Conference misery::feline

    cj,
    
    I've found that the arm & hammer carpet deodorizer works just fine.  I
    have four cats, and you can't smell them at all.  I use it about once a
    month.  
    
    I think the foam stuff that you're talking about is "woolite".  
    
    Holly
    

    
    
    The woolite foam thingy is basically a carpet shampoo, which is used 
    more so for spot removing purposes. If you were to cover your whole 
    carpet it would probably take you more than a can (read expensive)
    plus I am not sure if I'd leave that stuff on the carpet all day
    with cats roaming around. They might end up hic cuping (sp?) bobbles
    ;-)
    
    Shaw

    We try to steam clean the carpets atleast twice a year.   If you
    do steam clean...you could put some "natures miracle" in the tub
    to get rid of any odor that might be in the carpets.
    
    Of...if you don't like the pet stuff...just sprinkle Borax Mule
    team and it gives the house a very clean fresh smell!!! And helps
    kill flea eggs...too!!!
    
    Sandy

    Seconds on that Borax Mule Team, helps me all of the time and does what
    it should do.  Be careful not to let the cats get into it, it really 
    isn't healthy for them.
    
    Also just arm and hammar baking soda is a good deodorizor (sp), and the
    cost is much less than that of the prepackaged specialty products.
    
    I will have to get my herb book out and tell you how to make that
    specialty product if you would like to have it around your home.
    
    Other suggestion, remember now I own eight cats, is the plug ins for
    forty five days for the pets.  It gives off the right smell at the
    right time and keeps the room freshened.  I also checked with the
    electric company and it doesn't cost that much to keep those in your
    home.
    
    Carpet cleaning is always good even if you don't have pets because
    there are other smells the carpet picks up.
    
    If you would like a really quick fresh pick up use eucalyptus oil on a
    cotton ball and hide where people or pets cannot see it or play with it
    or just keep some fresh eucalyptus in a vase.  It works for smokers and
    is the best for disguising or getting rid of smells.
    
    All tried and worked...

    I've recently started using Simple Green for a ton of things.  I 
    just shampooed the carpets in my old apartment with 50:1 mix of
    Simple Green and water.  It sure did a number on the cat pee odor.
    I checked with a Simple Green sales person I got samples from at
    the County fair last August.  He said to use it full strength on
    cat spray.  It works great when Onyx gets out of control.  In fact,
    he peed on the new rug last night and I doused it with a dose of
    full strength Simple Green.  Couldn't smell the pee at all later.
    I bought a 2.75 liter jug of it from Orchard Supply Hardware for
    $7.99.  They had a larger jug available too but it wasn't as good
    a buy when you calculate it out.
    
    I'd been looking for something called OdorKleen or OdorKill through
    the cat show vendors with no luck.  It's what Jo uses to clean her
    stud cages.  I've discovered I can quit looking now.  In fact, this
    stuff even smells about the same as the OdorKleen (as I remember it).
    
    And, I second the use of Borax for freshening carpets.  It's a carpet
    deoderizer, no it's a flea buster, it's two, two, to things in one :^)
    
    Jan

    Simple Green is a great product - I use it to wash my car, wash the
    floors, as a stain remover in the laundry (fantastic for greasy
    stains).  
    
    It's supposed to be a non-toxic, bio-degradable substance.
    
    I used it this weekend to remove a coughed up furball remnant stain
    on my sheets (yes, my wonderful Pumpkin hurled a furball under the
    covers!) - it worked wonderfully!

    Well, I thought it did a number on the cat pee odor in my carpet
    but I think it was too much for it or something.  Just called the
    apartment manager to ask how they found the apartment after I left
    and she said it was spotless.  However, they had to replace the
    carpet because it was saturated with cat pee.  She said "it was
    disgusting".  Well, heck (stronger expletive deleted).  I tried
    like crazy to make sure I got as much of that taken care of as
    humanly possible.  The carpet was saturated with a mixture of
    Simple Green and water.  I shampooed it on Monday and turned it
    over to them on Tuesday.
    
    Before I moved out she sat in her little manager's office and told
    me they weren't going to charge me for the carpet because I'd been
    there 4 years.  She said they were really only concerned with the
    stove, refridgerator and bathroom.  The way most people have been
    leaving those places I figured they'd be happy if I just took all
    my furniture instead of leaving the couches, etc. I didn't want
    like they did.  Anyway, I made one heck of an effort to leave the
    place the best way I could.  Now I'm wondering how much (if any) of
    my deposit I'll get back.  When I asked her about that she said she
    didn't know, she doesn't handle that part of it.  And, I have to wait
    1 to 14 days to find out.  This ought to be really interesting.
    
    Jan  (who thinks maybe this should be in the whine topic)

    I was told that simple green worked on the the urine smell, and that
    was from a former landlord.  It didn't do a thing for me, but I've
    found tons of uses for it otherwise.
    
