just purchased home & previous owner kept 2 large dogs in garage they urinated extensively over a long period of time on the concrete floor what do you think I need to totally remove the odor ?The size is 21ft x 21ft. I'm wanting to treat area ASAP Thanks jeff

Answer:

Jeff

Concrete is porous.  Depending on the type of concrete and the finish they put on it, it will vary as to how porous it is. So urine soaks into the concrete. Your urine neutralize will need to soak into it also to get to the urine and neutralize it. This means putting the neutralizer on wet and letting it soak in. Covering ti with plastic so the neutralizer will not evaporate  will help with this. If you use an enzyme product it will need to be kept damp for up to 2-3 days so the enzymes have time to work on and digest the urine residue. If you use a product like "SUN" from www.removeurine.com it will neutralize the odor on contact so it does not need the additional time to work but it will need time to soak in. Pay particular attention to the walls also. If the urine has run under them or has been sprayed up on them including the baseboard you will want to treat those areas also.  Because concrete and wood also for that matter are very porous sometimes it is not possible to remove all the odor. In these cases we recommend sealing the concrete with a good varnish, shellac or an acrylic sealer. This is to seal in any remaining odor if necessary.

So the steps are 1. Clean the floor (if  it needs it or has not been cleaned). Then 2. treat the floor and then 3. seal the floor if necessary. I suggest you use "SUN" for the treatment because it is effective and is easier and faster to use than enzyme products.

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2 Large Dogs Urine

"Hi, I'm Kelsie from Forest Hills Pet Care. I work at a vet clinic, and therefore deal with animals urinating all over the clinic all the time. I had a puppy leave a smelly urine spot on our lobby rug, and used SUN to clean it. It was very easy to spot clean with, just a few sprays and a little scrubbing, and the smell was gone. Usually we have to hose off the whole rug and wait a day for it to dry, so this cleaner made my day a lot easier! I'd definitely recommend the SUN cleaner as a great stain and smell remover." - Kelsie, Forest Hills Pet Care

"SUN saved my expensive jacket. My dog Moxie had surgery and I held her on the way home from the vets. Later I realized that my jacket had a strong urine smell on the right side and arm. It's not a washable fabric, so I worried my jacket had been ruined. A friend gave me some SUN, which I sprayed on the jacket. After drying, there was no odor left at all ... other than a very light pleasant citrus smell. It was fabulous. Thank you!" - Theresa O., Battle Creek

Click the "Buy Now" button below

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SUN Urine Remover

We are trying to remove dog urine odor from a wood floor where people left the urine for extended periods, maybe even months. Would your "Dual Action" product remedy this problem? We will be putting carpet down soon so we are not concerned about a stain problem.

Please help.

Ron

Answer:

Ron

You have a challenge. Sorry. There are several degrees of severity when dealing with dog urine and this is true with hardwood.  To neutralize the odor you need to get the neutralizer to the urine residue. With wood you will have urine soaked into the grain of the wood and possibly between the slats of the wood and maybe around the edges of the wood floor against the wall.  Dual action or Severe urine neutralizer will neutralize the urine it comes in contact with. The trick is getting it to the urine.  If you just go over the surface of the floor you will neutralize a good percentage of the urine and sometimes this is adequate to  kill the odor. Sometimes it is not. With wood you also have the possibility of the wood warping if it gets to wet. It may be slightly warped from the urine already.
The different methods you can use depending on how severe the urine contamination is, are:

Try a treatment just going over the floor with a good neutralizer and getting the obvious urine areas a little wetter so it can soak
in a little. Then see how the results are.

The next method would be to soak the floor so the neutralizer can soak in deep.This takes a chance of warping the floor in areas. I
have had cases where we ended up sanding and also replacing slats from this.

The next method is to sand the surface of the wood taking off as much wood as needed to remove the urine. Again this will remove most
of the urine residue and sometimes all. If it has run down between the slats you may still have residue remaining. Seal the floor to
lock in any remaining odor if necessary.

Or use a combination of the above.

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Hardwood Floors And Pet Odors

"My dog has urinated on the tile and grout in my kitchen.  On humid days the smell of urine is very obvious, I am assuming because the urine has penetrated the grout.  Can you recommend product(s) to help get rid of  the odor?  Thank you

Christine"

answer:

Christine,

We have several good urine odor products we can recommend. I would suggest " Severe Urine Neutralizer (SUN)" because it is very effective for dog urine odor and easy to use. The key is to get it in contact with the urine residue. If the urine has penetrated the grout (and it usually will unless the grout has recently been sealed with a very good sealer) then the SUN (or any product you use) will need to penetrate that area also. If there are cracks in the grout the urine can run down and get under the tile and into the wood or concrete underneath. Also pay attention to around the edges of the tile, under the baseboard and toe-kick on the cabinets. Anywhere the urine might have run. A black light in a dark room helps to locate any urine residue areas. Then you can concentrate on those areas. Let the SUN solution run down and soak into the areas that you think the urine has done the same. SUN solution will neutralize the odor in just a few minutes. Give it  five to ten minutes. You can wet vac or wipe up any excess solution after this period of time and then let it dry naturally or you can put a fan on it to aid drying. If there is still an odor after you have used SUN that indicates the SUN solution has not come in contact with all the dog urine residue.

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Dog Urine Odor

In mammals uric acid is the number one ingredient in the urine. Urochrome, (a yellow pigment) and cholesterol (also known as lipids), and urea are other main ingredients found in urine. The specific ingredients in urine including dog urine, will actually vary, and is dependent on diet and health, along with other factors. When urine is leaving the body it begins a process of significant changes.  It picks up bacteria from the urethra and also from the skin. It also comes in contact with other microorganisms from sources such as carpeting and other surfaces.

These bacteria can now flourish. The warm acidic conditions of the urine are ideal for the bacteria to grow. The uric acid is broken down and becomes ammonia and CO2. This ammonia is extremely alkaline, with a pH of 11+. Strong, concentrated alkaline can damage dyes and cause color loss. What you think is a urine stain can actually be color loss. This color loss cannot be restored by simply cleaning.

Alkaline salt crystals are created as the acid in the urine reacts with the ammonia. These highly hygroscopic salts, as they’re termed, pull moisture from the air and remain slightly damp. When damp they stay active chemically. And this is the case in virtually every climate except extremely dry climates. As long the salts stay active, they will produce ammonia gas. When completely dry the ammonia gases stop but if moistened again such as during cleaning, they begin producing the ammonia gases again.

Ammonia gas is one of the parts of urines distinctive odor, which helps to locate and identify urine. Off-gassing from bacteria is another one of urines distinctive odors.  The off gassing from the bacteria occurs while it is growing.

Urine is a complex composition. Many chemicals form as urine is being decomposed by the bacteria. This presents a challenging and sometimes difficult situation. In time, many of the complex organic compounds become part of the carpet or other fiber. Even when the bacteria have been killed, ammonia and these other chemicals produce strong odors. This is why something much stronger than a simple sanitizing cleaner is needed to neutralize the odor from dog urine!

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Facts You Must Know When Removing Dog Urine Odors And Stains

April 10, 2010
- A little post about house breaking your dog. I have added a little information to it.

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Dog Urine Solutions April 10, 2010

December 17, 2009
- A review of urine gone with black light.

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Dog Urine Solutions December 17, 2009

The other interesting point is that on average women can identify 10,000 distinct odors and the average man can identify 5,000 distinct odors. Thus women are more sensitive to odors than men. If you want a better test to see if the odor is removed have a women check it out.

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Dog Urine and Odor Memory

photo credit: Leslie Duss

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Urine Odor Mattress

December 10, 2009
- Might make your skin crawl.

