Will Steam Cleaning a Carpet Remove Cat Urine Smell? 4 Vet-Approved Sanitation Tips
Have you ever wondered which pet is easier to potty train, dogs or cats? Cat owners may argue that cats are much easier to potty train than dogs because of their natural inclination to use the litter box. While there is a bit of truth to this, most cat owners have occasionally dealt with cats doing their business in places that they shouldn’t, such as the carpet, leading to an intense urine smell!
To deal with this odor, you may have considered steam cleaning your carpet to rid it of your cat’s pee. But does steam cleaning your carpet effectively remove cat urine smell? Steam cleaning alone may not remove the urine smell and can even make things worse.
While steam cleaning is a good way to clean your carpet in general, there are thorough steps to follow before steam cleaning cat urine-stained carpet. Read on to find out more!
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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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!
Cat Urine Smell
If your cat peed on the carpet, you have likely noticed how potent the smell is. The reason that cat pee on carpet can be difficult to clean is how the urine’s chemical composition interacts with the fibers of the carpet.
Cat urine contains high concentrations of uric acid, which can reach deep into the carpet fibers and come into contact with bacteria, which produce a strong odor. Aside from uric acid, cat urine also contains sulfur compounds, such as thiols and sulfides, that also have a strong odor. The uric acid and sulfur compound content is what gives the cat urine its strong stench, making it difficult to manage.
Why Steaming a Carpet Alone Won’t Work
Steam cleaning may mask the smell for a short period, but it can actually worsen the situation in the long run. While steam cleaning uses high temperatures and pressure to clean the surface, it doesn’t work for cat urine on carpet, as the heat can cause the proteins to bond to the fabric of the carpet. This can cause the stain to permanently set, which will make the odor more difficult, if not impossible, to remove.
How to Clean Your Carpet
When cleaning cat urine on the carpet, you’ll want to make sure the carpet both looks and smells clean again. To properly clean and neutralize the odor, you’ll need to attack cat urine at a chemical level.
To effectively remove the odor and prevent fresh stains from setting, you want to blot the liquid with a clean cloth to absorb as much urine from the carpet as possible. When blotting, avoid rubbing or scrubbing the area to prevent spreading the urine.
After blotting, use a cleaning solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle on the affected area and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Blot the cleaning solution, rinse, and blot again to remove any excess moisture. To break down the proteins, the use of enzymatic cleaners is recommended. When applying enzymatic cleaners, apply and let sit as recommended based on the instructions provided. Rinse with clean water, blot, and let dry!
It is important to note that some carpet materials may require special cleaning methods, so be sure to familiarize yourself with your carpet’s material and its proper care instructions before attempting to clean it.
When in doubt, you may also consider using professional carpet cleaning services to ensure that your carpet is left clean and fresh!
The 4 Tips for Preventing Accidents
The best way to deal with the smell of cat urine on the carpet is by preventing it in the first place. Here are a few steps on how to prevent your cat from peeing on the carpet.
1. Speak to a Veterinarian
Before assuming your cat’s urine accidents are just a blip, it’s important to consider whether there could be an underlying health issue. If your cat is older, they may have painful joints and struggle to get in and out of the litter box comfortably. This could lead to accidents.
Otherwise, cats may develop cystitis or other lower urinary tract disease, causing them to experience pain while trying to urinate, as well as straining, urinating frequently while passing only small amounts of urine, which sometimes contains blood. All these signs prompt an urgent veterinary visit, particularly in male cats, which may develop a life-threatening condition, a urinary blockage. If your cat started urinating outside of the litter box or displaying any of the above-mentioned signs, please get them checked out by a vet as soon as possible.
2. Properly Set Up the Litter Boxes
Cats have a natural inclination to do their business in the litter box because of the texture of the litter and the privacy the box ensures. So be sure to position their litter boxes in a space that they can easily access. Cats are very territorial animals, so it’s crucial to have one litter box per cat if you have multiple cats in one household, as well as one extra litter box. Be sure to place each litter box in a quiet area with low traffic to avoid stress and interruption while they potty.
Litter boxes are considered a cat’s personal space. This is a space where they are comfortable enough to go potty. Because of this, cats can get picky and have different preferences when it comes to their litter. If their litter has an overwhelming scent or a texture that they do not like, they may end up not using it and doing their business elsewhere.
Be sure to choose the proper litter for your cat to ensure that they use it instead of your carpet!
3. Address Stressors
Cats are creatures of habit and will respond if stressed or anxious. Small changes in the house or in their routine can stress them out, causing them to pee in unusual areas, such as the carpet. Cats can also experience stress and anxiety if not properly stimulated through play and exercise.
To address this, you want to identify what’s stressing your cat. Cats experiencing anxiety from the changes in their environment need more reassurance and attention, so be sure to spend more time with your cat. You can also provide scratch posts and toys to keep your cat stimulated, as well as soothing pheromone diffusers to offer some extra reassurance.
4. Clean Up Accidents Immediately
One way or another, your cat may have an occasional accident on the carpet. To prevent this from happening again, clean the spot right away before letting the stain set. An enzyme cleaner will be your best shot at eliminating pesky odors and stains. This signals to your cat that the carpet isn’t the right place to do their business.
Can I Still Steam Clean My Carpet?
Steam cleaning your carpet without any of these steps can ruin your carpet and potentially worsen the odor from your cat’s pee. But if properly cleaned with blotting, cleaning solutions, and enzymatic solutions, steam cleaning can definitely be included as the last step in the cleaning procedure, which can greatly help clean your carpet and remove unwanted odors.
- 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.
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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!
Final Thoughts
The strong smell of cat pee is a challenge most cat owners are familiar with, especially if your cat pees in the wrong places, like your carpet. Steam cleaning alone is not an effective way to clean and remove the unpleasant cat urine smell from your carpet and can even worsen it. Before steam cleaning, be sure to pre-clean the carpet stain with a cleaning solution and an enzymatic solution.
Steam cleaning is a great way to clean your carpet from your cat’s accidents—just be sure to do all the other steps first! And do not forget to get down to the root cause of your cat peeing outside of their litter box by getting them checked out by the vet and managing stressors, litter box location, and litter.
Featured Image Credit: whitejellybeans, 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.
