One challenge of owning a cat is dealing with their messes, both in and out of the litter box. Keeping the litter box clean and smelling inconspicuously fresh is hard enough, but it’s crucial to learn how to get rid of cat spray smell when trying to keep your home smelling fresh.
Although spraying is similar to cat pee, the critical difference is that cats tend to spray on vertical surfaces. Their target areas include curtains, the sides of furniture, and even your bed.
Like most animals, cats are territorial and use smells to claim their territory from other animals. They may spray their environment to assert dominance if they feel threatened in a home with other cats. Cats may spray areas indoors when they become stressed. Male cats spray when trying to find a mate, an act that’s not an issue if your cat spends most of the time outside.
How to Get Cat Spraying Smells Out for Good
There are many reasons your cat sprays or urinates outside the box. Regardless, how you clean and get rid of this smell is essential to avoid it day after day. The best advice for getting rid of cat urine smell is to clean it as soon as you notice it.
Pretreating a Cat Urine Stain
Once your cat sprays, the best thing is to soak up as much moisture as possible. Acting fast prevents the pee from spreading or seeping too deep into the carpet or furniture cushions.
Use paper towels to blot the stain. Because cat pee has a slight color, you can see the towel staining with the pee as it absorbs it from the carpet or fabric. Spray a bit of water onto the stain to help absorb it, but too much may cause the stain to spread.
Cleaning Pet Urine
If you’ve dealt with your cat spraying in the past, observe them to understand cat behavior and the signs that they may start spraying. Spot a cat spraying by noticing them standing with their tail sticking straight up with their bottom facing their target. Their tail may even shake as they start to spray.
Clean the area with warm soapy water. Use a cloth or a sponge to saturate the area before the urine soaks deep into the fabric or carpet. Use a towel to blot the excess urine moisture and allow the area to air dry.
Rubbing Alcohol Removes Cat Spraying Odors
If soap and water aren’t enough to eliminate the harsh ammonia smell of cat urine, try cleaning with rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is excellent for breaking down buildup and odors due to the enzymes in isopropyl alcohol.
Use a cloth or sponge to saturate your carpet, curtains, or clothing with this mixture to remove the smell from spraying. To leave a fresh scent behind, use an essential oil like rosemary or lemon as an odor eliminator for cat urine odor.
This cat urine odor eliminator can also be used to get cat pee smell out of shoes. Cats can sometimes go to the bathroom in tight spaces like your closet or on your shoes.
Learn How to Get Rid of Cat Smells with Baking Soda
Baking soda is a natural cleaning agent capable of more than freshening your refrigerator. When applied to stains, baking soda pulls stains and cat spray odors from fabric and brightens discolored areas on light fabrics.
To use baking soda for carpet cleaning, sprinkle a few tablespoons of baking soda over the cat pee stain. Leave the baking soda on the pet stain for several hours or overnight. Clean the baking soda with a vacuum and inspect the area to determine if another treatment is necessary.
Add a few sprinkles of baking soda to a litter box as a way to make a cat litter box not smell so strong. Removing soiled litter daily also helps keep the odor down.
Did you know that there is also a way to get rid of cat pee smell in your yard? If you know where the neighborhood cats are peeing, sprinkle some baking soda in the area. It works just as well outside as it does indoors and won’t harm your plants.
Remove Cat Odors with Enzymatic Cleaners
Whether store-bought or made at home, enzyme cleaners break down the molecules in pet urine, helping to remove unwanted urine odor. The effectiveness of a homemade cleaner to remove cat spray smell depends on how soon you clean the area. If your cat sprays on carpet or furniture, the longer it sits, the deeper the stain seeps into the fibers.
Preparing an Enzymatic Cleaner
If you have multiple cats or spraying and urinating outside of the box is a common issue, it may benefit you to create a cleaner to have on hand. Make a powerful cat urine odor neutralizer with basic items you probably already have. Note that this enzyme cleaner involves a waiting period for all the ingredients to incorporate.
