When Accidents Happen
Many of us are blessed to have animals to brighten our lives! They bring us so much joy, don’t they? But what happens when an accident occurs?
You know what I mean, your puppy is potty training and pees on the carpet or your cat is getting old and misses the kitty litter. How do you get rid of dog and cat urine odors the all natural way?
Stick around…I am about to tell you how! But first…here is our story.
Here Is Our Story
A few years ago we had a cat, Mason. We just LOVED Mason! I mean how cute is Mason right?
Unfortunately, Mason was getting very old, 17 years in this picture. With age, sometimes cats begin to have kidney problems and oftentimes have a hard time squatting and pee standing up rather than squatting. This leads to the cat spraying urine on the wall behind the litter and oftentimes on the sides of the litter.
Well….have you ever tried to get cat urine out of carpet or hardwood floors before? Oh my gosh, it is nearly impossible.
I tried everything under the sun to try to get rid of these smells but it wasn’t until I tried to get rid of dog and cat urine odors the all natural way that I finally tackled my problem!
And then Gemma came along…PUPPY….need I say more? Puppy and Pee go hand and hand don’t they? With these two adorable pictures are you wanting to run out and get a fuzzy animal yet?
So with an aging cat and a new puppy, you could imagine that we experimented a LOT with getting urine out of carpets and floors.
I think I have finally perfected the PERFECT formula to get rid of dog and cat urine odors the all natural way!
How To Get Rid of Dog and Cat Urine Odors The All Natural Way
So what is this formula you ask? Would you believe me if I told you it has only 4 ingredients? Better yet, you most likely already have these 4 ingredients in your home already!
Here is what you are going to need:
- Empty Spray Bottle
- White Vinegar (See my post on How Vinegar Gets Bad Odors Out of HE Washer Machines)
- Dish Soap with Orange Scent, or Wild Orange Essential Oil (You Can Buy Here), (note: I have found that essential oils produce the best results).
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Baking Soda
Depending on the size of the area you are treating you might need to double or triple this recipe. Only make what you are going to use.
Safety Note: Dispose any leftover formula, do not leave it in the spray bottle.
Although this is a natural formula, you are mixing together items that could have a reaction if left to sit. Be safe and properly dispose of the leftovers if any.
As with any product, ALWAYS test a small section of the carpet, hardwood floors or furniture to make sure that this formula doesn’t react negatively with your items.
We used this formula on wood, carpets and linoleum floors and had no issues with any of them…but always check to be on the safe side!
The Formula
Now that we have the ingredients and safety all taken care of, let’s dive into this simple formula.
Pour the following ingredients into a spray bottle:
- 5 oz hydrogen peroxide
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp dishwasher orange soap (something about the orange scent help break up the urine smell), or for best results use 3 drops of wild orange essential oil (You Can Buy Here)
When all of the ingredients have been added, gently shake the bottle. Now simply generously spray the affected area with this solution and allow to completely dry. It will become powder-like once the formula dries.
Once it dries vacuum up the powder. If the smell is still there, then repeat this step again and add the extra step included below.
Final Application To Purify The Area
If you want to take this formula one step further, be sure to purify the area. To do:
- Add 6 drops of Lemon Essential Oil (You Can Buy Here) to 1 cup of baking soda and place into a container and shake until well combined.
- Sprinkle on the dry affected area and leave on for several hours or overnight.
- Vacuum up and you will be good to go!
That’s It, How Easy Was That?
That is it! Easy right? Who knew it was so easy to get rid of dog and cat urine odors the all natural way!
As always, I am here if you should have any questions! Feel free to leave them in the comment section below.
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Our whole bedroom smells to high heaven from our eleven year old Beagle, who just decided that her four long walks a day just weren’t cutting it. So in the middle of the night she found herself a little “watering hole”…our lovely brand new carpet. We have tried steam cleaning it, but it actually made it worse. I hope this works because we feel like we’re sleeping in a barn. Question: Can I triple the dosage and spray down the entire carpet? Also, how does it turn into a powder? How long will that take?
