Wish I knew this when my aunt bought her beautiful Victorian. It also had cats that peed on the floor. The cats had been long gone, as was the odor, but the stains were still there. It was a dark wood to begin with so she had the floors stained even darker. The stains were still there but they weren't jarring to the eye anymore.

Have her try the perioxide. Start with a place that won't matter. It will soak through the stain and poly to lift it. The site I looked at had oil poly which is standard. It might still work and if it does she can do the stains that are in eye view and work her way to the ones that are not.

Besides dark wood floors are beautiful. My wood work is red mahogany but the previous owner used a poly stain combo and they look awful so I painted the woodwork . I just don't have the time to sand down to the bare wood. If they did it right it would be gorgeous.

Before using any products, I would suggest using enzymes first, like Nature's Miracle. They are supposed to work very well. The directions say they may not work after other things are used due to residues left behind. You can always move on to other remedies if the enzymes don't work. That is what professionals use to remove the odor.

Hi, my cat urinated against my wall along the baseboards. I just tried your Solution..I also scrubbed the baseboards with a nail brush. A lot of the stain is still there, and the odour.

Since they are not a flat surface, it's impossible to soak...Any ideas?

Thank you

I put straight peroxide in a spray bottle. I don't know if that would work for you but you could give it a try. Peroxide takes the smell away immediately so I suspect the urine got in-between the baseboard and the wall. Try spraying it in the crack between the baseboard and the wall. You won't be able to wipe it dry between the baseboard but it will dry on it's own, especially now that homes are so much dryer with the heat on.

Yes, that's a good idea lovetogarden.I'm a renter, the owners sealed that crack to the wall at the top of the baseboard there. I'll have to strip it and re-seal

Just don't reseal it for a few days to let it dry out otherwise you'll wind up with mold, which is bad for your health. Years ago my brother was working in construction and a house that he was working on the previous owner had cats that she kept in one room. They had to actually strip the room bare, beyond the studs and beams. They had to remove and replace them too (jacks in place so the house wouldn't collapse) and also the subfloor. That's how bad that room was just from the cats urinating against the baseboard and wall. The guy that bought the house was seriously considering just closing that room up because the cost to do all that was phenomenal, but he had no choice because the smell permeated the whole house. Even after doing all that there was still a slight smell that the owner hoped would eventually go away. The urine must have got into places that couldn't be reached. Too bad he didn't know about the peroxide formula before. If they had sprayed the room down it might have saved him a ton of money.

The pee and male spray oder can be eliminated with a Shout stain remover type product...the enzymes that remove stains break down the oder. Try adding a little to your mix.

Thanks lovetogarden and Margaret. I'll let you know how it goes :)

So I have a new dark espresso brown, faux leather couch that my cat just peed on!! She used to pee on our other couch, but it had removeable covers we could wash! This couch is all one piece and liquids immediately soak into it! The back cushions come undone tho so I was able to partially unzip it from the inner cushion!! The cat pee had probably been on the couch for at least an hour or so if not longer and reeked!! I found this page and immediately mixed up the hydro peroxide, baking soda, soap solution!! In the past I have tried on carpet pee stains, febreeze, a couple of different microbial cleaners and the dreaded vinegar which to me is just horrible, and there is always a residual odor!!! I sprayed the couch thoroughly with this and let it seep in and sprayed the back cushion and throw pillows. put a towel on spot and pushed to get excess out and went to work. came back about 4 hours later to check and so far ITS LIKE A FREAKIN MIRACLE!!!! Absolutely no hint of smell on the couch tho I need to redo just a little portion on the back cushion!! The throw pillows are good too and may not need to go in the wash!! I'm gonna put a fan on the couch to get it to dry which will be the true test!! So far there is no discoloration of my "Leather" couch either!!

Which of the solutions did you use? There have been a number posted.

