How To Clean Cat Urine From Mattress [The Right Way]

There is nothing worse than to find your cat has urinated on your bed, especially if you have just settled down for the night!

But it can and does happen.

Now you could get very upset and angry about it, or you could take proactive measures to remedy the problem.

And thankfully, there is an effective method and approach that can help clean the mattress.

And when I say clean, I mean thoroughly.

Cat urine travels and soaks deep – and if it is not cleaned up correctly the first time around, your cat could come back to remark!

So without further ado, let us now take a look at the most effective way to remove any stains and odors, getting your mattress back to its original shape in no time!

How To Clean Cat Urine From A Mattress

To clean cat urine from a mattress, you will need first to blot any excess urine, apply an enzymatic cleaning solution liberally and let this soak through the mattress. You’ll then need to wait and let the mattress completely dry.

And the following process can be followed if your cat has only just recently wet the bed, and the urine is still wet, or you have later discovered it dried.

That being said, the faster you do detect the urine, the better.

This is because you may be able to prevent as much urine from soaking through the mattress, making it easier to remove.

Nonetheless, here is the best way to clean cat urine from a mattress.

And the best part, you can do this without needing to remove the mattress from the bed. 

Unless you already have or you want to, of course!

What You Will Need

• Paper Towels,
• Enzymatic Cleaner
• Brush
• Masking Tape (optional)
• Towels

Step One: Remove The Bedding

To begin with, you will want to remove all the bedding.

Put it straight in the washing machine.

Put on a hot cycle, as high as you can, without potentially damaging the bedding (depending on the materials) and for an extended period.

You will likely need to use some enzymatic cleaner on this bedding later, but this does at least get them out of the way and not transferring the odor to the floor or wherever they are placed!

Step Two: Inspect Thoroughly

Return to your mattress and inspect it thoroughly.

Look out for where the accident happened and try to seek out any corners or areas where urine has soaked through.

You can even use a black (UV light) in the dark on the mattress. This can help to show any concealed urine stains.

Its particularly effective if the urine has had time to dry.

Step Three: Outline Trouble Areas

With masking tape, you can look to outline particular areas that you are going to clean.

This is particularly helpful in future steps to find out where you have and haven’t cleaned and soaked the solution.

It also prevents having to use your nose against the mattress to do the sniff test!

Step Four: Soak With Enzymatic Cleaner

Using a reputable, effective enzymatic cleaner, soak as much of the mattress as you can.

Pour the cleaner over the affected area, and be quite liberal in your application.

Really let the solution soak in.

Step Five: Wait

At this stage, all you can do is wait.

Let the enzymatic solution do its magic.

Let it sit for 15-30 minutes.

Step Six: Blot With Paper Towels

After the time is up, blot up any excess enzymatic cleaner of moisture with paper towels.

You do not want to remove or dry the mattress completely, but just take away some of the excesses to support the drying process.

Step Seven: Lay Towels

Lay several clean towels over the mattress, and then make your bed with clean sheets as per usual.

This will allow any of the remaining enzymatic cleaner to be absorbed over the course of several days.

And you will be able to continue to use the bed.

But you will want to swap these towels out every day.

If you apply enough enzymatic cleaning solution, you will find it takes several days to dry the mattress completely.

Step Eight: Discourage Further Peeing

At this stage, and the days in between, it can completely dry; it’s helpful to cover your bed in a large plastic sheet or even tarpaulin.

Or you could cut up some cardboard boxes and shape them over your bed.

Step Nine: Review and Repeat If Necessary

After several days and a few towel changes, you should find that there are no stains or odors left upon inspecting the mattress!

However, for particularly troublesome stains, thick mattresses, or if you did not apply enough cleaning solution the first time around, you might need to repeat the process again.

Be sure to use an enzymatic cleaner again the second time around.

Rest assured, a second attempt should be enough to completely eradicate the urine. For good.

Why You Will Need To Use An Enzymatic Cleaner

If you want to eradicate the stain and odor for good, you will need to use a properly formulated enzymatic cleaner.

Here is why.

There are chemicals within these cleaners that are able to break down the components of cat urine.

A lot of household cleaners and other cleaning products do not include such agents.

And the truth is, the majority of household cleaners will not work, and worse, it can actually exacerbate the stain.

Making stains harder to remove, even if you did later resort to an enzymatic cleaner.

And then, there are other purported home-based solutions like vinegar and baking soda.

Well, why these may work temporarily, they cannot completely break down the chemical structure of cat urine.

And cat urine is particularly challenging to remove.

At least compared to other pets.

Cat urine contains:

• Urea
• Uric Acid
• Urobilin/Urobilinogin
• Creatinine
• Sodium
• Electrolytes
• Pheromones
• Bacteria – of at least five strains

Due to these various components, when cat urine dries, it has a strong ammonia smell.

And this smell gets worse in time. And it’s more challenging to remove especially as bacteria get involved.

While certain household cleaners may be able to remove some components, such as Urea and Creatinine, they cannot break down the Uric acid.

And Uric Acid is known to last for up to six years!

So, you are going to need an enzymatic cleaner to be able to break down and remove the Uric acid.

It requires chemical intervention.

It’s not just about temporarily reducing odor which most products will do.

Instead, you need to permanently remove Uric acid.

Otherwise, it can reform from the heat of your home.

And again, the smell resurfaces.

If it does, you’re in for more problems.

Cats will detect it (with their powerful sense of smell), and this encourages them to try to go to the toilet in the area again.

In this case, on your mattress, again.

So, be sure to get an enzymatic cleaner to break down the Uric acid for good.

It will effectively do so, and the by-products of usage are gasses that can simply evaporate.

Why The Enzymatic Cleaning Solution Product Matters

There are various different enzymatic cleaning solutions and brands on the market, but not all of them are as effective.

The better ones are more concentrated, and thus, generally more expensive.

While cheaper options should work, you are more likely going to need to reuse them several times.

And for this reason, you will probably go through a few before you completely eradicate the urine.

It works out more expensive in the long run!

And then there’s the actual bottle itself.

It’s actually very important for how it can be used.

You do not want a ‘spray bottle.’

You instead need to be able to pour and soak. You need to apply liberally, and the solution needs to be able to penetrate deep into the mattress (where cat urine can go).

Soaking is a necessity for the cleaning process to work.

People who never soak the area as thoroughly as the urine originally did will never resolve the issue.

This is what eradicates the stains and the smells.

So, a large opening squirt bottle will encourage you to apply more. And this is what you need.

Remember, you need a product that works on the chemical level and on the microbes.

You need something that will break down the urine and that the microbes cannot continue to proliferate and cause the smell.

This is why the Pickle & Polly Enzyme Stain and Odor Eliminator for Pets from Amazon is strongly recommended.

This is the product you need and the type you should be working with.

It works on other cat accidents, too, vomit and feces smears in particular.

Finally

Removing cat urine is relatively easy IF you use the right products and follow the right process.

Otherwise, you are in for quite the challenge.

The truth is, you need to understand the importance of the chemical structure of cat urine to be able to remove it.

Both in terms of stains and odors.

This is why you need an enzymatic cleaner.

This is not just about masking; this is about permanent removal.

And this is why you need to soak.

So long as you bear these in mind, you will be able to return your mattress to its former, original and clean state.

Of course, there is always the option to get a new mattress…if you can afford it.

So while an enzymatic cleaner might be a little more expensive than you may have hoped, it is a fraction of the price of a new mattress altogether.

And it will do the job.

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