Uh-oh..Getting Urine Stains Out of the Carpet

It isn’t just anyone who could get away with peeing on our rugs. It’s a good thing we love our cats so much, or they likely wouldn’t get away with it either. It’s frustrating when they do it though, as it’s an unpleasant thing to clean up. No one wants to don the rubber gloves, and goodness knows that smell alone can knock you flat.

Why your cat is peeing in the house

Rest assured; your cat isn’t doing it to annoy you. If your cat is going outside his litter pan, there’s a reason for it and you’ll probably want to speak to your vet about it. Some cats continue to mark their territory long after they have lived there, backing up to vertical surfaces, lifting their tails and shooting a horizontal stream of urine onto places like your walls or your couches. You’ll know if your cat is doing this by finding small stains. But, if your cat is leaving large puddles in sleeping areas or on horizontal surfaces, chances are, it isn’t healthy marking, but stress or illness that’s causing the pee-pee incidents.

Be prepared to clean up

To be prepared to clean up accidents, have a bucket in your utility closet that’s stocked with kitty accident clean-up tools. You’ll want rubber gloves as cat urine can be caustic. Keep a supply of sponges, absorbent cloths, paper towels and an enzymatic cleanser (more on that later) in there as well. One of the most important tools though, will be a black light. Cat urine will show up under this light. Old stains will be dimmer than others, but new stains will light up like the Fourth of July. So, if you are walking around the room and can’t quite put your finger on where that odor is coming from; turn out the lights and run the black light over the carpet until you find the culprit stain.

How to clean a stain

If the stain is fresh, use the absorbent cloth to blot up as much of the stain as you possibly can. Do not rub the stain; this will only make the odor worse as you’ll be spreading it around. Rinse it with warm water and blot it again. Cover it with paper towels and really put your weight on it. Throw some books on there or stand on it to soak up the rest of the urine for about thirty seconds or so before you add the enzymatic cleanser. If the stain is old, follow the same procedure, but start the process by covering the area with clean water first to sort of, “revive” the stain.

Once you’ve completed this step, apply the enzymatic cleanser of your choice. These really need a good chance at working, so cover the area with a blanket or even with some tin foil and weight it down so your kitty doesn’t go knocking the covering off and starting the process all over again. Keeping the area covered helps keep the area wet and saturated with product long enough to let the enzymes work on the stain. Follow the specific instructions for the cleanser you’ve chosen though.

When you’re done, remove the covering and try a pheromone product like, Feliway to discourage your cat from continuing to pee in the same area, or at all. Feliway mimics your cat’s facial hormones and is thought to make your cat calmer and less likely to mark or urinate due to stress. It is available in both a spray and a diffuser that you can plug into a wall outlet.

Molecular Based Enzymatic Neutralizers

These products are thought to work by using live bacteria to eliminate any organic material left behind in the remnants of the stain. The thought is the bacteria gobble up the yummy bits of stain; well, yummy to them anyway. This works because while the stain will appear gone after you’ve cleaned it, there is usually a bit of residual uric acid that has crystallized leftover, and this may be either left in the carpet fibers, have fallen through to the padding or even through to your subfloor. Whenever there is moisture in the area, these crystals will stink again. That’s why you can never seem to get rid of the odor. But, when these enzymatic cleansers, filled with bacteria that think uric acid crystals are a buffet, get hold of the stain, all bets are off.

There are a variety of these cleansers on the market. When using one of these cleansers, make sure to remember that you can’t use a detergent in a carpet cleaner as they will often counteract the enzyme; so, you’ll have to hold off on carpet cleaning for a while if you want the enzymatic cleaner to do its job. Be sure that you follow the directions of the product to the letter.

Anti-Icky Poo

One of the most popular brands of molecular based neutralizers is Anti-Icky Poo . It comes in a variety of formulations and concentrations, including a liquid, spray or carpet injector. It is also effective on other organic stains, like vomit and feces.

Nature’s Miracle

Nature’s Miracle is available in specific formulations for small animals, dogs and cats. They have a product range including liquid, sprays, wipes and they even make cat litter. Their instructions are very specific regarding drying time.

Zero Odor

While not specifically targeted as a pet urine eliminator, Zero Odor works the same way as the other enzymatic cleansers and is effective on organic matter, like urine. It is available in a spray only.

Urine Off

Urine Off works the same way as the other products but has a pleasant citrus smell. Nature’s Miracle, for example, can often have an unpleasant smell while working. The citrus smell can be a benefit, as cats seem to, sometimes, dislike citrus, and may be discouraged from marking the area again. But, the smell is not permanent. It only lasts as long as the product is wet.

Some additional notes about cleaning cat urine

While it might seem like a good idea to rush out and either book a carpet cleaner or rent a steam cleaner yourself; don’t do it. Just think about hot, steamy, stinky pee and you’ll realize why it’s a bad idea. And, be sure to remember that you can’t use ammonia based cleansers either. Because cat urine smells similar to ammonia, if you use a cleaner that smells just like it, your cat is going to gravitate right back to the stain you just cleaned and give you another one to clean.

While you may look at kitty and hope that his next accident is in the bathtub or on the patio, chances are that he’s going to go on the carpet. So, be prepared with your bucketful of supplies and your enzymatic cleanser and you’ll be able to relax a bit and scratch him behind the ears instead of being frustrated that your house stinks. Still, if the accidents are frequent, be aware that he’s not doing it to upset you and that he’s likely got a medical reason for doing so, like a urinary tract infection. Take him to the vet and you’ll both feel better.