A stain remover you can make out of 3 things you probably own right now that'll work better than any stain remover you can buy in the store. Seriously. I've tested it.
Before any of you natural remedy eye rollers click away I should let you know that I'm part of your gang. I am a skeptic by nature but always willing to give something a shot and try it out. If it works (and a LOT of natural cleaning products work great) that's great, I'll add it to my arsenal. If it doesn't? I drink it. 'Cause you can do that with natural cleaners.
Just kidding. Please don't drink any cleaners unless it's made exclusively out of vodka.
So the sleeping cats ... If you see anything in the world anywhere and it is cute and cuddly you can immediately assume it is also stinky and stainy. Cats, dogs, babies, beets ... if it weren't for their looks and general ability to make us feel gooey inside they would all be sent on their way after the first time they made a poo. Or in the case of beets, the first time you made a poo and thought you were dying.
My little Siamese cat Cleo was traumatized when she was younger because I trained her to use the toilet. The actual toilet. My other cat Prada took to it like nothing, but Cleo was a bit small for training (I didn't realize this was a thing) and she found it hard. Because of this she revolted and started to pee in a corner.
For the rest of her life if her litter box wasn't 100% clean, she'd pee in a corner because of traumatization.
Which in the case of cats is something that can really happen, being traumatized by toilet training. Children on the other hand cannot be traumatized for life by toilet training. How many adults do you know that poop behind a curtain because their mom tried to get them out of diapers too early?
Once a cat starts peeing somewhere they aren't supposed to the smell stays and it's what tells their little brain that THIS is indeed the right place to pee. Even if it isn't. Even if it's hardwood. Even if you've discussed it with them.
Now my cat Ernie, the last cat I have left, has taken to missing the litter box. She perches herself on the edge of the box, hunches her back a little and whizzes all over the side of the litter box.
I have a big rubber mat under one of her litter boxes (the other litter box is a Litter Robot) but she'll sometimes pee so much that it even runs off the mat and onto my pine floor. Yay.
Would you like to save this stuff?
This solution will lift the stain and the smell of cat urine among other things. No joke. Better than the enzyme removers you can buy at the pet store.

DIY Stink & Stain Remover
Materials
- 16 ounces hydrogen peroxide
- 1 tsp. dishwashing liquid (preferably DAWN)
- 1 tbsp. baking soda
Tools
- Spray bottle
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients together in a spray bottle and treat affected area.
Spray the floor and leave it until it dries, then wipe away or vacuum any white powder that's left (it's just the baking soda, you didn't Breaking Bad the solution into crystal meth or cocaine.)
Not only is this going to work on cat urine but it'll also work on just about anything that's stained. I've used it on fabric, wood floors and nylon.
Have dingy socks? Stained sheets? Towels? This'll work on all of that. Just put whatever you're working on in the sink and soak it. For socks you can spray them, put the in a plastic bag or airtight bin and let them soak overnight.
It's a quick thing you can mix up and go to town with this weekend if you're looking to do some spring cleaning.
If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't think I'll be doing any spring cleaning this weekend. I'm more likely to be taking part in my specialty - spring dirtying.
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Hi, Karen,
I have successfully used full-strength white vinegar on several fabrics anointed with cat pee; however, I will definitely save this recipe. I haven't had to deal with pee on wood or items that couldn't be washed. Love your site.
Thanks Barngirl! Yeah, my sister loves using vinegar too. :) ~ karen!
I want to try the cat pee potion, but I'm still stuck trying to picture "half eaten peanuts in the shell." How did they get half-eaten if they're still in the shell? Or are the shells half-eaten, too?
:D
I had to use this on our poor dog years ago, after he encountered a skunk....but not just once, they say three times a charm.
A skunk got one of my dogs 23 times during one summer. The other dog figured out that the odd-looking cat was to be avoided after the first five sprays. The hydrogen peroxide + dish soap + baking soda + water works really well for skunk stank.
23 times? 23 TIMES?!!! Yikes! ~ karen
My former dog, Paco, NEVER learned to leave skunks alone, so I had to give him the above (very effective) treatment many times. He was a cairn terrier mix who looked like Benji, so as the summer progressed, he got blonder and blonder and blonder - very glamorous :)
We have a crazy cat who thinks the world is her litter box. I've never had a cat poop outside the box before. I'll give this a shot to see if she is using the spot because of the smell left there.
Will have to give it a go in the baby's room, after her recent retelling of The Exorcist.
Uch, lol. Bleh, lol! ~ karen
My 16 year old pom is having problems with holding.....we need this. Just in time.
I ... I thought you wrote "My 16 year old porn ...", lol. ~ karen!
Laura, look up belly bands (for males) or they have diapers for females. Has helped me a million times. I foster for a rescue so we get older dogs that have never lived inside and take a bit longer to train.
I too trained my cat to use the toilet. I also trained him to flush the toilet after he did his thing. After a couple months, I noticed that the water bill was way up. I finally found that he enjoyed watching the water swirl down the drain and kept flushing the toilet all day while I was at work. I think it was harder to train him to go back to the litter box than to use the toilet.
