Cats with behavioral problems may often urinate on your bed, sofa, carpet or clothes. Annoyingly, cat urine has an odor that is difficult to get rid of, especially if the urine has dried and crystallized.

Today I will introduce a method that allows you to remove urine odor from any fabric surface. Of course, this method can also be used to remove urine from any type of pet.

After the smell is removed, the next thing we need to do is to find the reason for the cat's urination. It may be a behavioral problem or a health problem. Only by finding the root of the problem can we further prevent the next accident.

To completely remove the odor, the materials you need to prepare are as follows:

Paper towels

Oxygen bleaching powder

White vinegar

Baking soda (optional)

Biological enzyme detergent

The above are available on all Taobao.

　▍Preprocessing

It is not a good idea to throw urine-stained clothes or fabrics directly into the washing machine because the special smell of cat urine can contaminate the entire foreign object. So it is best to do pretreatment before cleaning.

Rinse the urine spot with clean, cold water. Dry the stained area with paper towels. There is no need to scrub the stain too hard as this will cause the stain to sink deeper into the fabric. Your goal is to get as much urine out as possible before entering the cleansing phase.

Fill the sink with water and add half a cup of oxygen bleaching powder. Do not use traditional chlorine bleach as this can damage clothing. Mix the oxygen bleach thoroughly into the water, then soak the urine-stained item in the water for one to four hours.

Note: There are a variety of odor removal products available as part of the pretreatment, but do not use products containing ammonia to clean urine stains. Cats are likely to mistake the smell of ammonia for urine and urinate in the same spot over and over again.

　▍Vinegar Wash

For best results, use a two-part cleaning process to remove urine stains and odors. The first part of the process is the vinegar wash.

​Mix one cup of white vinegar and three cups of water (1:3). Apply this solution to items stained with urine and let sit for a few minutes.

If you wish, cover the stained area with baking soda. Baking soda will work with vinegar to absorb and neutralize odors.

Add cold water to the washing machine. Do not add any laundry detergent. Do not use warm or hot water as this may cause stains and odor.

Air-dry urine-stained items. If you are drying indoors, this may take a full 24Hour. Do not use a clothes dryer as any heat may permanently affect the odor.

　▍Washing and ironing

By now, many of the stains and odors have been removed and you can turn to traditional washing methods.

Use an enzyme-based cleaner in cold water to clean urine-stained items. Enzyme-based detergents are known to treat organic stains. These enzymes effectively "eat" organic matter, including cat urine. Detergent labels will show whether they contain enzymes.

Air dry items again. Once they are completely dry, smell the items carefully for any residual odor. If the urine is completely dry, you may need to repeat the final cleaning steps.

▍Consider the cat’s health

In order to avoid another accident, it is important to solve the cat's problem. When a cat urinates somewhere other than the litter box, it usually indicates a health or behavioral problem.

Start by taking your cat to the veterinarian. Besides a dirty litter box, urinary tract problems are the most common reason cats don't use the litter box. You must rule out health problems first. If your veterinarian rules out a medical cause, then you'll need to address the behavioral cause of your cat's inappropriate urination.

　▍Can you still smell cat urine?

If your laundry smells fresh but you can still detect lingering cat urine odor, you need to do some testing. Pets may have marked the floors, furniture, or other areas of your home.

Use a black light to inspect. Most blacklights work better in complete darkness, so be careful when working with them. Use the light to scan walls, floors, baseboards, furniture and any other surface. Hold the light close to the surface for best results - urine stains will glow a fluorescent white. Use chalk or sticky notes to mark the areas where the black light shows stains.

Once you have identified the contaminated area, clean the area with an odor-removing product. After a thorough cleaning, you can enjoy a fresh home again.