Removing Urine Smells & Stains
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Removing Urine Smells & Stains
Dec 2009
Last year my cat urinated in my basement-mounted furnace (the kind that has a
floor register and the heat radiates up from the furnace). When we turn on the
heater, the residue from the urine produces a smelly, cloudy, disgusting smoke
in our house! I tried to clean it with an enzyme cleaner that breaks down the
smell but the residue lingers. I have called several HVAC repair people who
have no clue how to clean the furnace. One guy said that someone else had that
problem and they had no idea how to help. The furnace is made of metal (steel?)
Any ideas? It's getting cold!
I would rather not spend $8000 on a new furnace.
Cold in Berkeley
I put your question to friends who foster/rescue cats, and
they told me that not all pet odor neutralizers work the
same and said that ''Anti Icky Poo'' is the very best. They
sent the question about the peed-on furnace to their
favorite expert -- the Cat Faeries website
(www.catfaeries.com)-- and got back the following:
''Anti Icky Poo is totally and completely unflammable! I
called the manufacturer ? good news! You CAN use AIP down
a heater vent or furnace. He told me to use about ? cup and
let it follow the stream of the urine. I?d turn the heater
off first though. And I think I?d go with the unscented
version. It?s possible that when she turns the furnace
back on the spice scent of the regular/scented AIP might
come up.''
Anti Icky Poo is available in smaller pet stores, at vets
or online-- it doesn't tend to be sold in the big box pet
stores.
I should add that my cat friends tell me that it is worth
trying out different pet odor removers if this doesn't
work, as there are others (Feline Odor Neutralizer,
Nature's Miracle) and/or contacting Cat Faeries yourself.
Good luck!
KittyLitty
May 2008
weird question I know, but my elderly dog has peed on our
concrete garage floor many times and I cannot get the odor out
by using regular floor cleanser with a mop.
Does anyone have any recommendations for cleaning concrete? Can
I use bleach? This urine smell is getting worse......thanks!
dog lover needs help
Get some Nature's Miracle from a pet food supply store
Try Nature's Miracle or some other enzyme based cleanser. We had an
incontinent cat
for years and she did the same thing. You can buy it at any pet store
and possibly
Target.
Been There
We have our dogs pee/poo in the backyard dog run which is mostly
concrete with a bit of gravel on the side. At least once a week,
more during the hot summer days, we wash the concrete with a
mixture of bleach and water. This gets rid of the smell and it
keeps the area sanitary.
hates dog pee too
August 2006
We have had a cement dog run for about 6 years (about 80 feet long). Our
two dogs
have a house back there, water supply, food, and a bit of a running space.
Sort of
like La Puerta without the guacamole. We clean the dog waste daily
without fail, and
we have installed both a drain and a sprinkler system in it to clear away
urine
nightly. Every week we brush-scrub the cement with Anti-Icky-Poo
(Nature's
Miracle sux for us). The urine (not poop) smell, however, is beginning to
be present
in the house. It's awful.
Solution attempts: We take the dogs out in the morning to pee in another
spot.
We've tried bleach to ''sanitize'' (don't do it), and we've had checked
the drainage
system to make sure the waste water wasn't seeping under the house.
Before we
shut down the operation and try to find another solution for our dogs
(which we can
nary afford), I'm looking for advice. Wondering if you've had success
with a special
cement coating, or some other solution, that would allow the dogs to have
their run
space without our back room smelling like, well, you know
-- Pooped just thinking about it.
Well, I hope this responsee is not a waste of your time, but I wanted to
put in a suggestion for another go at a bleach solution. Growing up
with dogs on a cement kennel and years of working at kennels, I truly
believe bleach is the only way to counteract the smell of dog urine.
You do not need full strength bleach (nor is it healthy for you to use
full strength bleach), but put bleach in a dilution bottle, attach to a
hose and spray on urine. Let it sit for awhile and then scrub with a
broom. Rinse. Even if it is collecting in some unknown, hidden place
in your drainage system, the bleach should wipe out the smell - anywhere
the urine can go, the bleach will follow. My thought is that the urine
is not coming from the cement so much as the walls around the area
(Especially if you have male dogs. While female urine supposedly is
more ''fragrant'', males have the aim to put urine where it's hardest to
clean:-). If it soaks into wood fencing or gets into cracks between the
cement and the wall that you are unaware of, then you've got full urine
smell coming at you.
I'll be interested to hear what ends up working. Please post what ends
up working for you!
It might work to replace the cement with a hearty ground cover such as
dimondia. The dogs will probably be more comfortable, a good rain or
hosing will wash away the urine and odor, and ground cover is easy to
maintain.
