I always use vinegar for cat pee and spray, I've never had a cat pee in a dryer though! If the dryer has holes for ventilation the pee probably got down inside the guts and I don't know a thing about the guts of a dryer, but if you can turn it upside down and (unplugged) spray it with straight vinegar then let air dry, it might do the trick. If it's a solid interior you shold be able to just spray the inside down really well with vinegar and let dry. Normally once you can't smell the vinegar anymore, the pee smell is gone too. Now, I've only ever used this on floors, furniture etc. so I can't promise it'll work, but it's worth a shot.

I'm sure this has happened to someone else somewhere, so you might call a local place that repairs appliances, possibly a place that deals with used ones even, and ask them what they recommend??

Good luck!
Marvie

Marvie just recommended what I would have. Try soaking a towel or two in some vinegar and drying that. Then let the dryer air out for a couple of days if you can.... Good luck.

Fortunately, there are no holes inside the dryer drum. I shall try the vinegar soaked towel and see how it works!

I would just like to say...

eeeewwwwwww

I am so sorry, but I don't mean to laugh, because I KNOW it really is not funny... it isn't, but this SOOO sounds like something that would happen to me. Good Lord. This is getting linkage tonight...

try washing the dryer out with a cloth soaked in simple green (home depot sells it by the gallon -- recommended for ALL naughty pet owners!!)

i throw a cup in my laundry = even the horse blankets and it works wonders.

vinegar is good, but i've only found one other product that worked better for puppy/kitty revenge.

that product had iodine in it and that totally removed the smell as well. only thing with that cleaner, you had to dilute fairly well so as not to stain - plus, i can't find it in california.

i have had samoyeds for the last 34 years and they really mean it when they are "p'o'd" it is their favorite way of letting you know you've been bad!

good luck!

oh, btw, LOVE the website! after living for 2 1/2 years with "squiggy" - a grey squirrel i raised from 11 days of age, this is my favorite "new" discovery!

best,

"sargeant bushytail"

uh, for those of you who don't "get" the moniker, go here for your "squirrel name"

http://www.cheekysquirrel.net/squirrelname/index.php

Agree with the vinegar posts. Aside from some expensive specialty products (some pet stores/vets may be able to help with those), vinegar seems to have worked for us in the past.

One lil expansion: be sure to not only clean the dryer drum but also the lint catcher and perhaps even the entire duct from the lint catcher on through to any outside venting. While any odor still in the venting may not affect future loads of clothing, it may still pervade the area.

The clothing that is odorized: soak in vinegar/water solution, rinse WELL, soak in baking soda solution, rinse well and back to vinegar/water solution. Repeat...

I currently use a laundry soap that seems to remove all offensive odors (with a TBLS/load, yet), but have not had an ocassion to use it for this particular problem.

Take such comfort as you may that this wasn't worse. 15+ years ago, my wife started the dryer, not knowing our cat had jumed in behind her back...

Just a wee tad messier than your problem. Still, vinegar was sufficient... eventually.

This totally sounds like something that would happen in my life!! I know it's not funny, but I did have to chuckle. I used to live on a farm with a family of skunks,,,guess I don't need to explain that headache! Good luck!

If the vinegar doesn't work - call your local pet store and try to find Outright Odor Remover. (it can be found on the web, but you won't want to wait too long to do this!) Yeah, it's one of those expensive things, about $10 for a small bottle - one bottle lasted half my dog's lifetime. However, I've never known it to fail on removing animal smells, from cat spray to whatever a sick kid will leave behind on the carpet when they don't make it to the bathroom :P

It's an enzyme product - the warm water activates the enzymes. For the dryer - you would take about 1-2 tablespoons, disolve in a cereal sized bowl of warmish (not hot) water. Once disolved it smells wonderful - but not before! Then take a towel, dip it in, and wet down the entire inside of the dryer - no hand protection needed it's fine for skin or fur. Let it air dry on it's own. Then run a few wet towels thru to see if it worked. I'd bet on 100% satisfaction.

Good luck - as I said - this stuff never failed me. Even when our dog would get sprayed with some pretty hideous smelling stuff and run in the house leaving patches of it on various carpets... I could use it on her and on the places she left lovely odors.

I'll file these responses away for the future... :)

I wouldn't have believed it, but we went to the beach house one weekend and the power had been shut off... the fridge was... well, we couldn't stay in the house, the smell was so bad. One old timer told us about newspapers... so we bought a bunch, wadded them up and stuck them in both fridge and freezer section.

Worked wonderfully...!

Good luck!

SMACK! (sound of palm of hand hitting forehead)

i am SOOOOOO forgetful sometimes! the easiest way to remove odor anywhere - dead fridge, dryer drum, room, etc. is a tip i was given by a woman who's uncle was a fridge repairman.

after her classmates (many years ago) thought it would be a good joke to throw a dead skunk in the car of friend one summer, they were still riding around with windows down and heads out in midwinter.

her uncle told her to place a dish of pure vanilla extract in the car and roll up all windows and leave it for 24-48 hrs. voila! no odor!

i've used this during puppy training (years ago), dead rv smell after re-opening it - fridges, closets, and much much more. vanilla is a natural odor remover. place in shallow dish and leave it inside area to deodorize. for room work, leave a shallow dish sitting o n shelf or near problem area.

duh! i can be so forgetful sometimes!

when the house smells better, bake cookies!

burning vanilla candles is nice for fragrance, but for descenting - pure stuff!