Hey Pet Parents & Pet Lovers,
It can suck when you buy a product that is supposed to clean but actually smells worse than what it is you’re cleaning. I have to admit we have had this issue with Nature’s Miracle in the past.
I will say, I do love Nature’s Micacle it’s done a great job cleaning up urine (from Beau when he had a UTI), feces (from Beau being a goober and not realizing he was crouched over the lip of his litter box), and blood (from after Beau’s PU Surgery).
The only thing is… sometimes it feels with Nature’s Miracle it’s better to throw out the product you were trying to clean instead of actually using Nature’s Miracle on it.
An example I mention in my review:
Beau peed on my backpack a while back and I used Nature’s Miracle to take out the smell of urine. Although it did a great job of taking out the urine, my bag never stopped smelling of Nature’s Miracle (which is a very strong smell that ended up giving me headaches.)
The smell was so strong, I was actually too embarrassed to leave the house with my bag because I was worried pedestrians and other metro takers would be able to smell it. A few weeks into using the bag I ended up throwing it out altogether. Truthfully, the buying a new backpack was worth it… especially because I stopped getting headaches.
So… is there a way to get rid of the smell Nature’s Miracle leaves behind? I would say, absolutely, for some things.
After Beau had his PU Surgery he ended up bleeding all over our bedsheets and mattress. There were about 12-14 splotches of fairly dark red blood, and they were about an inch in diameter each.
Now, I wasn’t about to spend a few hundred on replacing everything, especially since Beau’s surgery was costly, so I had to put all of my efforts into cleaning the blood stains while still making sure our bed didn’t smell like Nature’s Miracle.
The following were the steps I took that were effective in making sure the scent was gone:
STEP 1 –
SOAK THE STAIN WITH SOME WATER BEFORE APPLYING NATURE’S MIRACLE
I don’t know if there is a science behind it, and normally I wouldn’t suggest not listening to what the instructions say, but it seems like using a layer of water before you apply the solution makes the solution unable to mark the surface with its scent.
I will say, I don’t know if using water dilutes Nature’s Miracle making it less effective, but it doesn’t seem like it has. Beau never remarked the affected areas and there were no traces of bloodstains.
STEP 2 –
SPRAY NATURE’S MIRACLE ONTO THE AFFECTED AREA
Something I didn’t realize when I bought Nature’s Miracle was the fact that you need to quite literally douse the stain. I don’t mean to pour the bottle on the stain, but I would say… generously soak the area with a spray and then think more generous…
Nature’s Miracle doesn’t work in small portions sadly, but neither do most cleaning products! Even when you clean with vinegar and baking soda, you’re going to have to soak the material in vinegar to make sure it “deep cleans.” I’m just happy I’m using Nature’s Miracle over vinegar… that would make my bed smell terrible!
STEP 3 –
WAIT 5-10 MINUTES BEFORE WIPING
This is extremely important because cleaning products take time to work. Dependant on how much urine or other matter you’re dealing with, you may need to let the product soak for up to 24 hours.
That being said, feel free to take this 5-10 Minute suggestion lightly and make a call based on how dirty what you’re cleaning is.
STEP 4 –
DAB WITH A WATER AND SPONGE
You’re going to want to find ways to dilute the scent as much as possible. Trust me, spraying on “Fabreeze” or any other aerosol spray is not going to help you with this one.
While dabbing, you’ll probably want to rinse out the sponge a few times and re-dab to make sure the scent doesn’t linger.
If you’re still having an issue with water & a sponge I would recommend going in with scented soap or if you don’t mind the smell of vinegar… use vinegar.
If you use soap, you’re definitely going to want to dab it thoroughly or you’re going to be sleeping on suds. I would go in with two sponges at a time (one with soap, one without). It’s time-consuming, but hey… it got the scent gone!
STEP 5 –
AIR IT OUT OR STEAM
If you can take the product outside, do it. Every little bit will help at this point.
I know a lot of times the stain is on a carpet, so it’s impossible to take it outside, but you can try to steam the carpet or get a floor fan to blow the scent away. Steaming has proven very useful in the past, but not everyone owns a steamer.
CONCLUSION
While I will say, I’m unhappy with Nature’s Miracle’s Advanced Formula’s smell, I am happy with the job it does cleaning my pets’ messes. I haven’t had issues getting rid of the scent since trying these tips and I hope they work for you.
Let me know if you have any other tips and tricks I should try out in the comments below!
Well, here’s an update:
The smell hasn’t gone away completely, but now I can only smell it when I’m right next to the wooden bookcase. I have used three waves of baking soda and vinegar on the shelf, so that’s helped a bit. Right now I still have baking soda on it with a towel soaked in vinegar on top that has completely dried.
I went to the pet shop, and I gave them the link to this blog, so the sellers can have a sense of what some people experience when using the product. I hope this will help future cleaners of pet urine.
Have a beautiful day, everyone!
