Home Remedy to Clean Cat Urine and Neutralize the Stinky Odor

By Catherine Conway

If you're a cat owner, you're more than familiar with the smell of cat urine. It's a very distinct, pungent odor that nobody likes. Cats don't always eliminate in the litter box, which can happen for many reasons; sometimes it's because the litter box isn't as clean as the cat likes, and sometimes it's because the cat is stressed or sick.

The real question is, how do you clean cat urine? Will you ever be able to get rid of that awful cat urine smell? Yes, definitely. Although there are many cat urine cleaning products you can buy, there is a home remedy that works just as well. It's cheaper, too. Here's what you do:

1. Blot up the cat urine stain. Use a few sheets of paper towels, an old rag, or old clothes that you're never going to wear again. Stand on the rags or paper towels to absorb as much of the urine as possible (make sure you're wearing shoes). Repeat this step with fresh paper towels until all the moisture is absorbed.

2. Soak the area with a mixture of vinegar and water. Use a solution of about half vinegar and half water. The vinegar will help neutralize the odor and kill some of the bacteria that contribute to the urine odor. Let it set for about three minutes, then blot it up. Try to get the area as dry as possible before proceeding to the next step.

3. Liberally sprinkle baking soda over the cat urine stain.

4. Mix together about half a cup of hydrogen peroxide with a few squirts of dish washing detergent. Test this solution on a small, concealed area of your carpet to make sure it won't bleach or stain the fibers. If the test run is successful, work this solution deep into the cat urine stain with your fingers; you may want to wear gloves for this. Let it dry completely.

5. Now all you have to do is go over the stain with a vacuum cleaner.

Ta-da! The cat urine odor and stain should be taken care of. However, if the stain is a particularly bad one, you may need to give it another thorough cleaning.

Catherine L. Conway is a freelance writer who has had to deal with many a cat urine stain in her lifetime. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a way to stop your cat from urinating where he shouldn't? Visit http://www.changecatbehavior.com to start learning about cat behavior and why they will sometimes refuse to use the litter box.