Thank you for any answer’s that you can provide, Mike
Can this be used in hard floors? Possibly laundry? Also I’m not even sure where the smell of cat urine is coming from in my home directly, can I just make this in a mop bucket and clean all my floors?
I’d try it on a small spot first and then go from there.
The peroxide in this mixture worries me. Hydrogen Peroxide normally bleaches anything it comes in contact with… so I can’t imagine using this on a carpet or good oriental rug. Can anyone say this really has worked, and NOT bleached or changed the color of the item?
I would try it in a small spot before using it on the whole rug. I used 3% Hydrogen Peroxide with no issues.
I have 2 male cats, one is fixed and the other is not. Just recently the one who is NOT fixed has started “spraying”. I first noticed the odor in my walk-in closet. The smell is so bad it almost knocks you down. Since then I have noticed that he seems to be “spraying” everywhere and on anything. The girls backpacks, towels sitting on the floor in the bathroom, homework papers sitting on the floor anywhere, etc. My bedroom smelt sooooooo bad last night that I could hardly sleep. It keeps getting worse and worse with each new day. I am seriously considering getting rid of the cat. BUT that certainly WONT get rid of the odor.
HELP !!!!!!!!!!
Get your cat fixed. This is a typical behavior of un-fixed male cats.
I had my male cat fixed early – he sprayed throughout his adult life. I don’t really think that has anything to do with it.
Sorry, I have a male cat that was fixed years ago. Just recently he is spraying everywhere. I am at my wits end. I have hardwood floors so will try the remedy she has said. The only other thing I every used that got rid of the smell was the kennel cleaner from the vet. It worked but now the vet doesn’t want to see any to me.
Thank you for this… I’m going to try it this afternoon. I have a cat who is just shy of 17. We also have 2 more inside and 5 that ate indoor outdoor… I do not want any of them picking up in this habit.
How long does it take to dry into powder?
To make it even more natural, could I use Dr. Bronners castille soap (citrus scented) or unscented and use orange essential oil?
We got the keys to our house on Jan. 10 and we’ve yet to move in. The house was disgusting and the smell even worse. We’ve painted walls, cabinets and had the carpet cleaned, but there is still a smell. I think they had pets. I’m losing my mind with the smell. I really hope this works.
Jessica – add Listerine to the solution. See my post a couple down from yours.
We adopted 3 younger cats from our animal shelter two months ago. We moved out bed out to clean…and found dried up cat poo in our nice cream colored carpet. I was able to get the dried poo up and outnow the smell is strong. I googled how to get cat smells out of carpet..and yours popped up. Got it all mixed up and sprayed it in the areas… now waiting for final results. It was so easy and simple to mix.. knowing most of the ingredients are right in your kitchen!!!
For pets, I add a little Listerine to your cleaning solution – probably 2 tsp to the recipe above. As I understand, the ingredient that kills the germs in your mouth will help kill the enzymes in the urine that entices your pet to go again in the same spot. This has worked for me.
It also works on other items, I actually added the above ingredients along with Listerine to my detergent in my washing machine to save a bath mat. I used apple cider vinegar in the rinse, hung it in the sun to dry, shook it out, washed again as I normally would, ran a second rinse, dried. I’m an odor-phobe, so I took the rug, put it in the dryer with a wet towel on hot, stuck my head in the dryer for ANY lingering pet odor, I swear you couldn’t smell anything!
BTW – your exact recipe above is what I spray on the stinky armpits of my sons workout & sport clothes before washing as usual.
Listerine is 54 proof ethanol. Oh yeah- that’ll work!
Hey Halle! Great article! Just found your website. Love it and the tips! Have you heard or used a product called Freshana Organic Solutions for urine problems? Thought I would pass it along to you to look at. I don’t always love mixing up my own concoctions. lol. Again, love the site!
Will this formula with hydrogen peroxide bleach the carpet