How to Clean Dried Cat Urine from Carpet?

As a cat lover, pee and fur are the order of the day. With a great broom for pet hair, you can easily deal with the pet hair. Cat urine is another challenge, especially when it’s on the carpet. Other than the unsightly stains the urine leaves on the carpet, it has a strong stench that can make the house inhabitable.

It gets worse. Removing cat urine stains and smell is not easy. But it’s not impossible. If cat urine and smell have taken over your home, this quick blog on how to clean dried cat urine from carpet. It will help you reclaim your home and your carpet with a few actionable and useful tips.

Blot it up

If you’ve discovered the patch of urine when it’s still fresh, use a paper towel to blot as much of it as possible. You can use old clothes or a towel that you can throw away if the patch is big. Place the cloth or towel on the carpet, then stand on it while wearing shoes. The weight of your body should help to soak up as much of the urine as possible.

If the urine has dried in, pour cool water onto the stain and let it sit for a while, then using a paper towel or a cloth to blot the urine.

Use an enzymatic Cleaner

Cat urine is quite similar to other animals’ urine. But, cat urine has an unmistakably strong stench. That’s because cat urine also contains powerful hormones.

Using an enzymatic cleaner helps to get rid of the stain and the stench. Enzymatic cleaners eat the urinary leaving the carpet looking clean and smell-free.

Enzymatic cleaners not only help to clear the stain and break down the smell, but they also make sure the cat won’t return to soil the area once more.

Most enzymatic cleaners come in a spray bottle that is easy to use and target the trouble spots on your carpet. However, make sure to use the product exactly as directed.

Water and Vinegar Mix

If for some reason, you can’t make it to the store, you can make a home-made solution also works. One of the all-time favorites is a water and vinegar mix. Vinegar is perfect for killing bacteria and works well for old and new stains.

To make the solution mix 1 ½ cups of warm water with ½ a cup of vinegar. Pour the mixture over the stain and let it soak for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Hydrogen peroxide and dish detergent solution

The dish detergent and hydrogen peroxide solution is another home-made cleaning solution alternative. However, hydrogen peroxide tends to bleach. It should only be used on white carpets.

As an additional precaution, you should test the concoction on a small piece of the carpet before spreading it out over the stain.

To make the solution mix one teaspoon of dish detergent with ¾ cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide. The mixture should form a paste that you can apply over the stain. The dish detergent will work on the smell while the hydrogen peroxide works on clearing the stain.

Use wet Vacuum to extract moisture

After using the different solutions to treat the stains and smell, you need to rinse the carpet using warm water.

To make drying the carpet easier and faster, you can use a wet vacuum cleaner to dry the carpet. The wet vacuum empties the dirty water in a tank, which is a great way to rinse the carpet. When using the wet vacuum cleaner, it’s important that you closely follow the instructions.

One deviation from the regular routine of cleaning a carpet when dealing with stains is that you can use a steam vacuum cleaner. The heat will cause the odors to sink further into the fibers, making them harder to remove. 

The Takeaway

Cat urine and smell doesn’t have to take over your home. There are commercial and home-made solutions that you can use that will restore your carpet and get rid of the stench.

It’s important to remember not to use hot water or a steam vacuum. While it might get rid of the stain, it will allow the smell of the urine to set on the fibers making it harder to deal with.