From Amusing to Advanced: New Ideas for Cleaning

The odour of cat urine is not only unpleasant, but it's also extremely difficult to eradicate.  To make matters worse, once a cat has peed in one particular place, the odour of the urine stimulates the cat to re-offend.  The only way to break the cycle is to get rid of the smell completely.  Here's how.

What you'll need

• paper towels
• spray bottle
• warm water
• white vinegar
• baking soda
• washing-up liquid
• hydrogen peroxide (3% strength, available from your chemist)
• rubber gloves
• hard-bristled brush
• vacuum cleaner

The following solution works so well to remove the odour of cat pee from carpet because each ingredient plays a specific part.  The vinegar works to neutralise the ammonia in the urine, hydrogen peroxide kills the bacteria in the urine that are responsible for the smells, and the baking soda absorbs any existing odours in the carpet.

How to do it

1. If you discover fresh cat urine that's still wet, quickly blot up as much of the liquid as possible, using paper towels until the carpet is just damp.  
2. Fill the spray bottle half full with warm water and top it up with white vinegar.  Shake well and then spray the soiled area of carpet with the mixture until it has fully penetrated deep down into the carpet pile.  
3. Use paper towels to blot the carpet until it is just damp.  
4. Sprinkle a handful of baking powder over the area.  
5. Take a quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide and mix in a teaspoon of mild washing-up liquid.  Sprinkle the solution over the baking soda.  
6. Put on your rubber gloves and use your fingers to work the mixture well into the carpet fibres.  
7. Allow the carpet to dry completely overnight.  
8. When the area is completely dry, use a hard-bristled brush to carefully break up the baking soda if required.  
9. Finally, vacuum the area to remove the baking soda and lift up the carpet pile.

This method should effectively remove the lingering smell of cat urine from small areas of carpet.  Unfortunately, the ammonia contained in the urine can bleach dark-coloured carpets, leaving them damaged.  If the carpet is stained or damaged, seek the advice of a professional carpet cleaning company.

In conclusion

If your cat pees on your carpet, don't fret; there is a solution! You can remove the odour of cat urine by following the above method.  However, remember that more severe cases may require the help of professionals.