Cat urine contains uric acid, which can last in carpets, fabrics and wood for years! Although baking soda, vinegar, soap, and hydrogen peroxide may neutralize the odors temporarily, a humid day can cause the uric acid to recrystallize, and the infamous "cat odor" will return.
Effectively, cat urine odour can last forever. It's one of the most persistent smells imaginable, with a way of hanging around no matter how much you try to scrub the stain or cover up the offending smell with air fresheners or pot-pourri.
Does cat urine odour ever go away? If you've cleaned the area thoroughly using an enzymatic cleaner, you can successfully get rid of the smell of cat urine permanently. However, on a very hot day the smell may resurface.
Clean surfaces with vinegar.
Vinegar is a natural odor neutralizer, so it can be effective at removing cat smell from furniture and carpets. Simply mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and mist the affected area. Let it air dry.
The hydrogen peroxide will remove stains and eliminate the cat urine odor. You can also give baking soda and white vinegar a try. These ingredients are a safe way to get cat pee out of floors and furniture because they won't damage most wood — but spot-test an out-of-the-way area first to ensure your finish is safe.
Enzyme-Based Cleaners
The enzymes in these products actually break down the acid in cat urine, helping to get rid of the smell at the same time. The natural enzymes and helpful bacteria help get rid of the bad bacteria that's causing the unpleasant odors.
Mix a solution of equal parts water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray the area and let it sit for a few minutes. Use a clean towel or cloth to blot the area dry. If the odor persists, sprinkle baking soda on the area and let it sit for a few hours, then vacuum it up.
Regular litter box maintenance and careful clean-up can keep your house smelling fresh. No one likes a home that smells of cat odor. Cat odor can come from a variety of places: litter boxes, cat urine and feces. Each can be managed effectively with a little attention.
Freon is a gas that's used in air conditioners, heat pumps, and refrigerators to keep things cool. If it leaks, the refrigerant can cause a cat pee smell throughout your home. If you're smelling cat pee but know it isn't caused by the cat, a freon leak detector can rule out this potential source of the stink.
Febreze Odor-Fighting Air Freshener
This GH Seal-star spray quickly tackles airborne cooking odors, smoke, must and more with its cyclodextrin technology that surrounds odor molecules and pulls them from the air. And all this performance comes at a great price, making it our Best Value pick.
That cat pee smell sticks around even after the mess is gone—an odor that fills the air thanks to its potency. One of the reasons cat pee odor is so pungent is because it contains uric acid. The acid leaves a strong lingering stench if not cleaned up right away.
If your house smells like urine, and you've taught your young sons to aim into the toilet, not around it, you might have a pest problem, a plumbing problem, or a mold problem. Malfunctioning electrical wires might also cause a urine-like odor.
If it is not dealt with, the smell of cat urine can last for years and years. This is uric acid and can release small amounts of ammonia into the air indefinitely if not broken down.
Baking soda is one of those natural remedies that can tackle just about anything. If your cat peed on the couch, sprinkle baking soda on it, making sure it's all covered in a light layer. Leave it on to absorb the stink, anywhere between 15 minutes and the whole night.
Rain does not make scent mysteriously disappear. Rain will not destroy scent, but a heavy downpour on pavement can disperse it, making it difficult to follow a trail. In those cases, the scent will cling in gutters and puddles instead of being dispersed along a consistent path like a sidewalk.
Covers or hoods trap odors. That's good for you, but less so for the cat who may not enjoy being trapped inside with the smell. Some litter-box hoods have a space to hold a charcoal filter, which may help keep odors down for both cat and human.
If your cats don't go outside the box (they are neutered and well taken care of) and the cat box is kept clean, the house shouldn't smell. Many people do not take good enough care of their cats/dogs/homes.
The Power of HEPA Air Purifiers
HEPA, which stands for high efficiency particulate air, filters are highly efficient at filtering out cat odors as well as pet dander, which are small flakes of skin that cats and other pets are continuously giving off.
Ooh, That Smell
We may think our cats want to eat our food, but often they just want to smell it. In fact, giving your cat interesting new things to smell is a form of enrichment that may be as interesting as a new toy. Cats have scent glands on their lips, chin, forehead, front paw pads, and along and under the tail.
Inhaling ammonia fumes can cause lightheadedness and fainting, making it difficult to breathe normally because of irritated airways. Exposure to ammonia fumes can also cause eye and skin irritation, and if this is prolonged, it can even cause permanent eye damage and skin burns.
After a while, bacteria decompose the urea and give off an ammoniacal odour characteristic of stale old urine. The second stage of the decomposition process emits mercaptans, compounds which also give skunk spray its nasty smell.
Enzyme cleaners use specially formulated natural enzymes to break down the ammonia and bacteria in the cat urine to eliminate the smell.