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Dog Urine Solutions December 10, 2009

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Urine Product

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Dog Urine On Grass

"I left my dogs alone for a couple days and they peed EVERYWHERE. The hardwood floor is dark in some spots and after mopping it still smells! Does anyone know a way I can fix this without tearing up the floors????"

In answer to this the following was written.

"From your description it sounds like the urine has soaked into the hardwood. I have hardwood floors that are sealed well with a quality sealer. When our dog was a puppy she would pee on them often. We were lucky because the urine beaded up and we were able to wipe it up and remove it. Eventually I know it would have found its way into the hardwood, had it been in greater volume or left to sit for too long of a time. There are different types of products available that will eliminate the smell but they have to come in contact with the urine residue. This means you have to soak them into the hardwood to reach the urine. Some of these products will also remove the pet stains. One of the challenges with wood is that the moisture from the urine or the chemicals can warp the hardwood and cause additional damage. It might be worth a try though. If you can’t get the smell and stain out to your satisfaction with these products then the next step is to sand it down removing the stain and odor and refinish the hardwood. If this does not work then you are to the replace the floor stage which is usually the most expensive."

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Pet Stains On Hardwood

Rick writes and asks "Can you please tell me more about the odor neutralizer? I am working with concrete that has been used in a dog day care / kennel for a couple of years. So far I have tried a degreaser/cleaner, enzymes (which included covering the floor with plastic for 24 hours to keep it wet), white vinegar, a high-tech odor neutralizer, and finally bleach, both straight and diluted. I have power-washed at the start, and again after each of these treatments. The bad odor has been reduced but it is still present."

Answer:

Rick
Thanks for asking. Concrete is porous so what you have is a situation where dog urine has been soaking into the porous surface (it sounds like continuously) for a couple years. At least some of the products you have used are working. The enzymes work by digesting the urine residue. The reason you keep them wet its two-fold. One: They have to be wet to be active. When they dry they do nothing. Two: To get them to soak into the concrete far enough to reach the urine, which would be in pretty deep. Bleach uses oxygen to break down the urine. It will work also if it can reach the urine in enough concentration and for a long enough time to work (which for oxygen is fast). Washing is good and it will remove the urine it can get to. You do need to be careful with power washing though because it can drive the urine even deeper into the concrete depending on how you do it. Neutralizer you asked about also has to come in contact with the urine to change the molecules. So your challenge is to get one of these (a good product) deep enough into the concrete. Where the urine is after a couple years of soaking in. One suggestion is to apply a product and keep it wet for several days. The longer it is wet the deeper it will penetrate. Also make sure that the urine smell is not coming from surrounding items. Is there wood close that might be contaminated or fabric or even dirt. Urine will wick up several inches into other materials when present. It is common not to be able to completely remove all the odor in a situation like yours. (concrete or even wood) So an option used by professionals is to seal the concrete. After you have removed the majority of the odor you can then seal the concrete with a good pigmented shellac, varnish or acrylic sealer. These sealers have microscopic holes left in them when they dry. These holes are larger than the odor molecules so odor can still get through the sealer. If you apply two coats of sealer this will help eliminate that issue. The end result is a completely satisfactory odor neutralized environment. Get back to me with any additional questions.

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Urine Odor out of Concrete

December 2, 2009
- Very interesting idea if you have that need.

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Dog Urine Solutions December 2, 2009

Rachel stated

"I have read through your well thought out analysis of the types of products available to remove dog urine, but I cannot find any products listed. I am desperate! I understand the types of products I need to look for, but so many products advertised seem like they are a scam. What do you recommend? "

My reply

"Rachel
Thank you. I started this blog as a source of information so people can better deal with the damage they were having from dog urine. Both odors and stains. I was a professional cleaner for many years and I know there are some bad products that are being sold. And I would agree with you, they are a scam. I tried a lot of them. Back then I found a manufacturer and supplier of professional chemicals and products that produced excellent results.These same suppliers also taught courses on all aspects of the odor control industry along with other aspects of the business. Among other things these courses taught how to properly use the products to get the best results. And again they were professional products developed for distributors and professionals cleaners. I dealt with these suppliers for years. I have been working with them to develop a line of products we will offer to the end consumer (you). It is not as easy as it sounds. We hope to have the first ones available within a couple weeks. I will put up links on this site so you can find them, as soon as they are available."

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Dog Urine Products

Susan wrote "I have an old dog who marks all over the house. I have taken out a lot of carpet and put in wood. In the carpeted areas left I smell that amonia odor and it is really getting to me. I’ve developed asthma and feel this off gassing or something is contributing to my health issues. Also I am allergic to several molds. Please tell me what products specifically I can use to get rid of this problem. Many thanks in advance!"

Susan
There are a couple products that break the urine down. Oxidation will break it into basic elements such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen. These elements are then easily cleaned out. I am not a doctor and would not presume to give medical advice. That being said, I would think that after this Oxidation process is complete the basic elements that remain would not bother your asthma or contribute to the health issues you mentioned. Also Bio/enzyme products digest the urine, break it down and change it. Bio/enzymes are the primary organism used to break down sewage in treatment plants, returning the water to a clean, non-hazardous condition. I would think either of these type products would help with your problem. When using these products you have to effectively locate the urine areas and assess how large they are. The product has to come in contact with the urine. This may mean wetting an area thoroughly. And with enzymes they take time to work so it has to be kept moist for long enough for the enzymes to be effective. You mention being allergic to molds. Molds are a completely separate issue as you know and I won't attempt to address that here.

I am presently working with a company to make available to you a line of products previously only available to professionals. They will be available through http://www.removeurine.com. Now under construction. They should have some items up within a week or two. I understand they will have a free sample you sign up for of a great Oxidation product called Oxi Blast.

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Dog Odor Remover

November 23, 2009
- In this article they clearly identify a couple of the negative health affects that your dog can have when you feed it supplements designed to change the acidity of its urine. These products are usually for the purpose of making the dog urine less damaging to grass and lawns.

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Dog Urine Solutions November 23, 2009

Step one: Locate the problem areas. Step two: Clean as much of the urine residue out as you can. Step three: Treat the area and remaining urine residue with a one of the odor removal agents that work. Step four: Insure that the affected areas dry properly. The method of drying will vary depending on the type of product you are using. As you locate the problem areas try to assess how large the area is that is contaminated. You need a good idea of how much area you need to treat both in circumference and in depth. Example: Is it a 2 inch spot or a 12 inch or a 24 inch spot? Has it soaked through the carpet pad and into the wood floor? Or is it only in the face fibers of the carpet? If you do not treat all of the affected area you will not get complete odor removal. Use one of the quality products that is designed to counteract the smell. All good odor removal products have to come in contact with the urine and urine residue and they will eliminate the smell. Different type products work differently so follow the instructions for the one you are using. Some work immediately on contact and others need time to work on (digest) the urine. I will soon have a page added tho this blog of recommended professional products. These are products that have been available only to professionals that will now be made available to you. Watch for it. I hope this helps Stephan and anyone else who has a similar question.

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Remove Dog Urine

"There are many white stains on our concrete path from my dogs urine. Is this white reaction  from the concrete or a stomach problem.
thanks
paul"

The reaction is neither a stomach problem or a reaction to the concrete but a condition created from the urine. When urine leaves the body human or mammal it is slightly acid (or acidic on the ph scale). The urine begins to change as soon as it leaves the body. Uric acid in the dogs urine is broken down into ammonia and carbon dioxide. The ammonia is high alkaline on the ph scale. The reaction from the acidic urine and the ammonia creates alkaline salt crystals. This is the white residue left on the concrete from the dogs urine. A good acid pretreatment wash will neutralize the alkaline salt crystals (white residue). Once neutralized it wash's off easily with water or another neutral cleaner. If the urine has penetrated deeply into the concrete you may want to use an enzyme digester or oxidation product to deal with any smell or other residue. But the acid cleaner will remove the alkaline salts (white residue) left from the dog urine on the concrete.

