I can't think because something smells like pee around my desk
April 1, 2021 2:00 PM   Subscribe

One or more of my kitties peed somewhere around my desk, maybe on my chair, maybe on the carpet, maybe on some surface nearby. I can't think because of the smell. Literally what should I do? I have a bottle of pee remover spray. Just start spraying it everywhere? Explain this to me like I'm 5.

Anyone I can ask about this in person will get hung up on what I mean by not being able to think because of the smell and will just tell me to try harder rather than tell me what to try harder at.
posted by bleep to Home & Garden (13 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
An UV flashlight can be invaluable in finding pet pee.
posted by Candleman at 2:02 PM on April 1, 2021 [15 favorites]


When faced with a similar situation, I just got down on my hands and knees and sniffed the carpet in various places. This was after I satisfied myself that the pee wasn't on top of the desk. There's just no super-easy solution here (I agree with Candleman's suggestion to use a UV light, this doesn't always work).
posted by alex1965 at 2:06 PM on April 1, 2021 [11 favorites]


If you think it might have happened recently enough, you can dabbing the various surfaces with a dry paper towel to try and detect any moisture.
posted by mezzanayne at 2:10 PM on April 1, 2021 [1 favorite]


I've been there, it's infuriating. You know there's pee somewhere. I've done the whole sniff-around-thing without luck. The UV light helps, but warning, it may also freak you out and and tell you more than you wanted to know. Ive been known to get a bottle of Natures Miracle and just spray everything. You'll have done what needs to be done and now the overpowering scent will be the Nature's Miracle and not pee. Warning: You may now think the house smells like a vet office.
posted by cgg at 2:11 PM on April 1, 2021 [6 favorites]


A blob of blu-tack up each nostril, one of which has a drinking straw through the middle, will hugely improve the spatial resolution of your nose.
posted by flabdablet at 2:17 PM on April 1, 2021 [4 favorites]


When I've had this problem, I've gotten down on my hands and knees and sniffed until I located the area where the smell is obviously coming from. You will smell the pee everywhere but when you hit the source it is like YEP RIGHT HERE.

If it's a single, recent accident I've found that there's really no mistaking it.

Then a GENEROUS spray with an enzyme cleaner over that area. Let it sit for a while, then blot up and/or wash. It is worth repeating this process more than once. Enzyme cleaners are the most effective treatment for sure, but the more you use the more effective they are. Just spraying over the whole room is unlikely to fix it. You kind of want to soak the stain in the cleaner if you can.

When you're done, you can also air out the room to get rid of the smell lingering in the air. That can help you tell if you need to keep treating or not.

(I guess whether this works can could depend on your sense of smell, but it's an easy thing to try now and you don't need any special equipment for it.)
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 2:42 PM on April 1, 2021 [7 favorites]


After you find it, put some Vicks Vapor Rub on your upper lip so you are breathing in menthol while you attempt to clean.
posted by AugustWest at 3:00 PM on April 1, 2021 [1 favorite]


Yeah, We had things that (at least in theory) were UV lights, and it was no damn help. Getting down on my hands and knees and sniffing was.
posted by wotsac at 3:37 PM on April 1, 2021 [1 favorite]


If it is fully dried you may be able to feel it with the pads of your fingers, for instance if it’s on the back of a desk or something where you can’t get your nose up on. Cat pee dries into sort of crusty crystals, and if it’s soaked into carpet it will be a little crunchy. This doesn’t work with most territorial spraying because that’s not enough to really build up but if it’s more than that and you can’t find it by scent alone you might be able to pinpoint it that way.

When you find it, soak it in nature’s miracle and let it sit for at least twenty minutes, blot it up, repeat. If it’s on something porous and hard to clean like unfinished wood you will have a harder time and need to weigh the pros and cons of replacing whatever it is.
posted by Mizu at 3:54 PM on April 1, 2021 [4 favorites]


We had a UV light called the Stink Finder, and it worked really well to locate pee spots. The room needs to be dark in order for it to work, then it will make the peed area glow in the dark. I can't find the exact one we had so no link, sorry.

Nature's Miracle is what we used to de-stink the area. You have to soak and blot, like Mizu said.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 4:25 PM on April 1, 2021 [4 favorites]


You need the Thornell Cat Odor Off - I have never found the enzyme cleaners to work but flood a few times with this stuff and it WORKS.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:57 PM on April 1, 2021 [2 favorites]


You need the Thornell Cat Odor Off - I have never found the enzyme cleaners to work but flood a few times with this stuff and it WORKS.

Yes! I have given up on the enzyme cleaners for anything other than cleaning. To get the stink out you need this stuff. The original scent is the one I prefer; it lingers in the air for about a day at most.

I have a UV light. It works on some surfaces, but not others.
I get down on my hands and knees and sniff. Which sucks, but not as bad as lingering mystery cat pee smell.

Sometimes the smell is coming from a surprisingly long distance.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:14 PM on April 2, 2021


On a wood floor you can sometimes see the residue of pee because it reflects light differently (more matte than the floor varnish). So I’d take a light source down to the floor, place it a little distance away and pointed towards you, and methodically look at the shine level.

Also- any chance the pee is on YOU? If a cat has a spot of pee on its butt and hangs out on you... maybe change clothes and wash your arms?
posted by nouvelle-personne at 12:38 PM on April 3, 2021


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