If you landed on this page it means the smell is driving you crazy. Cat urine odor is unmistakable. It is strong and very difficult to completely remove, nearly impossible dare I say, without a proper enzyme cleaner.
My top 3 picks, all pet-safe:
Nok-Out Multi-Purpose Cleaner & Odor Eliminator
Simple Green Cat Stain & Odor Remover
Boxiecat Scent-Free Pet Stain & Odor Remover
🔔 To find out how to remove cat pee stains and odor from different surfaces, go to the end of the article.
“Spraying” doesn’t work!
The enzyme cleaners that come in spray bottles are never enough to clean up cat urine. Just spraying a light layer of product over a urine stain will never clean the spot entirely.
Unless the enzyme cleaner completely envelopes the affected area, the cat pee will absorb any moisture around, form new crystals and start to stink again.
Soaking, dousing, and pouring an affected area is necessary when cleaning up cat urine!
Table of content [click to expand]
Below I recommended only gallon formats of the products because with cat pee stains you often need to heavily saturate the area and usually more than a few times for it to work, depending on how old the stain is.
Here are the best 10 choices:
1. Nok-Out Multi-Purpose Cleaner & Odor Eliminator
Although not an enzymatic cleaner, but an oxidizer, Nok-Out is proven to work wonders in removing cat pee odors. According to customer reviews, Nok-Out is better than other enzyme cleaners from Nature’s Miracle.
Nok-Out is an all-purpose cleaner and odor eliminator that works on almost every surface. It is environmentally gentle and doesn’t produce any chemical fumes making it safe for pets and people, even people with allergies or with immune deficiencies.
This product works by oxidizing the source of any odor into something that does not have an odor anymore, but it must be in direct contact with the affected area.
0.20% stabilized Chlorine Dioxide, 99.40% Water, and 0.40% mixture of Inert Ingredients.
See here -> Nok-Out Odor eliminator Safety Data Sheet
In this product, the Chlorine dioxide oxidizes but doesn’t chlorinate to release dangerous by-products and no raw chlorine is ever released either, so in the stabilized formula of Nok-Out, the Chlorine dioxide disinfection poses no significant risk to humans or animals, which makes Nok-Out a truly ‘green’ product. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted Nok-Out the lowest toxicity rating they can give out, (based on toxicity to the skin, to eyes, to be inhaled and to be ingested, all criteria have received the “level IV” which is the lowest rating for toxicity).
This cleaner eliminates even the toughest odors including skunk odor and cat pee. No rinse required, just spray or douse and let it work its magic. Nok-Out is non-corrosive, non-flammable, non-chlorinating, hypo-allergenic, and biodegradable.
Nok-Out Multi-Purpose Cleaner & Odor Eliminator
If you previously treated an affected area with vinegar or citrus cleaner before using Nok-Out, you should make a solution from 1 tsp of baking soda and 2.5 cups of water and spray the area where the acidic cleanser has been used, to neutralize the acid before applying Nok-Out, otherwise, it will not really work.
Find out here how to remove urine odors with Nok-Out.
Nok-Out Multi-Purpose Cleaner & Odor Eliminator
2. Simple Green Cat Stain & Odor Remover
The Simple Green Cat Stain & Odor Remover is an enzyme cleaner that seems to do a great job at permanently eliminating cat urine stains and unpleasant odors, leaving behind a not-so-harsh smell as many other similar products.
According to customers’ feedback, this enzyme cleaner really works from the first try, but, requires a lot of product with tough stains. People have used it on blankets, bedding, couch cushions, mattresses, and carpets and they were pleasingly satisfied.
See here -> Simple Green Cat Stain & Odor Remover Safety Data Sheet
Simple Green Cat Stain & Odor Remover
The product’s safety data sheet confirms that this product is safe for pets and humans and does not contain any hazardous ingredients that can cause respiratory irritation, skin irritation, or eye irritation, but of course, it might cause an upset stomach if ingested, so if you do ingest some, just drink plenty of water to dilute it.
