Cats make great pets whether you live in a small apartment or a big house. They bring happiness to your life with their unconditional love and companionship. However, you don’t want your house to smell day in and day out.

If you own a cat and your house smells like a litter box, you’re not alone. So many homeowners and cat lovers face this problem and try different things to get rid of the cat smell in their house. After all, they don’t want pet odor to ruin the environment or quality of air.

What can you do to make your house smell good again? You want your cat to stay but need to eliminate the odor once and for all. Stay calm because, in this post, we will give you simple, actionable tips to restore the freshness of your house. But let’s first take a quick look at what causes bad cat odor.

What Causes Bad Cat Odor?

To keep the unpleasant odor away from your home, you should be aware of what really creates this problem in the first place. Cat urine is probably the leading reason why your house smells bad. Why? Because cat urine contains uric acid that can survive in fabrics or carpets for years.

A cleaning session might mitigate the intensity of odor but a nice humid day can cause the odor to return. A poorly kept litter box can also create odors. It’s all about how much time you invest in cleaning or what cleaning methods you use to clean your house and cat. No matter your cleaning habits, be sure to identify what causes the odor.

7 Actionable Tips To Get Rid of Cat Smell in Your House

Whether your cat has recently urinated somewhere in your house or you have an old, lingering odor, the following seven tips will help you eliminate it:

You might be able to find a cleaning solution to remove pet odor from your house. But let’s try something more environmentally-friendly and less expensive. A mix of water and vinegar is a perfect cleaner to deal with the pet urine odor or your cat’s marking spots in the house. Learn how to properly make a vinegar cleaning solution for your day-to-day cleaning tasks.

Take one part water and one part vinegar to prepare a solution. Use a spray bottle to spray the cleaner wherever you spot the smell of urine. If you think the area you want to clean is large, try a clean cloth to clean it — spray the area and then wipe it with the cloth.

You can also use this homemade cleaning solution to clean the carpet. However, make sure the vinegar you’re using doesn’t stain your carpet. You can do a quick test on a small, invisible part of the carpet.

If you don’t want to apply vinegar cleaner to eliminate the bad smell, consider trying an enzymatic cleaner. When it comes down to breaking down pet smells, enzymatic cleaners can produce great results. You can easily find an enzymatic cleaner in a nearby pet store.

Remember not to mix the enzymatic cleaner with other items such as vinegar or lemon. Also, make sure to use a cleaning product that is safe on your furniture or hardwood floors. Some cleaning products can damage wood surfaces.

Once you clean all the affected surfaces and household items, the next thing you should do is to improve the quality of air. You have to get rid of mold, bacteria, and fungus to ensure healthy indoor air. You might be thinking that a good air freshener will do the job.

Air fresheners don’t eliminate bacteria or any other element that produces a smell. You need an anti-microbial odor eliminator to restore the freshness in your house.

We recommend you use Azuna’s anti-microbial odor eliminator for best results. It will not only keep the air fresh but also clean the indoor air against unwanted elements such as bacteria and mold.

There’s no way you can make your house smell good unless you clean it on a regular basis, especially if you have a pet. If you have a cat, be sure to empty the litter box at least once a day, if not twice. Remove any urine clumps and feces from the box as soon as you notice them.

Cat odor wouldn’t linger if you’re actively maintaining your cat’s litter box. A clean litter box will surely encourage your cat not to use other areas of your home. Make it a habit to empty the litter box first thing in the morning or before going to bed at night.

Also, don’t forget to change the litter in the box to ensure its freshness. Wash the box each time you change the litter. It is advisable not to use scented litter. Your cat might not like the scent and decide not to use it often. When putting the litter on top, sprinkle some baking soda at the bottom to minimize the smell in the box.

If you have more than one cat, place multiple litter boxes in your home. It’s a good idea to have one litter box per cat. One litter box for more than one cat will surely create an unpleasant smell in your home.

Cats squatting and urinating on bare floors and other surfaces is the major cause why households have to smell a bad smell. Unfixed males and females are used to spray urine to mark their territory or convey their physical needs. To avoid this issue, get your cat fixed or spayed.

Sometimes cats spray because they’re not happy with the overall living conditions or they have disputes with other cats in the home. Try to help them fix those disputes. Restrictive diets or insufficient playtime can also lead cats to spray to show their stress.

Moreover, recent research suggests that cats communicate using butt microbes and this could lead you to feel an unusual smell in your house.

You probably understand how important it is to keep your cat in good health. While cats are good at self-cleaning, they can’t perform some important tasks. So, this is where your help is required. Here are some basic things you should do to avoid cat odor and keep your pet healthy:

• Keep your cat’s sleeping area and bedding properly cleaned and washed. Washing your cat’s blankets, bed, and pillows once a week will help you keep your cat odor-free.

• If your cat stinks, it is a clear sign that there is something wrong. Groom your cat regularly. Activities like trimming cat nails and cleaning their ears will keep bacteria and germs from building up on your cat.

• If your cat has a bad breath, watch out for the buildup of plaque in your cat’s mouth. To avoid this problem, brush your cat’s teeth regularly. You can easily find toothbrushes and toothpaste made specifically for cats.

Pet hair spreading all around your home isn’t good for your health. To clean up pet hair and dander, vacuum your cat’s play areas. Vacuum any area where your cat likes to rest or play once a week. This will help you prevent hair buildup and odor.

It is possible that you’ve tried everything to get rid of cat odor in your home but nothing really worked for you. You can clean your house and make it smell good, but what if your cat needs to see a vet.

Take her to the vet if you have tried grooming your cat to no avail or if your cat refuses to use the litter box. Besides, a bad smell coming from your cat could be a potential health issue.

Final Thoughts

We hope this blog post has answered your question: how to get rid of cat smell in the house. The best way to keep pet odor from overtaking your space is to avoid them in the first place. Regular cleaning of the litter box and your house is what you need to do.

Vinegar cleaner is a good solution to clean the areas where your cat likes to spend time. Visit a vet if you find any unusual behavior or urinary issues in your cat. While most pet odors in your home are due to bodily fluids, hair piles up can also lead to cat odor.

No matter what causes odor in your house, make sure to keep the indoor air clean. Don’t forget to check out and use our natural anti-microbial odor elimination products to make your home smell amazing.

About Azuna

Azuna is a perfect online platform to find plant-based alternatives to odor elimination. Our products are made of pure and natural ingredients that make it easy for households to keep the indoor air free of mold, bacteria, and mildew. Our Whole Home Kit is a perfect solution for you to get rid of the cat smell in your house.

Sources:

How Your Cat Communicates Using Butt Microbes | Forbes

5 Simple Ways for Getting Rid of Cat Smell | The Family Handyman

How to Make Your Own Aromatic Vinegar Spray for All-Purpose Cleaning | The Spruce