Help! I've been given a beige velour sofa by my nephew and he has two cats at home. The sofa is lovely, if a bit dusty, but it stinks of cats! I can't take it outside because it's too heavy for me. It needs a good cleaning, but what do I clean it with so it's not niffy and spruced up a bit?
Cettina from Malta Europe
In the US we have a product called Febreze. It works on most odors. If you can't get that vacuum the dust away and sprinkle baking soda under the cushions and allow to set for a few days. You might even want to put the soda on top of the cushions if you aren't going to be using it for a while. be sure to vac it off before you sit on it. (08/03/2007)
By MartyD
Can you rent a carpet cleaning machine? It would help with the surface urine, but you would need to take the stuffing out of the cushions and wash them to get at the urine that went deeper. (08/03/2007)
I have 7 cats, 2 dogs and work for a rescue group. We use XO which is available on Amazon.com. This is the best odor remover we have ever used and there is nothing in it that can harm animals or humans. We use the combination odor remover cleaner, and at home I pour the dilution into my Floormate clean water tank, do my floors, spray it into my plastic litter boxes and removed a diarrhea accident from my light cream sofa with it. The odor is gone within a short time and doesn't return. (08/17/2007)
By Kathie Bass
My cats are in heat and I think they both peed on my couch because it smells terrible. I got the smell out by taking the couch covers off and washing them. Also I got the armrests and headrest cleaned by spraying water, Shout, and this spectacular spray called Awesome (you can buy it at the dollar store), and I scrubbed it in with a sponge and left it on for about 30 minutes. Keep the windows open to let the couch air-out. It really works! (03/02/2008)
By Fifi
Just went to war with a similar problem. After reading a number of suggestions, and after using Urine Off for quite awhile (very expensive option), I went a bought a Bissel Little Green Machine. I also bought the new Woolight Oxygen Pet Stain and Odor cleaner and a bottle of Bissel Pet cleaner. All in all, I think it has worked.
The Woolite product was terrific, but I won't know if it works alone for awhile because I cleaned the couch cushions after using it. I liked the machine because it also allowed me to suck up the excess after letting it sit for the prescribed time. The Woolite product also didn't leave any discernible smell. I also bought a huge bottle of Nature's Miracle to use in place of Urine Off at a substantially cheaper price.
After spending the weekend getting whiffs of cat pee, I can't smell anything, but a nice clean smell. I think after pussy footing around for too long, I have to advise all out war on the problem is the best approach. (03/16/2008)
By Owner of Sadie and Max
OK. I may have just gone crazy. Our beloved cat did the unthinkable, peed on our sofa. Unfortunately this is not the first time. Several years ago he had a UTI and did it several times over the course of a week. I machine washed the cushion covers. I have done this may times after spills from kids and whatnot.
This time I decided to wash the inside foam part in the bathtub with laundry detergent and bleach. Surprise of all surprises it did not ruin the cushions. They look and smell great! I just filled the tub with hot water, added the detergent and bleach and squished away for a good long time. The water afterwards looked disgusting.
I drained the water and squished as much from the cushion as I could. Took them out to the deck where I stepped on them over and over. Flipped and did it again. Then I put them one at a time in the dryer. My backup plan was to go to an upholstery shop and purchase new foam inserts. Turns out, I didn't have too! (04/28/2008)
By Susan
I can't believe that I finally got a handle on the cat urine problem on my sofa. (Thank goodness that it's in a secondary room in my house!) Anyway, here's what worked just as I was ready to go furniture shopping.
I mixed baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and antibacterial Listerine (mint). Next, I used a bristled brush to really rub the mixture into the sofa. I let it dry overnight and vacuumed the next day. Granted, the sofa is off-white, so the paste did not stain. Finally, I sprayed Febreze on the area just for good measure. It passed my sensitive nose test. Good luck! It is not fun to deal with. (06/19/2008)
By Beccah
I have a rec room, I needed a sofa for it so I was in thrift store and there was a decent enough looking sofa, $42. That's right. $42! I'll take it.
I get it home and guess what? sigh. I used Spot Shot stain and odor remover that seems to have helped the base. Not completely, but it is better. I stripped off the cushion covers and threw them in the washer (cotton denim fabric) with lots of detergent and Nature's Miracle and put them outside to dry, they seem OK.
But the foam cushion? I did what someone else here did, I stripped off the old batting, that's easy enough to replace and put the cushion in the bathtub with detergent and bleach. Squished it all around and have them standing up on end to drain the water out. Again it seems to have worked.
There may be hope for my $42 find after all. (01/14/2009)
By CM
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