How do I refresh a self heal cutting mat?

Jackie Edmiston
by Jackie Edmiston

My cat had an accident on my cutting mat in my sewing room which I didn't discover until I lifted something up to find it wet underneath. My problem now is that the urine smell seems to have seeped into the mat. I've cleaned it with lemon wipes several times but the smell still lingers. Help please for the nasty niff.

  3 answers
  • Gk Gk on May 21, 2019

    You might try wiping the mat with some enzyme cleaner that is made for cleaning up pet urine. Nature's Miracle is one brand. You will find it at places like Walmart and Menards in the pet section. Follow the directions as the enzyme cleaner will have to stay wet on the mat for a bit. It might help to soak/dampen a cleaning rag with the cleaner and let it sit on the mat for a bit. Cat urine is stinky!

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on May 21, 2019

    The only thing that will break down the uric acid to permanently remove the smell is an enzyme cleaner. The enzymes break down uric acid into carbon dioxide and ammonia, both gasses that then easily evaporate. This is why it is also essential to allow the enzyme cleaner to air dry. It needs the “natural” drying time to break down the uric acid salts, allowing the resulting gases to evaporate.

    Not all enzyme cleaners are equally effective. Good enzyme cleaners are typically a bit more expensive. Cheap ones will work, but need to be reapplied over and over (and probably end up costing as much as the more expensive enzyme cleaners). Enzyme cleaners that work well and reliably include Nok Out, Urine Off, and Anti-Icky Poo.

    Of course any cleaner needs to be used properly. Most enzyme cleaners come in a spray bottle. This is deceptive, because just spraying a light layer of enzyme cleaner over a urine stain will not result in complete cleaning of that spot. Cat pee wicks, and unless the enzyme cleaner completely envelopes all of the cat pee, even it won’t work. “Spraying” doesn’t work. Dousing, pouring, and soaking are required when cleaning up cat urine.

    To properly use an enzyme cleaner on a fresh stain:

    1. Blot up as much of the urine as you can before applying anything.

    2. Soak the affected area with the enzyme cleaner.

    3. Let the enzyme cleaner sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

    4. Blot up as much of the enzyme cleaner as possible.

    5. Leave the enzyme cleaner to air dry.

    • See 2 previous
    • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Dec 02, 2019

      Just because you cannot smell it (due to the masking of odors with essential oils,vinegar,cleaning solutions,etc.) animals still can -- most animals mark territory due to other animals in their space and the stress of the new animal or a change in their normal patterns like moving or loved ones(people) changing in their lives(jobs/hours,moving,leaving,leaving them,stress in us) causes them to pee,also they can sense-hear and smell animals outside your home just as the outside animals smell/sense yours inside your home;it is natural for them to want to protect their home/area;many pets are given up due to this what we determine/label as behavior issues which is sad because they are just doing what is natural for them;an additional way to stop these actions "behaviour" is to keep other cats away from outside perimeter of your home with motion sensor, sound or water deterrents and use odor neutralizing chemicals outside your home too not just for your cats indoors but anywhere the outside intruders are spraying-- also cats cannot be weird they only know how to behave like the animals they are -- cats. It is always best to TNR the cats in your neighborhood which is the only way to reduce cat populations and end the cycle of so many homeless animals. It is not any one person's problem or the cats as they are everywhere around the world and we as a whole as humans are responsible. If you know of outdoor free roaming, strays or ferals in your part of the world help them and start a TNR in your neighborhoods. PLEASE

  • Fiddledd224 Fiddledd224 on May 21, 2019

    Try setting it in a box filled with kitty litter and see if that absorbs and neutralizes the odor. Use the kind with charcoal for best results.