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

Many people cannot imagine their life without pets. The vast majority are cats, which are undoubtedly an inexhaustible source of positive emotions. However, the fact that a cat lives in the house can sometimes be guessed from the doorway. And this is due to a characteristic unpleasant odor. It can come from a cat’s tray, from furniture, carpetshoes inadvertently left in the hallway, etc. Eliminating an unpleasant odor is not easy, but possible. In the article we have collected 9 effective ways to get rid of the smell of cat urine in an apartmentthat will help to cope with the problem without much effort.

Why does the cat ignore the tray?

Understanding the psychology of cats will help you find the cause of their poor behavior and eliminate it in a timely manner. In turn, this will prevent the possible recurrence of an unpleasant situation. Cats can relieve themselves of the wrong place for several reasons and, in practice, in all cases, this is the fault of the owner himself.

• Cleaning and washing the cat's toilet held irregularly. Cats are very clean creatures by nature. With rare exceptions, they can use the tray more than two times in a row. If you are away from morning until late at night and there is no way to immediately remove the used filler, this may cause the pet to leave a puddle in the most unexpected place. With such a vital rhythm, it is worth buying several trays for the cat and placing them next to each other. In this case, you should use a quality filler that really absorbs and neutralizes odors;
• Resentment. Cats very accurately feel the mood of the owner and are quite vindictive. If you scolded, or, even worse, hit the pet undeservedly or simply because you were in a bad mood, he will certainly take revenge on you in a known manner;

• Stress. Animals accustomed to a measured and calm pace of life can unpredictably respond to the appearance of new family members or new pets. Small children or noisy guests can scare the animal;
• Jealousy and the desire to attract attention. If the owner’s love and affection abruptly began to belong to someone else - a small child or a kitten - the animal can be jealous and draw attention to itself in a bad way;
• The discomfort. If your pet is accustomed to the tray and the problem arose after changing 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. Put the old toilet back in place, if the problem is gone, then you have correctly identified the cause. It may be in the filler. Perhaps it sticks to its paws, is too small, or its smell repels the cat;
• Tray situated in an inaccessible place. It is known that a cat's toilet should not be placed in an open place, but choose nooks for it. But if you overdo it, the cat may be uncomfortable approaching him and this forces him to choose more convenient places;
• Territory label. During sexual activity, animals can leave marks, which in their opinion should attract individuals of the opposite sex. That is why both cats and cats should be neutered or sterilized on time. Also, the animal can mark new objects in the apartment and that has new smells, for example, the shoes of your guests;
• Disease. If the problem arose for no reason, and none of the above applies to your case, take the cat to the vet. Perhaps the pet has cystitis and a trip to the tray is associated with painful sensations. If at the same time the cat is no longer young, the problem can be covered in pain in the joints and the animal simply can not step over too high sides of the tray.

And of course you can’t do without puddles to the owners of kittens who are just accustomed to walking on the tray.

How to clean a puddle of cat urine

If you notice a puddle in time, and it has not yet had time to soak into the surface couch or flooring, remove it immediately. The faster you do it, the easier it will be to eliminate the smell.

• Blot the wet surface with paper towels or toilet paper. Do not rub paper on the surface, namely apply it and lightly press it. So the spot size will not increase;
• In no case do not try to wash the stain with a wet sponge. So you just spread the urine over the surface;
• If the puddle was made on the carpet, be sure to process the place under it;

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

Vinegar + soda + peroxide against urine on carpet and furniture

This composition is the most effective. In fact, by applying sequential treatment to these components, you break down the acids chemically.

