Cats marking territory in the house.

by JT
(Denver)

Can tea tree oil be used to get OLD cat urine smells out of carpet and carpet pad? If so, how do I mix it and use it? What do you recommend for a cat urine odor eliminator? Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Editors Note: JT, cat urine smells are extremely difficult to get out of the carpet. I have had a lot of experience as a carpet cleaner and installer over the years. You can view some of the information on removing stains and odors at
www.cleaner-carpet-and-upholstery.com
where I reveal how to get rid of all sorts of stains and problems.



My absolute favorite best pet odor eliminator for consumer use is a product called Stinkers. I use it frequently for pet urine, skunk odors, and just about anything else that stinks. It's my first line of defense, because it instantly eliminates a whole lot of odors if you can get the spray to contact whatever is causing the odor.

It seems that urine odor usually makes itself known more noticeably in the seasons when moisture is moving in from outside, such as in the fall and spring in particular.

So, although this is a tea tree oil website, and tea tree oil may help to remove some of the odrs caused by any bacteria, fungi, mold, or mildew in the carpet, I'll try to give you the basics on getting rid of the odor.

First of all,if the odor is severe and persistent, the odor is probably not only in the carpet, but may be in the padding and sub-floor itself. This is the most difficult place to remove the odor from.

You may want to consider pulling back the carpet, removing the padding, cleaning the floor, and then painting the floor with a sealing paint such as KILZ, ( you can get it at your local paint store, hardware store, or WalMart. If the odor is still present, you may need to then cover the floor with a 1 mil thick layer of plastic before installing new padding over the sub-floor.

While you have the carpet pulled up, hire a professional carpet cleaner to come and clean both sides of the carpet, and then have him apply, or apply it yourself, a product called Hydrocide, (or use Stinkers) which will eliminate the odors instantaneously.

Reinstall the carpet when it is dry, and if necessary, apply another treatment of Stinkers to the top of the carpet.

The downside to all of this is that the cost of repair on a severely damaged carpet may far exceed the cost of new carpeting, and it is likely that to completely remove the odors, the sub-floor still needs to be cleaned and sealed, or if it is wood and has rotted badly from the urine, the sub-floor may need replacement as well.

If you want to use just tea tree oil to cover the odors, you may want to invest in a good diffuser. They run about $75-100. You can then add a timer that will turn the diffuser on and off every 30 minutes or so, and the air will be diffused with tea tree oil all month long.

I hope this is helpful. I know that unfortunately, pets can be very destructive and costly to home furnishings. Carpet may well be the biggest investment you make in a home, and unless it is well cared for it can wear out or need replacement long before it's useful life is over.