It's upsetting to have animals destroy your furniture. I'm trying to train a puppy for my brother who was having no luck. I got her housebroken but she is destroying my furniture, even though she has a huge toychest of her own toys. She seems to prefer the wood furniture more. She also destroyed every shrub in the back yard. There is nothing but stubs left of once beautiful bushes. All I can hope is that since they were mature they'll regrow. No such luck with my furniture though, which will have to be replace. I really don't understand why people take animals without thinking it out. Something tells me I am going to wind up with her. She's a doll but I'm at the age where I really didn't need, or want, another dog.

+snookums2 I used the original posted solution with hydro peroxide, baking soda and soap!

todancewithwolves -- This another comment from a very grateful person for passing this formula on. It works perfectly, better (and much cheaper) than the stuff you can buy at the pet store; and even makes the urine spots disappear under a blacklight! Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)

Hello all. Are you using 3% hydrogen peroxide or a different strength? And, are you using a green or clear colour dishwashing liquid? I'm in South Africa so we get different brands here to ones you might mention. I'm worried the green in the dishwash may mark my white linen curtains I need to use this on. Thanks

Is there any fear of the original formula mentioned in this thread causing discoloration to dark carpet?

Honestly I wouldn't know since I didn't use it on a carpet. But, if it were me, I would test it on an out of site area first. I also would not let it sit too long. I would spray it on, then blot it up. If you see no change in color on the test area then I would just let it dry on it's own. But if you see a color change I wouldn't let it sit but would use soapy water to remove the peroxide mix. Anyway, I think most carpets are made of either nylon or wool. The wool probably has the most chance of discoloration. So if you have a wool carpet I would take the extra precautions to prevent fading and discoloration. Hope this helps.

found a really nice leather couch, like its a almost $3000 dollar couch in the lobby of my apartment with a sign that said free. it had a couple rips and tears and some wear from a cat but still in great shape! so i look it over everything looks and smells fine so i finally get it upstairs and later that night as im sitting on it i notice it smells like cat pee..... i just put this solution on it a few hours ago but its working wonders so far! smell is still there a little but its alot better! hoping with a few more applications and some more time it will be fine. its a gorgeous dark brown italian leather sofa and super comfy so heres hoping the smell dissapears!

Be careful taking in used furniture. I know someone who did and they got bedbugs in their house.

Hi, does anyone know or has tried this on title floors. Had a tenant with a small cat and left place really bad never cleaned and it smells horrible cat pee won't go away. Please help.

Hoping someone here can help before my husband gets rid of the cat. One of my senior male cats has decided to pee and spray several areas of our newly built house. I have taken it to the vet, tried the plug in diffuser, he wears a calming collar, added a litter box, used the special litter that attracts them to the litter box, used the relaxation spray and yet he continues. A portion of the wall was so bad that my husband had to remove a large portion of sheetrock, the baseboard as well as the insulation. Since it was in the corner, the urine also saturated where the carpet pet stain pad was not present. I lifted up the carpet and saturated the area (carpet, pad and underneath wood with Nature's Miracle. I then used a peroxide, vinegar solution. The odor still lingers. The blacklight is not picking up any missed urine. I'm afraid that the urine saturated the wooden support beams. Any ideas on how to get rid of the odor and stop the cat from future costly and time consuming mishaps?

Can somebody help me please in this matter ...if it's already dry ( cause I didn't search with the black light etc and I didn't clean it all ) can I still use the mixture on sofa and it will permanently remove the odor and the rest of the "hidden" urine? Thank you guys

Yes.

I've been having a real problem with one of my cats, and so far have been washing affected bedding in the washer with bleach and detergent. Well, he's now hit a chair and my couch (both a cushion, and the back). I've been trying to research solutions.

Here's a good article that explains the chemical composition of cat urine, and how it determines effective cleaning. It seems uric acid is the real culprit, as it is broken down by bacteria that creates the ammonia smell, and then releases thiols that make the odor worse. Uric acid is NOT water soluble. All the other chemicals in cat urine can be broken down by the baking soda/hydrogen peroxide/vinegar/soap combo, but NOT uric acid, which is left behind, and when exposed to humidity, the uric crystals reform.