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Dog Urine Concrete

November 4, 2009
- Article helps with potty training and choosing a technique to use for potty training.

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Dog Urine Solutions November 6, 2009

A few years ago I was asked to repair, decontaminate or restore a carpet in a bed room that had extensive pet urine damage through it. It was a room that had been used by the pet as a bathroom. It was an expensive piece of carpet for the time. The owners wanted it cleaned and treated to remove the smell. We were lucky in one respect in that it had very few stains, and the stains that were on it were not very visible which is common with urine. The smell however was terrible. To the point it was hard to work around. We took the carpet up and removed the pad under the carpet. The pad we threw away with the intent to replace it with new. When we examined the back of the carpet it was hard to find a spot that was not stained from the dog urine. The urine had soaked through the carpet and pad and into the floor. It was also in the baseboards and tack strip and slightly up the wall on the sheetrock. After getting the carpet and pad out and airing the room out the smell was much improved. But we also cleaned the contaminated surfaces and treated them with a commercial odor eliminating chemical. The carpet we took into the shop and thoroughly steam cleaned it front and back several times. The stains that were on the surface cleaned out easily. We then treated it with the same odor eliminating chemicals that we used in the room. We applied enough of the chemical so it was wet from front to back and we kept it wet for 24 hours which is what was recommended by the chemical manufacturer. We repeated the odor treatment a couple times. We hung the carpet up to dry between each treatment. We tested between to see if the urine smell was gone. When it got to the point that it was hard to detect the odor we returned it to the homeowners. They were thrilled. Couldn't have been happier with the results until they saw the bill. Sometimes it is better to replace than to repair. Each person needs to decide for themselves at what point it is better for them to replace instead of repair. This will also depend on the equipment and chemicals they have available to them to accomplish the task at hand.  You need to assess the best you can the extent of the damage you have so you can make a good decision for yourself.

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Pet Urine Stain Carpet

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Neutralize Dog Urine

October 29, 2009
- The answer is yes. There are several. One basic concept in accomplishing this is first clean out all urine residue (fresh or old) that you can. Second treat the remaining urine with one of the chemicals that will change the urine residue on a molecular level rendering it harmless and odorless. You need to assess how extensive your own damage is to make a good decision on whether cleaning or replacing is better for you. http://www.dogurinesolutions.com goes into detail.

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Dog Urine Solutions October 30, 2009

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Outdoor Dog Urine

October 23, 2009
- I have 3 initial thoughts. The first is this seems to me to be a huge overreaction by all parties involved. Second: Don't let your dog pee on other peoples property. Third: Many city's have ordinances making it illegal for your dog to urinate in a neighbors yard.

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Dog Urine Solutions October 23, 2009

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Neutralize Dog Urine Grass

October 13, 2009

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Dog Urine Solutions October 16, 2009

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Dog Urine Yellow

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Dog Smells 2

October 6, 2009

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Dog Urine Solutions October 9, 2009

In this post I am going to talk about the dog smell that comes from the folds in her excess skin on her mask (face). Many dog breeds have this excess skin condition.  Moisture gets into these folds and no air can get to it so it just stays damp most of the time. Bacteria begins to grow in this moist damp environment. The bacteria gives off gasses that create one of these offensive dog smells. Her mask needs to be cleaned every day and still it the smells return soon after the cleaning. As soon as she gets a drink or plays with another dog or goes outside. We wipe these folds with a Que tip and a pre-moistened hygienic cleansing pad. Then she has a pleasant smell for a few hours. My thought is if these pads are pre-moistened they will still leave the folds in the dogs face damp. Not only does she have the bacteria growing but it is not long until she has a skin infection in there also. This itches and torments her.

The solution: Keep Cleaning her face daily, especially in the folds with the cleansing pads. Also once a month clean her mask with a Que tip and alcohol. And the trick is to put a little Goldbond powder in the folds after each cleaning. This will absorb the moisture and keeping her dryer and soothing her skin. This then stops the bacteria and possible skin irritations which will virtually eliminate this particular dog smell. I will address some of these other dog smells in future posts.

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Dog Smells

photo credit: Invisible Hour

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Dog Urine Cleaning

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Dog Urine In Grout

September 29, 2009
- I found this article interesting and it gives us another dog urine solution. It is about the health of your dog instead of cleaning up after him/her.

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Dog Urine Solutions October 2, 2009

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Urine Cleaning Caution

September 22, 2009
- There are several types of chemicals that are affective on urine stains. If the urine has soaked deep into the grout then the chemical has to soak in that deep also so it can get to and remove the stain.

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Dog Urine Solutions September 25, 2009

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Odor Removal Products

September 15, 2009
- An example of the damage that can be caused by dog urine.

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Dog Urine Solutions September 18, 2009

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Removing Pet Urine

September 10, 2009
- Our pug (Betty) had slight blood in her urine several times that turned out to be an infection caused by excessive skin around her vulva. The vet gave her a little face lift in that area and removed the extra skin. It was not cheap. She has done great since.

September 8, 2009

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Dog Urine Solutions September 11, 2009

"WHY SEALING OR PAINTING WILL NOT STOP ODOR

Sealing or painting a surface to stop odor may seem like a good idea  with one coating company in paticular promoting the idea.    However, the idea  is really bad and will not work.  Once the science of odor is understood, sealing or painting a surface to  stop odor is just physically impossible.

This has to do with the size of the molecule your nose detects as odor and how paints and sealers dry.

The odor molecule is a gas molecule produced by the odor causing bacteria eating urine residue deposits.    It's size is in the 2-5 micron size range.  A very small particle.

However, when a coating such as a sealer or paint  is applied, the solvent in the coating (water or oil based) needs to evaporate for the coating to dry.  The evaporation process leaves very small holes in the coating usually in the 25-45 micron size range.  This also is a very small hole  (cannot be seen by the naked eye), but compared to the 2-5 size micron odor molecule, it is indeed, very large.

Consequently, when the odor causing bacteria (eating the urine residue under the coating) release the odor molecule, it finds its way through the holes in the coating to your nose.  And thereby telling you, you just wasted your time and money coating the floor or wall."

RESPONSE

I agree in part with the statement. There are indeed some openings in any sealer that will allow gas to pass through. This gas can include odor molecules.  I would never suggest sealing as a total or stand alone treatment for odor. However, there are coating designed to greatly control emissions of odor. These are best used following cleaning or some other process to remove the source of odor.

If the cleaning removes 90 or 95% of the odor and the coating allows only 10% of what remains to escape, you have reduced potential odors by 99% or more. Usually to a degree that cannot be perceived by most people. If you had only applied the coating, it would still be 10% of the original odor.

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Seal The Odor Out

For heavy concentrations of urine start by washing the concrete with a good acid side pretreatment. This will break down lipids (animal fats) and alkaline salts present from the urine residue. This will remove a large part of the urine quickly. This pretreatment can be presprayed on then give it time to work and rinse off. Or it can be mopped on and rinsed off with clear water. Following this acid side pretreatment wash, then follow up with heavy application of  a good urine enzyme product. Allow this 2 or even 3 days to penetrate deep into the concrete and then come back and rinse or mop with clear water. The enzyme product needs to be kept wet for the entire time so the enzymes can digest the urine odor residue and neutralize it. It needs to come in contact with the urine and stay wet or damp long enough to work. In the case of concrete it needs time to penetrate and then work. You can repeat the enzyme treatment if needed. You can also finish this process with a good sealer (shellac, varnish or acrylic sealer) to seal in any remaining urine odor.

