cat pee smell in hardwood floors - how to remove?

[callisto9]

i just moved into a house that has an odor of cat pee...in many places. the only room that had carpet was the livingroom and the carpet, pad and tack have been removed. i now have about 450SF of hardwood floors in so-so condition that i want to refinish. however, many areas of the floor smell like cat pee. some people have told me sanding the floors will help, but another reference tells me sanding the floors, if the smell isn't removed, will "bake in" the smell and make it even harder to remove.

anyone have any experience in this area? i have already tried nature's miracle from petsmart. i did seem to help a little but i need more of the stuff. i also have tried a product called odorzyme from the internet and i am using that in one of the bedrooms.

any ideas? thoughts? methods used? i need this smell out! permanently.

[mitch17]

Keep using the enzyme products. After that, sealing the floor is a good idea.

[twelvepole]

Urine that has seeped between floor boards into subfloor can not be cleaned. Sanding floors will activate ammonia in urine and can be breathtaking. Many flooring refinishers will not tackle refinishing flooring with urine problems because of this. Sanding and sealing floors will not resolve urine problems below. Worst case scenario is to remove flooring, seal the subfloor, and install new flooring. (If you DIY sanding, wear a mask.)

[Docduck]

have to agree...removing and replacing the hardwood floor is the only way to remove it 100%. Unfortuntely that can be a expensive and labor intensive project. If you like the hardwood look, but the price and labor you dont know about. I would sugeest looking into laminate flooring. It has the look and is durable, in some applications. You cant put this stuff down and then see how far you can drag you couch accross it. But it is a good alternative.

[callisto9]

replacing the floors is not an option. i have found a couple of good enzyme products to completely remove the smell, but they need repeated applications. i am looking to sand and refinish and seal the floors soon, so i need to have as much of this odor gone as possible.

anyone had success using an enzyme product?

[Docduck]

the enzyme products will remove topical odors only..again using this as a solution will only "give" you time before you smell it again..if you can not replace..

i would at least urge you to consder removing the effected area of the hardwood floor and check out the subfloor and then relay the boards after sealing both sides of the effect boards

i would hate to see someone go thru sanding, refinishing and sealing and still end up with a odor a few months down the road

[callisto9]

well, i have to try. replacing the floors is not an option for me. i simply don't have the money. i didn't notice the smell when i looked at the house initially...so i am kinda peeved!

[Docduck]

some states require the homeowner to fill out a disclosure and make it available to potential buyers before any agreements..one section up here in PA..asks the homeowner if any pets had ever occupied the dwelling to their knowledge..i would look into this to see if your state does this

if so, and they did not fill this out or mistated something..you may want to talk to your realtor...a cleaning professional would be able to use a moisture meter to pinpoint the contamination to proove it

[callisto9]

Originally Posted by Docduck

some states require the homeowner to fill out a disclosure and make it available to potential buyers before any agreements..one section up here in PA..asks the homeowner if any pets had ever occupied the dwelling to their knowledge..i would look into this to see if your state does this

if so, and they did not fill this out or mistated something..you may want to talk to your realtor...a cleaning professional would be able to use a moisture meter to pinpoint the contamination to proove it

the home was a bank repo and was sold "as is". so i don't think anything can be done about it. that, and i signed 26 pages of addendums about not suing the seller (the bank) for anything. i am stuck with it!

[Newt]

Hi Callisto,

I had a similar problem with my home. We removed 30 year old carpet and almost passed out from the odor! I got on the computer and wrote in to several forums. If memory serves me, the best answers came from this one. What I learned is that it takes six coats of urethane to seal out the odor. One person had written in that he didn't want to do 6 coats and only did 2. Then he put down new padding and carpet. In the end, he had to remove the new padding and carpet, add 4 more coats of urethane and then recarpet.

We were only dealing with a subfloor but we put on a coat of urethane each day for 6 days. A week later we had new carpet installed. We have never smelled the cat urine again! That was 4 years ago.

If you have the talent or the funds for a good floor pro, take up the flooring in the areas effected to see if it's penetrated to the subfloor. Wherever it has penetrated, you will need those 6 coats of urethane.

Newt

[callisto9]

thanks for the tip. i am having the floors done next week and i told them 3 coats of oil-based poly. unfortunately, i don't have the time for 6 coats, as i am moving in soon after the floors are done.

i am actually having good luck with the enzyme treatments. i have used odorzyme and nature's miracle and most of the smell is gone.

[Docduck]

one thing thou..were is all that left over enzyme treatment going? underneath the floor.....

Just my thoughts on this..just giving some helpful advice

[callisto9]

Originally Posted by Docduck

one thing thou..were is all that left over enzyme treatment going? underneath the floor.....

Just my thoughts on this..just giving some helpful advice

it evaporates...

