Cat Urine – Ask Annie

Hi Annie,
Some of our cats have been peeing and spraying in our fireplace and on the brick around it. I’ve used those enzymes, but it’s perfumed and now I associate that smell with the cat urine. So now I’ve tried spraying undiluted while vinegar on these areas. The cats still go back and I can still smell the scent from the enzyme spray. This is driving me crazy. Any ideas you might have would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Cynthia

Dear Cynthia,
I love this question because, happily, the solution is so easy! In your case, it will also do double duty by also neutralizing the smell of the scented enzyme spray.

Cat urine has components to it that are both alkaline and acidic. Vinegar will neutralize the alkaline component, and baking soda the acidic. You did just half of the equation using vinegar: the acidic component will still be there, so you need to add cleaning with baking soda to your arsenal. That’s it! Alternate baking soda and vinegar and you’ll get rid of the smell.

Given that the material being sprayed by the cats is, in your case, brick, you’ll most likely want to use a baking soda spray to start. If it isn’t doing the trick, you’ll want to then scrub with a baking soda soft scrubber paste (with a dab of unscented eco-friendly liquid detergent to make for better rinsing), but that will require more work and rinsing.

Baking Soda Spray
1 cup almost-boiling water
3 tablespoons of baking soda
spray bottle

The best of luck!
Annie
Combine the baking soda and very hot water in a glass measuring cup. Stir to dissolve the baking soda. Cool to lukewarm and then pour into a spray bottle. Spritz the area of concern.