How to clean cat urine from sofa upholstery? How to remove the unpleasant smell of cat urine from a sofa Treating furniture from cat urine
Many housewives prefer to while away the evenings watching TV on a cozy sofa with a warm cat in their arms.
And we are greatly annoyed when a cat, with enviable persistence, begins to mark the furniture, asserting its sole feline right to this territory, and we inhale the nasty-smelling urea.
Getting rid of the smell of cat urine on the sofa once is not at all difficult. The situation becomes more complicated if your cat marks him constantly. I want to talk to you about all this in this article.
Most likely, attempts to clean the sofa from cat urine at home have been made by almost all owners of these furry animals.
Home remedies are reliable and always come to our aid. Their advantages are that they are inexpensive, interchangeable and available in any kitchen.
Fresh smell of cat urine
So, if you find a fresh stain from your pet’s urine on the upholstery of a sofa or chair:
- dry the moisture with a napkin using gentle blotting movements so as not to rub cat urine into the upholstery;
- sprinkle the tag with baking soda or fresh cat litter;
- Cover the area where your pet eliminates while you prepare a washcloth or spray bottle and detergents.
Important: Moisten the stain that has already dried out with water - this way, the cat urine will be better absorbed into the rag.
Before treating furniture upholstery, be sure to test the selected homemade mixture on an inconspicuous area, as the fabric may shed or deform its structure.
If the problem of cat marks occurs regularly, for example, with the arrival of spring, use the same product that has already been tested on your upholstered furniture. Let the cat out for a walk in the fresh air.
Upholstered furniture, unlike clothes and carpets, floor surfaces and walls, have a filler under the upholstery - foam rubber, which perfectly absorbs moisture.
Therefore, when cleaning upholstered furniture from cat greetings, you should not spray it generously with a cleaning solution - foam rubber takes a very long time to dry, and the furniture can acquire an unpleasant odor. In this case, I recommend using only spraying detergent compositions on the wet upholstery.
Avoid the use of chlorine (its smell will sting the sensitive noses of our pets) and ammonia (the smell of urea in its composition will encourage the cat to new feats of securing its territory).
Vinegar can damage the foam filling of the sofa, simply “corrode” it, and ugly sagging areas will appear in this place.
The vast majority of cats and kittens are very clean. But sometimes an animal comes into the house that has spent a long time in a shelter or on the street. It doesn’t know where to relieve itself and may well do it on the sofa. How to clean upholstered furniture from cat urine? This must be done very carefully, because even the slightest trace of smell will attract the pet to this place, and he will mark it again.
You cannot punish a cat for its actions, otherwise it will get offended and start getting dirty anywhere. It's better to get rid of the scent on the couch as quickly as possible.
Where to start
First, you need to literally “hotly pursue” remove as much liquid as possible so that it does not get inside the sofa. To do this, take toilet paper, waffle towels or napkins and quickly blot up the cat's feces as much as possible. There is no need to skimp on paper, since new furniture will cost thousands of times more.
You can quickly clean up after your cat using a small absorbent for his own litter box. Once the liquid is absorbed, vacuum up the granules. Never try to clean a stain with water. This will cause the problem area to increase, and the problem itself will not be eliminated. You can't remove the smell this way.
Why is it difficult to remove the smell of cat urine?
The persistence of the unpleasant aroma of animal urine is explained by its composition. It includes the following components:
- urea (it is sticky and quickly dissolves in water);
- urochrome (the result of the work of bile pigments);
- uric acid (when it dries, it forms crystals that do not dissolve in water).
It is precisely because of these small fragments that remain in the marked place that a strong smell appears. As soon as the humidity in the room increases or the temperature rises, they again emit new portions of the stench. If the uric acid does not disappear, the consequences of the incident will remain.
