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Cats are great pets; they’re fun to play with, great for cuddling, and will always be there when you need them. What’s not so great is if your cat decides to go pee-pee in the house, particularly on carpet or upholstery. Regardless of whether your cat is young, old, a house cat, or just decided they couldn’t be bothered to go outside, accidents do happen, and cleaning up can be a chore.
The worst thing is, cat urine smells particularly bad. It’s not too hard to clean on hard surfaces, but unfortunately these aren’t a cat’s favorite place to go toilet. Getting the smell out of carpet, bedding, or furniture is particularly challenging, especially if you didn’t notice it early enough. For when soap and water just won’t cut it, try a special odor remover.
Cat urine odor removers use powerful chemicals to remove the smell, and should only be brought out in extreme situations. Some brands use synthetic chemicals, whereas others use natural ingredients, so bear this in mind if you’re looking for an eco-friendly version. You can buy odor removers in spray bottles, liquid form, and powder, and they will be suitable for different needs. Here is a list of some of the best brands available for helping to clear away that stink.
1. Rocco & Roxie Professional Strength Stain and Odor Eliminator
A great this about this odor eliminator is that it’s manufactured by a leading pet brand, and so is specifically designed to remove pet odors, most notably urine. This means you can rest assured that it’ll do exactly what you want it to. One of the main ingredients in the product is bacterial enzymes that get into the upholstery and completely remove smells and stains by feeding on ammonia and organic matter. After the spray has been left, you simply wash it out and the stain (and smell) should be completely gone.
The odor eliminator comes in a spray bottle, so will be suitable for small surface areas, but if you’ve got a large patch to clean, or will get more regular use out of the product, consider a concentrated liquid version instead. The spray is free from chlorine, and shouldn’t have any effect on color either. It’s obviously suitable for use around pets, but make sure the area is always cleaned thoroughly first.
2. SCOE 10X Natural Odor Eliminator Concentrate
If you need to do quite a lot of odor removal, then this product would be a good choice for you. It comes in a 13 fl. oz. bottle, and makes up to 1 gallon of diluted remover. You then use this to wash the stained surface, and it’ll remove all smells very quickly. This product uses a probiotic formula to both remove the bacteria’s food source, causing them to die, and also the smell molecules.
One downside to this odor remover is that it doesn’t claim to also remove stains. While this might not be an issue to some, if you’ve got white or cream upholstery, urine stains can be really obvious. So if this is something you want from the product, then look elsewhere. The product claims to remove pet smells from a range of materials, but it doesn’t state that it’s safe for use around pets. For this reason, make sure you remove any traces of it from the surface before your cat comes back into the room. That said, this odor eliminator will be a good choice if you’re looking for a more cost-effective option.
3. Prove-It! Pet Urine Odor Removal Kit
This kit is great because it has a two-step urine removal system, so will do an excellent job of completely removing everything, both stain and smell. The kit comes with a spray for pre-treating the surface, and then the main product is a powder that’s sprinkled onto the affected area. You then use the supplied brush to scrub the powder in, and then simply vacuum it up. What’s great about this product is you don’t even have to get the surface wet, which can be a much better option for expensive upholstery.
One thing to bear in mind is that this odor remover does use harsher chemicals than some others on this list. This is mainly because it’s in powder form, and so works slightly differently, but it’s also a more heavy-duty product. Make sure you’re always really careful when cleaning it up, as you don’t want anyone to breathe the powder in. However, it’s really easy to clean up, so you shouldn’t have many difficulties. Another benefit of the powder is that it can be used on both hard and soft surfaces.
4. Dumb Cat Urine Odor Remover
One of the good things about this kit is that not only does it come with the odor removal spray; it also comes with a small UV light to help you detect urine stains. This is particularly helpful if the pee has dried up, as it might not always be too obvious where you actually need to clean. The product comes in a spray bottle, and so is ideal for spot application. But again, if you’re going to be doing regular urine removal, choose a concentrated version instead.
This odor removal spray uses a combination of enzymes and bacteria to remove smells and stains, and works quickly and efficiently. Having the flashlight handy means you can always do a thorough job too. The spray claims to be chemical free, and so shouldn’t stain anything, but always do a little test patch first just to make sure. This also means it’s suitable for use around animals, but again, always make sure it’s cleaned up properly anyway.
5. Nature’s Miracle Just for Cats Stain and Odor Remover
Unlike other products on this list, this odor remover has a lavender scent, so not only will it remove smells and stains, it’ll leave a fresh smell behind too. It comes in a large pouring bottle, but isn’t concentrated. This makes it a good choice for quick and regular use because all you need to do is apply it directly from the bottle. The odor remover only takes around 10 minutes to work, and can be reapplied regularly until the smell has completely gone.
