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how to get pee smell out of rug

14 years ago

One of our cats (have 5) seems to have started peeing on the small rugs in several rooms. I tossed them but this one is new and I'd like to save it but it is dry and the backing is discolored. Can I save it???? What should I wash it with? Tried ammonia on a different one but I could still smell it.

thanks for any help you can give me.

Comments (7)

sephia
14 years ago
Take your cat to the vet for a check-up. To suddenly start peeing in other places outside of the litterbox can signal an urinary tract infection.
weed30 St. Louis
14 years ago
Ammonia is the *worst* thing you can use - because it smells like pee! Try one of the enzymatic cleaners found at the pet store.

If you can fit it in the washing machine, try that, but do NOT put it in the dryer. The backing might disintegrate and cause a fire hazard.
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Brutus unanswered the difference between simple pee accidents from neutered or spayed animals and the pee/spray deposited by unfixed animals. Fixed-animal urine stink is bad, but depending on the length of time and the underlying material sometimes you can get it out. But I have washed cat towels from the bedding of an uneutered feral I took in last fall perhaps two or three dozen times and I can still smell the pee/spray stink. And I use a Euro f/l washing machine and can, and do, go to 205F with all kinds of additives. And nautrally I started when these were fresh sprayings and treated them with several different enzymes and urine smell removing treaments. (BTW, I find a product called Get Serious to be better than Nature's Miracle and Petzyme. All available at Petsmart-type places.) Anyway, if the rug smells of simple cat urine odor and it has been untreated for awhile, I doubt you could get it out because you might have to use chemicals (enzymes, for instance that are damaging to natural woolf fibers) or such vigorous cleaning that you would damage the rug. But if you wanted to take the chance you could try. However if the smells are from unneutered animals, I wouldn't even bring it to my house to try. I do feral cat rescue and am totally over the yuck factor of cat pee, but the smell of it still drives me bats. HTH, Molly~
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Try "Nature's Miracle". You can buy large bottles of it, maybe even a formula for washing machines. The last time I was in Pet Surplus I saw a line of Nature's Miracle products on the shelf but didn't really check them out. I know the liquid worked wonders on my comforter after the stray tom cat peed on it. And it is stuffed with wool! I put some in a spray bottle and soaked the stain with it. Then I left the comforter to air dry, the smell went away but some of the yellow stain remained. So I just left it draped over a chair in the bedroom ever since, and this has been a couple months ago. I wasn't taking any chances by folding it up and putting it away in the armoir until ALL the odor was gone. Even better would be to hang it out in the sun all day - if we ever get any sun.
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carmen_grower_2007
14 years ago
"What Odor". It works on everything and is safe enough to actually spray on a pet --- perfect to remove skunk odor.
fandlil
14 years ago
In my experience, once a cat pees on a rug, it will always pee on it because you cannot get the smell completely out. It's best to give the rug (after it's cleaned) to someone who does not have animals.

And I agree that you should have your cat examined for possible urinary tract infection. It is also possible that the cat that is peeing in the wrong places feel threatened by the other cats and cannot comfortably use the litter box because some of the other cats consider it part of their territory and won't let him/her go there. This is especially a possibility if the cat that's peeing is a "new kid on the block."
datura-07
Original Author
14 years ago
thanks for the help. Someone told me to use some cider vinegar in the wash and I tried it. The rug smells great - no pee odor at all when I took it out of the washer. I'll see how it is when it is dry.
joepyeweed
14 years ago
Simple Solution... is the brand name of an enzymatic cleaner that works great for pet urine.

Another brand is Nature's Miracle. Both are about the same, but I prefer the smell of SS to NM.. though both are odorless after they dry.

vinegar is a good choice also. I use it for getting the fish smell out of ice coolers.
olyagrove
14 years ago
You can also try Odoban
Olya

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