How to quickly remove the smell of pet urine
You can, of course, try to fix the problem with bleach. It will kill the bacteria that also causes the odor, but it will harm your cat because he has a very developed sense of smell. Therefore, it is better to consider safe and strong options that will help clean the sofa from cat urine. The best oxidizing agents are:
- citric acid;
- 9% vinegar;
- 3% hydrogen peroxide.
To clean a sofa from the smell of cat urine, first of all you need to wipe the stain with vodka, alcohol or laundry soap. They break down urea well.
- Alcohol based solution. For this method, you can take any alcohol-containing substance: vodka, moonshine, technical or drinking alcohol. The optimal strength is 30-50%. You shouldn’t use it harder, because the liquid will corrode the paint on the fabric. Alcohol should be thoroughly moistened at the site of bowel movement, taking a little of the clean area as well. Leave the solution for an hour (during this period, the alcohol will break down the uric acid). Next, the problem area is washed with water and dried with an iron.
- Laundry soap. Cut the soap into small pieces and dissolve in enough water to obtain the consistency of liquid sour cream. Rub the sofa upholstery with this solution. To get the liquid deep, press it firmly onto the area you want to clean. After 40 minutes, water is added, and the soap solution with the residue from the cat urine is thoroughly blotted.
- Table vinegar. Before use, it is advisable to test the reaction of the upholstery to acetic acid on an inconspicuous area. This must be done because on some fabrics, vinegar will dissolve the dye. If the test is completed successfully, then the acid can be applied to the visible area. The liquid is applied to the area where the cat peed, and left for 20-25 minutes, and then washed with warm water. All that remains is to dry your sofa.
Vinegar for cleaning furniture can also be replaced with citric acid or lemon juice. If the liquid does not get deep, the problem will be eliminated.
The most effective method for cleaning a sofa
Answering the question of how you can clean a sofa from the smell of cat urine, it is worth mentioning another interesting remedy that was invented a long time ago. The chemist thus fought the smell of skunk, which is known to be the most pungent in nature. This removes even the most stubborn stains. This method includes several steps:
- The liquid that remains on the surface of the upholstery is removed as much as possible using napkins or absorbent. When everything is absorbed, then vacuuming is carried out.
- Next, you should make a solution of 9% vinegar and water, in a ratio of 1:3. Then wet the area of the “crime” with it and cover it with a napkin to achieve maximum results. Instead of vinegar, you can use citric acid to clean your sofa.
- When the vinegar dries, you need to cover the stain with baking soda.
- Next, you need to make a mixture of 100 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide and the same amount of water. Pour one teaspoon of any liquid soap substance there. The resulting solution must be used to treat the entire contaminated surface. The peroxide will immediately react with the soda, and a lot of foam will appear. The uric acid will break down into its volatile components, and the odor will disappear instantly.
To check whether you have removed all the foul-smelling liquid, treat the stain with an iodine solution. You need to prepare it like this: 15 drops of iodine are mixed with 1 liter of water. If, when processing a problem area, you see that it changes color, it means that not everything has been removed, and the procedure will have to be repeated. This method is only suitable for dark materials.
Pet stores sell special aerosols that are good at removing pet urine odors. There is another way to clean your sofa and remove the smell of cat urine. To do this, you need to buy special enzymes and bacteria. They also break urine down into components that evaporate. But they are not cheap, and their effectiveness is lower than that of soda and vinegar. They are often used as deterrents to prevent cats from pooping where they shouldn't.
As you know, domestic cats are clean creatures; they clearly know where their litter box is and where to relieve themselves. But sometimes troubles happen - your pet may mark upholstered furniture, such as a sofa. This incident is very unpleasant, because getting rid of the urine smell is not at all easy, it completely eats into the furniture, so in order to return things to their former freshness, you need to know how to remove the smell of cat urine from the sofa. Today we will offer you the TOP 5 main ways to remove liquid feces from your prankster.
