How to un-stinkify my carpet?

January 5, 2009 9:57 AM

I just steam cleaned the carpet of my new apartment and now the place smells horrible. Possibly caused by cat urine.

I recently moved into an apartment with a carpeted bathroom. My husband complained of a cat odor from day one, I was only able to (vaguely) smell something in the bathroom. Yesterday I steam cleaned the bathroom using our Rug Doctor and after an evening with open windows and two fans, the entire upstairs now reeks. I pulled up a corner of the carpet next to the bathtub and noticed a few things: the carpet/padding was laid over vinyl tile and there appears to be mold on both tile and carpet.

At this point my main concern is the smell. Is there anything I could spray onto the carpet or use in the steam cleaner to completely remove the odor? I heard vinegar works very well, as well as a dishsoap/hydrogen peroxide/baking soda mixture.. could these things be safely used on carpet? I've looked into Natures Miracle but the bathroom is large and that could get pretty expensive to cover the entire room.. got any cheaper ideas?

posted by Sufi to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

You'll probably never be able to completely remove the odor. If your husband smelled it from day one, he's the unlucky owner of a sensitive nose. I can walk into a room and know instantly what kind of pet someone has. It makes my husband crazy, because he usually can't smell anything out of the ordinary. What's worked for me in the past (4 cats here, one likes to forget she has a litterbox to use) on our basement floor is chlorine bleach followed by Borax followed by the vacuum. You can't use the bleach, but perhaps another carpet-safe liquid plus Borax. You also should use a blacklight to see exactly where the problem areas are.

Can you remove the carpeting? That would help tremendously. This might be something you want to complain to your landlord about. I certainly would.
posted by cooker girl at 10:14 AM on January 5, 2009

Cat odor tends to worsen when it gets wet, because (according to my boyfriend) the bacteria that cause the odor in the first place multiply in a moist environment. Maybe this is not why, but it definately gets worse when it gets wet. Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide do work, the latter is quite likely to bleach the carpet. You could try vinegar in a small spot in the corner and see if it wrecks the carpet. You could also walk around with your nose close to the carpet and figure out where the odor is worst - it might be localized to one spot and you could cover that with something to block the smell.
posted by mai at 10:24 AM on January 5, 2009

If it's an apartment and you can see mold you should call your landlord and say "it stinks and I see mold."

Now this assumes it's actually mold. Old carpet gets very unappealingly stained but it isn't necessarily mold.

If you insist on doing this yourself then I Nth the vote for vinegar. It's a good de-stinker. However if it is old cat pee you might actually be getting the worst stink from the carpet tacking, which is a cheap and porous unsealed wood that will hold odor very well.
posted by phearlez at 11:32 AM on January 5, 2009

If it's old cat urine, and if that urine has soaked into the wood under the carpet, the only sure-fire cure is to replace the floorboards, throw out the carpet and carpet backing, and replace with a new floor covering (carpet, tile, vinyl).

If you want to try something a little less extreme first, then give Nature's Miracle a try. Make sure you get the orange kind, which is specifically formulated for cats. It has a strong citrus-y smell, but with good ventilation, that dissipates. Follow the directions regarding how much product to use and how to use it.

However, I think every time someone takes a shower in that bathroom, you are probably going to have the same odor problem. I would at least get rid of the carpet.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 11:55 AM on January 5, 2009

123 Odor Free worked for me to completely resolve cat pee smell (on clothes, a backpack and duffel bags, but the stuff was originally made for carpets) when multiple applications of Nature's Miracle didn't.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 12:26 PM on January 5, 2009

Eucalyptus oil poured into the steam cleaner. Approximately 3 tablespoons of oil per gallon of water. While saturating and steaming keep room very well ventilated - OPEN windows a must. Let dry completely. Repeat if needed.
posted by watercarrier at 12:34 PM on January 5, 2009

Nature's Miracle apparently doesn't work as well as Anti Icky-Poo. I used Nature's Miracle and it didn't work very well. I'm moving to AIP next. AIP is expensive but reportedly quite worth it.
posted by arimathea at 1:45 PM on January 5, 2009

Natures Miracle
posted by raildr at 3:16 PM on January 5, 2009

If it's a bathroom... are you sure it's not human urine? Not that that should make much difference as to how you treat it, I would assume.
posted by taff at 3:39 PM on January 5, 2009

The "dishsoap/hydrogen peroxide/baking soda mixture" has worked for me on a variety of carpets. You will really want to saturate it and then put a fan or something on it to help it dry. Color test first but I have used it on very dark carpet and very light carpet with no problems.

There is a baking soda residue left that is easily picked up by a steam cleaner and in come cases just a regular vacuum. The homemade mix is cheaper than any other solution and worth a try.
posted by getawaysticks at 5:38 AM on January 6, 2009 [1 favorite]

I'd remove the carpet. Sheet vinyl can be quite inexpensive. It's not very environmentally friendly. Actual linoleum is environmentally friendly, but expensive. I've used commercial-grade tiles or sheet vinyl, which wears well, cleans well, and I like the way it looks. It's very affordable, and I like it much better than the more expensive Armstrong-type vinyls. Comes in many colors.
posted by theora55 at 7:55 AM on January 6, 2009