Cat Urine Smell in Car Seat

Updated on July 01, 2009
J.M. asks from Bellevue, OH
30 answers

I had a family memeber watch my daughter who is 1 year old and they needed the carseat, so I left it with them. When they were not using it they left it in their garage. They have like 10+ cats that stroll in out of the garage. I now notice a urine smell in the carseat. I have washed it twice now and even sprayed it with some oxi clean stain spray. Still smells. I am hoping to find something to get rid of the smell for good as I am so tired of washing it and can't really afford to buy a new car seat.
I thank you in advance for the help!!

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P.A.

answers from Youngstown on

Get the material damp and rub Borax into it. Then let it dry and vacuum it up. Should only take a few tries to get rid of the odor. Even if you can wash it, I'd do it this way first.

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S.P.

answers from Indianapolis on

I think there are products in the pet dept. specifically to remove the smell....or you could try baking soda and/or setting it out in the sun.

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A.A.

answers from Dayton on

Wash the carseat cover in the washing machine with a LOT (just dump the whole box in) of baking soda. We had a cat that sprayed things occasionally, and that was the only thing that worked to get the smell out.

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A.C.

answers from Indianapolis on

Try adding some ammonia to the wash.

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J.K.

answers from Indianapolis on

HiJennifer... there are a couple good things you can use - You can try Natures Miracle which is at most pet shops, or you could try Odoban here is a picture of it

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=odoban&...

My husband and I bought a jug of it at Sam's club and sometimes Home depot has it. It works really good.

We use Odoban because Natures miracle is more expensive for less amount and we cant afford it. I use to work at a vet and he used odoban and lemon scented pine sol.

A.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

I would try soaking it in vinegar. Vinegar takes the smell out of just about anything. After soaking for a few hours, rinse & wash so it doesn't smell like vinegar. Good luck!

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L.S.

answers from Indianapolis on

Try a solution of hydrogen peroxide (at least a cup depending the size of the spot... you have to make enough to really saturate the fabric) and a tsp of baking soda. Mix is up and pour it on the car seat fabric. Let is just air dry. Sometimes you have to repeat it and the directions say that it can intensify in smell before it gets better if you have used other products on the spot first. We have used this on carpets and car upholstery so give it a try. It has worked every time for us and everyone we have given the recipe to. We actually bought it online many years ago. The hydrogen peroxide kills the bacteria and the smell!

Good luck.

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S.W.

answers from Toledo on

J. You may want to get a bottle of Shaklee Basic G it is a germacide, disinfectant and cleaner...seriously the best on the market. Check it out at my web livingwithsolutions.com I AM with Shaklee and I KNOW that this stuff is GREAT. People think I want to sell....I want to get the word out there that there is a safe and easier way to get chemicals out of our homes. Now your one year old has to sit in a seat with harmful chemicals in it. Check it out. Good Luck
S.

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P.R.

answers from Indianapolis on

There are several products you can purchase to help with this: Oxy Spot and Ordor Remover (designed especially for pet urine), Urine Gone is another one.

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D.J.

answers from Indianapolis on

Order NOK OUT on the interent. It gets rid of any odor!!

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A.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

I have a cat who wets, and it is a nasty smell, and very difficult to get out. I recommend Nature's Miracle products for Cat Urine. Urine Off also works, but it leaves behind a slightly chemically smell. You can buy Nature's Miracle at any Petsmart, and it does a nice job of removing the pee smell without leaving a chemical smell in its place. Really douse the carseat cover in the product, and then run it through the wash and add a little of the stuff to the water as well. I would also add a little baking soda to the water when washing it. DO NOT use vinegar. People often recommend this to get rid of urine smells, but vinegar actually has ammonia in it, the same chemical found in urine. Adding vinegar may mask the smell at first, but in the long run, it will make the smell stonger. Good luck!

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S.L.

answers from Columbus on

Hi J. ~

Washing alone will not remove cat or any other urine from fabric. I have three cats, and one of them went through a period of chronic urinary tract infections, so I had to find something that worked.