It’s recommended to test for colorfastness with Simple Green and test a small inconspicuous area of the surface that you are going to clean, just to make sure it will not change its color. You can use it on any surface like carpets, bedding, upholstery, clothing, curtains, litter boxes, crates and carriers, tile, finished wood, laminates, concrete and more.
For older stains that you treated with other products before, you need to apply this enzyme cleaner multiple times for it to work. Do not mix with oxidizers, acids, bathroom cleaners, or disinfecting agents or it will probably not work.
Simple Green Cat Stain & Odor Remover
3. Boxiecat Scent-Free Pet Stain & Odor Remover
This product works with probiotic bacteria to eliminate stains and odors at their source and doesn’t leave any residue behind. The formula targets specifically pet odors and stains whether they are new or old, which also helps in preventing the re-soiling of the area, completely removing the pheromones found in the urine too.
It is ideal when having to deal with cat messes because it dissolves ammonia, feces, pheromones, and vomit and hairball regurgitations.
purified water, natural probiotics, and biodegradable eco-friendly surfactant
Boxiecat Premium Scent Free Pet Stain & Odor Remover is made out of 100% natural ingredients and is chemical-free, which makes it also family and pet safe. It is also a good choice for people who prefer no fragrance at all.
Boxiecat Scent-Free Pet Stain & Odor Remover
4. Xionlab Bio-Enzymatic Stain & Odor Remover
The Bio-Enzymatic Stain & Odor remover from Xionlab is effective in removing cat urine odor and stains by working at a molecular level to ‘digest’ any organic waste like urine, feces, vomit, blood, milk, wine, coffee, or other pungent, unpleasant organic matter.
It is certified gentle and safe and works on any surface floors and other surfaces like fabrics, furniture, mattress, concrete, animal pens & cages, garbage cans, around urinals & toilets, litter boxes, diaper pails, and laundry.
Most importantly it is safe for your pets to be around it while it’s doing its job. According to its Safety Data Sheet, this product contains no substances which, at their given concentration, are considered to be hazardous to health.
Xionlab Bio-Enzymatic Stain & Odor Remover
Although I did not find the complete list of ingredients, this stain and odor remover seems to be non-toxic, bio-based, and environmentally safe with a formula that contains a plant-based detergent derived from palm kernel oil and a strong blend of free enzymes (lipase, protease, amylase, and cellulase) that are fast-acting attacking the source of the odors and eliminates them completely. It is nonylphenol-free, therefore also safe for marine life.
This product is not a cleaner and whilst it destroys stinky smells when used to clean cat poop, for example, after treating the area with the enzyme-based cleaner, you need to also use some soap or other product that sanitizes the surface.
Xionlab Bio-Enzymatic Stain & Odor Remover
5. Rocco & Roxie Stain & Odor Eliminator
Rocco & Roxie Stain & Odor Eliminator is one of the best pet stain and odor removers in the USA, with thousands of happy customers and guaranteed satisfaction or a full refund of your money! People say it is the most effective stain and odor product they’ve ever used!
This product contains natural enzymes that are activated on contact with odors and stains, feeding on the ammonia crystals from urine and organic matter until they are completely eliminated, from cat urine to hairball vomit stains, feces, and other organic spills.
Rocco & Roxie Stain & Odor Eliminator is developed by trusty pet owners, as you can see from their logo there is Rocco the dog and Roxie the cat, and these people actually care about what they sell to you. This bio-enzymatic cleaner is safe to use around pets, people, and children.
water, advanced biological blend, non-ionic surfactant, odor counteractant, and opacifier
See here -> Rocco & Roxie Stain & Odor Eliminator Safety Data Sheet
Rocco & Roxie Stain & Odor Eliminator
It can be used safely on all surfaces like carpets, floors, furniture, clothing, litter boxes, kennels, carriers, and all pet living, and sleeping areas.
Some customers’ feedback pointed out that this product may emanate a smell they are either pleased with or not very pleased with. They describe the smell as either a light herby scent of cinnamon, citronella or heavy cherry, that is not so hard to smell, to a scent that is overwhelming, overpowering perfume scent, horrendous and awful.
