There is a product called Urine Gone and it comes with a black light for detection. I've used it and it works. I think you can find it at CVS, Walgreens, Ace, etc. I also used it to clean the horrible stains on DS car floor mats and what a difference! So much came out, especially after hosing them off. Realizing you cant do this with oriental rugs, it is still a good product to try and I've used it on carpets, not noticing any bleaching or fading.

I read on a cat forum some time back, that listerine will take out the smell of cat urine.

A few months ago, I brought 2 new kitties into our home that already had 4. One of the male cats started urinating in the corner of the living room, an attempt to mark his space.

I tried the baking soda remedies on the internet and also 3 different kinds of products from Pet Smart. They did not work.

While at the vet's office, I asked her if she had a miracle cure for this awful smell. I figured she would recommend stuff I had already tried.

She gave me a product called KOE, kennel odor eliminator concentrate, that she uses at the office. She told me to saturate the area that had been marked. I mixed it up and did as she told me to. I used a fan to help it dry. It does not smell any longer.

I do not know if this is only sold to vets or if it can be ordered. The website on the bottle is www.thornell.com.

Good luck!!

I know someone with a problem with one of their cats. I'm going to suggest they get their orientals cleaned by an antiques rug dealer, to get the odor out. I think he may have been taking them to the dry cleaners. He also uses various sprays, including the enzymes, but they still smell.

I've linked a good article I recently read, from our resident rug expert here, tryin2grow. She deals in rugs and restoration and writes about rugs and their care over at AtticMag. Looks like wet washing is best, if it is safe to do on a particular rug (dye-fast). I don't think all dealers use that method, so it's best to ask their technique.

Also, try unscented litter, an immaculate box at all times, a litter texture that doesn't bother them (mine hate pellets), and a box on each level so one is always convenient for her to get to. I know when they are having health problems, they sometimes just go whenever and wherever, but try the above if you haven't already.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cleaning Rugs - Article

Linnea, I feel your pain. I have one that is peeing on the carpet in the basement which is why that flooring is getting ripped up this weekend and replaced with vinyl. Pets and fiber floors don't go together IMHO.

One of my kitties urinated on a quilted Christmas tree skirt that I made out of velvet and silver lame. I took it to the cleaners and they told me that dry cleaning solution won't remove urine because urine is water based and dry cleaning solution is solvent based.

I've used Nature's Miracle and it works pretty well, but the last time I had my carpets professionally cleaned they had a product that worked even better. I bought one of those black lights but it hasn't been too helpful for me. The carpet guy had a huge one that really worked but the kind you buy in the pet store are not powerful enough according to him.

If this is a good rug (and it sounds as though it is)...take it to a pro who specializes in oriental carpets and have it professionally cleaned. Don't mess about with home remedies.

I can sympathize with you as I have been battling the urine problem with an old male dog hiking his leg everywhere. We got the stinky carpet ripped up and a new vinyl floor down and the problem has diminished considerably. You know that old saw...you can't teach old dogs new tricks.

Anyway, there is a website that offers products that really work instead of just a waste of money on stuff that don't work. Go to www.planeturine.com and read the tons of customer reviews of the different products for both dogs and cats.

I just got my products and so far it is doing well in keeping the smell under control while we retrain the dog.

I've used the white vinegar in warm water blot on mine, since my DD's little dog has been marking that spot while he watches people walk their dogs right out the window. (Finally got him to Stop doing it by putting his very favorite dog pillow right next to the chosen spot!)
But I had to use Febreze in there too so I couldn't smell the odor. I have bad hearing, am not very observant, but have a keen sense of smell.........unfortunately.

Asked my dear friend Syndi, who has a very-much-in-demand carpet cleaning business what to do about the Wool oriental. Once she found out the rug was wool, she made a face. (Syndi brags that her very expensive machine will extract animal urine and leave carpets so fresh....) She pretty much told me everything you can read on the oriental rug website already posted. Wool does not clean well when it comes to urine, this is one time it's better to have a synthetic carpet. She said the only thing to do is for her to pull the rug out onto the driveway and actually wash it, letting it air dry. And even then, she didn't guarantee results.

Red

I can tell you my sister had good results dealing with cat urine on an expensive wool oriental by sending it to a specialist...it cost a couple of hundred dollars, but was worth it for a rug that was worth thousands. She was up in Boston at the time.

They have to be washed and dried "just so" or they mildew in a heartbeat. I've linked the place I would use here in NC. You should be able to find someone just as competent where you live.

Here is a link that might be useful: Perisan Carpet Durham

I feel your pain. I have many hand-knotted, 100% wool oriental carpets I purchased in Pakistan in the 1960s...just gorgeous carpets. And 1 of my cats is 15 and having some health problems...so I've been going through what you're experiencing. Here are my suggestions:

1) Black light works best when the room is 100% dark, which I've not been able to achieve. There's always an ambient light coming from somewhere. I do try, and mark the spot(s) with the blue painting tape

2) I've resigned myself to not professionally clean my carpets until my cat passes on, as there's no point in subjecting my carpets to that. However, to protect against further accidents, I now place, on the areas where my cat likes to pee, human liners. These are 32" x 24", are made to go in an older person's bed, so there's plastic backing, that doesn't allow liquid to escape. They work wonderfully well to protect my carpets, yet allow the cat to feel like he can go where he needs to. When company comes over, I pick up the liners, then return them to their position as soon as company leaves. I remove a soiled one as soon as I find it....I go on "patrol" 2x daily looking for this...and that way the cat continues to use these instead of my carpet