    I did write something similar to this in these notes regarding Berber
    carpet and the same issues appeared.
    
    As I was told from the person who installed my carpet is that you may
    get the odor out for our smell, but the cats know where they marked the
    spot.  
    
    One of the major problems with soaking the area with these remedies is
    that you need to suck it out with a wet shop vac.  Or at least soak it
    with towels.  
    
    If you belong to Sam's Club there is this stuff and I think it is
    called Odor Ban, I think, anyway the guy demonstrates the stuff with
    a garlic and water mixture and shows you how to get rid of the cat
    smell and it is backed with a full refund if it doesn't remove the
    odor.
     My point here is that this is made of herbs and you use it with water
    and I found that using that hand cleaning with carpet cleaner and
    making sure it is all dried up that I have eliminated the smells that
    we humans detect.  Then I will use the Borax and a small amount of 
    moth crystals cover the area with foil and make sure it is taped down
    and then I am usually 90% guaranteed they will not use the spot again.
    
    But as the installer said there really isn't anything that will
    eliminate the odor 100%.   The reason the odor is there is because cats
    do not consume enough water to dilute the chemical in their bodies that
    produce that ammonia smell.
    
    Try what you feel best about, but there are no real 100% cure alls for
    this, I have bought almost every product out there and no 100% luck
    with any of them.
    
    Georgiana right now has a urinary tract infection and she is driving me
    crazy, until we see the vet, because she is urinating on everything.  I
    run around the house trying to catch her and bring her to the litter
    box.
    
    As for your apt. manager, that is one of the reasons they ask for a pet
    deposit, to cover those things.  but after four years they would and
    should replace the carpet.  My landlord is great about doing that and
    knows that when you rent to cat owners there is the chance of having
    that smell around.
    
    Best of luck.....

    I don't belong to Sam's Club.  Must be an east coast thing cuz I've
    never heard of it.
    
    The original manager knew I had 3 cats when I moved in.  I don't
    believe they charged me extra for the cats but I could be wrong.
    I'll have to go dig through my boxes to find my old paperwork to be
    sure.
    
    They really needed to replace the carpet anyway.  I had 5-6 kitchen
    floods in my apartment over the 4 years I was there.  Seems I was on
    the outlet valve for the building plumbing so everytime one of my 
    upstairs neighbors got a clog and tried to clear it using the garbage
    disposal, I got the backwash.  That carpet has seen many puddles of
    water.  Happened in the bathroom once too.  Plus it was getting very
    worn around the front door, patio door and between the bathroom/hall
    closet (high traffic areas).  But, I'm wondering if they'll just note
    the cat smell and blame me for the entire thing.
    
    Got a few more days to wait to see if the deposit comes back.  If it
    doesn't, I may contest it (if there's a way to do that).
    
    Next time I'll just have a profession service come in and shampoo,
    de-pet-odor the carpet and hand them a copy of the receipt to prove it.
    
    Jan
    
    BTW, has anyone got access to a couple of products called OdorKleen
    and OdorKill?  My sister got some from a pet supply place at a cat
    show.  She's almost out and can't find anyone around here who is 
    carrying it.  She uses the OdorKleen on the stud cages for her males.
    Says the stuff works great.

    Did you check the name on the bottle and contact the manufacturer for
    distributers of these products.  I have seen them in Blue Seal/ Agway
    stores, maybe just an east coast chain.
    
    As for Sam's Club it is like B.J. Wholesale, PACE or any of those other
    wholesale clubs.  Sam's is the big wholesaler for Walgreen's and
    Wal-Marts, they are all the same company but under different names.  My
    account sold these folks their satellite systems which contain mid
    range vaxes.  Just a bit of trivia...
    
    But back to your problem no matter what you were doing with all those
    other water problems well you were bound to have something lingering
    around and this one shouldn't be your fault hope you find enough
    documentation and get your $$$ back.
    
    Remember look at the label to see who the distributor is or the
    original manufacturer of the products your sister needs.
    
    Hope your new place has a new rug.

    Well, I don't have access to a bottle to check for the manufacturer
    but I'll mention it to Jo (assuming she still has the bottle).
    
    The new place has relatively new carpet.  I think it's only a couple of
    years old.
    
    Jan

    I'll check out here if they carry it at the blue seal feed place or if
    any of the stores do that way we can get you some of that.  A friend
    of mine who lives in Boston has a friend who is at pet shows all of the
    time and comes across products.  We can try that way.....
    
    

    Jan, I'll check for Odorclean and Odorkill this weekend at the cat
    show.
    
    Holly
    

    
    There's a cat show this weekend in the "greater Maynard area"? 
    
    Where?
    
    len.
    

