How to Use Vinegar to Remove Pet Urine Odor

The smell of pet urine is one that tends to linger and is quite unpleasant. Training your pets to use the litter box or go outside will not happen overnight and with the offensive smell and stains from cat urine, cleaning up any accidents becomes a priority. Though there are several commercial cleaners available, whether they will also disinfect is not always clear. Vinegar, a common and inexpensive household staple and a well-known disinfectant, coupled with other items, does the job well.

Things You'll Need

  • White vinegar
  • Tissue or paper towels
  • Baking soda
  • Dish detergent
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Vacuum cleaner
  • Soft rag
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Instructions

  1. Urine Odor on Rugs, Carpets and Porous Unwashable Items

    • 1

      Find the exact spot where your pet has had an accident. This will determine the exact spot that you need to clean so that your pet does not return and go to the bathroom there again. On leather furniture and car upholstery, it will be in the form of a dark stain. On carpets and bags, use your sense of smell.

    • 2

      Clean the spot of excessive urine if the accident has just happened. Use absorbent thick tissue or paper towels to soak up all the urine. Place the tissue on the spot and press down to soak up as much as you can. Carry out this step repeatedly with fresh tissue until the tissue no longer looks wet.

    • 3

      Make a paste with baking soda and water and apply this to the area. Let it soak for a while. Mix together one part vinegar with three parts water and pour this over the baking soda. The vinegar will neutralize the smell. Remove the excess vinegar by blotting with more tissue. Repeat this twice with the vinegar and water mixture. Use a vacuum cleaner over the area once it is dry to clean up bits of tissue and baking soda. If this doesn't work to your satisfaction, try Step 4.

    • 4

      Mix together three parts water with one part vinegar. After you have removed the excess urine, use this solution to soak the affected area. Once the area is completely dry, sprinkle some baking soda over it and leave it to dry before vacuuming it up.

    Removing Pet Urine Odor from Your Clothes

    • 5

      Pre-treat pet urine stains on machine-washable items with a solution of 100 ml (3.38 oz) of hydrogen peroxide and a tsp. of dish detergent.

    • 6

      Put the machine-washable items in the washing machine with 1/4 cup of white or apple cider vinegar. Use apple cider vinegar for a better fragrance after the wash.

    • 7

      Air-dry laundered items to completely remove the vinegar smell.

    Solid, Non-porous Surfaces

    • 8

      Wipe non-porous surfaces like woods and plastics with a solution of 100 ml (3.38 oz) of hydrogen peroxide and a tsp. of dish detergent.

    • 9

      Put a mixture of two parts water and one part vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it on the surface. Leave this on for a few minutes if the smell is very strong.

    • 10

      Wipe off the vinegar solution using a soft absorbent rag.