If you are working with a smaller area or you do not have the time to wait for an enzyme product (2-3 days) I suggest you use a good urine oxidizing chemical. These are also effective if you don't have the  2-3 days.

Use plenty of ventilation with any method. Gasses are being created that should be diluted with fresh air and ventilated to the outside.

photo credit: shaire productions

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Urine Odor and Concrete

September 2, 2009
- Gary explains that you can wait for the neighbors dog to urinate on your lawn and then dilute it with water to counteract the nitrogen so it does not harm your lawn. When a neighbors dog is urinating on your lawn you can find out what the local leash laws are and advise the neighbor of them. One more possible solution is to spray your lawn with a product that treats the soil with microbes and neutralizes the effects of the urine on the lawn.

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Dog Urine Solutions September 4, 2009

Trying to get dog urine from carpet? In this post I will explain the injection method of getting dog urine from carpet.  I  assume you know where the urine is in the carpet. If you do not know and need to locate it read locate the urine article. After locating the urine you will want to get an idea  of how extensive the damage is. Or how large an area you are going to be treating. This can be difficult without taking the carpet up and looking at the backing, floor and pad. If you use the injection method of treating the urine you will not be taking the carpet up. You will be injecting the chemicals with a syringe and needle (or similar tool) into the carpet, carpet  backing, pad and possibly onto the subfloor. If the urine has reached that far them the chemicals must reach there also or you will not be effective at getting the dog urine from the carpet. If you have a moisture sensor this will help immensely in determining how large of an area has been affected by the urine. It  is suggested that you clean the area first to remove as much dog urine as you can from the carpet. In this injection process you will be chemically altering the urine.  You can read about the types of chemicals that are effective on dog urine here. After you have removed as much urine as you can with cleaning you then take the chemical and inject it into the area.  Injection can successfully treat odors (but not stains) especially when the contamination is confined to small areas. The injection can be made with a 50 cc syringe and a 19 gauge needle. The needle can pierce the backing of the carpet to apply your chosen urine counteracting chemical to the pad and floor. A syringe of solution will spread 2 or 3 inches in each direction from the point it is injected. Make one injection every 4 – 6”. Be sure to treat not only the area visible from the surface but the expanded unseen contamination underneath. As a margin of safety, extend the treatment zone several more inches in each direction. The chemical will then work on the urine and eliminate it. You will need adjust how you use the chemical depending on the directions for the specific one you choose. For example enzyme products must be kept damp for the recommended length of time to work and digest the urine residue.

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Dog Urine From Carpet

I don't believe the PH has much to do with urine killing the grass. I think it is the nitrogen content in the soil from the urine that kills the grass. Especially if you have treated it with a lawn fertilizer that has nitrogen in it already. I have read several reports about it. I have not done my own study on this but the nitrogen makes more sense to me.

There are natural ways to deal with the problem that don't involve buying anything extra.  Watching the dog and each time it urinates on the lawn you can dilute it by adding water to the spot. Three times the amount of water to the amount of urine within eight hours of the urine being deposited is recommended to get resutls. Personally I can't or won't do this one. I don't mind diluting it when I see the dog urinate in the yard but I am not going to watch every time for it. You can change the dogs diet to one that produces less protein waste. This will reduce the nitrogen in the urine. Either a lower protein diet or a food that the dog digests  the protein better. Check with your vetrinarian. You can walk the dog regularly so it urinates in a place of your choosing.  If it is a neighbors dog causing the problem advise them of the leash laws. Then there is the option of potty training the dog to use a specific area of your yard. An area you have designated for your dog to go. Get your dog to drink more. You can add a little water to your dogs food. This will dilute the nitrogen in the urine. Your dog may need to urinate more often but it will be less damaging. These are all possibilities where you do not have to buy anything more than you are already buying.

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Grass and Dog Urine

August 25, 2009
- Never leave your dog unless you are shore it will be taken care of.

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Dog Urine Solutions August 28, 2009

Baking soda is also a key ingredient in carpet deodorizers such as Carpet Fresh, Love my Carpet and so forth. These do not get completely removed from the carpet by vacuuming. Repeated use of baking soda or products containing baking soda will build –up in the carpet. When cleaning time comes, this can wick to the surface creating a real mess and the need for repeated cleaning to eliminate the powder.

Advantages:

Baking soda absorbs odor molecules from the air. When odor molecules are removed from the air they cannot enter our nose and the smell is effectively gone.

Disadvantages:

Increase in total alkalinity can be harmful to the dyes in fabrics.

Build up of residue in carpet or fabric creating the need for repeated cleanings to remove it.

Baking soda does not digest, break down, encapsulate or neutralize the urine residue molecules past absorbing them from the air.

Also see the advantages and disadvantages of using vinegar on pet stains.

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Pet Baking Soda

There are two home remedies for removing pet urine that I have run into over and over again on the internet. One is using vinegar and the other is using baking soda. I have seen suggestions to use these in different combination's with other additional products. I have also seen suggestions to use them without any products added. I am going to discuss Vinegar in this post and baking soda later. First if you are going to use vinegar make shore you use plain white vinegar. If you use vinegar with any coloring in it, you are just as likely to add a stain as you are of removing one. The coloring (dyes) in the vinegar can easily create a permanent stain.

Vinegar is an acid. Fresh urine is an acid base. When you try to remove an acid with an acid it is less than effective. Urine begins to change immediately upon leaving the body (human or mammal). This change involves, among other things, the creation of alkaline salt crystal (white powder like residue). These salt crystals are very alkaline (11+) on the Ph scale. After this has occurred then the acidic vinegar will help to neutralize that part of the urine residue which is now alkaline. The vinegar is a relatively weak acid and the salt crystal are a strong alkaline. You may need to use a stronger acidic spotter than vinegar for it to completely neutralize the salts. Once alkaline or acid is neutralized it can be removed easily. To remove it you can use absorption or extraction. Absorb it with a clean dry white absorbent towel or rag. Or extract it with a wet dry vacuum or similar piece of equipment. If you have a spotting machine that sprays a little cleaning solution on and extract it again this is best because you get a good rinsing action and you will remove more residue.

Vinegar as an odor remover acts as a masking agent. That is, the odor of the vinegar covers the odor of the urine or masks it until the odor of the vinegar wears off. Then the urine odor returns. Actually it has never left it has been covered from our ability to smell it by the vinegar.

Advantages:

Vinegar will act a rinsing agent like water to dilute the urine and if extracted or absorbed remove some of the residue.

Vinegar will act as a deodorizer by covering or masking the urine odor.

The acidic nature of vinegar will help to neutralize the urine alkaline salts in dried urine.

Disadvantages:

Cleaning acid with acid is not effective and can complicate your problem. By adding vinegar to the urine spot you will increase the volume of liquid and possibly soak the urine deeper into the carpet.

Vinegar does not digest, encapsulate, neutralize or change the odor molecules. It masks them.

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Pet Stains Vinegar

So step one is to remove as much urine as you can. Whether you use extraction with a wet dry vacuum or absorption with paper towel get as much out as possible. If you have access to a carpet or upholstery machine it will spray a solution onto the area and extract it back out again flushing the area and removing more urine odor. You can do this with absorption also by taking a spray bottle and spraying a little water or solution and absorbing it out again. If you do this be careful not to use too much liquid and drive the urine residue deeper into the carpet or fabric.

