apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've had some good luck in my own apartment with using some of the enzyme based pet cleaners that were recommended by my local pet shop. Not all of them are the same, so you mught want to start with the small bottles to see which ones offer you the most improvement. I've taken to keeping a big bottle of Nature's Miracle (tm) around for when the neighbor's cat manages to sneak in.

Don't know where to get the stuff where you are, but here's the manufacturer's info. They can probably point you in the right direction:

Pets 'N People, Inc.
27520 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 125
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
(310) 544-7125

Oh - my paranoid side says...

The smell of cat urine can also be a sign of a nearby methamphetamine lab. A very good friend of mine ran into a situation where the apartment next to hers was being used to brew meth and the smell of cat urine had started to seep out into both the hallway and into her apartment. She had chalked this up to her cat's smells and bad housekeeping until the police raided the apartment and started carting off lab equipment. It improvement tremendously after that. Just something to keep in mind if you can't find a soruce inside your apartment...

Yes, the one nasty thing about Meth makers is that they do recycle..... that
and....why the smell is prevalant
all I can say is
ewww.

For some reason, the only closet that did NOT get painted when I moved into my apartment was the one in which the previous occupant's litter box must have been kept (no-pets building, but ...whatever).

Anyway... the smell had died down a bit over the year and a half that I had been there, but I was re-organizing the closet anyway, so I painted in there about a month ago.

Janovic sells this scented stuff (don't remember the name of it) that's about $5 or so, and comes in a sealed plastic pouch thing and it comes in numerous different scents.

I opted for a scent that called itself something like "Springtime Freshness".

I have no idea whether it "kills the bacteria that cause odors" or merely "covers them up", but let me tell you, I'm perfectly happy now that I can open that closet and it just smells as if I spilled fabric softener in there, instead of cat urine.

Painting would indeed essentially seal the smell into the pours of the walls and eliminate the problem IF that's where it is coming from. If there is a single spec of carpet in your apartment you need to rip it up along with the padding underneath (and I'd play SERIOUS hardball with the landlord about paying for it.) The smell will remain, however, if it's in the carpet in the hallways. Enzyme claims as they may be, I'd bet times to donuts that even a pro can't REALLY get the smell out of a rug. Sorry to be so discouraging, but this problem is a monster.

Nature's Miracle, which you can buy at any pet supply story, also works very well, in ridding apartments of cat odors.

Nature's Miracle is terrific, but it has to be applied directly to the soiled area. If the smell is seeping up into your apartment from below, you might consider sealing the gap (if there is one) between the floor and bottom of the baseboard with silicone caulking. (This also helps with cigarette smoke, and I've been told that it aids in keeping roaches out as well.) I used a small air purifier in one apartment where I was bothered by cigarette smoke from below, and it helped... you might want to try that.

You can get this little blacklight thingie at pet stores -- it will show where there are bodily fluids (of all types) that may be causing smells. I haven't tried it yet, but I keep intending to get one. They're not cheap, but then, neither is trying a bunch of things that don't work.

I've usually found that repainting gets rid of animal smells, but maybe it just overpowers them...

Now I'm trying to figure out how to get the smell of self-tanner out of my clothes and my sinuses. That sh*t is nasty.

Maybe a band of cats is running a Meth lab.

There goes Carol again, flaunting those perfectly tanned nasal passages of hers. ;)

Have you tried Febreeze? It's supposed to take out odors. I'm not sure if cat urine is one of those, but for $4 a bottle, it probably doesn't hurt to try.

I have a "Lampe Berger." It's a kind of oil lamp with a catalytic converter. It clears rooms of odor - you can use a scented oil or non-scented. I've found it good for getting rid of lingering smells (cigarette smoke, cooking) though never had to deal w/cat pee. Anyway, they're a bit pricey ($30 and up) and you have to buy the oil, but they do work. I got mine at the antique store on Bleeker between Perry and Charles on the south side but you can find them on line as well at Yippico.com

Stacey--
Does the Lampe Berger work while people are smoking? If so, it would be a great investment.

Re cat odors:
Although I've never had to deal with soiled carpet, etc., I DO have two cats. I put baking soda in the litter and clean the box (cats will go elsewhere if their box is sort of dirty). Anyway, no one ever complains of cat odors in my place...

You need an enzyme cleaner like people indicated above. Nature's Miracle works, as does OderMute (though OderMute must be mixed fresh to work). Do check the meth angle, you'd be surprised how many labs there are (and how dangerous they are).

Terry, Yes the Lampe works while people smoke -- anything -- so it is a good investment.

I have a cat and the things that have worked the best, the black light for finding the source of the smell. Nature's miracle(white bottle with red printing) or a deodorizer called XO odor eliminator. I had a closet in an apartment that I jsut couldn't find the source of the smell and the XO stuff knocked it out and left a fresh, but light scent.

