How To Clean Dried Cat Urine From Carpet?

Anyone who has a feline companion will know the awful smell that lingers around when it has an accident on the carpet. If you are at your wits’ end trying to figure out how to clean dried cat urine from carpet, you’ve come to the right place – we have all the best ideas for you.

How To Clean Dried Cat Urine From Carpet?

Cleaning up any urine is essential from a hygiene perspective, and in the case of cat wee, from a smell perspective. It just stinks!

You can definitely clean out the urine, and remove the smell – it may take a little extra effort than other things, but it will be worth it.

1. Use rubber gloves to protect your hands, and you may even find that goggles are in order as it can literally make your eyes water.
2. Mix together equal parts of water and white vinegar, and generously cover the area with this mixture (you can use a spray bottle, or just pour it on).
3. Give the area a bit of a scrub with a brush, particularly if the urine is old and dried on to the carpet.
4. Leave the mixture to work its magic for at least 30 minutes, then mop the wet patch using paper towels or a cloth.

You can repeat this method as many times as it takes to remove the stain and the smell, and you will never even know that anything happened.

This cleaning method is easy, cheap and effective, but if you have a great deal of dried cat urine, you may wish to consider another method.

Vinegar and baking soda mixed together is a highly effective cleaning agent; just make sure you test it on an inconspicuous patch so you know your whole carpet won’t be affected.

Hydrogen peroxide is another good bet for removing cat urine; you can either use it on its own or mixed with baking soda, for the best results.

Enzymatic cleaners are a very good way of removing cat pee, especially if it smells really bad. You can find these in most supermarkets and pet shops.

Will Cat Urine Smell Ever Go Away?

Because it is such a strong and offensive smell, you would be forgiven for thinking the smell of dried cat urine is there to stay.

The good news is that you CAN get rid of the smell – it just may take a little time and patience!

Cat urine is very strong; it’s one of the things cats use to mark their territories and to communicate with other cats.

If you are trying to remove the smell of old cat wee, you need something that contains enough enzymes to break it down.

A cleaner that has acidic properties is the best thing; this will help to neutralise the alkaline content of the urine.

How Do You Get Dried Cat Urine Out?

Thankfully, there are a great many ways of getting rid of dried cat urine, and you don’t have to resort to expensive chemical cleaners.

The key is to neutralise the smell of the cat urine as well as cleaning the area – the smell of cat wee is very strong and can last a long time!

It is important to get to the stain quickly, as it will be harder to clean up once it has dried.

Another issue is that if your cat can still smell its urine, it will be far more likely to “mark” that same area again, compounding your issues.

Vinegar is a very effective cleaning method for this, as it is an acid, and as such it can neutralise the alkaline salts in the dried urine.

Baking soda is a fantastic cleaner for just about anything, and cat wee is no exception. It will also do wonders at removing the smell!

Enzyme cleaner is another good option – these are widely available and not too expensive, and can be a life saver to get rid of offensive cat smells.

Air drying is another great way to remove odours – if it is a cushion or an item of clothing that you are removing urine from, hang it outside to dry after you have cleaned it.

This video shows you some great methods to clean dried cat urine:

What Is The Best Cleaner For Dried Cat Urine?

Dried cat urine is very unpleasant, but removing it doesn’t have to be. You don’t even have to spend money on chemical cleaners – removing it is easier than you may imagine.

Just about the best things you can use for cleaning cat wee are vinegar and baking soda. These two items are great at cleaning, and even better when used together.

Because cat wee is an alkaline substance, it is best to clean it with something that can neutralise this.

Vinegar is acidic, so it will do the best job at cleaning out dried cat urine – and it won’t smell like vinegar once it’s dried.

Baking soda, although it is alkaline, is just about the most effective natural cleaner we have. Mixing the two together is the holy grail of cleaning products!

Can I Use Bleach On Dried Cat Pee?

Although bleach is great at cleaning a lot of things, it it a very harsh cleaner and shouldn’t be used on some substances. Cat wee is one of these substances.

Not only is using bleach not very effective at cleaning cat wee, it can also be very dangerous to your health to mix these two things.

Cat urine contains a lot of ammonia, and when you mix ammonia with bleach it can cause a toxic gas that is harmful to your health.

Stick to using more natural cleaning products for cleaning cat pee, and save the bleach for the bathroom sink!

Final Words

Cat urine has to be one of the worst smells out there, there’s no doubt about that. But you don’t have to get rid of your cat -or your carpet!

Our cleaning tips will help you remove that characteristic smell that has all your guests wrinkling their noses, and it won’t mean replacing the entire carpet.