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Method 1 - Soapy
The source of the unpleasant odor is uric acid, which forms insoluble crystals in water that retain pungent aromas. To get rid of the problem, you need to remove traces of uric acid, which dissolves only in glycerin, alkali solution and alcohol. Therefore, to “reanimate” furniture, you will need regular glycerin-based soap or laundry soap. It is thoroughly rubbed onto the contaminated areas, rubbed with a sponge or brush, and then washed off with clean water and dried.
Method 2 - Kitchen
If your cat “tarnished” your reputation and went to the toilet on your favorite sofa, you can make an effective remedy at home from scrap materials. To do this, take:
- vacuum cleaner;
- paper napkins;
- spray;
- hydrogen peroxide 3%;
- soda;
- vinegar solution;
- dishwashing liquid;
- syringe with needle.
- First, thoroughly clean the damaged furniture; you can use dry paper napkins for this. The more of them you take and the sooner you do the procedure, the better - the liquid must be thoroughly removed.
- Then wipe the stains with a vinegar solution (pre-mix table vinegar with water in a ratio of 1:4), and carefully remove the remains with napkins or toilet paper.
- After drying, sprinkle the treated area with soda, and if your cat’s urine has penetrated deep into the sofa, getting rid of the stench is a little more difficult - you need to inject the solution into the thickness of the furniture, for this you can use a syringe.
- Next, you should fill a spray bottle with hydrogen peroxide mixed 1:1 with water, you can add dishwashing liquid there, and then shake.
- The resulting mixture is applied to areas sprinkled with soda. If you injected soda through a syringe, you can do the same with the peroxide solution.
If you managed to get rid of the aromas of cat urine, you will notice the pungent odor of ammonium; it signals that uric acid has interacted with solutions of soda and peroxide and decomposed into harmless carbon dioxide and volatile ammonia compounds. Soon the reaction will pass, the unpleasant odors will disappear and you will only need to dry the “crime scene” and clean it of soda particles, which can easily be done with a household vacuum cleaner.
We suggest you watch how this is done in the next video.
Method 3 - Pink
If you are still wondering how to remove the smell of cat urine from the sofa, you can use potassium permanganate. It will help get rid of the ominous odor, as it is a powerful deodorant. A faint pink solution of potassium permanganate is applied to the furniture and left until completely dry. To wash stains and remove “traces of crime” in the air, the procedure is carried out several times in a row until the desired effect is achieved. However, be careful, this method should not be used for furniture with light upholstery.
Method 4 - Fragrant
Antibacterial agents, such as tea leaves or mouth rinse, will help remove unnecessary odors. To do this, they are rubbed onto the damaged surface, and after drying, the furniture is cleaned with a damp sponge and dried. Strong natural flavors - tea tree and orange oils, coffee, dried parsley, lime - will also help remove the annoying smell of urine. However, this method is an emergency remedy: the effect is achieved quickly, but will not get rid of the problem forever. This method will help you out if guests are coming soon and there is no time left for long procedures.
Method 5 - Chemical
The means at hand are effective, but not always everything you need can be found at hand, and besides, the procedures described above require considerable time. The ideal way to get rid of the smell of urine and wash away stains is to purchase a professional special product for cleaning surfaces from organic compounds. Such “chemistry” must necessarily contain enzymes - these substances fight unpleasant odors by breaking down compounds without leaving a residue. The range of such products is large, for example, Zoosan or Zoovorsin, as well as their analogues, are suitable.
To effectively get rid of cat indiscretions, the drugs are used exactly according to the instructions, otherwise you will not only not be able to remove the “odors”, but also risk damaging the furniture. Enzymes require a moist environment and oxygen to act, so it is necessary to maintain the necessary regime. Don't be surprised if the smell doesn't disappear immediately; it can often take several days to achieve the effect. You can purchase cleaning products and eliminate unpleasant odors both in veterinary stores and at points of sale of household chemicals.
Video “Removing the smell of cat urine at home”
In the following video, you will learn proven ways to remove urine odor from a sofa or other damaged surfaces using home remedies.