You need an enzymatic cleaner that removes biological stains. Nature's Way is good, and so are some other products. the Shaklee cleaning product that is mentioned a few posts down is an excellent and safe cleaner, but it is not enzymatic, so it won't address the root of the problem. Make sure that whatever you use is enzymatic and non toxic.

I use a product called Zero Odor Pet. I bought mine on line about two years ago before it was available in local stores, and I still have some. I think Bed, Bath, and Beyond carries it, and so do several pet stores. It's an enzymatic cleaner that removes and neutralizes all traces of the urine ~ both stains and smell. You can learn about it here:

http://www.zeroodorpet.com

It is 100% non toxic and safe to use around children and pets.

It's also great for all kinds of biological stains. For example, I had a terrible accident with a knife when I used it to try to remove a protective layer of plastic from something, and the knife slipped and cut into a small vein on my hand. I was covered in blood, and so was our carpet. The Zero Odor Pet completely removed every trace of the stain from all the surfaces I used it on with just a few sprays!

I was doing some on line window shopping for our kitties last night and came across a web site while looking at cat beds. This site carries a variety of items for cats, and one of them is a cleaner called "Anti Icky Poo." LOL! It's another enzymatic cleaner. here's a link to their page about it, with testimonials:

http://www.catfaeries.com/cleanup_about.html

Stop using any other chemicals on the car seat until you can get one of these cleaners. Other chemicals can set the stain worse, making it necessary to use far more of the effective product to do the job.

I swear by Zero Odor Pet, and I am intrigued by Anti Icky Poo, and I want to give it a try too.

Ihope this helps!

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K.Y.

answers from Canton on

hello i have a healthy solution to this dilemma.. put 3 lemons into a bucket along with borax 20 muleteam soap..i couple scoops of this.. make sure you grind up the lemon before you add hot water to this.. trustme this will smell much better and will get rid of the odor
you make a soapy water mixture of this but here is the best way to do it.. you take the soap/lemon mixture along with a scrub brush and brush this onto the car seat.. let it set for at least 15 min then take the hot water and wash it off..this helps if you have indoor animals too.. my sis justputs the soap/lemon into a bucket of hot water and she has 12 dogs in her home and you dont even know it

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B.M.

answers from Dayton on

Try "Simple Solution", it's a pet product and you should be able to find it at PetSmart. Occasionally our dog would have accidents, we would use this product and you would never know it. I also used it while I was potty training and my daughter would have an accident on the rug.

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A.R.

answers from Indianapolis on

I have used Tide with Febreze on occasion, but the best thing to wash it in is a cat urine odor remover like the one already mentioned. I especially like to use Simple Solution Cat Stain and Odor Remover. Whichever you choose, make sure it is one designed for cat odors.

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N.S.

answers from Columbus on

Peroxide. I swear on my life. LOL. My mom has several cats also...and so does my aunt. My mom and my aunt had lived together down in North Carolina for awhile...when my mom came back up north and moved to Kentucky, she wasn't initially able to get her bed up with her. My aunt's cats peed all over my mom's $1000 bed.....she was so mad, to say the very least. She sprayed her bed with peroxide, and the smell is totally gone. I've slept in that bed, so I can personally verify this fact. ;)

If you put peroxide in a spray bottle and soak the carseat down with it, it'll break up the enzymes in the cat pee that cause it to smell. Once it dries, the smell will be gone. I know you can go buy all the fancy "pet sprays" but peroxide is probably something you already have around the house. Its a really cheap, and extremely effective, home remedy alternative. Plus, because it IS a child's car seat...you want to be careful with chemicals and such. Peroxide is safe for your child, and won't leave any harmful residue in the car seat once you've finished treating it.

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S.J.

answers from Cleveland on

Hi J.,
Try ZORBEX. You can get it at Walgreens. It works to remove pet odors. I hope this helps you!!
Much luck! :o)
S. J

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C.S.

answers from Dayton on

Nature's Miracle-available at Petsmart.

