Cat Urine - Get The Smell Out Of Fabric?

[rocketscientist]

Hi,

So Princess still has an occasional problem urinating just outside her box. (I am going to put her back on Dr. Elsey's litter as soon as I can, and also start using pee pads, but meanwhile...) I normally use paper towels to blot it up, then a rag with Nature's Miracle to really clean the spot.

I just pulled my laundry out of the dryer... And those rags STILL smell like urine. I don't remember that happening before, but it's happening now. Is there any way to get the smell out? Or, do I need to just designate these as "pee rags?"

Thanks for any help.

-R

 

[catlover73]

I would try spraying the rags with same cleaner you used to clean up the pee and let them dry without rinsing them out. Then use OxiClean powder to wash the rags in your washing machine. You may need to rinse them out an extra time. Do not dry the rags again until the scent is gone. You may need to go through the process a couple of times. One hint I will share is not to dry the rags until you are sure the scent is gone. I used this technique to save a pair of hubby's jeans my cat peed on when he had a UTI. I would try this but I do not know if the rags being dried once already will cause problems. I air dryed my hubby's jeans until we were sure the pee scent was gone. Once we got rid of the scent I put the jeans in the washer and rinsed them. Then I dried them so they were not stiff.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am not sure why I didn't seem to have a problem getting pee out of the rags I used when Feeby was having an issue. Although, I usually always washed the rags immediately after clean up and used Tide and baking soda. I think if they are allowed to lay around and get partially dry before washing them it allows the urine to 'settle into' the fabric threads and makes it harder to get the smell out. Anytime I wasn't able to wash them quickly, I usually let them soak for a few hours before finishing the wash cycle.

 

[rubysmama]

Here's a TCS article that might be helpful: How To Get Cat Pee Smell Out Of Clothes And Linens

 

[kissthisangel]

Can I recommend bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar, with sliced lemon, soak whatever it is overnight in a bowl/ bath and then wash it in a normal wash. To get that persistent smell out of our carpets, because they can't be thrown in the washer I used a "pet odor" product from a brand called "astonish" and then the above combination laying the bicarb down first generously, then the white vinegar so it bubbles up, then throw the lemon on top and it foams up even more lifting bits and dirt out (it's actually almost therapeutic to watch). Then a vacuum powder once the carpet was dry, just to give a nice "new carpet scent". I have done this about 5 times on our carpet, but it will lighten the colour so if you have darker rugs then test this or find another method. Our old rug was covered in my MIL's dog's wee he was so old and infirm he would get up, reach the corner of the rug and hesitate to head toward the door so he would just pee on the rug. By the time he crossed the rainbow bridge the rug was really hanging around for his comfort and as soon as he went, that rug was tossed. There was no cleaning that.

Anyway if none of these solutions work to your satisfaction, perhaps a color coded rag system would "yellow for pee", "green for kitchen" whatever works so you aren't cross contaminating.