Sorry, there are no surveys available at this time.Pet owners are often faced with the need to remove the smell of urine from the sofa if their cat has peed on it. Cat waste products have a very fetid odor and are especially strongly embedded in those pieces of furniture that absorb liquid and dirt well. Therefore, getting rid of the “aroma” of urine can sometimes be very difficult. However, this can be done even at home, if you know what products effectively clean the upholstery and soft filling of sofas from bad odors.
Cat waste products have a very fetid odor and are especially strongly embedded in those pieces of furniture that absorb liquid and dirt well.Fresh stain removers
Those who are looking for a way to remove the smell of cat urine from a sofa need to remember one very important rule: the earlier the “crime” is detected, the greater the chance of quickly and without leaving a trace of cleaning the furniture. However, in practice, you can feel the cat’s “mark” after it dries. The reason for this is uric acid salts, which crystallize as the stain dries. They do not disappear on their own even after a long time and are not washed off with plain water, so you need to remove cat urine from the sofa as quickly as possible, using products with active ingredients.
For fresh stains, laundry soap is perfect. It needs to be grated and mixed with water until a thick paste is obtained. The mixture is rubbed into the contaminated upholstery as thoroughly as possible so that the cleaning components penetrate deeply. After this, you need to wait until the area is dry and wipe off any remaining soap with a damp cloth.
Domestic cats are distinguished by their cleanliness, so they know well where their owners have built a toilet for them, and only there they relieve their natural needs. It's no secret that even a well-bred animal can mark a sofa or carpet. Because cat urine has an extremely unpleasant odor, every effort should be made to remove it immediately.
If the cat has already taken a fancy to upholstered furniture as a place for marking, then the owner will have to work hard to repel the pet and permanently eliminate the smell of cat feces. To do this, you can use several different techniques. When choosing how to get rid of “incense”, it is worth considering that some methods can only remove fresh traces, while others can wash the sofa even from very old stains.
Why is it worth trying to remove a stain from upholstered furniture immediately after your cat has peed? If you don’t catch it in a timely manner, the pet will relieve itself more than once in the chosen place. Also, the ingrained smell of cat urine is quite difficult to remove, so not everyone can boast that they did it the first time. So, if you get started right away, you will save yourself a lot of problems.
There are several proven methods used at home that can not only get rid of the smell of cat urine, but also restore upholstered furniture to its former cleanliness and freshness.
Baking soda + vinegar + hydrogen peroxide
You need to prepare the following:
- a roll of toilet paper or a pack of paper towels;
- a solution of table vinegar with water in a ratio of 1:4;
- baking soda;
- 3% hydrogen peroxide solution (sold at the pharmacy);
- 10 ml of any dishwashing detergent;
- syringe with needle;
- household spray bottle;
- vacuum cleaner.
First, thoroughly clean the stained sofa, trying to remove as much traces of dirt as possible from the surface of the furniture covering. Wipe the cat urine stains with the prepared vinegar solution. Remove as much remaining vinegar solution as possible using paper towels or toilet paper. After the surface has dried, heavily soiled areas should be sprinkled generously with baking soda powder. If the cat's urine has managed to penetrate deep into the area, you will need to prepare a soda solution and use a syringe to inject it into the thickness of the sofa.
Then pour a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water (1:1 ratio) into a spray bottle, pour in dishwashing detergent and shake vigorously. Then apply the resulting mixture to areas previously sprinkled with baking soda. If you introduced a soda solution inside, repeat a similar procedure using a hydrogen peroxide solution.
After a short period of time, you may notice a strong ammonium odor. This suggests that uric acid crystals have reacted with peroxide and soda, and are now decomposing into volatile ammonia and carbon dioxide. After the reaction is completed, all that remains is to dry the wet areas and vacuum them thoroughly.
This method will help clean upholstered furniture even from stubborn, old stains of cat urine.
