenant case. giving the fact u have taken all of these proper steps , i can't imagine a judge not granting u a full refund and release from ur lease. now instead, he could possibly order the landlord to replace the carpet. first question i should of asked is how old is the lease, in the state of maryland contracts are not binding for the first 30 days, now i may be wrong and it could be 10 but i do know it is not immediately binding upon signatures of such contracts. good luck and God Bless

Hi K.-
Umm yeah, NOTHING can really get that smell out!!! I have a cat and one day I took her to the vet and she urinated in her carrier and it must have spilled a little in my car (she was on a towel and the carrier is canvas so it must have just been a little) well that was the most potent lethal smell and it just lingers! I tried all kinds of pet deodorizers from the vet, pet store, oxi clean, dawn, tide, took it to the detailer...well that was 2 years ago so now its gone...are you sure it is in the carpet and the smell isnt just lingering from when they lived there? I think you totally need to find out if you can get your money back. Not only is it pretty gross, its unhealthy most importantly to be inhaling that all day.
A.

You have loads of advice, and hope your landlords have done something about it, but if not and your still waiting! I found if you pour a lot of coffee in a bowl and sit in the room that has a bad smell, the coffee absorbs all odors, it works a treat!

check out the products at www.saferforyourhome.com, they work better than anything I've ever tried and cost less too!

I have a great recipe for a deodorizer to use in a carpet shampooer (is that what it's called? lol), too long to list here, you can email me @ ____@____.com if you'd like it.

HTH! Have a Blessed Day!!!

K.,

I am a realtor and if you make requests for that to be resolved, whatever that may require which is usually replacement of the carpet, padding and subflooring/plywood, and document those requests you may be able to get out of the lease. You may also want to, at your own expense in any, get an estimate to have that work done and present it to the owner/landlord. You can't be expected to live with that. Also, call the agent that helped you find the property and get him/her involved. Hope this helps.

S. from Springfield

Hello K.,

I work for a pet company, once a cat smell is in something like the carpet it has to be replaced. They urine of cat is different from dogs and humans which can be easily cleaned.

Look up the rights of tenants and landlords. I am going through a similar problem. The landord is responsible for the safe and well being of the tenant so a horrible smell makes a enviroment unlivable then you have a case. Check out your local code enforcement office. Fairfax county has a great one. Why didn't the realotor smell that and let you know about it? TO break lease check your clauses in the lease agreement. Worse comes to worse you can replace the padding and take it out of the rent.