Hi! Thanks so much for your writing here. My first job at 15 years old was working at a pet shop, and we sold natures miracle. It had no scent at that time, but obviously it does now. I sprayed it on the bottom shelf of my bookcase recently , and I’m really having trouble with the scent now (. I just sprinkled some baking soda on the shelf, and I put a pillowcase soaked in vinegar on top. We’ll see if that works. I also wanted to mention that I have gotten urine smells out of the seat fabric of my car by putting dry coffee grounds in an open plastic container on the seat and shutting the windows overnight. The coffee grounds absorb the smell, and generally freshen things up in the car. For clothes that have a baked-in smell like wood smoke or mold, I put five drops of peppermint oil in the wash with them and the rest of my clothes, and that generally gets rid of those kind of smells. Though I can smell the peppermint when I take the clothes out of the washer, the smell does not linger once the clothes are dry; the clothes just smell neutral and fresh. I really hope I can get rid of this natures miracle smell. It’s been affecting my sleep. I have a very small and delightful place, and I don’t want to get rid of the cute little bookcase I found on craigslist. Paws crossed!
Unless the back back was made of leather, just empty it out and toss it in the washing machine with your next load. Problem solved.
We have 3 Jack Russell’s and fostered several others over the years. I used to swear by Nature’s Miracle, but several years ago I, too, noticed that the scent had changed. Now I can’t stand it, it’s almost worse than the smell of the urine. We’ve had house/dog sitters for the past 3 years when we’re on vacation, and always come home to messes. And one of the dogs had advanced kidney failure, so there was a lot of urine. After he passed away several months ago, we finally pulled up all the carpet in the house and replaced it….it was only 12 years old, but the smell of the Nature’s Miracle was horrific. I had the carpets cleaned professionally, and I did them myself over and over with the Rug Doctor (the scent of their pet detergent is almost as bad!) The smell of urine would be gone but the smell of NM lingered after all the cleanings. It even got into areas of the wood floors. Why can’t these companies make unscented solutions? I wrote to Nature’s Miracle and complained and asked for an unscented version. Now with the new carpets the house is normal again. We’ve switched to Resolve’s new Pet Expert solution….faint citrus scent and is more effective in my opinion.
Hey, thanks for letting us know about Resolve. I haven’t heard of it yet! I will definitely check it out the next time I need to try a urine destroyer.
I too have run into the same problem … the carpets in our house smell worse than any lingering pee smell. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of the smell? I’ve cleaned our carpets twice … but the smell is still there making me feel sick!
I have also had a horrible time trying to get rid of the Nature’s Miracle cat odor. A cat sprayed a cushion covered with Sunbrella fabric, which is a very tough fabric, and I’ve been washing it with their suggested mix of Woolite, vinegar and water. The first application helped a little and I’m going to do it several times. I did pull out the cushion stuffing and trash it so I can reach both sides. If I had known Nature’s Miracle smelled so bad, I would not have used it.
T_T I really wish they never changed the formula. I really, really, really wish.
I have migraines and the smell ALWAYS triggers them.
My kitty peed on a pile of clothes so, naturally I used the urine destroyer all over them. I’ve tried to wear the clothes. I had a lot of favorites 🙁 but I have had to donate or throw the clothes away now. I’ve been searching for ways to get rid of the smell. Unfortunately, this article doesn’t help me now. But thank you for sharing. I started looking over 10 months ago and I’ve never found a group of people who have experienced the same thing. I hope others see this post!
The smell is truly atrocious. They have to do something.
I’m really hoping they do something. It’s been a couple of years now since their recipe changed to the horrid thing that it is.
I’m having the same problem. My husband bought it for an old mess that was under furniture. It soaked through the old vinyl tile and permeated the slab foundation. We’ve tried many things got reduce the smell over the last two days with no success. It’s triggering headaches, asthma, burning eyes and throat.
Ugh. I wish I’d found this thread before I used the urine destroyer last week on my carpet! I’m at the point where I think the pee smelled better than the chemicals. We’ve doused the area with water so many times and wet vacuumed it up. We’ve tried vinegar. We’ve tried baking soda. We’ve had windows open and fans on and it seems there is no end in sight. I’m thinking it’s time to call in professionals and now I’m just wishing I’d done that in the first place. Here’s hoping other people find your review before they end up in the position I’m in.
I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this. I’m hoping the same.
Yes … I too am having the exact same problems with not being able to remove the smell of the cleaner. I’d rather have just stayed with the lingering per smell. I guess I’ll have to call a professional carpet cleaner. Ugh!!!
Until June of 2019, I never “smelled” the Nature’s Miracle. They added the “perfume” recently. It is disgusting and hard to get rid of. I used ammonia. Didn’t work either. There must be an alternative. Write the company and complain loudly. That is the best you can do. Maybe they will listen. it is hazardous to the health of children and adults. The headache was caused by the chemicals used to make the fragrance. UGH!
Agreed, at this point, I haven’t had much need for a urine destroyer so I haven’t had to try many of their competitors. I am hoping there are more products out there, but I don’t want to endorse anything I’ve never tried before.