The article says that the only thing that will break down the uric acid, to permanently remove the smell,
is an enzyme cleaner. The enzymes break down uric acid into carbon
dioxide and ammonia, both gasses that then evaporate when air dried.

There seem to be differing opinions on brands of enzymatic cleaners. I do know that the Nature's Miracle available today is not the original formula, that seemed to work well. One key point stated in the article is that you need to really soak the area, not just spray the cleaner on, which makes sense.So, I'm going to research specific enzymes. A cursory look found that malic acid (apple cider vinegar) and citric acid (a food additive) break down uric uric acid. Someone else here mentioned digestive enzymes, which I will look into.

I've tried Nature's Miracle and cider vinegar on a carpet with zero results. It did not remove the odor. The only thing that worked was hydrogen peroxide (no baking soda) in a spray bottle. I saturated the area then blotted it up. After which I washed my carpet with a carpet shampooer and a carpet detergent designed for pet odors. As far as your chair is concerned, you would really have to test the area first to make sure you did not bleach the fabric. If it were me, I would use the peroxide (after testing first) and immediately after blotting it up use a fabric detergent designed for furniture and rinse well and blot. It might be a good idea to invest in a mini-shop vac (Wal-Mart sells them for under 20 bucks - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-1-gallon-1.5-peak-horse-power-wet-dry-vacuum/34770967) to suck out the excess water. Good Luck.

@ali_magnee I hope everything worked out and you still have your kitty. Have you ever considered using one of the Spirit Essences from Jackson Galaxy? Just go to his website and look for Spirit Essences. Safe Space for Cats is the one you will want; also, Stress Stopper would be a good one as well. They might help. I would also do a search on his website to find out how to keep a cat from urinating and spraying all over the place. If it's not a physical issue (like a UTI), then it usually means the cat is feeling insecure and trying to "own" his space by urine marking. He may also have been picking up on your husband's thoughts about wanting to get rid of him, which is just making the problem worse (kitty feels even more insecure and will just keep doing even more!).

Best of luck with everything.

The first formula posted here worked! Thank you for posting this! Your a life savior! The second formula listed where you had to use paper towels to blot out did not. Make sure you let it soak and dry. I used 2 rolls of paper towels and it still smelled. I rescued a feral and my daughter didnt put the litter box in the same room as the cat because I have another cat and have to keep them seperated until acclimated. We switch rooms so they take turns with a bigger room to roam and play. The cat was too afraid to walk into another room to use litter box and peed on my couch. His urine is super strong perhaps because he's not fixed til Thursday for a neuter. I had to do this application 3 times. Two of the first formula posted and I had tried the other formula with paper towels which didnt take it out. I am here to say the smell is completely gone finally!!! Thanks again!!!!

I'm going to try this! We live in a rental & moved in February 2016. Previous tenant wasn't very houseproud and had a number of cats. We didn't notice until summer, when the heat & humidity came, that the upstairs smelled like a barn. Directly below that is the kitchen which also gets it & directly below that is my nail salon, I've lost clients over this stench!! We've tried Nature's Miracle & a whole host of commercial enzymatic cleaners that didn't work. I will definitely use this on the bathroom walls/floor/vanity first & work my way down. Failing that I will go to head office, they are aware of this issue.

Its like a miracle, isn't it? It saved my couch.

Dichele Schartel, please specify which concoction worked so well for you!

Will this also deter him from continuing do it again or is there something else I can try

It is 3% hydrogen peroxide. Always check the formula out in an inconspicuous area to be sure that it won't lighten carpet. I have not used it on wood but on tile and carpet. Sometimes you do have to try the formula several times to get the odor out. Make sure the carpet is really dry and you can put baking soda on top for a few days and that will get rid of any residue smell. We have rescued many cats over the years and the number one reason that we had problems was due to stress very seldom was the cat sick. Cats stress out in noisy environments, with other cats that they do not like, if they even spot a strange cat outside of your home,sometimes they just plain do not like some visitors that come to your home, and finally they can dislike a family member. We have learned over the years that the less cats in an environment the less behavior problems. We have been successful with a lot of cats because we have different places that our cats can go like an outbuilding that is heated and air conditioned in a large room. We now have 6 cats and 4 of them are over 15 years. We plan on not replacing our cats when they pass on and being normal with two cats - lol. We just lost a cat this week and we will miss him terribly because every cat is it's own special being.