I am not sure what causes these big differences in reviews but probably it has to do with how sensitive a person is to scents, how much product they use and if they use it properly, or if their cats’ urine has something more “strong” in it that reacts differently with the enzymes from the cleaner.
How does it work?
Rocco & Roxie Stain & Odor Eliminator
6. Skout’s Honor Urine & Odor Destroyer for Cats
Not to be confused with the Skout’s Honor Urine Destroyer* which is made for dog urine, The Urine and Odor Destroyer from Skout’s Honor is formulated to completely eliminate cat urine, vomit, hairball, feces, marking scent, and spray stains and odors from any surface.
This Urine and Odor Destroyer from Skout’s Honor formulated for cats doesn’t use enzymes in its composition, but a plant-based surfactant technology that works similar to enzyme-based cleaners.
It is eco-friendly, made from safe ingredients, with the BioKore™ formula that annihilates even old cat urine stains and eliminates the foul odor molecules on contact. This cleaner guarantees to work better and faster than a usual enzyme cleaner and because it contains no enzymes it also has no expiry date.
deionized water, BioKore™ (plant-based surfactant), Biodegradable Molecular Complex (Mineral-based Deodorizer), and plant-based fragrance
Skout’s Honor Urine & Odor Destroyer for Cats
The ingredients of this product make it safe for pets, containing no harsh chemicals, so you can freely use it around your house.
From customer reviews, this cleaner leaves a scent behind when it’s freshly applied to the soiled area, but the scent breaks down rather quickly (in about 1 hour) and even people that are chemically sensitive said that they had no problem with it, but do not breathe in the product, always use as instructed and also wear a mask if you are sensitive to smells.
Skout’s Honor Urine & Odor Destroyer for Cats
7. Urine Off Cat & Kitten Formula
Urine Off Cat & Kitten makes it at the top of our list because of its bio-enzymatic formula which is USDA certified as a biobased product and also has been awarded USDA BioPreferred designation in eliminating cat urine odor and stains at the source.
This product works by using a combination of naturally occurring micro-organisms and their enzymes to digest the uric acid crystals, the urea, and the proteins from the cat urine, permanently removing the pee stain from a soiled area.
Because of its concentrated formula with a specifically adapted viscosity to adhere on vertical surfaces due to cats spraying to mark their territory or attract other cats to mate, the Orine Off cat & Kitten can be used on any surface whether your cat peed on a wall, furniture, or carpet.
See here -> Urine Off Cat & Kitten Formula Safety Data Sheet
Keep in mind that Urine Off is mild and safe to use around pets and people but, keep it out of reach of children, do not use it directly on pets or people, and do not use it as an air freshener!
Find out here how to remove cat urine odors with Urine-Off.
Urine Off Cat & Kitten Formula
8. Stuart Pet Supply Co. Stain & Odor Eliminator
This product works with a bio-enzymatic formula to remove all kinds of stains and odors caused by pets, including urine, vomit, feces, and blood but it also removes other organic waste stains. It works on all surfaces, carpets, floors, furniture,
The customer’s feedback lets us know that this cleaner is effective in removing cat urine, but it seems to leave behind a very strong smell in some cases.
If you want to take a chance with it and it will not work for you, they offer a 100% guarantee of a full refund if you are not satisfied.
water, bacteria/enzymes, nonionic surfactant, and fragrance.
See here -> The Stuart Pet Supply Co. Stain & Odor Eliminator Safety Data Sheet
Their SDS lets us know that it can cause irritation of the respiratory tract, eyes, and skin like many other enzyme cleaners so the use of a face mask and gloves are recommended when you apply the product. It also may be harmful if swallowed.
Stuart Pet Supply Co. Stain & Odor Eliminator
9. Anti-Icky-Poo Unscented Odor Remover
Anti-Icky-Poo Unscented is specifically designed to eliminate cat urine contamination and other organic waste (feces, vomit, smoke, or decaying organic materials), attacking and removing the affected area right at the source of it.