3) For cleaning, I've tried many, many products. Nature's Miracle, Zero Odor, and I've just now purchased Anti Icky Poo which has been recommended by friends who foster cats, and swear it's the best product they've ever tried. It's supposed to be exceptionally good at getting the odor out. Here's a link to more info on Anti Icky Poo http://www.best-cat-art.com/cat-urine-odor.html

4) My cat prefers to pee on the edge of the carpet, where the fringe joins the body of the carpet, so it's an area that is more vulnerable to bleeding from the vegetable dye. I've not yet had color problems from the Nature's Miracle & the Zero Odor....haven't used Anti Icky-Poo yet.

Good luck. I've decided I'll long remember the wonderful love I've received from my elderly cat, long after the carpets have been thoroughly cleaned and returned to normal (or close to normal), and that the carpets are for my enjoyment, not investment, so I suck it up, and try to keep my 15 year old comfortable. Hope these ideas help.

Artlover13060 said:
"One of my kitties urinated on a quilted Christmas tree skirt that I made out of velvet and silver lame. I took it to the cleaners and they told me that dry cleaning solution won't remove urine because urine is water based and dry cleaning solution is solvent based."

I'm thinking most stuff one takes to the dry cleaner like dirty clothes and so on does not have solvent based dirt?

Urine has its own special problems on rugs. I also remember reading that it reacts with the dyes in some way. Trying to find that just now, I see that the enzyme cleaners 'feed on wool.' So you really need to consult a professional.

I'd go to someone who deals in cleaning antique rugs, as they would have such a vast knowledge of rugs, past and present. Pet urine is certainly a common problem that they all have to deal with, but knowing ones rugs is a skill you don't want to overlook. Fibers, weave, dyes, processes used, or not used, reactions, repairs that were made with different methods, etc., will be in command with the right set of skills and experience, getting the best possible results.

Skip the carpet cleaner since using anything other than a specific enzyme cleaner for urine will essentially set the odor and makes it difficult for the enzyme cleaner to work.

As mentioned above, use a product made for kennel odor.
I have wool oriental carpets that have gone thru 21 years of pet accidents and none of them have an odor or stain after using Natures Miracle and other enzyme cleaners.
Well, let me correct myself......one (very light colored) rug has a slight stain from body oils where my large dog loved to lay.

If you're not sure of the dye used on the rug, then seek out a pro.

I highly recommend Simple Solution, you can get it at Petsmart! We have 4 indoor cats and have used it on the Karastan rug in the living room with great success. Nothing else worked like that product did, and I always keep a bottle in the house now, just in case.

I'm another fan of Anti Icky Poo, but not on an Oriental. One has no way of knowing the composition of the dyes in an Oriental and most enzyme cleaners are not compatible with wool. Get your rug to the best Oriental rug specialist you can find. Do it quickly. Dried urine is much harder to remove than fresh urine.

My litterboxes have high sides with a low area for easy access. My oldest kitty sometimes neglects to turn around and soils on the low area or on the floor by the box, so I use the bed liners around the boxes. When she had a bladder infection, she went straight for the pads.

Here's hoping that your kitty will like pads better than rugs ...

There are industrial deodorizers like Epolean that might help also.

If you would allow me to chime in here as someone who has cleaned thousands of area rugs (thanks squirrel for the title :-))

Very briefly....

Enzyme based products are safe to use on all rugs.

Enzymes eat the protiens in urine, blood, etc.

The enzymes do not make a rug bleed.

Enzyme based cleaners are marketed under different names, choose one and use it asap when a spot is discovered.

Whether or not a spot/stain will come out is a whole 'nuther story and based upon various factors, the same as why some rugs bleed and others don't--more reasons than I can list here at the moment.

Rugs come into my shop daily with some type of pet accident, so trust me when I say I've seen them all, including the accidents my own pets make at home :D

Having been a member of GW for so many years, I think I should put together an easy to read 'how to' list about tackling pet accidents. Your questions and comments are most insightful.

Jane

So can the enzymes stay on a wool rug or do they need to be washed out after treatment?

Looking forward to your article on this!

Squirrel - they can be left on without damage to the rug, but it is the follow up cleaning (either at home or pro) that removes all particles and sanitizes the area.

You need to rinse the rug with water immediately - the urine has chemicals in it that will destroy the wool.

And if it's that valuable, take it to a professional specialist in Oriental rugs and let them know it's been peed on. They can rinse it first, then clean it.

I can't agree with the rinsing theory. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems adding water will just make the urine spread thru a larger area of the rug. In the time it takes to buy some enzymes the rug is not going to be destroyed by urine.
What one can do after finding urine, if it's still wet, is to place a towel under the rug where the pet peed, and a towel on top. Blot up as much of the urine as you can. I usually step on the upper towel if it's a dense rug!
I always place a towel underneath when I'm treating the rug with the enzymes.

Follow the directions on the enzyme container, let the area dry thoroughly afterward, then clean the rug to remove any particles and to sanitize (as TTG mentioned).