Cleaning Cat Urine: Removing Old Urine Stains

Cats identify appropriate areas to urinate based on the odor of cat urine, whether their own or another cat’s. If you’re trying to get your cat to stop using a particular location as a litter box, it’s essential to remove all traces of cat urine smell. The same goes if you’ve just moved into a new house or apartment where the previous owners had cats. If those cats wet on the carpets anywhere, your cat will most likely detect that odor and start wetting there simply because she thinks that’s where she’s supposed to go.

And finally if you move into a place with detectable cat urine odor, you’ll need to get rid of that odor for your own health. Cat urine contains a high concentration of ammonia, which can irritate and even damage your lungs. Keep in mind, too, that if you wait too long, you may become so used to the smell that you cant even detect it…but your guests will be able to.

Find it All First

The first way to find cat urine stains and odor sources is to simply look and smell around. The problem with this method is that not only is it unpleasant (who wants to walk around inhaling cat pee smell?), it’s also ineffective. Older cat urine spots probably won’t be visible, especially on dark carpet, and the smell may have dissipated so much that you can’t smell it, but your cat can.

To prevent future problems, you’ll need to find all the stains and remove them completely. The easy way to do this is by making the room as dark as possible and shining a black light flashlight around the room. These flashlights are normally sold for finding scorpions in the dark, but they also show organic stains including urine, blood and vomit from human or animal. Outline the soiled areas with tailor’s chalk or tape so you can find them once you turn the lights on. If you try this, though, be prepared to find lots of nasty stains on the carpet, especially if it’s an older one.

Apply the Proper Cleaning Solution

Not all pet urine odor removal products work on all pet urine. Dog urine isn’t quite as tenacious as cat urine, so products for dog urine may not work well for you. Don’t think a cleaner that gets rid of most of the odor is enough, either. Some cleaners remove the odors humans can smell, but leave a trace the cat can smell, so kitty will keep returning and urinating on that spot. In the right combination and applied correctly, certain household products like baking soda, mouthwash, and vinegar can break down and remove tough cat urine. Alternatively, you can use a store-bought cleaner based on enzymes or bacteria that break down the crystals in cat urine.

You can solve your cat’s inappropriate urination problems and get your home completely free of cat urine odors, but the solutions may not always be obvious. Instead of wasting time learning by trial and error, read the book Cat Urine Problems Eliminated to discover proven-effective ways to retrain your cat and regain your home.