[Tabor58]

Hey Callisto,

It's been two years since you posted your problem with cat pee odor in hardwoods. I'm considering buying a house with a similar problem and just want to know if you were successful, over the long term, with eliminating the odor -- and how?

[callisto9]

Originally Posted by Tabor58

Hey Callisto,

It's been two years since you posted your problem with cat pee odor in hardwoods. I'm considering buying a house with a similar problem and just want to know if you were successful, over the long term, with eliminating the odor -- and how?

We have eliminated the odor for the most part. The closet still has a smell to it (though I'm the only one who swears it smells like pee) and if you get down to the floor and stick your nose in a corner on a humid day, I swear you can still smell it. That being said, I have a bionic nose and no one else has said they noticed anything.

I really think the OdorZyme stuff worked, but I wish I'd used MORE of it before we had the floors sanded and sealed. I also wish I'd used it in the bathroom before the floors were laid. Make sure you use it BEFORE you do anything to your floors. And you have to really do multiple applications, per the instructions.

On a humid day, I swear I can smell a faint wiff of cat pee, but I think I'm the only one who notices it. It really is a tough smell to get out, especially if you don't know exactly where the smell is coming from. If you've got a small area, I'd say go for it, if the whole house smells like cat pee and you can't find the problem area, run for the hills!

Good luck.

[Tabor58]

Thanks, Callisto. I'm afraid the whole house does smell -- although when we went in yesterday it wasn't as bad as the day before (not sure what the sellers are doing to keep it down, but it was working.) Will take your advice about treating thoroughly before sanding and sealing. Crossing my fingers . . .

(Not running for the hills because, as you can imagine, the house is really cheap for the area it is in. Hoping it's worth it!)

Tabor.

[callisto9]

Originally Posted by Tabor58

Thanks, Callisto. I'm afraid the whole house does smell -- although when we went in yesterday it wasn't as bad as the day before (not sure what the sellers are doing to keep it down, but it was working.) Will take your advice about treating thoroughly before sanding and sealing. Crossing my fingers . . .

(Not running for the hills because, as you can imagine, the house is really cheap for the area it is in. Hoping it's worth it!)

Tabor.

You're welcome. I was in the same situation. I had already BOUGHT the house when I started noticing the smell. It was cooler when I bought it, so the more it warmed up, the more I smelled it. The house was cheap and in a location I liked, so I stuck it out.

Read the directions for the Odorzyme carefully. They mention even soaking an area and putting a plastic sheet over it. Don't be afraid to use too much of it - it's good for hardwood floors.

Good luck and let me know (somewhere down the road) how it turns out!

[Docduck]

One thing i would suggest is looking at the drywall, window treatments, baseboards and any furniture being left in there. Cat urine is very hard to get rid of. Cleaning will help but in the most severe cases replacement of the effected surface may be the only option. Painting and sealing will help if its not that bad. Be careful not to flood hardwood surfaces..as indicated in this thread before....the moisture is going to find a place you can not..and then sit there. You would not believe how long an unexposed area can remain damp.

Do not be afraid to call the sellers out on the problem and ask them to solve the issue before buying..or drop your asking price. Because it can be an expensive thing to fix.

[Debbie451]

I found the product "Urine Off" sold on the internet out of Florida worked well. We found bedroom corners of our 90 year old house had odor when we pulled up the 30 year old carpet and revealed the hardwood floors. They say it works for "all small mammals" urine problems, regardless of its age. We didn't know what type it was, but our own family had added to it with dogs, hamsters and kids over the years. It did a great job clearing the odor. They sell a "cat kind" and a "dog kind" but when i asked the sales peson what was the difference she said the cat kind had a thickener to help it stay on vertical surfaces. highly recommended by this mom/old house owner. I think its only available on the internet or commercial cleaning supply places. From what I understand its a combination of emzyme and something that breaks down urea.

[malious intent]

we bought a house that had cat pee everywhere in the carpet. Our dogs kept peeing to cover the cat pee. I did TONS of research and kennels finally gave me the answer. I ripped out the carpet pad and base boards. Painted 2 coats of kilz oder sealer on the sub floor, make sure it is plywood or replace it. We then laid ceramic flooring. Put the sealer on the grout every 6 months. Its been 9 months and the dogs have not peed once. NO wood or wood products with whatever sealer you use will keep new pee from getting under it. Ceramic is the best option, plus it was cheaper than a good carpet, and will last 3 times longer. Any carpet needs replaced every 10 years. we are so happy we did it!!!!

[Docduck]

pretty much if you pets as cats and dogs...you must assume that eventually given the right circumstances..they will start effecting the carpet and walls of your home..non porous surfaces clean up best, but most people tend to view them as being "cold" plus they tend to be more pricey than carpet