After you have removed what you can then you will treat the remaining residue with a good urine odor neutralizing chemical.  You can read about the types of chemicals that are affective on urine odor removal here.

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Urine Odor Removal

Another chemical that is affective as a urine odor remover. I previously wrote an article about the types of chemicals used as urine odor removers. Today I am going to add one more that is also used effectively at removing urine. These chemicals are useful for removing or eliminating many types of odors but we are specifically dealing with dog urine here so that is what I will address. I talk about 4 different types of chemicals in the other post. In this post I will describe a 5th type. It is an oxidizing agent.  Many people ask me is there anything that really works on dog urine. The answer is yes. I want to point out three keys that will make the difference as to whether it does or does not work for you.

First: Use one of the types of chemicals that are effective at doing the job. There are many products being sold that are not even designed to remove the smell of urine. For example masking agents.

Second: Get a quality chemical. There are many chemicals designed to do the job but are of inferior quality. We all know about these.

Third: Use the chemical properly. This can be the biggest problem. For the job of urine odor removal you need to use the chemical as it was designed to be used or you will at best, only get partial urine odor removal. These chemicals must come in contact with the urine to be able to work on it. Some of them need a minimum amount of time in contact with the urine residue to work. They must be kept moist during that time. Some have temperature requirements to get results from them.  These factors can vary some and you can still get partial results. But you need to keep these factors within the tolerances of the chemical you are using to get the complete results you want.

Oxidation happens to be one of the fastest methods of treatment. It is also excellent because it deals with all three aspects of urine deposits – odor, stain and contamination. The oxidation process releases large amounts of oxygen causing the urine to break down to more basic components like oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other components. This process decontaminates the urine residue. In addition it removes the stain and neutralizes the odor. These basic components that are left then either leave as gases or are easily extracted and removed.

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Urine Odor Remover

August 18, 2009
- I understand there are only a few cases of Lepto reported each year in the state of New York. It is always wise to take precautions when you have a sick dog.

This post via the Dog Urine blog where you get solutions and answers to dog urine odor, pet stains and dead or dying grass spots.

Dog Urine Solutions August 21, 2009

photo credit: Wyscan

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dog urine problems

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Suggestion Box

Here I want to describe a little about the sense of smell (olfaction). When you understand these principles you will be much more effective when it comes to purchasing and using odor removal products and getting the results you are looking for. If you smell urine or any disagreeable odor there has to be 4 conditions present. If you eliminate any one of these things the smell is gone. At least as far as your nose is concerned, it is gone. These four things are:

1. Molecules of the odorous (smelly) substance must be volatile enough to get into the air, or evaporate and get into the air, and enter our noses. If we stop the molecules from getting into the air they then will not enter the nose and you will not smell the odor. Some of the odor products that are available use this principle to eliminate the smells.

2. These molecules must be slightly water-soluble in order to pass through a mucus layer in our noses and reach our smell receptors. Again you will not smell urine if these molecules cannot reach your olfactory (smell) receptors.

3. These molecules must be lipid soluble because olfactory cilia are composed primarily of lipid material. Once again the same theory if the molecule cannot reach the sensors to trigger them and detect the smell then it is gone.

4. There has to be a sufficient number of these odorous molecules and they have to come in contact with the receptors for a minimum length of time for our noses to detect them.

You can see there are opportunities with each of the conditions to stop the smell. It should be said, that with smells there is also a possibility of a psychological issue to deal with. Our minds will play tricks on us and it can bring back smells to our memory that are as real as any smell that actually comes through the receptors in our noses. In these cases changing or stopping the molecules will not stop the smell. This then has to be approached from the psychological angle. I am not going to go into that here.

There are several very good chemicals on the market that stop or eliminate odors at different points in this process and they do it in different ways. You can read about the different methods these chemicals use to do this here. Types of chemicals.
1 photo credit: bradleygee

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Smell Urine

This is a basic outline for dog urine on or in the wood of your subfloor. Usually this is when the urine has gone through the carpet, pad and into the wood. Wood subfloor is under carpet, tile, vinyl, hardwood etc. The subfloor in the picture is under hardwood. The urine can get to the subfloor through any of these surfaces but in my experience it is usually the carpeted area's that have a problem first. Subfloor is either plywood, particle board, chip board or a similar product. Sometimes you will have carpet tack strip baseboard and even Sheetrock that is contaminated with dog urine. When this is the case you will need to address these items to get complete odor removal.

You need to remove or take up the flooring material (carpet, tile, vinyl, hardwood etc) that is in the area of the damage so you can get to the subfloor to repair it.

If the subfloor is lightly contaminated with dog urine you can give it a light cleaning and a light treatment of odor neutralizer. Take care not to over wet it and cause additional damage. Let it dry and seal it with a good varnish, shellac or an acrylic sealer. Many times it is not possible to completely clean these porous wooden materials. Thus the need to seal them. This will seal in any remaining odor or contaminate.

If the subfloor has started to buckle and warp from the moisture you can use a skill saw. Set the blade to the depth of the thickness of the floor (3/4 inch usually) and cut an x through the middle of the warped area. The thickness of the blade will remove enough wood material so you can then fasten the subfloor wood back down flat to the floor and support beams underneath. Use flooring screws for this. You may need to make two cuts depending on how warped the wood is. You just need to remove enough wood so the subfloor will lay flat again.

If the wood is too damaged and warped to repair it this way, then again set the blade to the thickness of the wood and cut the damaged area completely out. Cut a new piece of subfloor material to fit, and replace the bad piece. If there is any urine residue left in it anywhere clean and seal that area with the before mentioned sealing products. Then you will need to replace the section of pad and reinstall or replace the carpet. If you reinstall the carpet you will obviously need to clean and treat it (front and back) first.
Or replace whatever flooring material the damage is under. (Tile hardwood vinyl etc.) If you have questions post them below and I will respond.

photo credit: wheeldog

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Dog Urine on Wood

I am going to give a very basic outline about dog urine in or on wood. Two situations that you might have are:

1. Dog urine in or on hardwood flooring and 2. Dog urine in or on wood subfloor (plywood, particle board, chipboard). In this article I am going to address hardwood flooring such as oak.  If your nice oak or similar hardwood flooring is installed well and sealed well, with a quality sealer then the urine will be on and not in the wood. In this case you can use a mild cleaner and wipe the spot up with no damage to the wood. If the urine is fresh use a neutral or alkaline spotter that is safe for hardwood. If the urine is dry and there are alkaline salt crystals present use an acid base spotter that is safe for hardwoods. You can then apply an odor neutralizing spotter to eliminate any possible odor.

If the dog urine has started to penetrate into the wood then you will need to sand the surface of the wood to remove the urine. You need to sand until the stain is gone and reseal the floor.

If the urine has buckled the floor to the point it can not be sanded enough to correct the problem then you need to replace or hire a floor repair company to replace those pieces of wood that are damaged. Replacing individual boards is fairly common for professional hardwood companies. You will need to match the wood as close as you can so it blends in. This can be a challenge. You may need to re-stain the floor slightly darker to make the new wood match in sufficiently with the existing floor.  Contact your local fire and flood restoration contractor, he will probably know a good hardwood contractor for this purpose.

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Dog Urine in Wood

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Dog Potty Training

August 11, 2009

August 11, 2009
- You might want to become familiar with the laws in your own area regarding animals relieving themselves on public or private property.

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Dog Urine Solutions August 14, 2009

If you are looking for dog urine training this guide is the answer. It is the complete 7 day potty training. Quick and easy foolproof potty training dog guide. This blog was created to bring you complete and effective solutions for dog urine issues. This testimonial says it perfectly.

