Why does the cat smell occur?
It's all about the composition of cat urine. It consists of urea, urochrome and uric acid. After drying, cat urine becomes sticky - this is due to the specific properties of urea. Thanks to uric acid, urine crystallizes very quickly, which prevents it from being cleaned with water later. Well, urochrome is responsible for color.
The main culprit of stench is urea, which crystallizes under the influence of uric acid. As mentioned above, it is quite difficult to wash these crystals. Even if everything looks normal on the outside, the smell will still remain until effective remedies are used.
Getting rid of old urine odor
Of course, if you see a damp urine stain on the couch, you need to act quickly. The smell from a fresh stain is the easiest to neutralize. Anything that absorbs moisture well and prevents it from penetrating deep is suitable here. But what to do if the stain is not detected immediately?
How to remove urine smell from a sofa? To do this you will have to tinker.
You can help cope with the smell by:
- Alcohol;
- Cleaning agent;
- Iodine;
- Dry cleaning.
First you need to soak the dried stain. Soak areas saturated with odor with a small amount of alcohol, wait 1-2 hours and dry with an iron.
Important: never leave a wet spot on the sofa (use napkins, an iron or a hairdryer to dry), otherwise a persistent moldy smell will appear.
Now stores can provide a wide range of cleaning products that contain chlorine.
A homemade bleach solution may also work.
An iodine solution (about 15 drops per liter of water is needed) copes well with pungent odors.
It can only be used on dark upholstery.
The last resort is dry cleaning, but if that doesn’t help, you should think about buying a new sofa.
If you are afraid of ruining the upholstery of the sofa, then simply take the furniture to the dry cleaner - specialists know how to remove various stains and will be able to quickly carry out all the necessary work.
In order to avoid such a situation in the future, it is better to use removable covers.
This will not only protect your furniture from getting dirty, but will also save you time!
How to remove the smell of cat urine from the sofa
As soon as it is discovered that a cat has desecrated a favorite chair or sofa, you must immediately begin cleaning it up. Do not wait until the urine is absorbed into the upholstery material, much less dries.
Cat lover advice: getting rid of the smell of cat urine - video:
There is no need to rush and purchase industrial mixtures. In every home there are enough available tools that will help clean fabric furniture elements from cat tracks.
Laundry soap solution
Glycerin, which is present in sufficient quantities in laundry soap, breaks down the main flavoring agent in cat urine – urea. That is why using a soap solution is the number one remedy in the fight against mustachioed pet marks. The solution is prepared very simply:
- Three soaps on a grater or chop with a knife;
- Dilute in warm water;
- Rub the prepared mixture into the surface of the upholstery and leave for 10-15 minutes;
- At the end of the operation, you can wash off any remaining soap with a damp cloth.
To consolidate the effect, wipe the affected area with alcohol. This will temporarily prevent your cat from marking again.
Manganese or iodine
These medications can only be used to remove relatively fresh stains from upholstered furniture upholstered in dark materials. In addition to its oxidizing properties, a solution of potassium permanganate has a significant deodorizing effect, which is especially important when eliminating various odors. To destroy cat dirt you need:
- Dilute potassium permanganate in warm water, bringing it to a rich pink color.
- Using a soft cloth or sponge without abrasive, apply the solution liberally to the marked area.
- After 5 minutes, rinse with warm, clean water.
Lemon juice
Lemon juice is a powerful oxidizing agent that can quickly break down urea crystals, the main source of persistent odor. Therefore, as soon as you notice that the cat has peed on the sofa, we do the following:
- Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice directly onto the stain.
- Take a soft sponge, soak it in lemon juice and wipe it.
- If the contamination is old, the procedure will have to be repeated after 20 minutes.
In addition to eliminating the unpleasant odor, the lemon will leave its own, which cats don’t really like; in any case, they don’t like to mark places that smell of citrus.
Important. If using this method to remove a stain from a colored or delicate material, the lemon juice should be thoroughly washed with clean water. Otherwise, partial discoloration of the treated area may occur.
Vinegar
This food product will help even from old traces of cat litter. To do this you need:
- Thoroughly blot the sofa upholstery with a cloth or paper napkin.
- Cover for a while with an absorbent used in toilets for pets.
- Wait until it is absorbed and clean the treated area with a vacuum cleaner.
- Dilute vinegar with water in a one to one ratio.
- Take a clean cloth and rub the mixture into the stain.
Acetic acid destroys the strong-smelling elements of cat feces, but during the neutralization process, a byproduct of the breakdown is formed - thiols. It is also easy to remove with baking soda. Sprinkle the wet area to be treated with baking soda and let it dry. We remove the remains with a vacuum cleaner.