This product works by binding the odor-causing molecules, reducing their volatility and neutralizing them leaving the area odor free.
According to customers’ reviews The Anti-Icky Poo* and its Unscented version actually remove cat urine, it’s non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and pet safe. It can be used on materials like carpets, hardwoods, softwoods, tiles, plastic, fabrics, drywall, leather, and more, without damaging the surfaces. You only need to spray, or douse and walk away.
Although it doesn’t contain any acids, caustic, or solvent, this product can not be ingested. I recommend using gloves when you apply this product as it could cause skin irritation after prolonged skin contact. Do not use it directly on pets. Do not use an air freshener.
If you tried to remove a pet stain from a carpet or fabrics with other cleaning products before using Anti Icky Poo Unscented, the company advises you to treat the area first with the P-Bath Pre-Treatment * before applying the odor remover. For stubborn pet stains, they advise using their Stain Remover * after treating the area with the Anti Icky Poo Unscented Odor Remover.
Anti Icky Poo Unscented Odor Remover
10. Purrfect Potion – Catastrophe Remover
The Purrfect Potion – Catastrophe Remover doesn’t only have a catchy name and a great bottle design, but according to customers’ reviews it also works on any cat stains and odors including urine, poop, spray, or vomit.
Although I could not find the exact ingredient list, the company is revealing only generic names like oxidizers, surfactants, stabilizers, and other inert ingredients. It doesn’t contain any enzymes, bleaches, or harsh chemicals and is environmentally safe. Virtually odorless, non-toxic, and safe to use around pets, people, and plants.
It is recommended to test this product for colorfastness. Allow it to work for at least 24h and reapply as needed until the smell/stain is completely removed.
Purrfect Potion - Catastrophe Remover
⚠️ BE AWARE OF ANGRY ORANGE! ⚠️
Like many other articles out there about enzymatic cleaners, I choose not to add Angry Orange* to my list because it seems to not be as safe for pets or humans as the products I recommended are.
❗ ❗ ❗ If you are using Angry Orange* avoid breathing any “dust/fumes/gas/mist/vapors from the spray. Always wear protective gloves, eye protection, or face protection. Wash thoroughly after handling.
Orange oil, Surfonic JL-80X, Terpineol, 2,6-dimethyloct-7-en-2-ol, dodecanal.
See here -> Angry Orange Safety Data Sheet
According to their SDS (Safety Data Sheet), Angry Orange causes skin irritation, serious eye damage, or an allergic skin reaction, reactions that can occur with most cat urine removers, but the major difference when it comes to Angry Orange is that it may be fatal if swallowed and enters the airways!
Customers’ reviews confirm this product it’s NOT safe for pets causing respiratory issues and sometimes making them so sick to the point they need to be taken to the vet when they get in contact with the product. Symptoms are registered from sneezing and coughing to nosebleeds, crossed eyes, limpness, fatigue, and fever.
Dogs also have been reported to break out in red rashes and itching/scratching like crazy, vomiting, and not being able to move.
Children were also put in danger by this product when a 2-year-old baby had to be taken to ER with hives all over the body. Not only that but also on the label of this spray you can also find The California Proposition 65 Warning that clearly states “this product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects, or other reproductive harm.”
back to menu ↑How to use an enzyme cleaner to get rid of cat urine from different surfaces and materials
Most enzymatic cleaners work in the same way. You find the spot, you douse it, let it sit for 15-30 minutes, then wipe the excess residue away. But, depending on the brand or the material of the affected area, more specific instructions may need to be taken into consideration.
back to menu ↑Enzymatic cleaners – general directions of use
- Shake well before use.
- Never dilute or use with other cleaners.
- Always check for colorfastness of the surface in a discreet spot.
- On fresh urine, remove excess wetness with paper towels.
- For best results, use a UV black light with 365nm, to locate hard-to-find urine-soiled areas.