Add the citrus peels and brown sugar to a large container with water and shake well. Adjust the lid to allow the natural gasses to escape. Let this mixture sit for at least two weeks and up to three months before straining it into a bottle for urine stains. Remove a cat urine smell from home areas with a spritz or two of this spray.
Using Vinegar to Remove Cat Pee Odors
To create an on-the-spot enzyme cleaner, look no further than your kitchen cabinet. White vinegar is the perfect ingredient for cleaning cat pee stains, thanks to its acidic properties that break down the enzymes in urine.
Combine the ingredients in a 16-ounce spray bottle and shake thoroughly to combine. Treat the cat urine stain with this spray and allow it to sit for five minutes to get cat pee smell out of carpet and rugs. Scrub the spot gently with a sponge before rinsing with fresh water. Use a cloth to absorb excess moisture after cleaning.
How to Remove Pet Odor with Apple Cider Vinegar
Like white vinegar, apple cider vinegar has acidic properties that work well at breaking down stains and removing odors. Unlike white vinegar, this option has a more pleasing smell after you get cat spray smell out of fabric.
To remove stains and cat urine smells, sprinkle baking soda over the stain and spray enough apple cider vinegar to trigger a bubbling reaction. Leave this combination on the stain for at least five minutes before cleaning again with a damp sponge or cloth. Rinse with a new cloth and water before drying with towels.
Hydrogen Peroxide as an Enzyme Cleaner
Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent cleaner for dealing with cat urine since it breaks down and dissolves the enzymes in urine that cause smells. Unlike vinegar, hydrogen peroxide does not leave a harsh smell behind.
Wet an old cloth with hydrogen peroxide and use it to dampen the sprayed area. Apply dish soap and gently work it into the stain. Let the stain sit for ten minutes before using a clean cloth and water to rinse away any soap residue.
Removing Urine Smells from Bedding
If you find your cat spraying on your bed, remove your sheets as quickly as possible to avoid the urine seeping into the mattress. Rinse the sheets with cool water to remove excess urine before tossing them in the washing machine.
Follow your bedding’s regular care instructions and wash with detergent. To eliminate the stain and odor, add a cup of baking soda or a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar to the wash. Allow the bedding to air dry to avoid the dryer locking in any lingering smells with heat.
Freshen the Air in Your House
You might not complete the process of cleaning cat urine out of your carpet and furniture in one try. In the meantime, keeping the air fresh inside is essential to get cat spray smell out of your house. The longer urine sits, the more the bacteria decompose, creating a worse smell.
To help reduce the smell in your house, open the windows to create a breeze, allowing foul odors to blow outdoors. Lighting candles and air fresheners help; however, they may only temporarily mask the smell. To eliminate odors in the air, mix baking soda with essential oils.
Dissolve baking soda in water and pour it into your spray bottle before adding your favorite essential oils. Try citrus scents like lemon or orange to eliminate odors. Use this spray in the air and on furniture and curtains to freshen your house.
Preventing Cat Odors
While some cat odors may be unavoidable, it’s crucial to do everything you can to encourage your cat to use its litter box. Keep the box clean to avoid causing your pet to seek other areas to use the bathroom.
Keeping the box clean, or adding another litter box, helps with territory issues if your cat feels stressed by changes in the environment. Make a litter box smell better by adding some baking soda to the box and mix it with the litter.
Because urinary issues sometimes contribute to spraying, monitor your cat’s pee for signs of an underlying disease. If your cat struggles to pee or their urine has blood, it could signify uric acid crystals building up in their body. Consult a local veterinarian for a proper diagnosis.
Cats outside are another story. Getting rid of neighbors cats in your yard is often easily implemented by using a motion-activated sprinkler. Most cats do not like to get wet so the spray sends them elsewhere.
Although unpleasant odors may come with owning a cat, they don’t have to take over your house. Prepare yourself to tackle any cat smell problems by using natural odor eliminators.
If our guide helped you learn how to get rid of cat spray smell in your home, consider sharing our tips with your fellow cat owners on Facebook and Pinterest to spread our advice on how to remove cat spray smell from their house.