Removing pet urine smell without chemicals

Every pet owner knows, that one of the hardest things to get rid of in the home is the smell of pet urine. It is nearly impossible to remove the odor once it has permeated a carpet. This is a very strong smell and difficult to remove, especially if your pet is a cat. Removing  pet urine smell without chemicals will not be easy but it is possible.

The quicker the smell is noticed and attacked, the better the results. If the surface is a hard one, wipe it down with a mop and hot water as quickly as possible. If it is tile or linoleum, adding some bleach to the water will disinfect the area. This treatment is not appropriate for all surfaces and of course, bleach is not very green but sometimes is necessary.

Be sure to wash the mop immediately because the smell is so strong that it can linger on the mophead. If you have a steam floor cleaner, it is a good idea after wiping the area to go over it with the steam cleaner.

Where the smell really gets to be an issue is when the accident happens on carpeting or a rug. If it happens to be a throw rug, get it into the washing machine with some baking soda or white vinegar as quickly as possible. The longer the urine stays on the rug, the harder it will be to remove the odor.

If the urine is on carpeting and you smell it right away, get some paper towel and mop up the wet spot. Take a bowl and fill it with equal parts warm water and white vinegar. With a rag, soaked in the water and vinegar, wet the spot with the solution. Let it sit for a few minutes if possible and then using a dry towel, absorb the water and vinegar.

Don't worry about the vinegar smell. You are not replacing one smell with another. The vinegar odor will go away within a short time. This works pretty well if you catch it right away. If, however, it has dried or is a repeat offense, it is more difficult.

Using a carpet steam cleaner is the next step if the odor still lingers. You can use one of the commercial pet odor cleaners in your machine or use baking soda in your water. Baking soda can be quite effective against pet urine smells, sometimes.

After the carpet has dried, try sprinkling it with baking soda, allow it to sit for a while and then vacuum it up. If the urine smell is on furniture, you can use most of these methods as long as the material is strong enough to take the treatment.

There is really no guarantee any of these methods will work. In some extreme cases, the only cure is to remove the carpet and in really bad cases, the sub-flooring. When it comes to pet urine, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.