has anyone ever tried this????????this was posted 11 years ago..........

wiss...........I am so impressed with what you said about cats........so many people don't like cats...even to the point of hating cats....and it's all because they don't understand them...cats are a very special people....and very very smart .......loving...and even protective of their human families.......I feel for your household on losing your loved cat....my husband and I just lost our beautiful George.....he was a long haired white cat that I rescued 10 years ago.....he would follow me around and come to me like a dog when I called "George"......you know...I'm sure...that when there is a loss in your family like that, that all the animals feel sad and the loss as well as the humans......all 3 of my children are cat lovers and I am thankful for that....we still have Marilyn...Sassy...Everett....Jesse...Lilly...Daisy....Sebastian...and Vinita...who are all recue cats.....and all attached to me.......we also lost our little Charlie...our dog that was 19.....he was a dream of a dog.......and a true friend....he left us the day after Christmas....and we lost George New Years Eve.....a tough last days of 2017.....which no doubt explains why Sassy has decided to make the sofa her "new" pee spot...thank you for the formula.......and...by the way....good luck on not replacing your cats as they pass....your household loves animals so much...take care....

I have a 1928 house whose previous owners let the cat run amok. Don't mess around with homebrew stuff, as Ammonia (cat urine crystals) is an human allergen. Use what professionals use, Kennel Odor Cleaner (aka KOE) is an enzyme based remover that works. . Can be found on that ubiquitous A site. It's expensive, but you dilute it 20/1, so a little bottle will last an incredibly long time. The elderly cats peed in the house so much that my joists were stained white. Removed the HWF and subfloor, then took an angle grinder to the ammonia deposits. Soaked the joists with KOE, then painted them with poly. Smell gone.

Do you wash it off or leave it on?

HELP,HELP,HELP

My 7 yr old Siamese neutered male cat has decided to pee not only by the front door inside and also out in the garage in front of the washer and dryer. I have etched the concrete there from the bleach, vinegar and everything else I have tried including Nature's Miracle and Out.. Now that area is barricaded so he has moved to peeing in front of my Rubbermaid cabinets in the garage. I am ready to throw his sorry butt out into the back yard. Rescued him as an approximate 4-5 week kitten which I had to feed kitten milk. There are 2 litter boxes for him which are cleaned daily. Have tried different litters too. He has also become aggressive with my other cat that I rescued as a kitten 4 years ago and they have always gotten along. Vet has checked him in recent times and says nothing wrong with him. Do cats become psychotic?

I will try anything to save him and my sanity.

So yes this original post was along long time ago,but I’m at my wits end with my baby boy peeing all over my brand new house and brand new couch. I’ve been using straight vinegar on the spots straight after he’s pee’d there,it’s not helping at all and after I close the house up,even just for 5 mins,it absolutely reaks from him marking his territory. I can’t get angry with him as it’s a natural act that he is doing,but it’s at the point where I can’t eat in my house or have people over. This smell has to be gone before summer otherwise it’s going to be unbearable. I know that getting him desexed may not solve this issue and that’s my worry as he’s a rag doll and I breed them.(in saying that,he only started marking the place after that last litter.the litter was mainly boys and I think he felt intimidated)anyway,please wish me luck and I will definitely let you know the results after trying this recipe.Tia

Recently my Siamese (male) has decided to pee in different areas of the garage and in the corner of my living room (hard wood floors) then recently went into my closet and peed. If it had not been so hot I would have put his happy butt outside. Before I used nature's miracle, Out and other commercial cleaners but my best success has been with mixing the following that I found on line.

Hydrogen peroxide 16 oz

dish soap 1 tsp

Baking soda 1 Tbsp.