Had a very light urine scent in a large carpet. Used this horrible product and smell is so strong and objectionable I have to leave windows open even after one week and is still nauseous. I’ve tried using plain water plus water with vinegar, as well as baking soda but the product smell dominates even above a vase of lilacs
Afraid my 8×10 will need to be professionally cleaned. If there were a class action suit, I’d join
Doesn’t seem anyone has a remedy but if so, please post
Thank you for the straight talk!
I am very sensitive to smells, as they trigger migraines.
Your review saved me from one more.
Really glad it helped Inge! Really disappointed with the change 🙁
I used the urine destroyer foam on my passenger seat in my car because my cat peed on the seat and it’s been over a month and the nature’s miracle smell is still there!! Any advice on how to get rid of the smell from a passenger seat?
Darn that really, really sucks. I’m sorry you’re experiencing that. Sadly, I’m not a car owner so I’m not sure if my advice is going to help. If the material is steamable, I would definitely steam it. (It’s usually the best option). Have you had the windows open throughout this month? Dependant on the weather you’re experiencing you may want to leave the backseat window cracked open while you’re gone just to make sure there’s enough air circulating.
I’ve used Natures Miracle original scent for years and now I can’t find the original scent I can only find for dog or cat and I used the nature’s miracle for cats on my carpet and it smells so bad. I’m going to have to find something else to use on my carpet.
I would try out scouts honour. I hear it’s a great alternative.
I just tried urine destroyer paired with the carpet cleaner with some excessive spots compliments of a senior dachshund who’s only housebroken if the doggy door is open. The urine smell was really strong and mixed in with the scent of the cleaner after I shampooed. I ended up going over the treated area again with my tank full of just hot water, and the smell has gone from overpowering to fairly faint – even pleasant. It was worth the extra step and didn’t take that much longer since I didn’t even wait for the carpet to dry before doing the second pass.
I think this stuff very much works. The smell of the product lessens over time. Only thing I want to make sure is that it truly gets the smell up so the cat doesn’t continue to pee in the same spot????
I will say I’ve tried other products and this one by far get the smell out quickly! The smell also doesn’t return which is GREAT!
I’m glad to hear that it does the job perfectly for you!
I haven’t had a cat pee in the same place I’ve cleaned so far!
I found that Nature’s Miracle no longer works anymore. They changed the formula and after using it last week, I found it not only didn’t clean the stain, it made the smell 20 times worse. At this point I’m going to have to replace the carpet because Natur’s Miracle took a small pee stain and spread it over a much larger area and into the padding making it impossible to remove now, even with a carpet cleaner. And it’s pungent odor now permeates the whole house and made the carpet feel all oily wherever it was applied. It’s truly disgusting. Stay away from Nature’s Miracle in my opinion. It used to work but when they changed the formula a couple years back, that all ended. It’s complete garbage now.
I had the same problem. I used Natures Miracle on my couch — two different formulas (3 in 1, and the advanced odor and stain formula), and the smell got so much worse. I’ve since tried using water and sponge, vinegar and water, baking soda… I’ve tried it all. The smell of Nature’s Miracle is still there and is driving me crazy.
I have not ever used that product, and since I too get headaches from some odors, (The cleaning solutions at my work are really culprits and sometimes I have to ask the cleaning peeps to wait till I am not in a room to clean there…), I use shout, resolve or ‘Out’ products, and they seem to help. I used to have a liquid called Folex, it worked well, and had no odor…but I can’t find it anywhere anymore…sigh…
Yeah if you get headaches easily, I would definitely recommend against this one. I should try some of the ones you mentioned, see if they work for us! Sad to hear you can’t find Folex anymore 🙁
Found Folex on Canadian Tire’s website … it’s labelled as a ‘new’ product for them.
Quick go grab a crate … I’m heading over to give it a try now….
We just tried this for the first time. It makes it easy – but the smell gives me a headache too.
Glad you found it easy, but yeah… that smell is pretty terrible, eh?
I usually use color safe bleach when Sammy pees on the bedding.
Ooh, I haven’t actually tried bleach before. I’m not a huge, huge fan of it in general (just because I have sensitive skin and hate the smell), but it’s still a good idea 😀
Good tips! The mom uses Nature’s Miracle but admits it doesn’t always get the smell out. She’ll try these tips.
Let me know if they work!! 🙂
To launder soiled item I first run a cycle with just water to just rinse it . I then add white vinegar and run a cycle. Finally a third cycle with detergent. Removes urine smell and it does’t smell like vinegar.
For carpet stains I highly recommend Dumb Cat anti marking and urine remover. It can also be used in a carpet steamer. It has a slight ( not unpleasant smell) which dissipates quickly. The company claims that it is “The only product that can remove the invisible stickly mucous & pheromones that remain after urinnation or spraying”. I have no idea if this is true but it does remove the odor and the stain. After I clean the carpet I saturate it with the Dumb Cat and let it dry. After that I like to rub in Arm and Hammer Pet Fresh baking soda. It smells great and helps to keep the cat away from the spot. The baking soda also removes odors and can be vacuumed up and reapplied.
Good to know! Thanks for this information ! I’ll definitely try them out in the future too 🙂