How to Get Rid of Cat Pee Smell in Your Home

Fluffy, who has been reliably peeing in her litter box since she was a wee kitten, has suddenly urinated on your pricey new couch, and the smell has quickly taken over the living room. Cats may stop using the litter box for many reasons, from disliking a new litter you’ve purchased to introducing a new puppy to the house to serious underlying health issues. 

Figuring out why your cat is not peeing in the litter box is important in ensuring your house doesn’t smell like cat urine. But it’s also crucial to know how to get rid of cat pee smells in your home. We’ll cover both so you can get back to living in perfect harmony.

What Makes Cat Urine So Smelly?

Cat pee is concentrated and contains urea, uric acid, creatinine, electrolytes, pheromones, and bacteria. As bacteria breaks down the urea, it releases ammonia, which is why cat urine often seems so much stronger and smellier than dog pee. As cats age, experience health issues, or begin marking, the urine can become even more potent.

Must-Have Cleaners to Remove Cat Pee Smell

The key to eliminating cat odors is to tackle the stain as soon as possible. The easiest way to do this is to stock a caddy with cleaning agents, so you can grab it and clean up the pee soon after it happens. 

• Baking soda: You use baking soda to neutralize fridge odors, so don’t overlook this powerful cleaning agent for soaking up odors from cat urine, too.

• Vinegar: Vinegar can neutralize the bacteria in cat pee on carpets and other soft surfaces to help control odors.

• Floor cleaner: For hard floors, you can use floor cleaner after wiping up any cat urine.

• Enzymatic cleaner: Enzymatic cleaners break down stains and odors.

• Paper towels or cleaning cloths: Keep these stocked in the caddy to wipe up wet spots as quickly as possible.

• Gloves: Gloves offer added protection when cleaning up cat pee, especially if you are using strong cleaners.

• Face mask: Particularly strong urine releases ammonia, and you may want to wear a mask to protect yourself.

Note: While you can use ammonia for some cleaning tasks, you don’t want to use it to clean up cat urine. Not only can it set in the stain, but ammonia is also a component of cat pee, so if cats smell the ammonia cleaner, they’ll be more inclined to pee again where you sprayed it.

How to Get Rid of Cat Pee Smells in Different Areas of the Home

With your well-stocked cleaning caddy in tow, there’s no cat odor you can’t handle. The first step, no matter where your cat has claimed as a potty, is to wipe up the fresh urine as soon as possible. The longer the urine sits, the stronger the smell will become and the harder it is to remove.

For Cat Urine on Furniture and Cushions:

Your furniture is not doomed if your cat has an accident. You can use an enzymatic cleaner to clean the furniture yourself by following the label instructions. Otherwise, apply baking soda or vinegar to the stain, letting either product sit for at least 30 minutes. Vacuum up the baking soda or blot the vinegar with a clean cloth.

For Cat Urine on Carpets:

Carpet can hold odors for a long time, so you’ll need cleaning agents like baking soda, vinegar, and enzymatic cleaners that can break down the stain and odors effectively.

• Soak up the urine with paper towels or cleaning cloths.

• Spray the stain with an enzymatic cleaner, following the label instructions.

• Pour baking soda on the stain, then add vinegar.

• Let the baking soda and vinegar sit for 30 minutes to 24 hours.

• Vacuum the area.

For Cat Urine on Hard Floors:

Hard floors aren’t going to hold smells the way carpets and soft fabrics will, but you still want to clean up the mess quickly before the smell of ammonia fills the air. Wipe up the urine with paper towels or cleaning cloths. Then, use a floor cleaner suitable for your type of hard flooring to clean the area. Wipe the area once more with a clean, dry paper towel or cloth.

For Cat Urine on a Mattress:

When your cat has an accident on a mattress, it can be stressful for all the humans and furry friends involved. Now, you need to get the mess cleaned up, and eliminate the odor so you can sleep soundly. To remove cat urine and its potent odor from a mattress:

• Blot the area with a cold, damp cleaning cloth.

• Spray the stain and the surrounding area with an enzymatic cleaner, and let the cleaner sit for about 15 minutes.

• Blot the area again with clean, dry towels.

• Cover the stain with a towel as it dries.

• Swap out the towel daily until the mattress completely dries.

Note: Cats may be tempted to relieve themselves in the same spot again if they can smell the urine odor, so cover the mattress with a tarp while it is drying to discourage this behavior.

For Cat Urine on Clothing:

Your habit of tossing clothing onto a chair or the floor of your bedroom can be an issue if your cat has an accident in the area. But if Fluffy does pee on your favorite sweatshirt, you can still get rid of the lingering scent. 

• Use paper towels to soak up as much of the urine as possible.

• Pre-treat the clothing with an enzymatic cleaner, letting it soak for about 10 minutes.

• Add 1 cup of distilled white vinegar, or add enzymatic laundry detergent, to a load of laundry, then wash as usual. 

• Give the load a smell test before throwing it in the dryer. Smells can really set in with the heat. Hang dry the laundry if possible.

• If the smell test reveals that the odor is still there, repeat the process.

For Cat Urine Odor in the Air:

The ammonia released from cat pee can overpower the entire home. Cleaning the affected area is the best way to get rid of the smell and should be effective within just a few hours. But if there’s still a lingering odor in the air, open windows and consider setting up an air purifier with activated carbon filters. If you still can’t get rid of the smell, hire a local cleaning service to help get rid of the cat urine odor for good.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

Cleaning up the cat urine yourself typically costs less than $25 for items like enzymatic cleaners or floor cleaners if you don’t have them already. But if you can’t find the source of the odor or don’t feel confident you can thoroughly clean the stains, you may want to make a call for help. Hiring a house cleaner costs about $30 to $50 per hour. If you hire a pro, you’ll want to mention the type of mess they’ll be up against so they can come prepared.

For potent odors in your carpets, you may need to opt for a deeper clean. Hiring a professional carpet cleaner costs about $120 to $230 for a standard service, while steam cleaning costs around $300 and carpet shampooing costs around $240. To deep-clean carpets yourself, you’ll spend about $75 to rent a steamer and buy carpet detergent, plus you’ll need to spend a few hours of your time.

If you’ve moved into a home with old pet stains on the carpets, you could be looking at a complete refresh on the carpets. Removing the old carpet will cost about $1 to $1.50 per square foot, while installing a new carpet will cost about $3 to $11 per square foot. While you may be able to save around $0.50 to $1 per square foot by DIYing carpet replacement, this is a job best reserved for the pros or those with experience.