LOL! ~ karen
I've been using this for years. Also works well for puppy pee.
I'm going to try this on a dog pee spot. My ladies are pretty good now, but weren't at first...
I'll definitely have to try this. Our little white girl cat is super fussy when it comes to litter boxes. It's actually gotten to the point where we have 3 litter boxes for the one cat (which, thankfully, seems to work).
My Siamese was very fussy - but his fastidious nature led him to perch on the side of the box to do his business not to reject the box entirely. In fact, he'd perch when the box was freshly cleaned.
He never covered his stuff either - he'd walk around to a clean part of the box and wave his paw over it in an homage to burying it but never actually touch the litter. No litter was ever going to get between his delicate toes. LOL
Cleo (my siamese) perches too! It must be a thing. ~ karen
That actually sounds really cute, but it made me wonder whether the texture of the litter is the reason your kitty (and Karen's) won't step in it. Maybe trying a new type of litter (like newsprint litter or wheat litter if you're currently using clay) would help. Cats--the great mystery :)
Try a different type of litter, it may not like the texture or scent. They make litter out of many different materials now. Declawed cats are said to have a problem with traditional litter.
You must of been reading my mind. The foster cat I have is going back to his owner (he had some bill issues ), so he moved in with my daughter and her hubs. Well for 3 years the cat went from home to home, then landed with me. He peed all over the bed in the guest room which was his room but not to pee all over the bed. So I was wondering how I was going to clean up that room (the bed goes !!).
Now I know and knowing is half the battle, the room is having all the furniture taken out and the carpet completely done with this now that I have found it after he leaves. We are going to repaint the room as well !LOL
I always taught my cats to be civil and use the boxes; this one cat I think will need a cat Dr before its all done and said in his life ! Poor thing .. Thanks for the recipe !!! "-)
Our old cat started having seizures and whenever/where ever she was when it happened her bladder would empty. After a series of Grand Mal seizures we had to have her put to sleep because they were too hard on her. So, I thank you for taking the time to post this for us. I will mix up a batch tomorrow morning and give it a try.
This is such a timely post, you'll never know. My (elderly) cat recently decided close is good enough and I don't even care if it bleaches a pure white circle around the entire litter box. Bless you, my dear.
I had a horrific incident with one of my dogs, resulting in a very large, very dark stain on our wood floors in the house we rent. I ended up making a poultice out of this mixture, and it lightened right up AND took the smell out. It's awesome!
Excellent tip!
I'm not surprised to learn that this holy trinity of cleaning substances is capable of conquering the WORST SMELL ON EARTH, and I'll be giving it a whirl on a couple of corners. I'm curious as to whether the magic properties will fade as the peroxide deteriorates-- It loses its oomph rather quickly, or so I've heard, which is why they sell it in opaque bottles.
My point being, if the solution ever *stops* working wonders, that's probably the culprit.
I'm still chuckling at the dirt colored cat being afraid of the air...........
I lived with a cat for 7 years who was afraid of everything. The only time I even got to touch her was at night once I was tucked up for sleep. She would appear and curl next to me. If I'd been very, very good, I might stroke her a bit. Probably the only feral cat to be a live in. No point here, I just thought you might like to know there are others who keep strange cats.
I plan on putting your post on my How To board.... See if it gets as many pins as the lazy-susan.
Haha! That lazy susan post did well on your board didn't it? ~ karen!
Has she stopped peeing behind the curtain now that the scent has been removed?
I actually caught her doing it the other day, but she hadn't done it in ages. ~ karen!
Thank you for the cat pee remover recipe.
The potion you have posted is probably very effective however on a rug or curtains do you think that the peroxide may have a bleaching effect? I had a cat that in its senior year sprayed. That cat now resides with the choir invisible. I looked up various 'treatments' for the residue. You guessed it - every single one suggested vinegar and ammonia which does not work. Actually this combination smells exactly just like cat pee.
What was effective was FANTASTIC. The ingredients in this cleaning product contain TSP which is probably why it was effective particularly on surfaces that could be bleached by other products.
Regarding your non working pens: pass the tip of the pen over a flame for about 2 -3 seconds. If there is ink left in the pen it will now work.
Huh! I'll give the pen thing a shit immediately! Well not immediately but when I'm done answering your comment. I use the spray on my curtains and it's fine. No bleaching or anything. But do a little test area to make sure. ~ karen!
i have to ask because it seems to have gone unnoticed....
"I'll give the pen thing a shit immediately"
Whaaaaat? I actually try looking this up to see if its urban slang that I'd never heard of.
Haha!
omg!! lol!!! i have no idea how that ended up in the comment. I must have been typing tip and somehow shit came out, omg. hahahah!!! ~ karen
I think you were trying to say you would give it a "shot", Karen! ;-)
It also works like a charm if your dog happens to get too well acquainted with the back end if a skunk :)
Are there any problems with using this on fabrics? I'm wondering about my couch, which doubles as the dogs bed when I'm not looking, that now smells of dog.
I use it on my curtains and it's fine, but do a little test are first to be sure. ~ karen!
would this cleaner work on concrete outside a basement window??? it appears cats have decided to pee near one of my windows on the driveway...