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How To Clean Up After A Cat Has Been Peeing In Your Closet

22 April 2015

Felecia Coleman

Cats are finicky creatures, and sometimes they display less than pleasant  behaviors – like peeing in your closet. The urine smell can linger for years if you don't clean it up properly, so after giving your kitty a stern talking to, follow these clean-up steps:

Step 1: Remove everything from the closet.

These items probably smell like urine, even if the cat did not directly urinate on them. If you leave them in place, they'll keep contributing to the smell and may even inspire your cat to keep peeing in the closet.

Hard-surface items can be cleaned with a simple mixture of bleach and water, or white vinegar and water. Clothing should be laundered with 1 cup of vinegar used in place of regular laundry detergent. After this initial vinegar wash, run them through the washer again, this time using regular detergent to ensure they are extra fresh and clean.

Step 2: Use an enzymatic cleaner on the carpet.

One of the hardest things about cleaning up cat urine is that even if you think the smell is gone, there may be pheromones left behind that your cat can detect. These pheromones may convince your cat that it's okay to pee in the closet again. To ensure the pheromones and the stench are both removed, your best bet is an enzymatic cleaner. This type of cleaner is designed to break down the pheromones as well as other smelly proteins. There are enzymatic cleaners made specifically for carpets, which you can likely find at your local home improvement or big box store.

While you should follow the directions on the enzyme cleaner for best results, a general method is to start by spraying the outside of the urine stain and working your way into the center. This helps avoid spreading the stain. After letting the cleaner sit for the recommended period of time, use dry towels to blot (not rub) it up.

Step 3: Soak up lingering odors and moisture with baking soda.

If you have confidence that your enzymatic cleaner really did the trick and the smell is gone, you can skip this step. However, it only takes a minute and is a nice bit of insurance if you want to be as careful as possible. Take a big box of baking soda, and sprinkle it over the wet area. Let it sit for a day or two until the carpet is completely dry, and then vacuum it up. Any last odoriferous particles should come up with it.

There you have it! Your closet is clean and ready to house your clothes and other essentials again. Consider keeping the door closed for a few weeks so your kitty is not tempted to return, and consider talking to your vet if peeing in your closet becomes a frequent behavior. Sometimes strange urination habits in cats can be signs of a serious issue, such as a urinary tract infection. To find out more, contact a professional like Kleen As A Whistle.

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