    Re:  .12 and .13
    
    Thanks very much.  I appreciate the assistance.
    
    Jan

    re: .14..
    
    Nope, it's not in the "greater maynard area".  It'd down in
    Connecticut.
    
    Holly
    

    I've recently switched to OdorMute. It's hard to find; I grabbed the
    last box at Pet Supply Depot in Shrewsbury last weekend.  I have always
    used Nature's Miracle, but I'm beginning to hate the smell of it.
    OdorMute has no odor, and works just as well.  It's a powder, and mixes
    1 tsp. per gallon of water.  However the directions say to dry the spot 
    after application with a hair dryer, or lift the carpet and use a fan 
    to circulate air under it to dry it quickly.  The main reason seems to be
    to prevent mold and mildew odors.  With the other products, the
    instructions always say to leave it to dry on it's own - if you blot it
    up or hurry it along, it isn't as effective.  So far I've left the
    OdorMute alone to dry on it's own, and it has been just fine.  I also
    use it in my carpet extraction machine instead of the recommended soapy
    concoctions.  
    Sarah

    Hey, I think I've seen that stuff around here.  I'll have to try it.
    I'm currently finding pee spots on the new carpet and dowsing them
    with full strength Simple Green.  It works, in a way, now all I can
    smell is Simple Green.  I'm getting a little tired of that smell too.
    And, the Nature's Miracle obviously didn't help in the last apartment.
    I used it exclusively right up till a few weeks before I moved.
    
    I've been using it to clean litter boxes too.  Boy, the boxes have 
    never looked so good.  The stains in the plastic are quickly disappearing.
    
    Jan

    Jan,
    You may want to invest in one of those carpet extraction cleaners.
    There is a small one, called "The Little Green Clean Machine" that's
    easy to use for small spots.  It might save you some $$ from your
    damage deposit.  I use a Regina Steemer, but am about to purchase the
    Little Green for those small spots.  You can use Simple Green,
    OdorMute, Nature's Miracle, anything in them!  I am a landlord myself,
    and offer the following cleaning advice for my tenants with pets:
    1.First blot up as much of the spot as possible.
    2.Saturate with an enzyme cleaner specifically for pet odors.
    3.Call me, I'll run downstairs with my carpet cleaner for you to use :)
    4.Saturate with enzyme cleaner again and let it dry for a few days.
    5.If you still smell it, call me again and I'll bring my machine down
    again!
    It saves my investment in the carpets, and saves my tenants $$ because
    I don't have to whack them for the damage deposit. If they don't take
    me up on my offer, then I do the same steps when they move out. If it
    works, great. If it doesn't, then they get charged for the carpet
    (unless it was old when they moved in), less 15% per year for normal
    wear and tear. If it was rather old and worn when they moved in, then
    the price of a new carpet is all mine.  But if it was brand new, they
    own some of the replacement cost.  I make all of this clear up front
    when people move in with pets.  I've got 6 pets myself, so I know that
    some damage is going to occur.  But I also expect my tenants to do
    their best to mitigate the damage.  Sounds like you did the best you
    could to clean the carpet before you left, and if it was well-used
    before you moved in the landlord should foot the bill for a new carpet.
    By the way, doesn't Simple Green leave a soapy residue behind? I though
    it was an all-purpose soap?  Maybe I'm thinking of something else?  One
    of my dogs is allergic to soapy cleaners, so I have to be careful what
    I use on carpets and furniture where it will come in contact with his
    skin when he lays down. 
    OdorMute, the small package I bought, was only $1.99, and it makes 4
    gallons!  
    Sarah

    Funny you should mention "The Little Green Clean Machine".  My 
    mother thought they should get me one for Christmas.  I borrowed
    her big carpet cleaner to shampoo the carpets before I left.
    
    I've been thinking seriously about investing in one of those little
    machines.  It'd be great for me since I've got a cat or two that 
    keeps mistaking the carpet for the litterbox.  I think I know who 
    it is but I'm not 100% sure.  When I am, said kitty will undergo
    intensive retraining in litterbox behavior (prime suspect:  Onyx).  
    That little machine would be the perfect size for an apartment.
    And, if I'm not mistaken they're on sale somewhere around here right
    now.
    
    I've got to go back by the pet store soon.  They were selling 25 lbs
    of Jonny Cat for $2.99 the other day...limit 2 per customer.  I've
    got to get 2 more.  I'll invest in some OdorMute too if I can find
    it.  I know I've seen it in one of the pet stores around here.
    
    Jan (who's still waiting for word on the deposit refund)

    Jan,
    
    I checked with Haddeleigh House (the local supply people who go to
    EVERY show) and they said that they have heard of Odorclean and
    Odorkill, but they don't stock it.  They're going to see if they can
    find a listing of places that do stock it for me, though.  
    
