How to get cat pee smell out of plush toys without ruining them
Plush toys and delicate items absorb cat urine easily during moves or storage, leaving a persistent odor that standard washing risks destroying. People avoid cleaning them because they are afraid of ruining the fabric or plastic, often leaving them stuck between throwing the item away or living with the smell.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- Most of it landed at once — the busiest month was September 2026, with 8 people.
- This comes up 16.7× more often in r/CleaningTips than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Use an enzyme cleanerDid this help you?
- 2Wash plush toys in a lingerie bag in the washing machineDid this help you?
- 3Take them to a laundromatDid this help you?
- 4Call a doll hospital for professional treatmentDid this help you?
- 5Soaking in a sink or bathtub with normal laundry detergent and air dryingDid this help you?
- 6Using a warm water and dish soap bathDid this help you?
- 7Adding an enzyme cleaner to neutralize urine odorsDid this help you?
- 8Testing a small spot with rubbing alcohol or dish soap before washingDid this help you?
- 9submitting maintenance requests to the buildingDid this help you?
- 10living with the odor without addressing it directlyDid this help you?
- 11Smoking the place out with wormwood in a cauldron with windows and doors openDid this help you?
- 12Spraying cheap vodka on materials and surfaces, wiping with paper towels, and letting them air dry with windows open and a fan runningDid this help you?
- 13Using a solid enzyme cleaner made for animal urineDid this help you?
- 14Replacing carpet if the urine has sunk deep into the layersDid this help you?
- 15Using an enzyme powder like FEBU for clothesDid this help you?
- 16Wiping them down with a disinfectant wipeDid this help you?
- 17Wiping the cover with a paper towel dampened with urine cleaning spray and then wiping with a damp paper towelDid this help you?
- 18Using a portable carpet extractor machineDid this help you?
- 19Applying enzymatic cleaners to break down the urineDid this help you?
- 20Using black lights to locate the urine spotDid this help you?
- 21Allowing the cleaner to sit overnight before extractingDid this help you?
- 22Using enzymatic cleaners like Urine Off or Nature's Miracle and thoroughly soaking the affected area.Did this help you?
- 23Using an enzyme cleaner to break down the urine.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I thrifted this pretty plastic flower curtain with a beautiful iridescent, stained like colour but a little bit after hanging it I realized it has a smells that look like cat pee...I really don't want to throw it away but I don't want to ruin it.”source ↗
“I though about a soapy water bath ? I know that if it is truly cat pee the smell is going to be hard to wipe out but I'm afraid of ruining it.”source ↗
“I have really bad depression and have been having a hard time cleaning my cats litter boxes and this time it's gotten really bad to the point that my clothes that were just dried smell like cat urine and my whole basement smells like it.”source ↗
“I just need help on what works to completely clean cat urine out off the floor (linoleum and carpet).”source ↗
“One has a felt fabric and the other says do not immerse in water how do I clean??”source ↗
“the space right outside the elevator of my floor has a very strong cat litter smell that I believe is coming from the carpet.”source ↗
“I can’t keep coming home and smelling this.”source ↗
“My problem is I cannot for gods sake get rid of this daunting smell of idk what cat urine mixed with bad mental health or it’s like a smell of someone not hygienic but it’s a place.”source ↗
“It’s in my clothes tho i washed them, on my coach, bed, everywhere I go.”source ↗
“My new kitten has been driving me nuts and his latest stunt is peeing on my new books!!”source ↗
“My cat peed on my fiancé's carry on bag and it went unnoticed for an indefinite amount of time.”source ↗
“Any tips on how to clean this to be able to salvage it?”source ↗
“unfortunately my cats peed on the bag I had them in after I moved into a new place.”source ↗
“I took my cats to get dental cleanings 2 days ago, and one of them had an accident in his carrier on the way home.”source ↗
“I get into my car again for the first time since then, and it completely reeks, so it must have seeped into the seat.”source ↗
“I'm so terrified that the smell isn't going to ever completely come out since it's being stewing in the Florida sun for 2 days”source ↗
“Saved my cat pee soaked couch (cheapest per liter too)”source ↗
“I’ve had good luck with Urine Off for stubborn smells. Just make sure you really soak the area so it reaches the source.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 16How to get stubborn pet hair and smell out of blankets
- 4How to get permanent marker out of a white stuffed animal
- 14How to get cat hair out of a faux fur couch
- 8How to handle pet urine damage on subfloors
- 25How to get pet urine smell out of artificial turf
- 5How to clean pet urine out of electronics or appliances