This odor eliminator uses a bacteria-based formula to quickly and efficiently remove the source of the smell, and any odor molecules. It also works to break down organic matter that makes up the stain, making it all really easy to clean. The undiluted formula is save to use directly from the bottle on a wide variety of hard and soft surfaces, including carpet, linoleum, tile, and furniture. You also don’t need to wash this product out, so make sure you give it plenty of time to dry before letting your cat near it.
6. Shout for Pets Stain and Odor Eliminator
This company sells a range of different odor eliminating products, and this one specifically works to deliver continued fragrance from the affected area, long after you’ve cleaned up the stain. It uses an oxygen-powered cleaning solution that removes both the smell and stain, and will leave the area smelling clean and fresh. The manufacturer also sells enzyme- and bacteria-based odor removers too. This makes them a great choice for a range of stain removal needs, all of which are specifically for pets.
The product comes in a spray bottle, and is suitable for use on furniture, nylon products, and carpets. Always make sure you test it before use because its stain removal properties are quite powerful. Also make sure your cat doesn’t come into contact with the affected area while it’s being treated, as this product is harsher than some others on this list. Overall, this is a good choice for more heavy-duty cleaning needs.
7. No Scent Professional Cat Urine Odor Eliminator
If you’re looking for an eco-friendly and pet-safe odor eliminator, then this is a good choice for you. The product is specially designed to deal with cat smells, and doesn’t leave any smell of its own behind. While some people might like a fresh-scented product, this also means it has fewer chemicals in it and can safely be used around animals. Because the odor remover is designed specifically for use with cats it can be used on other nasty smells too, such as scent markings and poop!
The secret behind the effectiveness of this product is the fact that it uses a combination of 5 different bacteria strains that produce unique enzymes, all of which do an excellent job of removing smells. The benefit of using such a range of enzymes is that it controls odors for a much longer period than some other products, which should hopefully prevent your cat from returning to the area and doing more damage. It also contains a higher concentration of bacteria that work well against urea, so you know it’s going to do a good job of removing pee smells. Bear in mind though, this product doesn’t claim to remove stains.
8. SCOE 10X Natural Probiotic Odor Eliminator Starter Kit
This odor eliminator is the best of both worlds, as it comes with a spray applicator bottle and a refill bottle of concentrated remover. This means you get the benefit of a precision spray nozzle, but can also refill it whenever you need. It can be used to treat a wide range of smells, so will be a good choice if you’ve got other smell hazards in your life (dogs or petrol fumes for example).
The odor eliminator uses a probiotic formula to tackle the smell deep down and remove it at its source. It’ll quickly get rid of any bad smells, and will stop them from returning, and its natural formula means it’s safe for use around pets. However, like the product above, this one doesn’t also remove stains.
9. Ultimate I Pet Odor Removal Kit
This kit has you covered for particularly troublesome stains, and includes a four-step treatment plan to make sure the job gets done properly. The main step is a powder odor remover, which you sprinkle on to the affected surface and then scrub in, but it also comes with a pre-treatment spray, and 2 post-treatment steps. The last one of these is a housebreaking aid, which essentially stops your cat from going to the toilet in the same spot; something that can happen quite often once a smell develops.
A powder-based odor removal system is much easier to clean up than a water-based one, which will usually have to be washed out once it’s finished treating. With this powder, you simply vacuum it up once it’s done. This makes it much quicker and easier to use, and the pack claims to treat up to 200 square foot of surface. The three treatment sprays will also last a long time, and are really helpful for stopping your cat from going toilet indoors again.
10. Stink Free Urine Odor Remover and Blacklight
This kit has everything you need to effectively treat urine odor problems. It comes with a bottle of odor remover, which can be applied to a wide range of surfaces, and a blacklight to help you find the affected areas. This is particularly helpful if the pee has dried up, as it might be difficult to find on darker surfaces. The blacklight is quite large, and very powerful, so will easily pick up any stains.
The odor remover uses a combination of 5 active ingredients to effectively remove the odor source, the food for the problem bacteria, and to freshen the problem area. It’ll leave your upholstery smelling fresh and clean, and simply needs to be wiped away once it’s done treating. This product is safe to use with pets, but obviously make sure you always clean it up properly before they’re allowed around it again.
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Julie
Julie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where she studied Animal science. Though contrary to the opinion of her parents she was meant to study pharmacy, but she was in love with animals especially cats. Julie currently works in an animal research institute (NGO) in California and loves spending quality time with her little cat. She has the passion for making research about animals, how they survive, their way of life among others and publishes it. Julie is also happily married with two kids.
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