"Until I found Sharda Baker's Potty training web site, I had bought 3 dog training guides that each were reasonable in what they contained, but none that taught potty training in the same detail that Sharda's does.

The other difference is that Sharda's Potty Training guide is so easy to follow. It is clearly explained and most importantly it works! Don't waste your time with other training guides. I recommend you look at Sharda Baker's Complete Guide to Potty Training Within 7 Days.

It worked wonders for my doggie.

Thank you.

Cheri Taylor"

Plus she offers a money back guarantee. Go take a look!  It is the solution to dog urine training.

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Dog Urine Training

What causes urine Odor? There are over 75 compounds that have been found in animal waste that cause odor. Understanding these compounds helps us know what we can do to eliminate it. Urine is decomposed by anaerobic bacteria. Some of the groups of compounds that smell, and are a result of this breakdown are sulfides, phenols, ketones, volatile organic acids and more. Carbohydrates in animal waste include sugars, starch, and cellulose. Starch and cellulose are broken into glucose (sugar) units as the first step of decomposition. Under anaerobic conditions, sugars are broken into alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and organic acids. These intermediate compounds are odorous. They are a part of what causes urine odor. These compounds can be further metabolized and transformed into methane, carbon dioxide, and water (nonodorous end-products)

The odor of ammonia gas is one part of the distinctive odor that helps us to identify and locate urine. The other component of urine’s odor is off-gassing from bacteria that grow abundantly in warm, dark places with a never-ending food supply. The pet feeds the bacteria daily with its urine!­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ There are several types of chemicals that are very affective in eliminating the urine odor. Each of these chemicals has to come in contact with the urine to be affective at neutralizing the odor. Some work immediately on contact and others need time to work. Enzyme products need time to digest the urine. These chemicals also need to be applied in sufficient quantities to be affective.

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What Causes Urine Odor

Female dog urine is generally no different than male dog urine. There are some exceptions to this but basically they are the same. If you want to know more about the makeup of the urine itself read dogs urine. It is commonly thought that female dog urine is more acidic than male. It is also thought that this extra acidity is what causes the damage to grass. This is not the case. What causes the damage to grass is the excess nitrogen in the urine male or female.

The method in which a female dog urinates is different. The female will squat and empty her whole bladder in one spot where the male will more often urinate in smaller amounts spreading it around marking his territory. This will make the concentration of urine and nitrogen much stronger in the area that the female urinates. This is why a female dog often does more damage to grass than a male dog. The same situation will apply in a room. Whether it is carpet, hardwood, concrete, or tile and grout. You find larger more concentrated and deeper areas affected by female dog urine.  That is if the dogs are similar in size to each other. The male dog urine will many times be lighter and spread around the edges of the room. He will also do more damage up on furniture and walls. In these cases it is not the excess nitrogen that is causing the problems.

What causes problems in these cases is number one, odor from the urine. What causes the odor from the urine is the bacteria in the urine which creates off gassing and the ammonia that is being formed from the urine. Number two is the stain from the urine. There are several types of products that are effective at eliminating these problems. If you get a good product that has been designed to deal with dog urine odor and stains and use it correctly you can achieve excellent results.

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Female Dog Urine

1. The principle ingredient in urine (from dogs) is uric acid.
2. Urine also contains urochrome (yellow pigment)
3. Cholesterol (lipids)(animal fats)
4. Urea
5. And other ingredients.

The exact make-up of urine will vary depending on the dog's diet, health and other factors. The urine begins to change immediately upon leaving the body. The urine comes in contact with bacteria on the skin along with microorganisms in the carpet and elsewhere. The warm acid conditions offer a perfect breeding ground for bacteria which begin to flourish. Uric acid begins to be broken down into ammonia and carbon dioxide. The ammonia is highly alkaline (base).

A strong concentrated alkaline can damage dyes and create a permanent color loss.  Be aware that what appears to be a urine stain may actually be color loss that can not be corrected by cleaning. The urine odor can still be removed and you can sometimes correct the color loss with carpet dying techniques or patching. But cleaning will not restore color that has been removed.

As the dogs acidic urine reacts with the ammonia that is being created it forms alkaline salt crystals (white residue). When dry urine is re-moistened it gives off ammonia gas. The odor of ammonia gas is one part of the distinctive odor that helps us to identify and locate dogs urine. The other component of urine’s odor is off-gassing from bacteria that grow abundantly in warm, dark places with a never-ending food supply. The pet urine feeds the bacteria daily!

The complex composition of urine and the many chemicals formed as the urine is decomposed by bacteria present a challenging situation. With time, some of these complex organic compounds can actually become part of the fiber.

Even if the bacteria are killed the ammonia and other chemicals still produce an odor. This is the reason that more than a sanitizing agent is necessary to neutralize odors from dogs urine.

photo credit: Rob!

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Dogs Urine

The second way is that the veterinarian inserts a needle into the dog’s bladder and extracts a sample. They want the dog to come in with its bladder 2/3 full or fuller. They say it does not hurt the dog. The dog does not mind. It is a simple procedure. I don't know. I have a hard time believing my dog would not have a problem with that. But if you need a sample you have to get it somehow. There might be other alternatives but these are the two he told me about.

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Urine Sample From Dog

There are a number of products available to fix the problem of dog urine killing grass. Two items that are reported to cause the urine to kill grass are the PH of the urine and the nitrogen content in it. Nitrogen is used in fertilizers for grass. It helps the grass green up nicely but too much nitrogen burns and kills it.

There are also several different methods of correcting this problem that don't involve buying any products. Change the protein in your dog’s diet. Get your dog to drink more water or broth. To do this just add a little broth to your dog’s food.

You can give your dog supplements that are made specifically to correct this issue of dog urine killing grass. I will explore each of these items in more detail and recommend the best products to use to correct this problem in future posts. See grass and dog urine for more information.

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Dog Urine Killing Grass

August 4, 2009
- This one speaks for itself.

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Dog Urine Solutions August 7, 2009

Step Four Stop it From Reoccurring

The final step in this “removing urine” series is to stop dog urine from being an ongoing problem for you. We will examine a few ideas. I know not all solutions will work for every circumstance but these ideas will help solve the problem of dog urine once and for all.

Some people have just purchased a home or rent one and they need stains and odor from dog urine removed. In these cases they need a onetime effective remediation process and the problem is solved.

I bet that for the vast majority of us the challenge is different than that. We have our dogs. By the way my wife and I have a dog. Her name is Betty Boop. She is a Pug and there is a picture of her on this post. She lives with us. She is a member of our family. She is one of us. We need a solution that deals with her remaining in the home. This is the scenario many of us are facing.

One solution is to keep your dog isolated to only areas that are easy to clean and maintain. You can do this while you are gone and let the dog move freely about the house with you when you are home. This solution works for many people but it does not work for me with Betty.

Second solution is to keep the dog outside. Don’t make a house dog out of your pet. He /she is an outside dog. Again this is a good solution for many but not for me.

Third solution. The one that does work for me is effective potty training. Potty training is not the easiest behavior to teach a dog. It is most definitely worth doing and doing well. The damage caused by dogs that are not properly potty trained runs into the multi millions. This whole site is addressing how to deal with it. Effective potty training can be accomplished quicker and easier than you might think. You will save frustration, aggravation and the obvious damage to your property. I recommend a guide called ‘The Complete 7 Day Potty Training Guide”. It is very detailed. It is easy to follow and effective. If potty training is the way you are going to go then get it.

