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How to Get the Smell of Cat Pee Out of Clothes?

When cats are uncomfortable in their litter box, they will often turn to something that brings them comfort. In some cases, that can mean they end up peeing on your clothes.

Now, most people can’t afford to just throw away soiled clothes. Because of that, it’s important to know how to clean them well enough to get that smell out.

Below are some key steps you can take to get your clothes back into good condition. While you’re in the process of cleaning, don’t forget to investigate and find out why your cat is peeing outside the box. That way, you can help to keep it from happening again!

Use the Right Cleaners

When it comes to cleaning the smell of cat urine away, you’re going to want to use the right cleaners. That means avoiding cleaners with ammonia in them.

The reason for this is that ammonia-based cleaners will smell similar to urine to your cat. That scent could prompt them to then see the clothing as a “potty spot.”

Instead, use things like white vinegar, baking soda, and enzyme cleaners to get the job done. Oxygenated bleach can also work well as a pre-treatment to keep the scent from making its way into anything else you wash with those clothes.

Blot, Don’t Scrub

Naturally, you’ll want to get as much of the urine out of the clothing as you can before tossing it in the wash. This will mean that the washing machine and cleaners will have less work to do later.

When you’re cleaning away the urine, avoid scrubbing. Scrubbing may feel more proactive, but it’s actually going to make the scent harder to get out. Instead, blot the area carefully until you aren’t soaking up any more urine. From there, you’ll be able to wash the clothes more easily.

Washing the Clothes

To really get the job done, it can help to wash clothing that a cat has peed on twice.

The first time, you’ll want to use vinegar in combination with some baking soda to begin clearing away the odor. Both of these products are great with absorption, so they’ll help immensely.

After that, you can put your clothing items in the laundry machine. It’s really best if you can wash them by themselves but it’s understandable that not everyone can.

In the laundry machine, use a detergent made with cleaning enzymes and cool water.

What If You Still Smell It?

In some cases, the lingering scent of urine might remain even after you’ve given your clothes a good wash. This is a great time to break out a black light.

Using the light, you can look over the clothes as well as other areas to see if your cat has been peeing anywhere else.

Keep in mind that peeing outside the litter box often means your cat is experiencing some kind of problem and should probably see a vet.

If you find other areas have been soiled, use your cleaners to get the scent out of your home completely.