How To Remove Cat Urine Smell

Oh no! A cat pee’d on the floor, carpet, towel, sofa, you name it. Accidents happen, so here we will show you how to remove cat urine smell and stains. To remove cat urine you need enzymes that break it down and dissolve it.

Happens To The Best Of Cats

It happens to the best of our cats. They just have been to a veterinary visit and they got some medicine injected or have been doused. Woops.. an accident happened! Their bodies have no control in such cases and a run to the toilet isn’t going to happen.

In most cases it also usually ends up on something you didn’t want it to happen to. We make sure that the cat that has been to the veterinary is on floor level and on top of a towel. As soon as they start to wake up from their sleep medicine, they also start to wobble around, away from the towel that you placed against accidents.

Marking Territory

Another problem we come across is that some of our cats get territorial while living along other cats and start spraying and marking themselves on objects such as sofa’s, walls, boxes, doors and really anything they feel is ‘theirs’ to mark. Spaying/Neutering your cat doesn’t prevent it from happening, as the fluid they use to mark with is coming from the urinal tract. Spaying/Neutering your cat does however have its benefits, as it will reduce the marking behavior.

If you have a floor like ours, this isn’t much of a problem, but if you have carpets in your house, its straight away a nightmare. How will I remove the cat urine smell?

Strong Cat Urine Odors

When cat urine dries up, the chemical process with oxygen forms ammonia. The ammonia is the strong odor that is left behind. Most cleaners out there, including the DIY baking soda, dilutions of vinegar, soap, chloride and ammonia, do not remove the pee, but rather mask the smell and take care of all the other components except for the Uric Acid.

Cat Urine is build up of the following components:

• Urea
• Urobilin/Urobilinogin
• Uric Acid
• Sodium
• Other electrolytes
• Creatinine
• Pheromones
• 5 Bacteria

After we have taken away the smell, the uric acid can still form ammonia through oxidation with the humidity in the air. Left behind pheromones in the urine are also not detectable to us humans. Even though we do not smell it any longer, the cat is still able to smell the newly formed ammonia in smaller amounts. Cats also note the pheromones. When the cat finds the smell outside the cat toilet area, it might want to pee again on that spot,  to much frustration to those cleaning it.

There is however a solution to all of this.

Enzymes

The only way to break down Uric Acid properly is by using an enzyme-cleaner. Enzymes accelerate, or catalyze, chemical reactions. Enzymes break the Uric Acid into two gasses, Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Ammonia (NH3), which will vaporize away.

Enzyme cleaners come in both cheaper and more expensive versions. The best ones are “Nok Out” and “Urine Off“, usually bought in a pet store, but not always widely available.

We use both “Urine Off” and our own version, with the main component being Biotex and water. Biotex is a laundry detergent with natural enzymes that break down a lot of stains in clothing. As it is a laundry detergent, it is also safe to use on clothing and carpets and the like. For our Biotex spray, we dissolve 1 unit of Biotex (color) with 10 units water. This we then put in a spray bottle for easier appliance.

It is however less safe to use this mixture on floors and other areas where cats go. It is therefore advised to always rinse after the use Enzyme accelerated cleaning agents, such as Biotex and Urine Off.

How To Remove Cat Urine With Enzymes

It is important to use Enzyme cleaners properly. Just removing the stain isn’t going to help, nor is rubbing and spreading it over a bigger area.
The enzymes need some time to do their work in breaking down the uric acid, so give it enough time before washing it away again.

Here is how you are supposed to remove a urine stain:

1. Use paper to blot away most of the urine. Don’t rub as it will spread the uric acid.
2. Cover the stain with the enzyme fluid. The spray from the spray bottle won’t do, you should remove the spray top and just pour some of the fluid from the bottle over the entire area. The entire area needs to be properly soaked in the enzyme cleaner fluid. Leave it for 10-15 minutes.
3. Use paper to blot away most of the fluid/stain.
4. Let it air dry completely
5. Wash the area with a cloth and water to remove the cleaning agent from the area.

If done properly all the cat urine smell will be removed and the uric acid as well, so that cats won’t return to do their business there.

If you got the urine on towels or clothing, you should wash your clothing with an enzyme-based washing detergent such as Biotex.

Learn how to properly clean Cat Urine with Urine Off Review