Cat urine – How to get rid of the smell in four steps
Your house has been soiled with cat urine. That sucks, literally and figuratively. While there is a lot of nonsense on the web about home remedies, most people who try these will eventually reach for something more effective, like a commercial enzyme-based cleaner. But there are four key steps to removing the awful stench of cat urine from your carpet:
1. FIND ALL THE CAT PEE!
To do this, there are two main components: First, use a commercial UV light (available on Amazon for less than $20) at night or in a dark room to uncover surface marks from dried cat urine. You’ll likely be surprised by the reach of the brand; we certainly were when we first tried it. So you need to understand that what you are seeing is merely the tip of the iceberg, as stains typically accumulate in the carpet padding and can move laterally a considerable distance.
2. STAIN, STAIN, STAIN.
This is unlikely to help much, since the stain is usually in the padding, but it can’t hurt.
3. TEST COLOR FASTNESS BEFORE USING AN ENZYMATIC CLEANER
Enyzme cleaners contain enzymes that react with chemicals in a cat’s urine to effectively remove its characteristic odor; thus, they are my “go to” product for this purpose. (While bleach itself is a powerful odor oxidizer, it’s not a good idea to use it on cat urine. Besides the fact that it bleaches anything it touches, it can be dangerous due to the reaction with ammonia in the can of cat urine. can cause toxic fumes, so avoid it).
However, before using ANY product, you should test your carpet for color fastness. Keep in mind that urine itself may discolor your carpet, so you may be short on options here, of course. Once you have selected your enzymatic cleaner, it is very important that you follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions. Often the manufacturer will tell you to “fully saturate” the stain, that is, to ensure that the product can reach (and react with) 100% of the stain, including the part that has stuck to the padding or possibly has penetrated the stain. basement below.
4. ADDITIONAL STEPS
In some circumstances, you may be able to remove the carpet and see the extent of the damage. If so, make sure the subfloor and tack strips are thoroughly soaked with the enzymatic cleaner so they don’t act as hiding places for stink.