I actually pored it on the floor and in my closet after a while I cleaned it up. Guess what no odor. I now keep a jug mixed and will use as a spray. Not to worry it did not not bleach out my carpet. Best of luck

Does this formula make it so the cats can't smell the pee? We're having an issue where no matter how I clean it and it seems fine to us, the cats obviously can still smell it and keep trying to pee in that spot.

I always go over the area again even if I can't smell it because cats can smell much better than your nose. We have had over 25 cats in 45 years. Down to 6. believe me, we would have never had that many cats over the years if this did not work. 23 cats were rescues and two that we chose.

Do not mix baking soda/powder with hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. they are opposites & just neutralize each other... ask any chemistry teacher. Either of the 3 ingredients will work better alone than mixed together. The bubbles you see mixing them together is the chemical reaction of them working to break down each other. All of them alone, will help break down some of the components of urine or cat spray, but won't work as good mixed with other stuff. If the spot is still damp or fresh, baking soda will help. If it's dried out or a repeated spot, hydrogen peroxide will be better. Beach will help on non-fabric surfaces, but beware it will release harmful chlorine gas, which is very bad for your lungs, pets, kids, may cause COPD, & can be fatal.

Fixing your pet will almost always stop a peeing/spraying problem. If you're a breeder, you'll have to set up rooms with washable surfaces (walls, floors, etc.) & non-absorbent furniture just for them. Use the cheapest pet beds or small cheap throw rugs so they can be thrown out when cleaning no longer gets rid of the smell. That's how animal shelters & professional breeders do it.

Due to the cat's urine, we washed our rug with a detergent, later washed it by using vinegar and baking soda. But, it is still smelling like hell. Now, I am planning to buy a cat urine odor remover but don't know either they would remove the smell permanently or would I have to buy a new rug. Getting on nerves.

By the way, can you suggest any good odor remover?

Baking soda and vinegar cancel each other out, but not hydrogen peroxide (although the reaction might weaken it). One site suggested a vinegar and water mix, followed with baking soda, but that didn't work for me.

I've read Nature's Miracle changed their formula and doesnt work as well as before. There are other "enzyme" products - I tried a pet store version which didn't work. A new one called Anti-icky poo is really expensive. Guess I'll try the hydrogen/baking soda version, and will buy a black light to see if the cat urine stain is still there (and elsewhere). And I PROMISE to post back my results.....just like the person below did, lol.

Vanessa Buddle

So yes this original post was along long time ago,but I’m at my wits end
with my baby boy peeing all over my brand new house and brand new couch.
I’ve been using straight vinegar on the spots straight after he’s pee’d
there,it’s not helping at all and after I close the house up,even just
for 5 mins,it absolutely reaks from him marking his territory. I can’t
get angry with him as it’s a natural act that he is doing,but it’s at
the point where I can’t eat in my house or have people over. This smell
has to be gone before summer otherwise it’s going to be unbearable. I
know that getting him desexed may not solve this issue and that’s my
worry as he’s a rag doll and I breed them.(in saying that,he only
started marking the place after that last litter.the litter was mainly
boys and I think he felt intimidated)anyway,please wish me luck and I
will definitely let you know the results after trying this recipe.Tia September 5, 2018

Liquid dish soap can dry in a clump in couch upholstery so I'm not sure it's a good idea to use. The other ingredients, aside from vinegar, are similar to oxyclean so hypothetically that could be substituted. However, I haven't had much luck with any solutions mentioned, probably because the smell is coming from the foam cushion of a couch seat. I don't think foam can be cleaned. I would have replaced it but my couch has fake cushions; the upholstery is wrapped around the foam seats and attached to the couch, so the foam isn't really removable.

I have tried several otc enzyme products and vinigar and water on both the wall and carpet spots that glow green under the black light. These are likely mostly old stains as then no longer smell and were never seen without the black light . My problem is, after following directions and using all these other solutions, the spots still glow green under the light. Will this peroxcide solution finally eliminate the residual green glow?