How to get old cat pee smell out of carpet

People ask me all the time how get rid of cat urine smell from carpet, and many people also ask what the best cat urine remover is. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this not-so-fun cleaning task, our readers share here what cleaning products have worked best for them. You will find the best cat urine carpet cleaning solutions below.

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Our favorite tip: Our readers have tried many alternatives to get rid of cat pee smell in carpet over the years, and by far the most popular option has been an inexpensive ozone machine that effectively gets rid of cat urine smell and other stubborn odors for good (and doesn’t just mask the smell).

Q:I am trying to sell my home and I can’t get rid of cat pee smell in carpets. Sick and old cat messes were cleaned up immediately but still the scent lingers and has now intensified with the hot and humid weather! Any suggestions? I have tried most of the pump sprays on the market!

Tip #1: The same problem happened for us when our cat had a blockage in his bladder. Recently I have heard that straight vinegar will do it but,

I used undiluted Lysol Cleaner. If used everywhere it will get rid of the odor for good, although it can be expensive if a lot is needed. Good luck!…Brenda

Tip #2: A product called Nature’s Miracle will work for the odor. Get it at the pet store. It will not take out the stain, however.

Tip #3: There are many bio-products on the market that will “eat” the bacteria that cause the odor. Go to PetSmart or one of the major pet stores to buy one.

They really do work. You can also use Febreeze spray. It’s good, because it works the same say…Suzi

Related article: How to Get Cat Pee Smell Out of Couch

Tip #4: When my fiance let a roommate move in he had a big dog and kept it in his room a lot and didn’t clean up after him as often as he should.

Yuck – we used the shampoo for the cleaner – going over it twice then we used OxiClean twice and then clean, hot water twice – that did the trick.

It takes work no matter what but it’s worth a try. There’s also a product called Kids ‘N’ Pets on the market that is supposed to take out odors from urine, food and stains, etc. Hope this helps.

Tip #5: We bought a condo in Houston and “someone” left the door open while the work was being done. Somehow, cats got inside and really did a job on the new carpet before we moved in.

While inspecting the unit we discovered the cat urine smell. Not wanting to go through the expense of replacing and possibly not matching new carpet, we had the installer return.

He said that it was well known that you could get this and other terrible odors out by using Downy Fabric Softener, mixed half and half with water. I had never heard of it. We paid him to do the job and the odor was gone and stayed gone.

We replace with hardwood flooring six years later and it had not returned. I believed he used the mixture in a carpet machine, but the order was gone. I sure hope this helps.

Tip #6: My brother had a similar problem. He bought a house that previously housed an old, incontinent dog. He shampooed the carpets and boy did that cause the odour to “bloom”. It was AWFUL!

He borrowed an ozone machine from my mom and left it on in the house and went away for the weekend. When he came back the smell was gone and permanently, too! It also works on a rotten milk smell.

My mom didn’t know but her milk fell over in the trunk of her car and spilled everywhere, and on a hot day, too! She cleaned it up as best she could but still the rotten milk smell persisted.

Many weeks later she bought an ozone machine and turned it on in her trunk with the lid closed for a weekend and now you would never know what happened!

An ozone machine works wonders on a house permeated with cigarette smoke or an overflowed toilet smell!

There’s almost nothing that thing can’t handle! Unfortunately, my mom has lent the ozone machine out to so many people with odor problems that it finally died and now I can’t use it when I want it! Best of success which your situation.

Tip #7: You didn’t mention the color of the carpet but mine is white berber with brown flecks. I finally ended up using a carpet shampooer with hot water, a small amount of “flavored” bleach, and a commercial grease cleaner called Castrol sold at O’Reilly auto parts stores.

The Castrol is very concentrated so I only used a very small amount. Of course, it brightened the carpet but the smell from the bleach took about 3 days to dissipate.

Of course, if you don’t have white carpet, just try the Castrol and hot water rinse with a carpet shampooer. You can also use a black light on the area to see how much of the pee you are getting out.

Tip #8: I tried everything and I found what works best for me is filling a spray bottle with vinegar (white) and adding some vanilla….spray it on anything and everything with the smell, works like a charm.

Even use it outside my apt where the neighborhood cats pee in the yard, makes that go away too. Leaves a nice vanilla scent to linger….after vinegar dries.

Tip #9: You can use a product called Nature’s Miracle specifically for cats. It will say so on the bottle. I had the same problem where our cat urinated along about 4 feet of wall.

I tried lots of stuff before I found this. It works. It is expensive though. About $30.00 per gallon, and I used two for the space I am talking about.

You put it in a sprinkle water can and totally saturate the carpet all the way thru the pad, to the floor.

Then you scrub it in, blot up the excess and let it dry. Sometimes takes a week or two to get totally dry. It worked. Killed the smell and the stain seems less too.

We will still need to eventually replace the carpet but at least the smell is gone.

Tip #10: The ONLY thing that has ever worked for me, and I’ve tried every homemade concoction and store bought solution ever made, is saturating area with Nature’s Miracle and let sit for 48+ hours (the longer the better) and then saturate with a strong solution of OxiClean and allow to air dry.

The Nature’s Miracle neutralizes the acidic Ph in the urine and the OxiClean leaves the area smelling totally fresh.

There was an occasion once when I had to treat the area twice with the OxyClean but it has ALWAYS taken the smell completely out of whatever I used it on.

Tip #11:Use 16 oz of hydrogen peroxide, 1 teaspoon of dishwashing soap, 1 tbsp of baking soda. Mix all with plastic spoon, saturate spot completely, let dry completely, vacuum white powder when completely dry.

Do not blot, rub, etc. mixture, let it work on its own. Dispose of leftover formula as the peroxide will “explode” in container over time.

This is fool proof and will work and the smell will be gone. Patience is the answer, let it dry completely.

Tip #12:Use 100% vinegar. Pour on the spot let stand. Let dry. Pour on let dry. And then shampoo. The problem is not the carpet. Its the wood under the carpet that smells.

Let the vinegar stand on the carpet so that its soaked into the wood floor.

After you shampoo the carpet the smell should be completely gone. Once the smell is gone the cat will not pee in that spot any more.

Make sure pets are spayed or neutered. Cats will “spray” when they are in “heat” to attract other cats.

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