How to Get Cat Vomit Out of Carpet: Essential Tips & Tricks
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It’s an unfortunate reality of owning pets; there are going to be messes that you have to clean up. Rather than get upset, it’s best to simply take action. Most of the time, you’re probably going to encounter pee or poop. Less often, you’ll discover that your cat has puked on the floor. If you’re really lucky, the messes will be contained to the parts of your home that have hard flooring.
But if you’re reading this article, that probably wasn’t the case. Of course, your cat just had to puke on the carpet. But don’t fret! We have three easy solutions for you that will help you clean up that vomit quickly and get back to your regular scheduled programming.
How to Effectively Clean Up Cat Messes, Odors & Stains
The first part of cat mess prevention is ensuring you are taking the time to properly clean any accidents - and that starts with investing in the right products! Of course, you'll want to opt for something safe first and foremost, to protect your feline's health, but secondly, you'll need a solution powerful enough to lift the toughest, stinkiest, most set-in stains. After careful consideration, we fell in love with one product and highly recommend it to all pet owners!
Our Favorite Enzyme Cleaner
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Best Enzyme Spray
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Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray |
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There are several reasons we can't get enough of the Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray. It permanently removes the very worst smells and stains, it can be used on a multitude of surfaces and its neutral scented, meaning no odor masking! It comes in a generous 32-oz bottle and comes with 100% satisfaction guarantee. Learn more about this holy grail of a cleaner here!
At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding products of this cool cat company!
The 3 Ways to Clean Cat Vomit Out of Carpet
We’ve covered the very basics of which household cleaners and pet-specific products you can use to get cat throw-up out of carpet, but let’s take a closer look at the steps you need to take.
1. Use Household Cleaners
Since you already have a host of household cleaners in your home, they’re the obvious first choice for cleaning up cat vomit. Before using a household cleaner, ensure you’ve soaked up as much of the wet vomit as possible.
Soak the area with the alcohol/salt/vinegar solution you’ve created. Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes. Then, blot it dry with a towel or paper towel. The stain and odor should be eliminated. If not, you’ll need to repeat the process. Should you repeat this process several times without success, it’s time to try a pet-specific odor eliminator.
2. Use a Pet Odor Eliminator
Pet odor eliminators contain special chemicals and enzymes that are specifically meant to eliminate the odors your pet leaves behind when they make a mess. These products are incredibly easy to use. Just spray the cleaner on the stain, let it sit, then blot it dry. Repeated soaking can produce even better results. For stubborn stains and smells, several soakings might be necessary.
3. Use a Commercial Carpet Cleaner
If you’ve tried everything and can’t seem to eliminate the smell and stain of your cat’s vomit, it’s time to bring in the big guns. Commercial carpet cleaners are available for rent, and they can do some serious work on carpet stains. Use a pet-specific carpet cleaning solution in the cleaner, then let the machine do the work. While you’re at it, you might as well clean all the carpets in your house since you’re paying for the rental anyway!
Tips for Cleaning Cat Vomit Out of Carpet
1. Don’t Let It Sit
The number one rule to clean up cat puke from carpet is to get on it right away! The longer you allow it to sit, the worse it’s going to get. Granted, sometimes, we have no control over this. If you were at work all day and you just came home to discover a pile of puke on the carpet, well, you’re out of luck. Still, you should clean it the moment you discover it to reduce the impact it will have.
2. Dry It Up
When you first discover the vomit, you don’t want to start immediately dousing it with cleaners and solutions. Instead, you need to dry up as much of it as you can, taking care not to push any of it into the carpet more. Start with paper towels and allow them to gently soak up the vomit. Use only light pressure; otherwise, you’ll squish the vomit into the carpet and make it harder to remove.
3. Effective Household Cleaners
Your first line of defense will be the cleaners that you already have in your home. Dish detergent, salt, warm water, rubbing alcohol, and vinegar can make a very effective cleaner that will remove the smell and stains.
You can create the solution by dissolving 1 tablespoon of salt into 2 cups of warm water. Then, add in the remaining ingredients: ½ cup of white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol, and 1 tablespoon of dish detergent.
4. The Power of Baking Soda
Whether you’re using pet-specific cleaners or the products that were available already in your home, you’ll need to enlist the help of baking soda. After you’ve cleaned up the vomit using your preferred cleaner, cover the affected area with dry baking soda. Allow the baking soda to sit for 1 to 2 hours so it can soak up the moisture. You’ll start to see it clump together when it’s ready. Vacuum up the excess baking soda, and your carpet should be dry and odor-free. Repeat this step if necessary.
5. Pet Products
If household cleaners don’t cut it, you’ll need to step your game up and use something a bit stronger. Pet-specific products are made to remove the odors that your pets cause, including cat vomit.
Once the bulk of the vomit has been dried up with paper towels, soak the area with the Oxy-Fast spray. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then blot it dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. Repeat this process for more effective results.
- ADVANCED ENZYMATIC CLEANER - Penetrates the most stubborn smells and stains at the deepest molecular levels to dissolve any pet mess you encounter and lift it away at the source.
- FOR ANY MESS, ON ANY SURFACE - This pet odor eliminator cleans your carpets, floors, furniture, fabrics, and more. Whether it's urine, feces, vomit, or drool, you can erase all foul spots and smells!
- FRESH, NATURAL ODOR - Our unique formulation doesn't rely on dangerous or unpleasant chemical fragrances to get the job done. We eradicate smells and stains, not just cover them up.
At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding products of this cool cat company!
Conclusion
It’s never a good feeling to find the vomit that your cat left on the carpet. But it’s even worse when it leaves behind a stain or an unpleasant odor. Luckily, with our guide on how to get cat vomit out of carpet, it doesn’t have to be an arduous task. If you use the right cleaners and chemicals, it should be a pretty simple process. Should it prove to be harder than expected, you can always call in the cavalry by renting a commercial carpet cleaner and letting the machine do all the heavy lifting.
You might also like:
Natural Home Remedies to Treat Cat Vomiting: Vet-Approved Methods
Best Cat Urine & Odor Removers (Enzyme Cleaners) – Reviews & Top Picks
Featured Image Credit: Kristi Blokhin, Shutterstock
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Christian started writing for a local newspaper as a teenager, and he's been involved in the publishing industry for most of his adult life. Combining his love of writing with a passion for animals, he is currently the Director of Editorial at Pangolia and the Editor-in-Chief at Catster.
Christian lives in the Philippines with his wife, son, and four rescue cats: Trixie, Chloe, Sparky, and Chopper.
