Guest guest Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Hi Laura, The only thing I have ever used that works for cat pee (I'm talking pee, I've never had to deal with spray, which is stronger-smelling) is zeolite. It's sold under several brand names, it is a mineral. It has absolutely no odor of its own, works kind of like charcoal to soak up that kind of ammonia odor. (No odor is important for me because I have birds and their respiratory systems are so much more delicate than ours -- I don't burn candles or incense and air my home out after using cleaning products with any odor at all). I had a foster dog a couple of years ago who peed quite a bit in front of my tv, and carpet cleaning didn't really work (how I wish I owned the place so I could rip ALL the carpet out!!). If I'm going to have company over, I sprinkle zeolite on the carpet and let it sit overnight, then vacuum it up, and it works. The only drawback is that zeolite smells to cats like a litterbox, so when I put it on my carpet, they smell a large, open-plan litterbox! So they have to be shut out of the room I'm using it in. I've never had any luck with Nature's Miracle or anything like that, and believe me, I've tried them all! Just something to try if you ever have that situation again! Audrey S. On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 10:18 AM, L.B. <elbee577 wrote: > > > Hi, Linda, and THANKS! > I know this thread about Febreeze is off-topic, but I do appreciate the > information! > I have long used charcoal (horticultural charcoal--comes in little bags and > tiny, crumbled pieces) for the soil in my houseplant pots. It supposedly > absorbs any stuff in the soil or water that might stress the plants--keeps > them growing & healthy. I also knew there was a medical use for > charcoal--sometimes in the case of poison ingestion...I just had never > thought of using it to remove " fumes, odors, perfumes, etc " from enclosed > spaces! > > Several (probably about 4 or 5) years ago, my DH and I got home from a > short trip. I had our suitcases in the laundry room, was removing our packed > clothing items and immediately piling them into the washer for laundering. > One small suitcase stood near the door, and one of my 4 cats lingered > nearby. > > The kitty, our skittish little " Pip " , a neutered male, always seems > terrified of the other cats in our home and, despite being neutered, seems > determined to diligently " mark " numerous areas in our home--repeatedly. > > That day, after we'd been gone a few days and our cats had been cared > for by a sitter, I guess Pip was feeling anxious. I didn't notice him > sniffing around my little suitcase until it was too late--he decided to > obliterate the " strange " smells on my suitcase with his own strong " calling > card " . GRRRRRR! > > I tried EVERYTHING I could think of to get rid of that " cat-pee " > smell! I hated to throw away the handy little suitcase, but for several > YEARS, it sat in the storage room, stuffed full of --UGH! I HATE to admit > it!-- " Bounce " fabric softener sheets! I was trying to eliminate the odor > and the Bounce sheets just were making it worse--the suitcase smelled > like pee-and-fabric softener sheets! (GAGGGG!) > > The horrible smell finally dissipated to a tolerable degree. A few > times, we did still use that suitcase--to carry things like shoes and other > " we don't care if it smells weird " things. > I wish I had thought to try charcoal briquettes and crumpled up > newspapers--that might have made that suitcase use-able much sooner! > > (The moral of this story is that I never open the door to the laundry > room or bring the suitcases into the house after a trip until everything in > them is put away and/or laundered, etc., just in case Pip or his brother, > " Tiger " happen to be exploring and on the alert for the > " strange smells " we bring back with us after travels!) > > Thanks again for that very useful information about the charcoal > briquettes and newspapers! I will keep it in mind for future " odor > emergencies " ! > > Peace! > --Laura B., in Illinois > > PS: Is it possible that charcoal could be used in some way to absorb the > " V.O.C.'s " (fumes from chemicals) that are emitted by new furniture, > building materials, flooring, carpeting, and so on? I am pretty sensitive > to these, and I am 99% sure that > a new mattress set we got early this year is partly to blame for certain > health issues I've had since these came into the house. I put more > houseplants in the room, but I wonder if something else--maybe utilizing > charcoal--might help the air quality. Regular room " air cleaners " don't > usually lower the V.O.C. levels much...plants supposedly help, but I don't > know if they get it all, either. > > > Re: Febreeze > Posted by: " Linda Richardson " larichardson1955<larichardson1955%40>larichardson1955 > Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:46 am ((PDT)) > > I have asthma and one time had the car cleaned at a car wash where despite > specifying no scents and no armourall, they still used armourall. Yes, it > did cause asthma attacks, even with windows rolled down. I finally wadded > up/crinkled up lots of newspapers, put them on the dash, floors, and seats, > set some charcoal briquets carefully inside so they wouldn't rub off on > anything, rolled up the windows and left the car several days sitting in the > hot sun (this was in Tucson, Arizona in the summer, so it was really hot > inside the car). It really worked, and I just tossed the papers in the > recycle bin afterward and returned the charcoal to the bag for the next > cookout. Hope this helps you. > Linda > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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