Cat urine in dryer

16 years ago

I found out my cats had peed in the dryer after i washed and dried my sheets and coming out of the dryer smelling like pee instead of clean. How do I ensure that the smell will stay away for good? I've already tried lots of dryer sheets and a towel soaked in white vinegar and dried that in the dryer but it still smells like cat pee. Please help

Featured Answer

biwako_of_abi

16 years ago

Chlorine bleach works very well for removing urine odor, only of course, you don't want to get it on colored clothes. I would lightly spray a solution of it around inside and then dry a large white towel or two, or a sheet. Next, to get rid of the bleach smell, a spray with some vinegar in it, then a light water spray and dry some more towels.

If the chlorine bleach doesn't get rid of the smell, that would make me think that it didn't get all the urine because the urine had fallen down inside the drier, and I'm not sure to what extent it is safe to be spraying liquids down inside, though obviously having cat urine down inside has not stopped the machine from revolving. Perhaps a repair man could reassure you on that.

Ask me how I know about the efficacy of bleach! Long ago, we bred Abyssinian cats in Japan for seven years, and we had a male who felt compelled to "mark his territory" in the house every so often. Bleach always removed the scent so well that even DH, who was not a cat lover when we married, didn't complain. Good thing we had washable walls!

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Comments (11)

User
16 years ago
Cats are the strangest animals.

I guess I would try a good enzymatic pet stain/odor remover. Spray it in the dryer, especially in any crevices. Also spray a towel or two, heavily, and dry them on a no-heat setting. Hopefully that will take care of the problem.
jules_y2kok
16 years ago
please dont think bad of me by saying this but i know 2 people who had their cat go into the dryer and they died so when my cat jumped in to my dryer i shut the door and put on fluff and let him go around in there for a tumble or 2 opend the door... he never went near the dryer agian!glad you only had cat p and not dead cat in ur dryer u got lucky wish my uncle only had cat p
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jacobsmishpacha
16 years ago
I don't know if there is a way to put it in the dryer, but baking soda is great at removing odors (especially things like urine).
bjeanne
16 years ago
You might want to try soaking a rag in a 30% solution of acetic acid (I got it a a photographic supply store). I had some cat urine get into the subfloor of my family room and that took the odour away completely. I know it works on wood floors applied directly so maybe putting a damp rag in on fluff would work in the dryer.
caliclark
16 years ago
"Nature's Miracle" is the best remover of cat urine. You can buy it at Petsmart or Petco.
housekeeping
16 years ago
I do feral cat rescue and I have tried Nature's Miracle, but find that Get Serious works even better. Can be had at the same places. It will work on the stinky sheets, too.

If your dryer drum has seams, the urine may have seeped deeper into your dryer. I hope not, but it's a possibility.

Molly~
acorn
16 years ago
After this I'm sure you will close your dryer
bargainacious
16 years ago
I would try the enzymatic cleaners first as mentioned above.

If you do try the chlorine bleach or acetic acid (vinegar), make sure they don't mix. Bleach plus acid or bleach plus ammonia can cause a chemical reaction that produces chlorine gas. It can be toxic and corrosive to metal.

Good Luck
gansky
16 years ago
Almost every dryer has felt seals around the drum in the front and at the rear. If this urine was absorbed by either or both of those seals, they will need to be replaced. A costly and/or time consuming lesson in leaving the dryer door closed ;-)
Jean Wallace
7 years ago
I washed clothes that my cat peed on. I did not know that it would stink up my dryer (which it did) I tried wiping the drum and seals with vinegar to no avail. I bought a spray bottle and used a 75% bleach 25%water solution, sprayed drum and seals. I then wiped it down and dried the wiping cloth in the dryer on no heat setting. It worked like a champ!