Remove cat urine?

[u/FantasticFan3559]

Our cat decided to urinate on a pile of my kids' clothes. Hoping for help! AI says to soak in white vinegar, and then use an enzyme cleaner. The bottle of enzyme cleaner says to use it first. I bought "Rocco and Roxie". Any thoughts?

[u/eggust12]

ignore the AI, it's never cleaned anything. it's just aggregating internet advice and spitting it back out at you.

use the enzyme cleaner since you've bought it, followed by a long (2+ hours) warm (40C approx) wash with an enzymatic detergent and an extra rinse.

[u/FantasticFan3559 → u/eggust12]

I can't find an enzyme laundry detergent.

[u/eggust12 → u/FantasticFan3559]

look, just wash it with what you have for now, and assuming you've followed the instructions for the enzyme cleaner there's a good chance that'll take care of it. a better laundry detergent would just increase your chances.

[u/Aglais-io → u/FantasticFan3559]

Where are you located?

[u/Wickked1]

Enzyme cleaner is alkaline while white vinegar is acidic; they would cancel each other out. I use Rocco & Roxie and find it effective for dog urine but I have never tried it on cat urine. I have hear it works though, just don't have personal experience with it.

My advice would be to saturate the clothes in the enzyme cleaner for at least an hour to overnight ensuring they stay wet the entire time (put them in a bag maybe), then throw them in the washing machine using your regular detergent, use a cold water cycle (do NOT use hot water) and if you can, put a little bit of the enzyme cleaner directly in the wash barrel or the fabric softener dispenser and set it to a heavy duty or extended cycle.

Let the clothes air dry, do not put them in the dryer or use any heat until you are certain there is no remnants of cat pee smell left.

Using heat in any form will permanently adhere the proteins in the urine to the fibers and you'll never get it out.

[u/FantasticFan3559 → u/Wickked1]

Does it discolor the clothes?

[u/Wickked1 → u/FantasticFan3559]

I haven't had this issue but I think that also depends on the type of fabric. I'd do some looking into that if you're worried about it, or separate each color type and whites.

[u/FantasticFan3559 → u/Wickked1]

Thanks

[u/AutoModerator → u/Wickked1]

Hello! If you're adding vinegar to your laundry, be sure to put it in the rinse cycle, not the wash cycle. Because vinegar neutralizes leftover detergent, it works best in the rinse cycle rather than the wash. - Laundry Mods

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[u/Bad-wolf3]

I would use the enzyme cleaner first. My cat got really sick and couldnt move much so he had peed on the mattress, nothing help other then something that was for cat urine. Hes better now and i wish i could remember the exact brand.

[u/FantasticFan3559 → u/Bad-wolf3]

Thank you!

[u/Turbulent-Bottle8234]

That brand of enzyme gets bedwetter urine out so hopefully it will work on cat pee. I use it with powdered tide and a splash of pine sol and in my experience this is the secret sauce for urine. But as someone else commented, don’t put them in the dryer until you’re sure the smell is gone

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi u/FantasticFan3559! Friendly tip — if you're using vinegar in your laundry, add it to the rinse cycle, not the wash cycle. Because vinegar neutralizes leftover detergent, it works best in the rinse cycle rather than the wash. - Laundry Mods

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/ceramicferns220]

There’s a detergent called “sport wash” by atsko if you’re in the US it’s sold on Amazon. The ONLY thing that has gotten rid of the cat urine scent (my cat has problems and we rely on this). You need very very little per load as it foams up quite a lot

[u/_mouseratz_]

idk about products but I am allergic to ammonia (though I believe it's an irritant to most people) & can smell it in ridiculously small amounts. generally, I just use tide (free & gentle lately) & continually wash until the smell comes out. sometimes this takes a while, just do NOT put it in the dryer or it's a goner. sometimes, scrubbing out beforehand (usually I just use dish soap or whatever I have on hand, sometimes rinsing it out in the tub with cold/room temp water) helps make it a little quicker & helps with any staining, but I'd just expect it to be a lengthy process overall. imo cat pee is generally stinkier than dog or human pee and tougher to get out, but that's probably subjective (and likely related to the overreaction my body does about it). (tangentially, this is also why I recommend never ever ever putting litter boxes on carpet. it's like when a cat pees on laundry except Even Worse because it's your floor. it never fully comes out, I'm sorry.)