Four Ways To Get Cat Pee Out Of A Mattress
A urine-soaked mattress is a situation where speed is crucial. The faster you can get to the urine, the more of it you can get out of the mattress and the less lingering smell you’ll have to deal with.
If you have a wet-dry vac, this is the perfect place to use it! If not, blot up as much of the wetness as you can.
Don’t stop with the surface wetness – put pressure on the mattress and try to extract as much of the urine from the inside as possible.
There are many excellent commercial products made specifically for removing cat urine odors, and there’s no doubt that one of these is probably your best and surest bet.
But don’t panic – if you don’t happen to have any of those products at hand, try one of the alternatives below.
Method One
After extracting as much of the urine as you can soak the urine stain with white vinegar.
Some recommend a mixture of half vinegar and half water, but I’ve used straight vinegar with good results.
Let the vinegar sit for a few minutes, then use more paper towels to extract as much of it as you can from the mattress.
Next, drizzle some dishwashing liquid over the area and scrub it with a damp brush (like a soft scrub brush or nail brush).
Wipe with plain water, then sprinkle the area liberally with baking soda and rub it lightly into the fabric. When the baking soda has dried, vacuum the area.
This method tends to leave the mattress smelling slightly like vinegar, but it beats the alternative.
Method Two
After extracting as much of the urine as you can, sprinkle the area liberally with baking soda, then soak the area with hydrogen peroxide.
Work the soda/peroxide mixture into the fabric with a soft brush and let dry. Vacuum up any remaining soda.
If the smell remains after the mattress is dry, repeat the process. It can take two or three scrubbings to completely eliminate the smell.
Method Three
After extracting as much of the urine as you can, make a paste from hydrogen peroxide, dishwashing liquid, and baking soda and work it into the fabric. Let dry and vacuum.
If the smell remains after the mattress is dry, repeat the process as often as you need to until the smell is gone.
Method Four
Extract the urine, scrub down the area with shampoo or dishwashing liquid, then soak the area with rubbing alcohol.
If the smell remains after the mattress is dry, repeat the process as needed.
If the urine has already dried into the mattress when you discover the problem, getting rid of the odor will be more of a challenge.
Just spraying the area with a fabric odor treatment like Febreeze won’t work unless you do something to neutralize the urine that has dried deep in the mattress, so you’ll have to scrub it with something.
Illness
Again, a commercial product specifically made to get rid of cat urine odor will probably be the most effective, but the methods above are definitely worth a shot.
If the weather permits and you can shift the mattress, doing the scrubbing outdoors and letting the mattress dry in the sun can help.
This behavior frequently can be a sign of an elimination-related illness such as a urinary tract infection.
Cats who are feeling stress may also exhibit this behavior. A waterproof mattress cover can be a lifesaver.