Julie
We have a small side yard which runs the length of the house and is
used by our two dogs as their dog run. Even though we clean and hose
down the area daily, the urine smell would linger.
After some internet research, I found a recommendation (it might have
even been a recommendation from BPN) for a product called ''Trail
Instant Odor Control.'' I haven't been able to find it in stores, but
have been able to obtain it on-line. We've used it for the past three
years and are incredibly happy with the results. I use a fertilizer
hose attachment to mix the solution with water and hose the area down.
The product has an antiseptic smell (reminds me of the vet), but that
dissipates as the dog run dries. As soon as the area is dry, we are
able to open the windows on that side of the house.
Hope this helps!
jewelz
I don't have any advice for you, but I did want to THANK you for being
aware of the problem and trying to do something about it.
We live next to an all concrete backyard that borders our dining room
and kitchen. Those neighbors have 2 Rotties who are never walked. In
the warm months, we cannot open any windows on that side of the house
because the baked urine smell is so bad. I am not entirely sure how
THEY can stand it, but I kn ow we can't. I am looking forward to the
answers you get so I might make a few suggestions to my neighbors anon
June 2006
Our new cat peed on our sofa. I immediately cleaned it up and
soaked the spot in some odor remover from the pet store. Some
odor was left and I used a different project. It seemed to be
gone, but now I noticed it coming back or maybe the cat has peed
again without us noticing it. We're on the fourth odor remover
and still haven't gotten rid of the smell. It is especially bad
after sitting on the sofa for a while, I guess because it kind
of comes out when it warms up...
The cushions are some kind of foam and the covers are not
removable/washable. We have an extra slipcover on it which I
have washed a few times and which is not smelly.
It's kind of disgusting to sit on cat pee, but the sofa is
fairly new and buying another one is not in the budget.
Any suggestions how to get rid of the smell? Would it help to
put it out in the sun? To soak it in some kind of something and
then put it out in the sun?
i've thankfully never had to deal with cat pee on furniture, but i've
used a product i think will solve your problem:
Bi-O-Kleen Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator with Live Enzyme Cultures 32
fl oz
it is natural, safe, and highly effective. it smells great (citrussy
and fresh) which may double as a cat repellent. i bought it online at
drugstore.com but you may be able to find it at whole foods or elephant
pharmacy. their soy cleaner is also a miracle product that rivals
products such as soft scrub with bleach but without all the chemicals.
good luck!
yalda
We had great luck with COIT cleaners, they got the smell right out. It
was more expensive but the smell is gone. They were having a 40% off
sale at the time, maybe it's still going on?
Amalia
You said you used several odor removers from the pet store already, but
not which ones. I have had great success with Nature's Miracle, but you
really need to saturate the area, then just let it dry- it's an
exzymatic reaction that breaks down the urine molecules that cause the
odor soas long as you saturate every thing with the odor it should work.
The lable warns agains staining fabric- I haven't had a problem with
that.
cat lady
DO get some (I kid you not) ''Anti-Icky-Poo.'' This stuff rocks (we
gave up on Nature's
Miracle). Anti-Icky-Poo (I love saying that) is a live bacteria that
actually kills the
odor-causing element. It comes in a diluted strength (spray bottle)
and full strength
(gallon jug). We use it in our dog run and on the dog bed (we have an
incontinent dog), and it works really well. An interesting side note:
according to the side of the industrial size bottle it also kills odors
coming from ''dead body.'' Hey, you never know.
== Tsan
May 2003
Help! My cat has sprayed (although he has been neutered)or maybe
peed in the baby's room and I have tried everything to get the
smell out of the carpet. I tried carpet spray that you vacuum
off, baking soda, room deoderizers. Nothing seems to get the
smell out. Part of the problem is that I can't see exactly where
it is (there is no stain) but just have been treating the entire
corner of the room that smells. If anyone has any suggestions, I
would really appreciate it.
anon
We always use Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor Remover whenever
our dog had an accident and it worked wonders. Now that he's
housebroken, we still use it for other spills. So far, it's
worked great with wine, fruit punch, baby tylenol and mashed in
strawberries. You can find it at your local pet center. As for
finding the actual urine spot, use a blacklight. Under a
blacklight, urine will glow in the dark because of the ammonia
in it. I'm not sure how much these cost, but I'm guessing under
$20. The pet store should have these too, or else try Target.
Stain and Odor Survivor
Most stores that sell pet supplies have something called
Nature's Miracle, which should help with the odor and is
supposed to repel the animal from doing the same thing in that
same spot again. Or, there's also Febreeze, available at your
local grocery store. As for finding out where, exactly,
any ''accident'' may be when you can't see it, there are black
lights (also sold at pet supply stores) that are supposed to be
useful for this. I haven't tried the light, but I have used the
other two products with success.
dpb
There are cat odor removal products which are enzyme based. You
just wipe the liquid over the entire area in question with
cloth or sponge even rugs, etc. and the enzyme breaks down
the 'problem'. Sometimes needs 2 or more applications, but it
really works nicely.
