How to Get Rid of Cat Urine in Cushions, Carpet and Clothes

As a landlord of eight houses and counting, I know that cat urine is very destructive. As the mother of three precious cats  who are the love of my life and foster mother to over 30, 4-8 week old kittens, I can tell you that accidents happen in a cat lovers household. The key to my survival and sanity was to figure out how to get rid of cat urine in cushions, carpet and clothes.

As someone who has invested over $3,000 in boat cushions, and came home to an accident after a two week trip. I am here to tell you that urine accidents don’t mean loss. It just means you have to do a little extra cleaning. Unfortunately since cat urine is a little trickier than other substances the method to removal depends on whether it was fabric, cushions or carpet.

Let’s Talk about Cleaning Fabric with a Washing Machine

Washing in a washing machine is the easiest and least time consuming way to get urine and oils out of the fabric. That is why I ALWAYS remove any fabrics that can be washed first.

After lots of trials and errors, I am sad to say that using just detergent doesn’t work. This is even after multiple pods and washes. Now some places say to use a cup of vinegar. Personally, I prefer  these pods.

I drove 45 minutes to Target to get these when I ran out and our local stores no longer carried them. This was of course after I had already wasted a day trying other options. The fact is that these are the best for not only cat urine, but any strong smells, animal oils, etc. I use them on everything from the fabric napkins that we use to mop EVERYTHING, up to our delicate expensive couch cushions.

The key for the delicate stuff is to line dry your items. Even on a boat we line dry all of our delicate stuff. It just takes a little longer to dry in the marine boat environments.

Let’s talk Getting Rid of Cat Urine Out of  Cushion and Carpet

Now that we have talked about getting rid of cat urine out of fabric lets talk about cushions and carpet. In my experience, getting rid of cat urine in cushions and carpet is signif
icantly harder than clothes. The reality is when you can’t just “washer it,” things become a lot more complicated.  Luckily, while it is the WORST to remove urine stains from cushions and carpet simply because of the time consuming process, it still can be removed with a little patience and elbow greece.

Step One- Remove the Fabric

You’ll want to remove all the fabric and wash it.

Tip– While it might sound contrary to normal thoughts, don’t turn your cushions inside out. After having all the frays tangle together will pull the fabric, potentially putting a run in your cushions. After finding this out the hard way I zip them all together and didn’t have any further damage or issues.

Step Two – Lay the Cushions on a flat surface

Lay the cushions on a surface where you can leave them out for a while. Laying them out in warm place or  outside is the best option as they will dry quicker. If that is not an option just put them some place where they can sit out of the way.

Step Three – Sprinkle Baking Soda Over The Cushion

I poured baking soda over all of my cushions that were affected and let them sit. When I was researching this online, I found most places advised 3 hours, but  I left it out  all night.

Once the baking soda is completely absorbed you either brush or vacuum it off. I personally didn’t have a lot left, so I just brushed it off.

Step Four- Spray Down the Couch

The next step is to spray down the couch with equal parts Vinegar and Water.

Mix a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water.

Once you have mixed up the liquid, spray down the cushion and scrub the spots out

Tip– I found this very soft brush. I looked all over for this one because I didn’t want it to rip my very fragile cushions. It worked really well and was amazing! It is now going into my cleaning bucket, although hopefully I will never have to use it again.

Step Five – Let it Dry

Now, you just need to let it dry. If you still smell anything after its dry, just scrub different areas as needed. For me, this step took the longest as my boat was not very conducive to drying. So make sure you give it plenty of time.

Step Six – Put the Cushion Back on 

Put the cushions back together and onto the desired place. You are all done!

Let’s Talk Prevention!

Now that your cushions are all clean, I am sure you have realized cleaning cushions is miserable.  I know I personally will do anything to not have to clean cushions again. On the other hand, fabric is easy, so I have no issues cleaning fabric. While it is not always perfect (aka why I know the middle step), there are ways to prevent having to clean cushions.

Mattress Covers– I cover all my mattresses with these covers. They are water proof and have zippers. I also use them on my boat (without the zippers). This way, when things get spilled, accidents happen, etc, all I have to do is throw them in the wash.

Put Blankets Over Couches – I have blankets over all of my couches. While they do not prevent large amounts of liquids, they catch little amount. They  also help with the oils and other “dander” since they are fabric they are SUPER easy to wash.

Piddle Pads– Since one of my darlings is a MAJOR clean freak which doesn’t always bode well with cat sitters, I cover the couches with these piddle pads and then put a blanket over them. This way if there are any issues, I can just remove the piddle pad, wash the blankets, and don’t have to go through step two!

At the end of the day, these guys and my princess are 100% worth the extra work. Still, where there is a lot more harmony, the less I have to clean.

What are your tips to getting rid of Cat Urine in Cushions, Carpet and Clothes?