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K.J.

answers from Cincinnati on

It is next to impossible to get the smell of cat pee out of things I had to buy my daughter a new mattress after we took in this nightmare of a cat. I was able to get the smell out of her comforter but i had to was it in tide a good 4 or 5 times. I used tide and oxiclean and fabric softener. I have heard that vinger works but I have never tried it. Good luck

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D.G.

answers from Columbus on

Go to your vet and get a bottle of skunk out, it works great and kills all kinds of nasty smells.It costs about $15.

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A.C.

answers from Bloomington on

You might want to try a series of cleaning products called "Just Rite Cleaning Products". You can buy them through http://www.justrite.com. I have a cat who, when stressed, will urinate on our carpets or around her litter boxes in the basement. The sprays provided in this series work wonders. One of them you can inject into carpet directly into the pad to help get the smell out, and I've seen (and smelled) a difference in our hallway where she used to urinate after we first moved. When my son vomited in his car seat once, I used some of the products to get the smell out of the straps. It really works on all kinds of bad odors, so you might give it a try. It's supposed to be safe on some fabrics, and I think it even worked on the suede/leather of my son's car seat cover. Good luck!

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J.R.

answers from Columbus on

OdoBan - it is awesome - can use it for anything - I had a male cat "mark his territory" on my front door. I used this and the cat didn't come back and never smelled the smell again. You can get it at Sams Club in big jug. Then can mix at what ever strength you need - you can clean with it also. I love it. YOu can get OdoBan already mixed as a spray at walmart. I love the jug making my own best. Good luck. And it is all natural

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C.W.

answers from Cleveland on

Try putting a cup of vodka in with your laundry. I use it when my husbands been in a fire and it totally takes out the smoke smell from his uniforms. My sister uses it on her husbands running clothes and had been very pleased with the results.

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C.W.

answers from Cincinnati on

I would recommend Nature's miracle or even oderXit

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C.C.

answers from Indianapolis on

we use "nature's miracle" pet odor remover - it is all natural and works really well!

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S.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

Hang the cover, the foam pad (if it has one) and any straps that are detachable on the clothes line on a nice sunny afternoon. If you can, leave the plastic part sit outside too. The sun will help to take any odors out. You can also spray it with a vinegar and water solution before hanging it out. Sun works wonders on smells! I used to have cats and I think once I knew they had urinated on something I could ALWAYS smell it. I'm sure part of it was because I EXPECTED it to smell. Anyway...the sun should work. Make sure you hang it out for a couple of hours at least.

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A.C.

answers from Muncie on

I've never tried it (because I don't have cats) but people have told Murphy's Oil takes the smell out of carpet...I assume it would work for a car seat too! Good luck!

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A.M.

answers from Dayton on

So sorry for your situation! I would be upset, too. Melaleuca has a product that can get rid of the smell. It's called Solumel. It works wonders on smells, stains, and all kinds of stuff. It is non-toxic and safe to use around your daughter. You can either buy it direct from Melaleuca or become a preferred customer and save 30-40% off the retail price.

A. Mendenhall
www.livetotalwellness.com/apriljm

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J.O.

answers from Cleveland on

I also have many cats and the best thing I have found to use is seltzer water and white vinger let it soak unfortuall€y cat urine is very hard to get rid of try leaving it soak for a few hours and wash in white vinger good luck.

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S.F.

answers from Fort Wayne on

You may need to try something that breaks down enzymes in urine to get the smell out. There are many cleaners on the market that claim to do this.

When my doggy is on her cyle, she sometimes pee's in her panties/diaper. I remove the liner and hand wash the panty. I pour Clorox 2 for Colors directly on the pee'd area. Then I soak the panty in a small dish of warm water with Clorox 2 for Colors dissolved in the water. I hand wash the panty. This takes the smell and stain right out.

I use the same method to take the funk out of gym shoes, grass stain, blood, etc. Seems to work pretty well.

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