FL
Nature's Miracle, available at most pet stores, will neutralize the odor
and keep the cat from continuing to mark the area. Shining a black light
in thep room will show you the exact spot. Nature's Miracle also makes a
black light lamp but any will do.
julied
Try Bac-Out by BioKleen--available at Whole Foods and health
food stores. It is a natural enzyme and works great on cat
pee. May take several applications, but it always works.
julie
Try ''Nature's Miracle,'' available at all pet supply stores (make
sure to get the one for cats). You saturate the area where the
cat sprayed; as it evaporates, it takes the odor with it. It is
nontoxic and very effective.
Lauren
Be careful about spraying deodorants... they are only masking
smells, not removing them. The chemicals contained in most
deodorants exacerbate asthma in many people, and contain toxic
substances. Did you try 1 part vinegar to 3 parts warm water
on the contaminated area? If you're not sure where it sprayed,
I would shampoo the entire area and wipe down walls, etc...
Another great product that actually removes odors is zeolite, a
natural substance. But it'll take forever to remove urine
drenched materials... so I would locate the areas first.
Parents for a Safer Environment, at www.pfse.net will be
growing in capacity to provide tips on safer alternatives to
toxic cleaning products.
Susan
Try F.O.N. (stands for feline odor neutralizer) and can be
purchased through many vetrinarian offices. It worked for us,
good luck.
anon
The pet stores sell a product called Nature's Miracle, which
I've had a lot of success with. You saturate the problem area
with the product and then let it dry on it's own. Some kind of
enzyme breaks down stains and odors. Good luck!
Nicole
Cleaning Urine from a Mattress
Feb 2003
I hope someone can help with this one. One of our cats
peed on the bed, soaking all the linens right down to the
mattress. The linens were easy to deal with, but what do I
do about the down comforter and the mattress (The comforter
was the harder hit of the two)? Can I take the comforter
to a dry cleaner? And what can I do to get the smell of
urine out of the mattress, short of turning it over?
Thanks in advance,
Nina
We had a problem with our cat peeing in the house which
resulted in the dog peeing to cover up the cat pee. It was
a nightmare. I used every single product but nothing got
the smell completely out. We couldn't smell it but the
pets could. I finally found the MOST AMAZING urine/feces
odor removal product. The website is www.justrite.com. I
started using this and both the cat and dog stopped
peeing. I've used this on clothes, carpet, upholstery,
hardwood floors, etc. It has worked every single time. If
the cat or dog have an occasional accident I clean it up
and immediately stray it with this stuff. I spray even
things that can go in the wash.
This is also a family run business. A guy named Bill came
up with this and basically works out of his home. He is
usually the one that answers the phone and takes your
order. He is also VERY helpful if you have questions on
how to use his products.
Diana
2000
My child is doing so well with the potty that i forgot to put a diaper on
during nap. Since the mattress was soaked with urine, i wiped and blotted
as much as i could. I was wondering if there were any cleaning strategies
for such cases, if "things" grow inside the mattress or what people do in
such cases.
Thank you for any help and suggestions
In our case, we use a water-proof mattress pad (costs
$9.99 at Anna's Linen), so we don't have to worry about
our 2-year-old wetting her bed when she is not in diapers.
We thought this is better than to risk damaging the
mattress.
Lin
Use borax (brand name Boraxo or 20 Mule Team) to get the
urine smell/stains out. You wet the spot, then rub in a
little dry borax powder and let it dry. (A hair dryer
speeds things along.) Then you just brush or shake out
the borax. Works like a charm.
V
When my toddler's diaper leaked on the mattress, I put
Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover on the mattress,
and I haven't noticed an odor. You can get it at
pet-supply stores.
Hannah
10/99
I am looking for something that can be used to clean urine and the smell
from mattresses. I'm thinking of using Pine-sol or the like, but am afraid
to wet the mattress even more. Does anyone have any suggestions or
experience with this that might be of help? Thanks.
Diana
I didn't use this on a mattress, but in my car, and I was getting out vomit,
not pee, but I still think that you may want to try Mother's Little Miracle
(I believe that's the name). I got a bottle at Rockridge Kids, and it did
wonders for my stinky problem, and it's advertised to be able to handle just
about everything a kid can dish out. I also used Febreeze in the car for
the same problem, and it also worked pretty well. You can pick up both of
these things for under $10, and give it a whirl. Of course, if it doesn't
work these items are useful for other things. Oh, and you probably want to
get a plastic sheet for the bed!
