I think most cat owners know that cat urine stains are not regular stains. Using a regular generic cleaning product, or making some homemade formula you read online isn’t going to work well enough.
If you’ve had any furniture or carpets ruined by cat urine there is hope – in the way of enzyme-based cleaners.
The best enzymatic cleaners for cat urine are the most effective products for removing cat urine stains completely and removing the odor that normal stain removers will leave behind.
If you’re new to enzyme cleaners I will explain how these work and why they are so good for cat urine (it’s actually quite interesting), and I’ve included 5 of the best enzymatic cleaners for you to choose from too.
What Are Enzyme Cleaners?
Enzymatic cleaners are cleaning products that have been specially formulated with non-pathogenic bacteria. These ‘good’ bacteria produce enzymes that actually work by breaking down stains and eating the smaller pieces.
They then turn these smaller compounds into water and carbon dioxide as they grow in numbers and keep working away at the stains. Meaning the stain becomes incredibly easy to clean up after 10-15 minutes and be completely removed.
So, you can look at enzymatic cleaners like they are doing the work for you – literally.
This is a much better solution than using chemical-based cleaners that use harsh chemicals. These are much more likely to damage your carpets, furniture, or wherever the stain is. They aren’t environmentally friendly, and just outright not as effective.
5 of the Best Enzymatic Cleaners for Cat Urine
Sunny and Honey Enzyme Pet Stain Remover
This enzymatic cleaner is the Pet Stain and Odor Miracle from Sunny and Honey. It’s one of the highest rated cleaning products when it comes to removing every last trace and smell of cat urine.
The manufacturers state it’s fine for use on all home surfaces. This means carpets, leather, hardwood floors, pet beds, and all other types of furniture.
It’s still good practice to use on a small area first if you’re about to try and restore your favorite piece of furniture or something made from an unusual material of course.
Directions of use:
- Use paper towels to sock up the cat urine
- Spray Pet Stain and Odor Miracle over the area you’re treating
- Leave it to work for 10-15 minutes
- Dab the area dry with paper towels and the stain will lift out
- Repeat if necessary
Click here to see the latest price for this Sunny and Honey Enzyme Pet Stain Remover on Amazon!
Simple Solution Enzyme Extreme Stain and Odor Remover
Simple Solution is a well-known brand and makes some great cleaning products, so it’s no surprise that their Extreme Stain and Odor Remover get’s the job done when there is cat urine to clean up.
This will remove all traces of any cat urine stains and the foul odor that is accompanying it. It also works wonders for the various other stains cats, dogs, and other pets leave behind them so it’s handy to have a bottle in the cupboard.
It’s another cleaning product with a Pro-bacteria and enzyme formula because these are just far superior at breaking up and cleaning pet stains.
Directions of use:
- Be sure to change the nozzle to mist and close off the foaming door
- Dab the area with paper towels to sock excess urine
- Spray a good amount and cover the entire stain
- Leave the formula to work for at least 5 minutes before wiping up
- Repeat if necessary
Click here to see the latest price for this Simple Solution Pet Stain Remover on Amazon!
Odor Universe Pet Urine Stain and Odor Remover
I had to look up this Odor Universe Cat Urine Remover as I used this a long time ago and remember works wonders on my bathroom mats which my cat had decided to pee on a couple of times for some reason.
It has a minty smell to it, and Odor Universe say that it completely removes odors (even what our noses can’t detect) which makes it less likely a cat will return to the same spot based off just the scent that might be left behind by other clean
It’s important to note that it’s non-toxic, chlorine-free, and environmentally friendly. So it’ll be kind to your furniture, carpets, (bath mats) and so on. Comes with a big thumb from me!
Directions of use:
- Dab the urine stain with paper towels to remove excess fluid
- Spray a generous amount of Odor Universe over the area
- Leave it to work for a few minutes
- Dab clean with paper towels to remove the product and stain
- Repeat if needed
Click here to see the latest price for this Odor Universe Pet Urine Stain Remover on Amazon!
Capture Pet Stain and Odor Neutralizer
This is another great all-purpose pet stain cleaning product with an enzyme formula. Enzyme-based cleaning products are particularly good at cleaning up pet stains as the microorganisms get to work, so it’s going to work wonders used on cat urine.
Feedback is great on this one. It’ll fully remove ‘almost’ any stain cats or other pets leave behind, remove the odor to dissuade cats to return to the same spot, and best of all it’s quick and easy to use.
Capture also sells this in larger volumes and a wide range of other products such as powders, mixtures for steam cleaners, and so on.
Directions of use:
- Dab the urine stain with paper towels to remove any excess urine
- Spray plenty of Capture Stain Remover over the stain being sure to cover the area completely
- Give it 5-10 minutes to work into the stain
- Use paper towels to mop up the cleaning fluid and urine
- Repeat if necessary
Click here to see the latest price for this Capture Pet Stain and Odor Neutralizer on Amazon!
Earthworm Natural Enzyme Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
This is a fragrance-free cleaner with natural enzymes from Earthworm if you want a cleaner that leaves no odor behind. It’s approved by the Carpet and Rug Institute and recommended for use on any furniture carpets, curtains, and so on.
It’s a formula that works great on shifting cat urine. They say themselves, ‘let the worm do the work.’ All you have to do is cover the stain with this cleaner, leave it to break down the stain, and wipe up after.
This is the preferred choice for some people because it doesn’t have that familiar smell of other enzyme cleaners, nor is it scented with any smells to mask it.
Directions of use:
- Dab the urine stain with paper towels to remove any excess urine
- Spray the stain generously with Earthworm
- Give it 5-10 minutes to work into the stain
- Use paper towels to mop up the product and urine stain
- Repeat if necessary
Click here to see the latest price for this Earthworm Natural Enzyme Carpet Cleaner on Amazon!
Why Are Enzyme-Based Cleaners the Best for Cat Urine?
Cat urine comprises of some undesirable components that require enzymes to break down properly so the stain can be properly removed. There is uric acid, urea, sodium, and bacteria to mention a few components.
Some of these break down to create that awful ammonia smell, while others are just not able to be removed by regular cleaning products. Hence why there is often a faint stain left behind or worse the smell of cat pee.
As far as I know, enzymes are the only way to completely break down the stain, and the uric acid in particular. This then allows the stain to be cleaned up and removed.
The added benefit to enzyme cleaners is that they remove the odor too. Not just that horrible ammonia smell we can detect, but an odor that a cat’s nose can detect while we can’t.
Benefits of Using Enzymatic Cleaning Products
Here are some of the benefits of using enzymatic cleaning products over regular chemical-based ones in summary:
- They are more environmentally-friendly. We need to do our bit for the environment, and when it means cleaning up stains better too it’s an obvious advantage
- They are less likely to damage your furniture, carpets, rugs, and other household items
- The bacteria in these products keep on working while you leave the product to break down stains
- They are very effective at removing the odor’s often left behind by pet stains
The bottom line is that enzyme cleaning products are not a lot more expensive than regular products either. It’s no wonder why they have become the go-to choice for cleaning up pet stains, I wouldn’t use anything else.
Be sure to check out how to train your cat to use their litter box if you’re having persistent problems with them peeing around the home!
Thank you so much for this helpful article! I have two kittens and they are always urinating on our carpets and wood floor. The urine smells and stains got so bad that I had to have a local carpet cleaner come and fix it. But, we just moved into a new place and I’ve been looking for an enzyme cleaner to use. I just got a bottle of the Sunny and Honey Enzyme Cleaner, and I’m excited to try it out!