• After drying the stain with napkins, apply water-based acetic solution to the surface. It is prepared in a ratio of 1: 3, where 1 is part of the content of 9% table vinegar. So that the wet spot does not “creep out”, you can cover it with paper;
• After the vinegar solution has completely dried, the stain is sprinkled with ordinary baking soda. Be sure to wait until the vinegar dries, otherwise it neutralizes the action of soda;
• After that, immediately spray the stain with a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and detergent. Pour 100 ml of peroxide into the spray bottle, add half a teaspoon of any dish detergent and clean water so that the total liquid volume is 200 ml. Shake the liquid and apply the composition on top of the soda;
• Leave the agent to act for 3-4 hours, and then rinse with clean water.

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 disappear. This tool is equally effective when used on many surfaces - on linoleum, carpet, upholstery etc. But worth use with caution means on varnished parquet. A chemical reaction can damage the varnish.

Get rid of the smell with potassium permanganate

After blotting puddles with napkins, you can neutralize the unpleasant odor with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Add a couple of crystals per liter of water to get a pale pink solution, soak a kitchen towel in it and blot the stain. When the liquid dries, repeat the action. And so on until the smell disappears.

Be sure to ensure that all the potassium permanganate crystals are completely dissolved, otherwise an irreducible stain may remain on the surface of the carpet or furniture. Also try the composition in an inconspicuous placeto make sure that it does not stain the coating.

Lemon juice

The juice of this citrus is often used to eliminate unpleasant odors in microwave oven or in the refrigerator. In this case, it can also help. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon and soak it with a cotton pad. Blot a wet surface thoroughly with a disc. Lemon juice is an oxidizing agent, which can neutralize the composition of urine.

By the way, many cats do not tolerate the smell of citrus. Therefore, the use of lemon juice will protect furniture or a nook from reuse by animals as a toilet.

Baking soda

Normal soda must be mixed with clean water to make a thick slurry. It is applied to the stain and left to dry completely. After cleaning the surface with a clothes brush and thoroughly vacuuming.

Glycerin (to remove odor from shoes)

This tool is worth using. to eliminate odor urine with shoes or linoleum. If ordinary fabric shoes or sneakers can be washed several times manually or in a typewriter with ordinary powder with vinegar, then shoes made of leatherette or genuine leather will not tolerate such treatment. Therefore, the stain is simply wiped with glycerin and left to dry completely. However, this is effective only if the stain has been 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 resulting composition is treated several times, then thoroughly dried. Not recommended use on bright surfaces or upholstery and carpet fabrics.

Vodka

Great bactericidal effect renders the usual undiluted vodka or alcohol. On a fresh stain treated with paper towels, apply vodka and leave to dry. The smell of alcohol weathered along with the smell of urine.

If the spots are old

It may happen that you did not immediately find the dirty trick and the stain had time to dry. Then the crystals of uric acid, which are part of the composition, will begin to decompose and give off an even harsher and more persistent odor. Find a spot easiest on carpet. On the front side it will be imperceptible, but if you turn the carpet over, its contours will be clearly visible. It is much more difficult to detect dried stains on the upholstery of upholstered furniture. A UV lamp may help. The stain must be sprayed with water from a spray gun, and then processed using any of the above methods, except glycerol.

Household chemicals from the store

If folk remedies did not help you or the stain is too old and the smell is very pungent, use special ready-made remedies. The most convenient are spray formulations, eg:

• "DesoSan" - an effective tool that removes, but not mask, the smell. It can be used for a washing vacuum cleaner;
• “ZooSan” - should be applied to an already washed place. It can be applied on any surface;
• "OdorGone" - a tool with a completely natural composition, eliminates the cause of an unpleasant odor.

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

• "Persol extra";
• "Bio Clean";
• Sandokkaebi Oxycle

Means that enhance the smell

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

• By any means chlorine based;
• Ammonia. Ammonium is present in the composition of cat urine, so there is a possibility that ammonia will only attract a cat to the same place;
• Flavors and fragrance compounds. Some try to wash the stain with water, and then spray on it with an air freshener, perfumes and other similar means. It is strictly forbidden to do this, since such an effect will not eliminate the cause, will not mask, but will only increase the smell of urine.