Can't help with the roommate issues, but cat urine is definitely something I know about. I grew up with between 1 and 12 cats depending on the year, and my family has a home-brew recipe for removing cat urine smell that's better than any product we've tried. And we've tried many. The problem with cat urine in particular is that it crystalizes, so your usual cleansing agents can't get it out -- it's crystalized, solid, around/in/through the fibers of the cloth.
The magic recipe is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and a drop of liquid hand soap. Basically, the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda produce enough oxygen to chemically break down the crystals, and the disk soap is to reduce the surface tension of the mixture so it can actually soak down and through the fibers.
Ratios: 7.5oz of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1 level tablespoon of baking soda, and a single drop of dish soap. Scale as necessary.
Application: After soaking up what urine you can using towels or whatnot, *slowly* saturate the area with the solution, and let it air dry for one or two days.
Cleanup: It will probably leave a white residue behind. This is just the baking soda, after the liquid has evaporated. You can vacuum it up without a hassle.
Storage: Don't. Seriously. If left in a closed container, it will eventually produce enough oxygen to explode. It's safe to dump down the sink, though.
I have some more tricks for things like vertical or waxed surfaces, but you probably don't need to hear them.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-03-19 07:21 am (UTC)The magic recipe is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and a drop of liquid hand soap. Basically, the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda produce enough oxygen to chemically break down the crystals, and the disk soap is to reduce the surface tension of the mixture so it can actually soak down and through the fibers.
Ratios: 7.5oz of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1 level tablespoon of baking soda, and a single drop of dish soap. Scale as necessary.
Application: After soaking up what urine you can using towels or whatnot, *slowly* saturate the area with the solution, and let it air dry for one or two days.
Cleanup: It will probably leave a white residue behind. This is just the baking soda, after the liquid has evaporated. You can vacuum it up without a hassle.
Storage: Don't. Seriously. If left in a closed container, it will eventually produce enough oxygen to explode. It's safe to dump down the sink, though.
I have some more tricks for things like vertical or waxed surfaces, but you probably don't need to hear them.