The last idea and I hate to even mention it, is not to have a dog. There have been times in my life that I practiced this one but again it does not work for me. I’ll bet you are saying if you were a true dog lover you couldn’t even think such a thing. This also is a great solution for many people.

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Removing Urine 4

Removing Urine step Three

Kill the odor

In step one you removed as much fresh urine as possible. In step two you pretreated, cleaned and rinsed to remove any stain and more urine residue.  If you still have some visible stains, they can be removed later. In step three you will treat and neutralize the odor.

Note: If the urine has actually removed dye from the fiber/fabric resulting in a spot that is lighter in color than the fabric around it then you have a bigger problem.

In step three we deal with any urine residue that is left and kill the odor.

Recreate the conditions. What is meant by this is two things. One, because the urine is a liquid then you need to use a liquid to counteract it. And two, you need to use enough chemical to counteract the urine. As an example: if your dog urinates 2 ounces of urine twice a day in a year’s time you will have over 11 gallons of urine deposited. The point of this is to emphasize that if you do not get enough chemical in contact with the urine residue you will not kill the smell. . The chemical has to come in contact with the urine residue in sufficient quantities to neutralize it. There are several types of chemicals that work in different ways but this principle applies to each type.

Also you need to give the chemical the time it needs to work and this is where the chemicals differ one from another. Some work immediately on contact but others (example: bacteria enzyme chemicals) need time to digest the urine residue. After the chemical you choose has had the dwell time necessary to work you remove any excess with extraction or absorption. Finally take the necessary steps to insure proper drying of the area. Use fans to accelerate drying. Dehumidifiers if you are in a moist climate or you are working on a very large area. After it has had sufficient time to dry 24-48 hours check it to see your results.

We have just discussed the steps for removing urine from minor or light damage. The process is more involved if you have moderate or severe damage.

An alternatives to this process is an injection method of removing and eliminating urine and its odor.

Step four stop it from reoccurring

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Removing Urine 3

Removing Urine Step Two

After you have removed as much urine as possible with absorption or extraction (see step one).  Step two is to pretreat, clean and rinse the urine area with a neutral spotter. To pretreat is to apply your spotting chemical, work it into the spot if necessary and let it sit for the needed time (dwell time) to work. With minor or light urine damage that is fresh, you will need very little dwell time. If it is an old spot that has dried then you will need more dwell time. If your dried spot has alkaline salt crystals from the dried urine present then use an acid spotter instead of a neutral spotter. With minor or light damage you should not have the alkaline salts present.

Apply the neutral cleaning spotter with a spray bottle or a bottle with a flip top type lid. This way you can control the amount of spotter you use and where it goes. Gently work it into the spot with a cloth or grooming tool. Do not over agitate (scrub) the area or you can damage the fibers of the fabric you are spotting.  Then absorb/extract it back out again. Repeat this process of applying spotter, absorb/extract if necessary. The spotter will help to release and neutralize any urine residue still in the fibers. Hence you will be removing more urine. It does not hurt to have a neutral spotter that has an odor neutralizer in it. This is not necessary because the next step will be to treat the odor. Do not over wet the area. Over wetting can cause additional unnecessary damage. So after you rinse, remove as much moisture as possible to avoid these problems.

Removing Urine Step Three

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Removing Urine 2

Step one: If the urine you are removing is fresh and still moist the first step in removing it is to get as much out as possible before it dries. Two ways to do this is blotting / absorption or extraction / wet vacuum.

When blotting take a clean dry absorbent towel or rag and place it on the moist urine spot. Paper towel works well. Put gentle pressure on the towel being careful not to push the urine deeper into the fiber/fabric or spread it out any further. The purpose of this is to absorb the urine into your towel and out of your carpet, or whatever you are getting it out of. Turn your towel over or change the towel if necessary to keep a clean dry area absorbing as much urine as possible. When you have removed the majority of the urine, again using a clean dry area of towel place it on the spot and put a book (like a phone book) on top of it and let it sit. You want a book that covers the size of the spot and is heavy enough to apply  pressure so the towel will absorb the last bit of moisture that it can. You can place a piece of plastic between the rag and the book so the book does not get moisture on it.

When removing urine using the extraction method use a wet dry vacuum or a home carpet cleaning machine. Use it to extract (vacuum) the urine out.  Use the strongest wet vacuum available to you. Use it to pull the urine out of the fabric/fiber or off the floor. Extract as much as you can working from the outside edges of the spot to the middle. If you have a see through (clear) wand or tool on your vacuum you can see when the urine stops coming out.

If the urine is not fresh but has dried then skip this first step of extraction/absorption

Move onto the next step in removing urine of pretreat and clean.

Removing urine step two.

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Removing Urine

July 28, 2009

July 24, 2009
- It will be interesting to see what kind of damages are assessed (if any) in this case.

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Dog Urine Solutions July 31, 2009

The pet stains I am describing here are stains from pet urine. I will focus specifically on those. I am not addressing urine odor in this post just the stain.

Many times there is no visible stain associated with urine. However when the stains are visible, what you will likely have is one of the following:

1. Yellowish stain from the urochrome in the pet urine. This can be cleaned and removed.
2. A stain left that is just the outline of where the urine ended, similar to a water stain outline. The stain that is left is at the edge of the moisture from the urine. The center of the spot has no visible stain. This can be cleaned and removed.
3. A spot or stain that looks like any other circular dirty spot on the carpet or other fabric. This is from dust and dirt sticking to the urine residue in the fibers. This can be cleaned and removed.
4. The most difficult situation with pet stains is when the concentrated alkaline has created color loss. The urine stain has actually faded the dyes in the fabric. This cannot be corrected by cleaning. Dying the fabric and restoring the color can correct this in some cases. Patching the carpet (if your pet stain is in carpet) can be a solution. The last resort is to replace the affected item.

Pet stains and stains in general are not always a result of one problem. You may have several things contributing at the same time. In many cases you need to address the items one at a time.

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Pet Stains

BACTERIA AND ENZYMES (BIO/ENZYMES) as Odor Removers

Bio/enzymes have been used successfully for many years in the stain and odor removal industry. And in other industries also. They have proven effective to remove the greasy build-up that occurs in the drains of restaurants. Bio/enzymes are the primary organism used to break down sewage in treatment plants, returning the water to a clean, non-hazardous condition. Some laundry detergents contain enzymes. Enzymes were first used in the carpet cleaning industry as spotters for breaking down organic and protein based stains.

The names of each enzyme help identify the natural product they are best at breaking down. Protease is an enzyme that digests protein. Lipase works on fat or lipids (animal fats in urine). Amylase breaks down starches. Cellulase digests cellulose and so forth. Enzymes are produced by bacteria.

The bacteria are unable to absorb and digest food internally. So, they use enzymes to breakdown or pre-digest this waste matter outside the cell. To accomplish this the bacteria produce the enzymes which act as catalysts to speed the decomposition. The enzymes convert the contamination into simpler substances that can be absorbed by the cell.

The bacteria are packaged for use in a dormant form, that is activated in the presence of moisture and an organic food source. Once activated, they grow and multiply until the food source is consumed. Under ideal conditions, the number of bacteria will double every 20 minutes. Each cell could add over 16,000,000 additional waste and odor digesting bacteria in eight hours. But when the food source is completely gone, the bacteria die and enzyme production stops.

A previous limitation to using bacteria and enzyme products was the conditions they worked under. Too high or too low a pH could stop or slow the action of the enzymes. The presence of other cleaning agents could interfere with the process. Previously used disinfectants would kill or reduce the number of active bacteria. Because biological breakdown was a slow process it was necessary to treat with enzymes and return at a later time to clean. The technology used today allows you to over-come these limitations. Cleaning and treatment can usually be accomplished on the same day.