If the landlord is keeping cats in basement and perhaps they are not using a litter box. Is the basement cement or dirt floor? I know the place to begin is at the source.Do you have a furnace that is stored in basement? Smells come right up through.Lime (bags are sold at home improvement stores)can be sprinkled around. If you go to Costco, Sam's club, or a BJ's they sell ODO-BAN by the gallon. I actually put it in a steam cleaner for rugs, in cleaning water,and I still keep a small bottle diluted for room spray in bathroom.It works!Good luck

We have a new tenant in our building and there is a smell coming up from her apartment. At first I thought it was smoke but she says she's doesn't smoke, now I am wondering if it could be her cat.
It smells like wet smoke and it's coming up through the heater.....
Any comments?

I clean the soiled areas with clear vinegar and water (2:1 ratio). Works real well.

What do you do for cat odor, if you have new carpet and new pad?

I have a cat and it pretty much lives in my room. Cat urine is not the big problem, it is cat poo as the litterbox is in my room. Ok, besides replacing the litter every so often, I used Lampe Berger and gosh did it work. It was a miracle. My family wanted to throw the cat out, but now that the smell is gone the cat's here to stay

Lampe Berger from an antique store? Over from where I come from, its the ultimate way of killing odour. I had a cupboard used to store food that stinked like cockroaches. Decided to pop the Lampe into the cupboard one day, closed it for 10 minutes, and not only did the roaches pour out of the cupboard like rats running from a flood, the cupboard smells like cinnamon now..

I purchased a new home a few months ago. The entire house has just been freshly painted and the carpets cleaned- a slight funny smell but couldnt put my figure on it? My daughter moved into the house and the smell has increased to almost an unbearable smell of cat urine. The strong odor- seems to coming from a heater vent in the living room (3ft crawlspace under floor)she thinks cat pee in down the vent. Any suggestions to rid the smell- short of replacing heater vents?

This site provides information, products and advice about how to clean cat urine odors and stains from mattresses, bedding, furniture, upholstery, floors, subfloors and ceramic tile.
Super Cat Urine Cleaner - Remover

white vinegar works wonders on items in which bleach can cause damage. I would take and mix a half and half solution of vinegar and water together and put it in a spray bottle. Spray, blot, repeat as needed. For washable items, chuck it all to the laundromat and toss it in together. Add the vinegar instead of soap and set the water as hot as the fabrics will allow. You don't want the residual wet smell in your house while it's washing, and the industrial machines can do a better job. Good luck!

we just bought a house the carpet has been taken out of the house and the house still smells like cat poo. what do we do to get rid of the smell?

PetZyme (try PetSmart) is an enzyme cleaner that can work for small problems. If it is an item like a throw pillow, bag, etc, saturate it and throw it in a large plastic bag and seal it so things stay damp for a few days, allowing the enzymes to work rather than dry out. Anything that doesn't take care or for larger places try Simple Solution's Oxy Odor Destroyer-- buy the powder so you can mix your own solutions. Allows you to vary the strength plus goes farther. That works extremely well, even on old stains and odors. I have an extremely sensitve sense of smell and can no longer pick up any cat urine scent. Works well in the laundry too. Best wishes!

Has anyone used bleach to get rid of the cat smell/problem? My cat has some serious bathroom issues at the moment and we just found the source in our basement...thanks!

I would not recommend to use bleach on urine. Urine contains ammonia and mixing it with bleach can be toxic not only to you, but your pets. Mixing vinegar with baking soda and scrubbing the spot is much better. Oxyclean provides a similar effect.
I keep both cats and dogs and my place does not smell like animals. Even when my dog has serious bladder/kidney issues. I bought a few of the Shaper Image Hyrid GP Ionic Air Cleaners - they cost alot (about $600 per unit), but they are so worth the price. Not only is there no "pet smell," but it also captures hair and allergens. I just soak the filters once a month, let them dry and they are back at it.
I no longer have carpet. Moved into a loft that has hard concrete floors - it is a lifesaver. For carpets and upholstry I definitely recommend an enzyme based cleaner. I used Nature's Miracle with great success. The secret is to clean the spot with vinegar and water before you use anything on it. Other cleaners can destroy the enzyme, so make sure to clean it with a solution of vinegar and water several times, then use Nature's Miracle. Use it on the area around the trouble spot also, sometimes several times as big as the problematic spot. Make sure to soak it with the product. If you use it just on part of the spot, it's not going to do any good. Some people say extend the area by 5 times of what you see with the black light if you have thick carpet padding. You can also buy a syrenge (as large as a turkey baster) and use it from "inside out" by poking through the carpet and soaking it from underneath.
Everything else will just cover up the odor.

I am leaving for a month long trip next week, and as I as I was packing I noticed that my cat had peed in my brand-new, very expensive suitcase. I really like it and cannot afford another, I am trying to salvage it, but realize that it may be hopeless. I immediatley blotted it and then poured a box of baking soda in it which I later vaccumed out, but I really don't even know what to try... any suggestions I am very desperate!?

I just moved into a new apartment and the bedroom smells a lot like cat litter. I figure it's coming in through the window, but sometimes it smells when the windows are closed. I just painted the walls and have wood floors. Any suggestions to get rid of the smell?