Urine: Search and Destroy!

Perhaps you have a dog that isn't quite housebroken or a potty training toddler.  Or maybe, like my mother, you have a 15 year old cat who decided to urinate on your brand new $2500 rug!  What ever the case may be, one thing is sure, urine stinks!  And particularly cat urine... it's a special punch-you-in-the-nose kind of stink.

So how the heck do you get the smell out?  And how the heck do you find the urine spot when you weren't even there to witness the infraction?  The answer: black light.  Turn off all the lights, close the blinds, pull the drapes and turn on a black light.  Unless you have a professional light, you will probably have to get on your hands and knees and shine the light close to the floor, but it will be obvious when you find the spot!  And perhaps (like me) you will find several spots that you were blissfully unaware of.  Resist the urge to punch your pet in the snout. 

Now that you have found the urine spots, you will have to work on eliminating the oder.  I am a firm believer in using more natural remedies rather than buying weird chemical cleaners with ingredients I can't pronounce from a store.  This is what I do:
Saturate the spot in white vinegar (I have a spray bottle filled with vinegar for easy application)
Let the vinegar soak in for a minute or two
Blot (do not rub) the vinegar with a towel (stand on top of the towel)
Cover the spot with baking soda and rub it into the slightly damp spot until it balls up and get crumby
Sprinkle a little more baking soda over the spot to cover it completely and let it dry
Vacuum up the baking soda and wallah!

If after this process you still have an oder, try mixing 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide (color test first) with 1tsp of liquid dish soap.  Work this solution into the carpet with a scrub brush.  Blot up and use a little water to dilute the cleanser and blot again until you feel you have gotten the soap out of the carpet.

Good luck and I hope this helps!