Pet owners say these simple tricks can save clothes ruined by cat urine

When a pet accident turns into a two-week laundry nightmare, most people would assume the clothes are beyond saving. But one Reddit thread suggests that even after 14 washes, a stubborn cat-urine smell may not automatically mean a trip to the trash.

For households trying to cut back on waste, that advice can make the difference between salvaging a wardrobe and throwing it out.

What happened?

After returning home from a trip, the original poster described finding that their cat had been using a pile of clothes as a litter box during their absence.

"The clothes are clean — they've been washed 14 times," the poster wrote. "They still smell and are unwearable."

The smell created a second dilemma: the poster said the items no longer seemed appropriate to donate and doubted recycling would work either if the urine had settled into the fibers.

"Is there anything I can do to avoid throwing them away? I've tried, truly, everything under the sun."

Most replies centered on a pet-specific approach rather than more ordinary laundry cycles, especially enzyme cleaners.

One commenter wrote, "Are you using a laundry add-in for cat urine? Cat urine has to be cleaned with an enzyme cleaner."

Another shared more specific steps, "Enzymes will be key... hand wash in hot water with Castile soap, double rinse, and line dry in sunlight... Do not put these clothes in the dryer until you are 100% certain the smell is gone — dryers bake smells in."

Why does it matter?

Clothing can be expensive to replace, and many people would rather save what they already own than send it to a landfill.

At the same time, repeated rewashing can become a major drain on resources. As one commenter bluntly put it, "You've used a huge amount of electricity, water and detergent attempting to clean these 14 times to achieve zero waste. It's ok to admit defeat."

Some of the suggested odor-fighting options use common household items, such as vinegar, borax, sunlight, and mild soap.

What can I do?

If clothing has been exposed to cat urine, commenters suggested treating it as a specialty cleaning issue rather than a standard laundry problem.

Commenters repeatedly recommended enzyme cleaners, and many said regular detergent alone often is not enough.

Beyond that, people also mentioned vinegar washes, borax soaks, and drying the items outside in direct sun.

One commenter said, "My cat got a duffle bag a few times. I did a vinegar wash and left it in the sun for a few days. Washed it again, and it was good."

If the clothes still cannot be saved, some commenters suggested repurposing them for one-time cleanup jobs instead of immediately tossing them.

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