Soda
If you immediately notice that the cat has peed, take powdered baking soda and generously sprinkle it on the crime scene. Old stains are removed a little differently:
- Make a liquid paste solution of baking soda in warm water.
- Rub the prepared mixture into the stain. To do this, we use a piece of cloth or, for deeper penetration, a brush.
- Leave until surface dry and then wipe with soapy water.
Hydrogen peroxide
Another medicine with which you can prepare an effective mixture for cleaning your sofa from cat urine. For this:
- Take 10-15 ml of peroxide (15 cubes in a syringe or approximately 3 teaspoons);
- Two tablespoons of liquid soap or shabby laundry soap;
- And two tablespoons of soda.
Generously cover the affected area with the prepared mixture and wait until it dries completely. Afterwards, wash everything with soapy water and rinse with clean water.
Alternative use of peroxide:
- Rub baking soda into the fresh stain.
- We take a spray bottle and spray the contaminated area with a solution prepared from water and hydrogen peroxide (we take the ingredients in equal proportions).
- We wait for it to dry completely and remove the residue with a vacuum cleaner.
Proven and affordable methods
There are several surefire ways that will help not only remove the smell of cat urine from the sofa, but also return the furniture to its former freshness and cleanliness used at home.
If you do not have the time or opportunity to read the entire article, watch the video on this topic:
- Method No. 1. Using glycerin soap. It is glycerin that can successfully fight urea, which is found in excess in cat urine. It is urea that gives a specific unpleasant odor, which can linger in the upholstery of the sofa for a long time. The soap should be thoroughly rubbed into the dirty surface of the sofa, rubbed with a coarse bristle brush, then rinsed with water and allowed to dry thoroughly. Regular laundry soap will also help. You need to prepare a paste from it - grate the block and add warm water. Apply the resulting paste-like substance to the stain and rub in well. Wait a while (about 20-30 minutes) and rinse with water. This method will give a positive result if you use it immediately after the cat has gone to the toilet on the sofa!
- Method No. 2. will be a fairly effective remedy in combating the smell of cat urine on the upholstery of the sofa . It is necessary to squeeze lemon juice into any bowl, wet the sponge and carefully treat the area on the furniture where the cat pooped. By the way, these animals do not perceive the smell of citrus fruits, and, most likely, the cat will not mark this area again!
- Method No. 3. Hydrogen peroxide can quickly remove a cat urine stain along with an unpleasant odor. To treat, you need to take 3% peroxide and test it on an inconspicuous area of the upholstery, because the product can discolor the surface. Peroxide is applied to the stain and allowed to dry. This procedure needs to be repeated several times, then it will help get rid of the smell left by the cat.
- Method number 4. The most common method that avid “cat lovers” advise each other is to remove the smell of cat urine using alcohol or any other alcohol-containing product . Alcohol is also pre-applied to an area of the sofa upholstery that is invisible. The treatment procedure is similar to the method with hydrogen peroxide: rub the stain left by the cat’s “crime” with a sponge or cotton pad soaked in alcohol, wait until it dries. Repeat 2-3 times. There is no need to rinse off, since the essential oils contained in the alcohol solution will disappear on their own over time.
- Method No. 5. Potassium permanganate solution is very popular among cat lovers. However, it is better to use it on a sofa that has dark upholstery, otherwise manganese can turn light furniture a specific pink color. Several crystals of potassium permanganate are dissolved in a glass of warm water and a sponge soaked in it is carefully treated with traces of the cat’s tricks. The procedure is repeated until the desired result is obtained.
- Method number 6. Table vinegar will also help remove the smell of cat urine on the sofa You need to moisten cotton wool or a bandage in it and wipe the place where the cat decided to relieve its natural needs. Do not be afraid of the specific smell that will replace the unpleasant aroma of cat amber, because after a while it will evaporate without a trace.
- Method No. 7. The smell of urine on the sofa can be removed with baking soda. Soda should be mixed with a small amount of water to form a homogeneous paste. Apply the mixture to the contaminated area and rub with a brush. Let it dry completely, then wipe off any remaining baking soda with a dry sponge or soft cloth.
Industrial detergents for odor removal
If all the methods described above are powerless, products specially designed for this will help remove the persistent smell of cat urine from the sofa. You can find it in places where household goods are sold or in large pet stores. A feature of these drugs is their selective effect on organic pollutants, which, as a rule, are the main source of stench.
Specially designed odor remover – video review:
The best effect of neutralizing the smell of urine is observed from those mixtures that include proprietary developments of manufacturers - special groups of enzymes (enzymes). Under the influence of these substances, uric acid crystals are destroyed, which almost completely neutralizes the foul-smelling fraction in traces of cat litter.
