Who doesn’t love a clean home? I used to be the mom that adored fragrances in every part of my home; melted wax provided amazing aromas, potpourri filled the air and tons of “clean smelling” cleaning products filled my cabinets. I was stuck on using products like 409 and Pine Sol. They left my home looking clean and smelling great. It wasn’t until I adopted an unruly cat, that I learned a bit more about using healthier cleaning products around my home and figured out how to get rid of that nasty cat smell for good using this amazing non-toxic carpet cleaner.
A Little Back-story
My family adopted an adult cat from the shelter right before my first son was born. As it is with many shelter animals, this cat came with a few hiccups. She refused to go to the bathroom in the litter box. After much trial and error, we discovered that she just didn’t want anything covering her litter box and that fixed the problem. Obviously, this did not come without some unpleasant kitty accidents. It was at this point that I needed to find a cleaning product that would get rid of the cat urine smell that infiltrated my home.
Trial and Error
Is there nothing more frustrating than trying to get rid of cat urine and it’s awful smell? I felt like I had tried everything offered in stores and nothing seemed to work! What was I going to do? Not only was my nose sensitive because I was nine months pregnant, but I was going to have a newborn in my home soon and needed it clean. It was at this point that I turned to my old friend Google and found a few “recipes” for getting rid of the cat urine. I combined a few recipes and this has become one of the main cleaning products I use to clean all of my carpets, rugs and upholstery.
First you’ll need to make this amazing all-purpose cleaner.
The BEST All-Purpose Cleaning Solution:
1. 1 part hydrogen peroxide
2. 1 part distilled white vinegar
3. 1 tablespoon of Dawn dish soap
Combine all in a spray bottle and mix. I use this mixture to clean 90% of my home. It is super cheap to make and also safe around animals and children. It works on pretty much everything!
You’ll also need:
1) A carpet cleaner (I use a Bissell ProHeat)
2) Hot Water
3) White Vinegar
4) An old toothbrush
Now that pesky cat urine…
Please note that the stain I am showing is actually Vaseline which was soaked into my ottoman. There was a place on my rug where the cat had peed, but you couldn’t see it, only smell it. I had to use my nose to find out where to clean. I wanted a visual for you all. So please know that I can attest as a cat owner that this gets out the smell of cat urine. It also gets out set in oil stains, as you will see below.
Step 1: Sprinkle the affected area with a small amount of baking soda. I don’t have an exact measurement but I just kind of put a thin layer onto it.
Step 2: You will then liberally spray with the all-purpose cleaning solution I outlined above. When I say liberally, I mean get it really wet, not just a little damp. The affected area should bubble (think science experiment volcano where you mix the baking soda and vinegar).
Step 3: Next, use an old toothbrush and scrub the area making sure the baking soda mixture gets down into the carpet/rug/upholstery. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Now grab your carpet cleaner and fill the tank with 1/2 hot water and 1/2 white vinegar. Clean the affected area, making sure to suck up all the baking soda with your carpet cleaner and spraying a ton of the water/vinegar in the process.
Once dry, the area should be stain free and no longer smell of cat urine! Yay!
This method will work with all stains; from wine to grape juice, cat urine and coffee. It will also get rid of oil stains! (As showcased above) I have not met a stain that I wasn’t unable to clean with this mixture! But, best of all, it removes the disgusting smell of cat urine.
*Please be aware, if you have dark carpet, rug, couch (etc), hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent. It *may* lighten the area, especially if the area in question is exposed to the sun at all. In such cases, just use vinegar and dawn as your cleaning solution and omit the hydrogen peroxide.
One thing to consider, when cats pee, they may continue to pee in that same spot. I haven’t found any cleaner that will prevent it from happening. Instead, I use a cat “repellent” peppermint spray. All you need to do is spray the area after it dries. Cats aren’t fans of peppermint, so the smell will deter them until the scent goes away. You’ll have to spray the area here and there to continue to prevent the cat from peeing in the same area.
Suzette says
That sounds easy enough. I have a whole hallway to clean do to both cats and maybe even a dog. But question is about the peppermint. What about peppermint essential oils? Wonder if you cold add some to water of steam cleaner and go over once you have done the cleaning?
candy says
I use vinegar and baking soda for cleaning all the time. The peroxide have to be careful with..
Jennifer Cook says
Great ideas! I use vinegar for most things. I did not know about the peppermint oil repel though so thank you!
AnnMarie Lewellyn says
Love those ideas! I will definitely be using that! Between the cats that show up on my homestead porch (carpeted) and the grandkids, I am sure to use plenty! Thanks so much for sharing!
Semi-Crunchy Mama says
Oh goodness, a carpeted front porch! I hope it works well for you. Sometimes you have to use the wash 2 or 3 times before the smell finally goes away.
Natasha Graham says
If I’m doing a whole bedroom how would I do a larger area?
Elizabeth says
The baking soda is just for spot treatment on hard to clean stains. For large areas, I just use a combo of hot water and vinegar, it works well.