Dealing with the smell of cat urine can be a really aggravating thing, which we’ve covered to a great extent on this blog. The reason the cat urine smell is so hard to get rid of is because it’s loaded with pungent ammonia, and because it really sticks.
Especially to plastic.
In this short blog post I’ll try to give you my best tips on how to remove cat urine from plastic. It doesn’t matter if it’s plastic in the form of children’s toys or plastic chairs.
While you could purchase a cat enzyme cleaner to begin with, I recommend always sticking to natural alternatives which is what I’ll be talking more about in this post. Especially if you’re cleaning cat toys made in plastic that children sometimes put in their mouths. Here’s a list of things you’d ideally need before starting to follow this guide.
- Paper towels
- An empty spray bottle
- White vinegar
- Water
- Dishwashing liquid
- Sponge
- Bucket
- First things first. Always soak up the cat urine with the paper towels to begin with.
- Then — mix one part vinegar with two parts water in the spray bottle. It’s best to use a brand new, completely fresh spray bottle for this purpose — as it’s otherwise easy for traces of dangerous chemicals coming from other cleaning products to still remain. Please heed my advice, as you’re most likely going to be trying to get cat urine removed from plastic toys that kids play with.
- Spray down the affected area with the vinegar/water mixture. The vinegar should neutralize the odor in most cases.
- Wipe down the area with paper towels yet again.
- Now rinse the area very well with a hose or a bucket of water if you live in an apartment like me.
- Now mix a small amount of dishwashing liquid and warm water in your bucket.
- Wash the plastic thoroughly with the sponge and rinse well using clean water.
- Repeat the process if the odor still lingers, beginning with the vinegar spray.
After you’ve followed these steps — whatever you’re cleaning should not smell as much anymore.
If you’re looking for a way to get your cat to actually stop spraying — which I recommend most of my blog readers to do — give Cat Spray Stop a try. Created by Susane Westinghouse, a vet and cat specialist, Cat Spray Stop is an all-encompassing guide designed to help you stop cat spraying in your home in as little as 30 days using a unique method called the TTS method.
I have tried Cat Spray Stop with great results, and have also published a review of it over here. Good luck!
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Emily – This is not only a work of art, but I can tell it was also a labor of love for you. Who knew there was so much to learn about cats and their elimination issues?
I’ve “owned” cats for nearly 30 years and NEVER knew how to properly and completely clean odor from plastic surfaces. Luckily, my cats have all been very good about using the litter box, but cleaning it out so the smell was gone from the area always seemed just beyond my reach.
Thank you for a well-written and humorous account of your trials and your recommendations on litter box ordeals… I intend to put your advice to good use!