    At least they'll get the address of the company for me.
    
    Holly
    

    That's great.  Thanks, Holly.
    
    Jan

    I've got one of the Little Green Clean MAchines and they work well.
    Beats pulling out my big Bissel steam cleaner every time they cough up
    a fur ball on the rugs.
    
    Deb

    Deb,
    
    Out of curiosity, how much did you have to pay for your LGCM (Little
    Green Clean Machine).  Cheapest I've seen it for around here is 
    $99.99 at Target.
    
    Jan

    I ordered it from one of the infomercials at $99.99 plus shipping hand
    handling (I saw it once before in a store, and when I went back two weeks
    later they said they weren't stocking it any more.) This was last may;
    ABout a month ago, I was walking thru Costco/Price and they have it for
    $79.95 (a real good deal).
    
    Deb

    $79.95  Hey that is a good deal.  Gonna run over and check out
    Costco tonight after work.  
    
    BTW, I did find OdorMute and I bought a small package for a trial.
    Thanks to the person who pointed me to it.
    
    Jan

    Living in Southern NH I cannot find any of that odormute, since I have
    now decided to purchase the LGCM for myself I would like to do some
    workd with this odormute.  The Odo Ban is good, but I still like to
    have a back up.  The one thing, and I thought I read this notes file
    enough to seek this information out, and direct me to the right place
    if the question has been answered, but will odomute stop the cats from
    using the same spot again.  As I have indicated in other notes that the
    only way I found them to stop using the area is by adding some moth
    crystals and placing the foil on top of it.
    
    From all of my research I have been told that once it is marked that it
    will be there for the rest of time.  I guess if humans can't smell it
    that helps us, but you are getting my point.
    
    
    Thanks Elise....

    If you cat is being drawn to the same spot by the scent, then OdorMute
    or any other enzyme product will work, provided you follow the
    directions explicitly.  If your cat is using that spot out of habit,
    then you'll have to break the habit AND remove the scent.  OdorMute is
    hard to find, and the only reason why I use it is because it doesn't
    leave ANY odor behind, nothing herb-like or citrus-like.  Most other
    pet odor cleaners have a masking odor, which I don't like. When the
    spot is wet, it will smell, but as it evaporates the smell disappears.
    But you have to really SOAK it, and really let it dry for it to be
    effective. Soak = rug, padding, underlayment, in a wider circle than
    the spot assuming some of it traveled once it got past the surface of
    the rug!
    Sarah

    FYI, I did find the Little Green Clean Machine at my local Costco.
    It was listed at $79.99.  That's the lowest price I've seen so far.
    If anyone spots it anywhere for less, please let me know.  I'm 
    planning to invest in one as soon as I get this month's bills paid
    and discover whether or not there is anything left over.
    
    Jan

    I'm interested in ways to clean a rug where one of our cats threw up
    some lightly digested cat food (Shaw's brand salmon).  There is not
    much of a stain - it's mainly the odor that we are trying to eliminate.
    The rug is medium length pile.
    
    Any suggestions would be welcomed.
    
    Norm

    
    
    Norm,  get some Desolve carpet cleaner from shaw or market basket.
           comes in a red plastic bottle. It does wonders.....
    
    Shaw

    Jan,
    that is the lowest you are going to see it. When I first saw it, it was
    on sale at $89. Of course, that was now about a year ago, and I havn't
    seen it anywhere since except for the infomercial and Costco.
    
    Deb

    .28
    
    Thanks for that information I think it isn't habit related as much as I
    haven't found the right product to get rid of the odor.  I know that
    soaking it is the right trick to get rid of the problem.  I will keep
    up my search for this product, because my neighbors have one cat who
    has or should I say does more damage than my eight.
    
    I told them about odormute and they keep on insisting that I find out
    where to purchase it, now I can tell them, since they use to read this
    file many moons ago, that you all gave me the best advice.
    
    Oh and by the way .30 you can find it cheaper if you go to Lechmere or
    any other type of store and request that they give you the sale price
    in the last thirty days.  You may have to fight for it, but I know that
    they will do this for you.  A friend of mine got one of those ear
    thermomaters (sp) at Lechmere for 79.99 instead of the 100.00 plus
    cost.
    
    Most places today will be price competative in order to get your
    business.  Being in sales I learned these things the hard way.
    
    Thanks for everyones help...

    norm,
    
    this file is full of great ideas about carpets etc..... do a search for 
    carpet

    I think the name of the stuff in the red plastic bottle is "Resolve"
    My carpet cleaner guy said it was probably the best stuff "over the
    counter".  They have just come out with a "new and improved" which
    really is improved: it foams up after you apray it on.  I use it often
    as I have one "erper" in the house.

    
    
    Oopps! you're right, that's what I meant to say "R"esolve ;*)
    
    Shaw