Glycerin soap
Glycerin successfully fights urea, which is “rich” in cat urine. Interestingly, it is urea that is the main culprit of the specific unpleasant odor that lingers in the upholstery of the sofa for a long time. To solve this problem, rub glycerin soap into the dirty parts of the sofa, scrub thoroughly with a stiff-bristled brush, and then simply rinse with water and leave until completely dry.
Laundry soap
Prepare a slurry from laundry soap - grate the bar on a coarse grater and pour in a small amount of warm water. Apply the resulting paste mixture to the stain and thoroughly rub into the sofa upholstery. Wait about half an hour and rinse with water. This method is only effective if you use it immediately after the cat has done some mischief on the sofa.
Potassium permanganate solution
Add a small amount of the substance to the water until the liquid turns pale pink. Moisten the contaminated area of the sofa with it. This method is applicable only to upholstered furniture in dark shades.
Lemon
Squeeze the juice of one lemon into any container, moisten a sponge with it and carefully treat the marked area on the furniture. The benefit of this method is that it will help prevent your cat from urinating on the couch in the future, as cats hate the smell of citrus fruits.
Iodine solution
It can be prepared according to the following ratio: 10 drops of iodine per 1 liter of water. Treat the stain and the area around it with the prepared solution. Then dry the area with a hairdryer. The latter measure is necessary to prevent the appearance of stains that iodine solution usually leaves. This method is applicable only for sofas of dark colors.
Alcohol or alcohol-containing product
First apply alcohol to an inconspicuous area of the sofa upholstery in order to find out how it will affect the fabric. Wipe the stain left from the cat’s “crime” with a cotton pad or sponge previously soaked in alcohol. Wait until it dries completely, and then repeat this 2-3 more times. There is no need to wash off the alcohol with water, since the essential oils contained in it will disappear on their own after a short time.
Special detergents
The issue of eliminating the smell of cat urine may remain just as relevant when you have tried all possible options, but have not achieved any results. This means it’s time to use products that are specifically designed to eliminate organic contaminants.
They are sold in the form of liquids, sprays or granules. When choosing, consider the main requirement - they should not contain ammonia. You can purchase professional cleaning products both in pet stores and in household chemical departments. The principle of their action is associated with the destruction of the structure of the chemical structure of uric acid, which means that complete elimination of odor is ensured.
Important! The best results were shown by substances containing special enzymes. For the highest effectiveness of these products, it is necessary to ensure compliance with simple conditions - apply the detergent to damp fabrics in a well-ventilated area.
Consider the list of popular means:
- Cleansan.
- Urine off – effectively eliminates odors.
- Duftapet. Treat the damaged area of the sofa upholstery with this product and cover with polyethylene. By removing organic particles, it eliminates stench.
- DesoSan.
- OdorGone. Able to eliminate odor by absorbing chemical elements that emit it.
- Zoosan.
- Bio-G. It has shown its effectiveness, but has an unpleasant odor and high consumption.
Important! Avoid the common mistake of reading the instructions after use. Please read it carefully in advance. Keep in mind that some enzymes give results several days after use.
One way to remove cat urine from a sofa:
What should you not clean upholstered furniture with?
It should be noted right away that all kinds of aromatic agents are absolutely powerless in solving this problem. These include deodorants, fragrant oils, herbs, and ground coffee. All of the above remedies are not able to remove traces of cat urine, and only temporarily mask the stench.
In addition, to eliminate the smell of cat urine, it is strictly forbidden to use chlorine-containing substances or products containing ammonia. Why? There are several reasons for this:
- They only aggravate the problem - they intensify the already pungent smell of cat feces.
- There is a high risk that chlorine-containing products will have a negative effect on the color of furniture upholstery.
- Chlorine fumes are very toxic to people, but especially to animals.
There are countless methods for removing the smell of cat urine on upholstered furniture. The most important thing in this matter is not to hesitate in removing the stain and get down to business right away. Try not to scold the cat, since it may well be that he did it without malicious intent. For example, he was simply worried about feeling unwell, or he wanted to attract the attention of his beloved owners.
