The smell of cat urine is overpowering and annoying, but the stain can sometimes be really hard to find! Luckily, you don't have to rely on your nose alone to find the source of the smell. You can use an ultraviolet lamp which is also known as a black light. If you shine the light into a dark room, your cat's urine will glow a yellow or green color so you can easily find areas that need cleaning. Once you find the area or section, neutralize the urine with an enzymatic cleaning agent!
Step
Part 1 of 2: Finding Urine
Step 1. Purchase or borrow an ultraviolet lamp with a light length between 365-385 nm
For best results, look for an LED flashlight with 9-12 light bulbs. In addition, the flashlight must have a light length of 365-385 nm (short for nanometer). A shorter light length won't be strong enough to illuminate a cat's urine, while a higher light length will have the same effect as natural light.
- You can get a lamp or flashlight like this from the internet or a home improvement store.
- You can also get an ultraviolet lamp with a fluorescent bulb. As long as it is labeled with a length of 365-385 nm, the lamp can still be used even though the light produced by LED lamps is usually stronger or brighter.
Do you know?
The nanometer unit is used to measure the spectrum of visible light or light that can be seen by the human eye.
Step 2. Wait until nightfall and make the room as dark as possible
You can close all the curtains in the room as tightly as possible. However, it may be easier to wait until it gets dark before using an ultraviolet lamp. When ready to look for urine, turn off the lights in the room, as well as the lights in the surrounding room or hallway.
If the room is still not dark enough, your eyes can't detect the glowing urine stain
Step 3. Visit the area where you suspect urine has been exposed and turn on the ultraviolet lamp
Usually, urine stains are in an area that has a urine smell, although sometimes you need to search the area before you find it. To make your search more efficient, start where you suspect the cat would go to defecate, then expand the search area outward.
Step 4. Look for blemishes or areas that glow in neon yellow or green
When ultraviolet light hits the urine, the urine stain will start to glow. The stain may appear as a spot, puddle, splatter, or drip, depending on the amount of urine and the site it is exposed to.
- For example, if your tomcat spits out its urine to mark its territory on the wall, the stain may look like a splatter with a few drops running down the wall. If your pussy pees on the floor, you can see a large circular puddle of stains.
- Some cleaning products and other household items (including wallpaper glue) can fluoresce when exposed to ultraviolet light, so don't panic if the whole room glows when you turn on the light.
- Other substances such as body fluids and tonic water can also fluoresce. Take advantage of the location, size, shape, and smell information of the area in the room to see if the glowing stain is a cat urine stain.
Step 5. Aim the light in different directions to examine various surfaces
Your pussy sometimes pees on various surfaces so make sure you don't just check the floor. Slowly, direct the light from side to side while examining the walls and door frames, the top and sides of the furniture, and the cushions or other seating in the room.
If you don't find the stain right away, slowly move away from the source of the odor
Step 6. Mark the corner of the stain so you can find it easily
Sometimes it's hard to remember the size and shape of the stain once the room lights are turned on again. To make sure you know exactly where to clean, use adhesive tape or chalk to mark the area around the stain.
It's a good idea to also clean the areas outside of the visible stain if at any time the stain has seeped and spread. Therefore, there is no need to bother marking the outline of the stain perfectly. Just make a mark on the top, bottom, and side of the stain to let you know where it is or where it is
Part 2 of 2: Cleaning the Area
Step 1. Try to find and clean the urine stain as soon as possible
While it's not always possible, the sooner you clean the stained area, the better the results. If you smell cat urine and can't find the stain during the day, try using an ultraviolet light to look for the stain at night.
Cat urine will smell more pungent when dry or decomposed. In addition, urine becomes more difficult to remove or remove after sticking to certain surfaces
Step 2. Wet the stain with a soapy water mixture if possible
If the stain is stuck to a surface or object that is safe to wet (e.g. carpet), pour a few drops of dish soap into a bowl of warm water, then thoroughly wet the stain with the mixture. Leave it for about an hour. This process helps remove the crystals from the cat's urine.
Step 3. Dab a damp washcloth on the stain
After the soapy water has been allowed to soak into the stain, dab a clean, damp cloth over the stain. Do this from the outside of the stain inward so that the urine doesn't spread from its place.
If you want to clean something that shouldn't get wet (e.g. leather or wood furniture), don't soak or wet the area with soapy water and dab a dampened washcloth on the stain as effectively as possible. Let the area dry completely
Step 4. Spray an enzymatic cleaning product on the stain and let it sit for 20 minutes
There are a variety of cleaning products available in stores, but to completely neutralize urine, you'll need an enzymatic cleaning product. Wet or moisten the stain thoroughly with the product and don't forget to spray or use the cleaner on the area outside the stain in case the urine spreads along when it sticks to the stained surface. Instructions for use may vary from product to product, but usually enzymatic cleaning products are available in a spray form that does not require wiping.
- You can get enzymatic cleaning products from a pet supply or home supply store, or even make your own cleaning mixture if you prefer.
- Make sure you read the product instructions to make sure the product is safe to use on the surfaces you need to clean. You will also need to spray a small amount of product on hidden areas to ensure that the product does not damage the surface of the object being cleaned. Enzymatic cleaners are usually quite mild or gentle compared to other cleaning products.
- You can get powdered enzymatic cleaning products if the item you need to clean doesn't get wet.
Tip:
If you need to clean an item with materials such as wood or leather, read the label to make sure the product you are using is safe for those surfaces.
