How to Remove and Deodorize Cat Urine

People who own multiple cats or bring a new one into the family, may on occasion experience the unpleasantness of a cat inappropriately spraying his urine onto furniture or against a wall. Usually the action is in response to some form of stress, but I'm not here to discuss the cat's psychology, but rather how to deal with the end result.

This is a basic mixture to help remove and deodorize cat urine and you'll have to decide if you want to add the hydrogen peroxide because it does tend to bleach things. So don't use the mixture with peroxide on color fast fabrics and carpets.

The acidity of the vinegar will neutralize the ammonia in the cat urine. Repeated cat urine strikes, however, do present a more formidable problem. In any case, give this a try and feel free to experiment. But here's a basic formula. Also, please note that when mixing this up, the baking soda will cause everything to bubble up so make sure you use a big enough spray bottle.

Basic Mixture:

1 cup white vinegar
4 ounces water
4 ounces 3% hydrogen peroxide
1 tablespoon baking soda

While vinegar neutralizes the ammonia, hydrogen peroxide is a powerful oxidizer capable of killing bacteria which causes the urine to smell.

Directions: (again, do NOT add the hydrogen peroxide to your mixture when applying to colored fabrics and carpets)

1. If the cat has recently urinated on fabric or carpet, absorb as much of the liquid as possible using paper towels. Keep blotting! Remember, liquid travels down into the carpet pad very quickly and it will be very hard to get it all. If the urine was sprayed on a hard surface, still blot it up first then apply the mixture as above to clean up the odor and any remaining liquid.

2. For carpets, wet the area with a solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water. Penetrate the fibers deep down. Then blot again and again until it's almost dry. Use your nose to tell you if you were successful. If not, do it again. A wet and dry vacuum extractor may help to remove excess moisture.

By the way, never use straight ammonia or even ammonia-based cleaning products around your home if you own cats! One of the main ingredients of feline urine is ammonia and your cat will be encouraged to protect its territory (and spray! if it detects the smell of ammonia. Many cleaning products contain ammonia so be sure to read the label.

Ginger Marin is a freelance writer from Los Angeles whose main site is http://www.bioniclady.com