Jan 2003
I hope someone can help with this one. One of our cats
peed on the bed, soaking all the linens right down to the
mattress. The linens were easy to deal with, but what do I
do about the down comforter and the mattress (The comforter
was the harder hit of the two)? Can I take the comforter
to a dry cleaner? And what can I do to get the smell of
urine out of the mattress, short of turning it over?
Thanks in advance,
Nina
We had a problem with our cat peeing in the house which
resulted in the dog peeing to cover up the cat pee. It was
a nightmare. I used every single product but nothing got
the smell completely out. We couldn't smell it but the
pets could. I finally found the MOST AMAZING urine/feces
odor removal product. The website is www.justrite.com. I
started using this and both the cat and dog stopped
peeing. I've used this on clothes, carpet, upholstery,
hardwood floors, etc. It has worked every single time. If
the cat or dog have an occasional accident I clean it up
and immediately stray it with this stuff. I spray even
things that can go in the wash.
This is also a family run business. A guy named Bill came
up with this and basically works out of his home. He is
usually the one that answers the phone and takes your
order. He is also VERY helpful if you have questions on
how to use his products.
Diana
Feb 2002
We just moved to a new home where neighborhood cats have established a habit of
sleeping and urinating on the back porch. Is there a way to: 1. get rid of the smell
(we
no longer dare store any items out there) 2. discourage the cats from coming back?
Thanks
Anne-Marie
This guy Bill came up with the most effective cat pee smell solution
we have ever seen. http://www.justrite.com/ This stuff works better
than anything in the pet stores (we tried Nature's Miracle and a few
others, but the smells persisted).
Brian
See Neighborhood Cats for more advice
August 1999
when we were traveling we brought our car seat into my aunt's house where
her cat peed on it. we have removed the cushioning and washed it
thoroughly; however, the plastic and the webbed straps (which are not
removable) still stink despite numerous soakings in various detergents and
baking soda solutions. we can't use the seat because it smells up the car
and our son's clothes when he sits in it. does anyone know of a product
that will get rid of the smell?
thanks,
susan
I don't know if this work now because the stain is set, but try
white vinegar. We have a rabbit and a cat and I've used it on our carpet
when either of them had the occasional accident. Hope this works.
Jeanette
Try FeBreeze. It's available in your supermarket. You spray it on, and
the odor dissapates as the item dries. For a persistant odor, you might
need to treat several times. My friends swear by it for cat pee odor, and
I have found it very effective for body odor that wasn't being removed by
dry cleaning.
Dawn
Nature's Miracle--available at pet stores--works great
Re cat pee: Try Nature's Miracle, available at pet stores and drugs stores
sometimes. It's good.
Linda
There are products in pets stores specifically for removing pet odors.
I can't think of any brand names though. Also, Febreze, which you can
get in most stores, works well too. Good Luck!!!
JC
There's a relatively new product called "Febreeze" that is specifically for
removing bad odors from textiles, that you might try. I can't actually vouch
for it, never having used it, but the ads look good! The "one-drop
deodorizies a skunk" stuff is bogus, as far as I'm concerned--I tried to use
it to deodorize my diaper pail, and it didn't help much at all. If the
project were mine to handle, I would try soaking in vinegar too--vinegar can
cut through some amazing stuff. Or, any chance of just replacing the straps
with new webbing? Maybe a luggage-repair place would know how to do it?
Good luck!
Meg
From the moderator... I've received a few posts warning people of
dangers associated with using Febreeze around pets. I wanted to let
folks know that this is NOT TRUE - it is an urban legend.
Look at:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blfebrez.htm?COB=home&terms=febreeze&PM=112_300_T
re the cat pee smell
There is a product called "Odor Out" that works really well. I think I
bought it at a pet store. It is an enzyme of some kind.I even used it
when my son peed in the floor furnace but that's another story...
Leah
We use "Nature's Miracle" and it really is a "miracle". Two years ago one
of our cats managed to get himself locked inside one of our closets for
three days (he's blind, out of it and kind of aloof so it took us that long
to notice he was missing). While there he made himself at home on a bag of
newborn clothing and used it as his litter box. I called the company and
they told me that the trick to their product is that it works in the drying
phase. So, they instructed me to wash the clothes in a certain amount of
the stuff, and to then hang it outside to dry. They told me not to put it
in the dryer. I followed their directions and it worked! There was
absolutely no evidence that the clothes had been peed on. Several months
later I used them on my newborn with no problem. I couldn't even tell the
clothes that had been peed on from those that were in a different bag.
BTW, anyone who tells my mother about this (are you listening Dawn?) will
not be very happy when I get through with them :-)
Sophie
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