Black Light UV Flashlight – uvBeast NEW V3 365nm MINI
- Always saturate the affected areas with the enzymatic cleaner. Don’t just lightly spray it!
- Allow the enzyme-based cleaner to air dry – do not scrub unless it’s recommended on the bottle.
- Remove residue by blotting with a paper towel, using water sparingly, or by using a vacuum, according to the instructions on the bottle.
- Covering the area with something is always useful to help prevent a family member from stepping onto it, or your cat from trying to soil the area again whilst the cleaner is working at removing the old stain.
- You can put aluminum foil over the area, or an upside-down laundry basket.
Safety measures for using an enzyme-based cleaner
- Do not apply directly on animals, do not spray on pets
- Keep out of reach of children.
- Wear protective gloves. Some products are mild skin irritants.
- Do not ingest. In case of ingestion drink plenty of water and consult a phisician.
- Avoid contact with eyes. In case of contact, rinse eyes with water for 15 minutes.
- Wash hands thoroughly after use.
- Use only as directed.
How to get cat pee out of carpet
- If there is fresh urine, remove it by blotting (soaking) with paper towels.
- Thoroughly saturate the urine stain and underlying padding with the enzymatic cleaner.
- Keep in mind that urine stains spread up to 4 times their surface size as it soaks into the underlay and the enzymes need to cover all the affected area to completely neutralize the odor, so spray generously around the stain too.
- Allow to air dry – do not scrub.
- For old, set-in stains, it may be necessary to repeat the application a few times to completely break down the crystals in the urine. Allow the area to air dry completely between applications.
- Depending on what enzyme cleaner you use, you might need to rinse the area sparingly with water and soak it up with absorbent paper towels, or just vacuum the area to remove any residue.
- In some cases, it is recommended to use plastic wrap on top of the soiled area after applying the product to keep it moist so the enzymes can work better and keep the solution from evaporating.
- Never shampoo the area until all odors and stains have been removed.
How to get cat pee out of clothes and fabrics
- Test an inconspicuous area of the clothes for color-fastness
- If the cleaner doesn’t discolor the fabric, pour directly on the stains
- Let it soak and sit in the sink or a pan for a couple of hours until dry
- Wash normally after
How to get cat pee out of cushions and mattresses
- Soak the affected area of the cushion /mattress by slowly pouring the enzyme cleaner on and around the affected area.
- Let it sit for 15 minutes then squish out as much of the excess enzyme cleaner as you can.
- Bloat up as much as you can.
- Leave the cushion outside if possible to dry in the sun and cover it with aluminum foil to discourage your cat from peeing on it again.
- For mattresses use the same slowly soaking process and let it work for 15 minutes then bloat up as much as you can.
- Place several layers of clean towels over the area you just soaked and then make your bed. It will take a few days to completely dry.
- When you are not using the bed, cover it up with a plastic sheet, tarp, or a cut-down large box, to prevent your cat from soiling it again.
- Thick cushions and mattresses may require several applications to remove the cat urine entirely. But you will be able to clean it!
How to get cat pee out of wood, furniture and tiles
- Wipe up urine if fresh.
- Spray/douse the surface and allow it to air dry.
- Wipe up residue using water and an absorbent paper towel.
- For old stains, you might need to repeat the application on subsequent days until the odor is gone.
Final thoughts
Don’t forget, when searching for a powerful enzyme-based cleaner that breaks apart cat urine, you also need to look for it not to be toxic to your cats.
Cats are curious creatures, and they normally discover things by smelling them or pawing at them. Now imagine your cat being interested in the enzyme-based cleaner you just poured all over the carpet and touching it with its paw. Guess what they are doing with that paw later? They are licking it! Or what happens if the cleaner emanates toxic fumes and your cat is smelling it? If the chemicals are toxic you will end up at the emergency vet with thousands of dollars to pay!
So make sure, that whatever cat urine remover you buy, will be pet-safe.
Let us know in the comments below if you know any other good enzyme cleaner that we can add to our list!
We wish you a meowgical day!
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