How to Remove the Smell of Cat or Dog Urine from Upholstery

Co-authored by Guy Peters

Last Updated: March 25, 2023 References Approved

Having pets can be a rewarding experience for people of all ages and walks of life, but caring and cleaning up after them can cause many concerns and questions to arise. As the most common house pets, dogs and cats can have the unfortunate habit of urinating on sofas, recliners and whatever upholstered furniture you may have. This is a more common occurrence when animals are younger and have not been fully trained to go outside or use the litter box. However, if your pet is suddenly urinating or eliminating in inappropriate areas, it may be a sign of illness or disease, and a visit to the vet would be needed. In the meantime, it's important pet urine and its smell is cleaned and eliminated to prevent future accidents from reoccurring.^{[1]
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Things You Should Know

The best, most effective way to get rid of urine smell from upholstery is using an enzymatic cleaner. Only the enzymes in one of these cleaners can fully break down urine odors.
If you're in a pinch, use baking soda mixed with vinegar.
Alternatively, combine hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and baking soda.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using an Enzymatic Cleaner

1
Find the soiled spot as quickly as possible. It can become extremely tricky to remove urine if your pet's urine soaks deep into the upholstery and even into the wood frame. In most cases, you can spot the urine spot right away.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Guy Peters
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 12 July 2021.} If not, you can try:
- Using your nose. Pet urine has a very distinct smell and often smells like ammonia.^{[3]
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  Trustworthy Source
  The Humane Society of the United States
  National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
  Go to source}
- Using a blacklight. Because of its chemical properties, pet urine shows up under a blacklight, specifically its scent-creating chemicals even when the stain has been dried or are days old. Outline these area in chalk or mark then with a sticky note to help you clean then when you turn on the lights.^{[4]
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2
Soak up the urine with newspaper or paper towel. Soak up as much urine as you can by pressing newspaper or paper towels against the upholstery with gloved hands. Press down hard and deep.^{[5]
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- You can place the soaked up newspaper or paper towel where you'd like your pet to urinate. This is a positive way to help let them know where to urinate as you'll be transferring their urine smell to the appropriate location.
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3
Soak the soiled area with enzymatic cleaner. Leave it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes and then blot up as much cleaner as you can with newspapers, a towel, or paper towels. Finally, leave it to dry.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Guy Peters
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 12 July 2021.}
- You may need to repeat this step again if the enzymatic cleaner doesn't get rid of the odor or stain the first time.
- Urine is composed of things that require enzymes to break down its chemical bonds.^{[7]
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  Research source} For example, when a pet pees, urea in their urine breaks down into a bacteria that produces the distinct scent of urine. As the urine is left longer to decompose, the smells become worse. Fortunately, most chemicals in urine are easily removed by water and other household detergents. However, uric acid is the only component that is not water-soluble and must be broken down by enzymes.
4
Cover the area while the cleaner takes effect and while it dries. Some pet owners will cover the area loosely with aluminum foil or lay their laundry basket upside down over the stain to prevent their pets from urinating in the area again. It also helps to remind family members not to step or sit on the stain while it dries.^{[8]
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- It can take a long time, even days, for the stain to completely dry, especially if the stain is particularly deep and more enzymatic cleaner was needed.
- Aluminum foil is a great deterrent tool to use to discourage your pet from urinating in the upholstery again. The crinkly sound and feel of foil when your pet steps on it is not pleasing to your pet or might even scare them off of the upholstery completely.^{[9]
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- For pillows or cushions, you can leave them out in the sun to dry as long as you can.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Other Methods

1
Understand only enzymatic cleaners can get rid of urine odor completely. Uric acid can only be broken down by enzymes. Unfortunately, cleaners like baking soda, soap, and vinegar will only mask the smell temporarily. These alternative methods are good to use if you don't have enzymatic cleaner on hand at the moment of the incident. Eventually, you will need to clean the area with enzymatic cleaner.^{[10]
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Expert Source

Guy Peters
House Cleaning Professional
Expert Interview. 12 July 2021.}
- In time, the smell of urine will surface again and your pet will be able to smell it and associate the location as an appropriate place to urinate.
2
Use baking soda and vinegar. When baking soda and vinegar are combined, they create water and sodium acetate (or salt).^{[11]
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Research source} The sodium acetate acts as an abrasive to scrap away stubborn residues. Separately, baking soda helps to eliminate odors while vinegar sanitizes and removes deposits. There are several steps to using this cleaner:
- Soak up as much urine as possible from the upholstery before you use any cleaning agent.
- Sprinkle baking soda on the stain and let it sit for 5 minutes. The baking soda will work to deodorize the stain.^{[12]
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- In a spray bottle, mix equal parts of water and distilled white vinegar. Alternatively, you can just use a container or a bowl.
- Spray or pour the water and vinegar mixture directly onto the baking soda-covered stain. Let it sit for another 5 minutes.
- Blot the stain with a towel or paper towel to dry.
- Use vinegar cautiously by thoroughly diluting it with water and only using it with baking soda, rather than separately.^{[13]
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  Trustworthy Source
  American Kennel Club
  The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.
  Go to source} Strong chemical odors, including vinegar, can encourage some dogs to reinforce scent marks.^{[14]
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  Trustworthy Source
  The Humane Society of the United States
  National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
  Go to source}
3
Combine hydrogen peroxide, dish detergent, and baking soda. Hydrogen peroxide helps to break down certain chemicals within urine through oxidation. There are several steps to using this cleaner:^{[15]
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- Soak up as much urine as possible from the upholstery before you use any cleaning agent.
- Sprinkle baking soda on the stain and let it sit for 5 minutes. The baking soda will work to deodorize the stain.
- Mix half a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide and 1 teaspoon of dish detergent in a bowl.
- Pour the hydrogen peroxide mixture onto a towel and blot it on the stain.
4
Use Listerine as a deodorizer. Concentrated, Listerine has a strong smell that can help mask the odor of urine. Pour some Listerine in a spray bottle and spray it on any urine stained area.
- This method does not clean or remove urine stains. It only helps to add a fresh smell to your home.

Community Q&A

Question

What is an enzymatic cleaner?

Community Answer

An enzymatic cleaner is a cleaning solution which has enzymes and sometimes, phosphorous, which breaks down the compounds in urine. Some good products are Nature's Miracle and Citrus Magic.
Question

How do I get rid of a urine smell if I can't reach where it is?

Community Answer

In a upholstered sofa, use a syringe and long needle to deeply penetrate with the enzyme cleaner.
Question

How do I get rid of cat urine that has dried up?

Community Answer

Mix 2/4 cups of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and 1/4 cup of Clorox and Dawn dish soap. Soak the area with the mixture, and scrub. Then pour water to rinse and re-soak the area. Blot dry with a towel and dry the rest with a blow dryer on low to speed up the process a little.

Warnings

Always wear gloves when cleaning urine.

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Find out why your pet is urinating inappropriately. Often, inappropriate urination can be a sign of a urinary tract infection or other illness. It can also be caused by stress or fear. Observe your pet and take it to the vet to eliminate any health problems it might have.^{[16]
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Trustworthy Source
The Humane Society of the United States
National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
Go to source}

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Never ever use bleaching as a cleaning agent as the ammonia component in it in will attract your pet back to the spot and can ruin your upholstery.^{[17]
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Trustworthy Source
The Humane Society of the United States
National organization devoted to the promotion of animal welfare
Go to source}

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