Before using them, you must carefully study the instructions. In addition, these products have one important feature: the effect of their use will be noticeable no earlier than 2-3 days after treating the stains.
How to remove the smell of baby urine
Every mother has had to face the question: “How to get rid of the smell of urine on the sofa?” If a wet spot is left behind by an infant, you should use a weak solution of potassium permanganate (light pink). It is important to remember that this product is only suitable for a sofa with dark upholstery.
To get rid of baby urine smell from your couch, you can use several products that you have on hand.
A simple detergent will also work. Add it to a bowl of water and use a sponge to go over the area you need.
Remove the remaining foam with a dry cloth and let the sofa dry.
An excellent solution is baking soda. A small amount can remove stains and eliminate strong odors. Also, soda can kill all germs on the sofa, which is important because a small child is crawling on it.
It is necessary to dilute the soda with water until a paste forms and apply it to the desired surface of the sofa, then vacuum the area.
Older children can cause much more damage to your sofa. Their urine has a specific smell, which is quite difficult to get rid of. A vinegar solution will help with this best. You need to mix vinegar with water (1:5) and soak a piece of cloth in the resulting mixture.
Squeeze out excess solution thoroughly and cover the stained area.
You should wait no more than an hour, after which you should wipe the surface with water and dry it with a hairdryer or iron (using a cloth).
In order to completely get rid of the smell of baby secretions, the procedure should be repeated 2-3 times.
Preventive actions
As mentioned above, uncontrollable cat urination is most often experienced by owners of unsterilized pets. If this has already happened, you need to completely get rid of the smell on the furniture, otherwise the animal will definitely urinate there again, and most likely repeatedly.
When a kitten has just settled in the apartment, there is no need to put off teaching it to use its own toilet. For this:
- We purchase a cat litter box and an absorbent for it (in extreme cases, you can use sawdust or sand);
- As soon as the young pet has marked in an unspecified place, we take a napkin, blot the urine and put it in his tray;
- We take the kitten and show him where his toilet is (let him sniff a napkin);
- We repeat the procedure until the animal understands where it is supposed to relieve itself (quick-witted individuals understand the second or third time).
If a similar problem begins to happen to an adult cat, there are usually several reasons for this:
- I didn't like the tray. A possible solution is to change the tray to a more suitable one.
- The tray is placed in a place that the animal does not like. The solution is to find a more suitable location.
If you remove all the contents from the cat's litter box to replace it with clean ones, the cat may not immediately figure out where to go about its business. Therefore, you should always leave a little old absorbent in the tray. The pet feels a familiar smell and quickly understands where to relieve its natural needs.
Getting rid of the smell of animal urine
Pets living in the house are, of course, a real blessing, but if they are not trained to go to the litter box, they can cause a lot of trouble for their owner.
If you have a cat at home, the animal can go to the “toilet” on the sofa.
Many pet owners are interested in the question: “How to remove the smell of urine from the sofa?” This will not be difficult if it was wetted by very young kittens or puppies.
Adult animals bring much more trouble to the owner.
Specialized products are usually used to remove the smell of animal urine. They can be purchased at a pet store or household chemical store.
The use of improvised means does not always give excellent results, but they can cope with this.
Initially, you need to remove the stain that has formed and only then get rid of the smell. Hydrogen peroxide can help neutralize it.
Leave the mixture for an hour, then clean with a brush and, if necessary, wipe with a wet cloth. The sofa is completely clean and the smell of cat urine has been eliminated.
- Sprinkle baking soda on the surface that is saturated with the smell.
- Mix hydrogen peroxide with water in a 1:1 ratio and add a little liquid soap to the resulting solution.
- Using a sponge, apply the resulting product evenly to the desired area.
- Leave for an hour and a half.
- Rinse with water and wait for the fabric to dry.
In retail sales you can find a lot of products to eliminate urine odor.
If your pet is a cat, lemon juice is perfect for removing urine odor. Plus, cats can't stand citrus smells, which will prevent new stains from appearing on your favorite couch.
Place a couple of citrus peels on the inside surface of the sofa - the animal will never ruin your furniture again.
How not to do it
Some pet owners try to solve the problem by masking cat scents with strong-smelling products. This applies to the use of various types of deodorants, food flavors, essential oils, dry brewed coffee and other similar products. Unfortunately, they are able to eliminate the problem only for a very short period of time, and as a result, the smell not only remains, but also acquires an incomprehensible shade.
You should not try to wash such stains with chlorine-containing substances. They are ineffective in neutralizing cat odor and may even increase it somewhat. In addition, the upholstery of upholstered furniture will most likely deteriorate, and chlorine fumes are completely unhealthy for any organism.