How to save your Carpet for the Move

Cleaning Cat Urine

First, if it’s a fresh stain you’re dealing with, you’ll need to blot up as much of the cat urine as possible. Since we don’t want to waste a bunch of paper towels, gather up some old cloth towels, rags or unwearable clothes. Using one or two pieces at a time depending on thickness, lay them down on the wet spot and stand on ‘em. Wear some shoes or sandals, you won’t want the urine soaking through the rag and into your socks. Continue this with a fresh rag each time until you see little or no wetness on the used towel. If you’re worried about not being able to use your rags again, don't be, just put them in the wash with some detergent and about ¼ cup apple cider vinegar.

Saturate the stain with a water and vinegar solution. You will want to perform this step regardless of whether you’re dealing with an old or a new stain. Mix up just what you will need using three parts warm water to one part white vinegar. I usually do 1 ½ cups warm water to a ½ cup of vinegar. Poor the solution slowly over the stain and allow it to sit and soak for 3-5 minutes. Not only is vinegar a good natural solvent, it also kills bacteria.

Sprinkle the effected area with baking soda. After you get the spot good and dry again using the method mentioned in the first step, sprinkle the entire spot with baking soda. You don’t want to over do it, but you don’t be too shy about it either. Think glazed donut, not wedding cake.

Bring together some hydrogen peroxide and some dish detergent. It’s time for another concoction. In a large measuring cup mix together about ¾ cup 3% hydrogen peroxide (yes, it’s the same stuff you keep in your bathroom for cleaning cuts, lightening hair, and gargling) with about one teaspoon of dish detergent (preferably a brand like Seventh Generation that is not petroleum based).

Drizzle the hydrogen peroxide/dish detergent mixture over the baking soda. Again, don’t be too shy. You will want to saturate the spot pretty well without going beyond it if possible. Remember, peroxide can sometimes discolor or bleach fabrics which is the reason for first trying this in an inconspicuous spot. After you get it good and wet, use the tips of your fingers or a brush of some kind to really work that baking soda down into the carpet. Baking soda is highly absorptive so it plays an important part in the cat urine removal process.

Kick back and let it dry. Give the peroxide, baking soda and dish detergent a few hours to dry and work it’s magic. This is a great time to grab yourself a glass of tea. After all, you’ve earned it. Once the carpet has dried thoroughly, get out the vacuum cleaner, suck up the baking soda, stand back and admire your work. While it’s only happened to me a couple times, if you run across a particularly tough cat urine stain, it may require a second run through.