See also part one odor remover where we discuss Masking Agents, Encapsulation products and Neutralization products as odor removers. One more that is effective that I neglected to mention is an oxidizing chemical.

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Odor Remover 2

4 types of Chemicals being used in Odor removal

There are 4 types of chemicals used to eliminate dog urine odors that I will cover. The names they have been given are Encapsulation, Enzyme and a fairly new one that is called Neutralization. The fourth is a Masking Agent. There are quality chemicals available in each of these categories that if used correctly will do an excellent job. There are many more chemicals on the market in each category that are just not very good. The good quality chemicals work well when used correctly.

Masking agent/ not an odor remover

The masking agent in dealing with dog urine is, in my opinion almost useless. It comes in many different scents and what it does is add a scent to the air that covers other less appealing fragrances. The urine odor for example. When it wears off the old odors returns. We are all familiar with masking agents.  One way they come is in spray cans and you give a little squirt from the can when you want the fresh smell they give in the air. These are great for many uses but not for removing dog urine odor.

Encapsulation as an odor remover

Encapsulation chemicals are chemicals that envelop and completely seal off the urine odor. It then dries to a crystalline form making the urine molecules odorless.

Neutralization odor remover

Neutralization is newer technology. It is an amazing new odor counteractant. It does not fit into the traditional categories of odor control agents. Its special designed molecular structure has an expanse of surface area that absorbs, binds to and counteracts odors. It is very effective on dog urine. Neutralization works immediately on contact with odors to make your cleaning job more pleasant. Neutralization contains no bleaches, no bacteria, no enzymes, no oxidizers nor chemical de-sensitizers. It is safe to use even when children or pets are in the home. Neutralization chemicals can be used on carpet, upholstery, mattresses and a variety of hard surfaces.

See part two of odor remover where we explain enzymes.

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Odor Remover 1

Is it urine or not?

Do you have a spot on the carpet or floor that you are wondering if it is urine or something else? I am going to describe a simple test you can use to find out.

1. Moisten the suspected spot lightly with hot water. Misting from a spray bottle works just fine.
2. Take a folded paper towel and place it on the moistened area.
3. Take a book (I use a phone book) and place it on the paper towel to help it absorb some of the moisture. You can put a piece of plastic between the book and the paper towel to protect the book from getting any moisture on it. Let it sit (absorb) for long enough to transfer some odor. 30 seconds to one minute should do it.
4. Wearing gloves take the moistened paper towel and put it in a plastic cup or similar container.
5. Smell the odor in the cup. This usually quickly identifies whether it is urine or not.

photo credit: wotthe7734

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Dog Urine Smell

This is part two of "Pet Urine, Scale of Severity." In part one we defined minor, light and moderate pet urine damage. In part two we will define severe damage.

Severe pet urine

The pet urine soaks the face fiber and the backing of the carpet and the pad and gets into the wood subfloor/floor. The buildup of dried lipids has made the carpet fibers sticky.  Tack strip around the edge of the room may be rotting. Urine may have wicked up into the baseboard and wallboard.

Note: When the pet urine reaches the backing it spreads and when it reaches the pad it spreads and when it reaches the floor, you guessed it, it spreads. The area affected by the urine is usually several times larger than you can see from the top or the face of the carpet. This is not always the case. If the dog has sprayed small amounts of urine (marking his territory for example) then there is not enough volume for it to spread and the area may be no larger than what is visible.

If you have many minor or light problem areas in a single room and you are hand treating them yourself one at a time the problem may become a moderate or severe problem to you. Cleaning many light problem areas can become too big of a job. If you hire a professional carpet cleaner who deals with dog urine to come in and clean the carpets it should remain a minor or light problem to him. As long as the dog urine problem is only in the carpet face fibers, the professional can clean and treat the whole room at one time as though it was one large light issue. If you have a good carpet cleaning machine you can do it yourself. It is when the urine gets deeper into the carpet or into other areas (furniture, walls etc.) that the problem becomes moderate or severe and effective decontamination becomes more involved.

see also part one of "Pet Urine Scale of Severity"

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Pet Urine 2

This is part one of a 2 part "Pet Urine, Scale of Severity" article.

Let’s create a scale to help us determine how severe the pet urine contamination is. We need a couple things in order to effectively correct dog urine stain and odor problems. We need to locate each of the problem areas. We also need an idea of how extensive or severe each of the problem areas are. This scale will help determine this. We will use 4 levels in this scale. Minor, Light, Moderate and Severe.  We will apply it to a carpet and pad scenario. The principles can be applied to other applications also. For example furniture, drapery, mattress’s and other fabrics. This scale will also be useful for concrete, hardwood, walls, tile and other hard surfaces. Not as useful as when applied to carpet and fabric but still useful. It is not much use for grass, lawn or plant damage.

Minor pet urine

This is where the dog has urinated only small amounts and you are able to blot (paper towels or absorbent rags) it or extract (wet/dry vac) it out before it can dry in the carpet.  A small amount may have reached the backing of the carpet but it has not reached the pad or the sub floor. However it does get into the face fibers of the carpet and it has not dried in the carpet.

Light pet urine

This is when there is a little more urine and you are not able to clean it up quickly. It soaks deeper into the face fibers and reaches the backing. But not into the carpet pad. If many deposits occurred in the same location the urine would likely have reached the pad and the floor below. In this case the contamination would no longer be described as light. Urine may or may not have dried in the carpet.

Moderate pet urine

Urine has soaked through the back of the carpet. Urine stains and/or alkaline salt crystals are apparent on the backing of the carpet. The carpet pad is contaminated and very possibly the subfloor/floor under the carpet. If the Tack strip (the strip used around the outer edged of the room to hold the carpet down) has been affected it is stained only but still in good condition. The lipids (animal fats in urine) left in the carpet are not enough to make the carpet fibers sticky.

continue with "Pet Urine Scale of Severity" part two

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Pet Urine 1

Part two

We have discussed using the eyes and nose to locate the source of your urine odor in part one. In part two we will discuss using ultraviolet light and the use of a moisture sensor.

ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT (black light) to locate urine odor. Urine residue will glow under a black light. Ultraviolet lights in several intensities are available to help you locate urine deposits. Low powered black lights must be held very close to the carpet in a dark room. Medium intensity lights will work from a few feet away. High powered lights can quickly be used to check a carpet and other fabrics from several feet away. All black lights work best in a dark room but this is not as critical when using a more powerful light. When necessary, black plastic sheeting can be used to cover windows and light sources. Another option is to drape a sheet or dark blanket over yourself while you are making the inspection. Black lights are readily available at many price points.

You will recognize urine by the shape of the spot and by its characteristic yellow (from dogs) glow. However, a bluish glow may indicate urine stains where cleaning has been previously attempted with a product that contained an optical brightener.

MOISTURE DETECTOR to locate urine odor. Use a moisture probe to examine all the carpet in question. As urine dries a chemical reaction creates an alkaline salt. Alkaline salts are hygroscopic, that is they absorb moisture from the air. In all but the driest conditions the salt residue will hold enough moisture to activate a moisture probe. Moisture detectors are harder to find and can get expensive.

Use all the tools you can– eyes, nose, moisture detector and UV light -to locate all urine deposits. Be sure to mark the location of all odor areas. Use white chalk, pennies or some other markers. A diagram on graph paper will help you locate the problem areas if the treatment is being done at a later time.

See also part one “urine odor, locate the source”

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Urine Odor part 2

July 24, 2009
- Good article. Be careful when feeding your dog pills and additives. Some of them can be harmful to your dog.

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Dog Urine Solutions July 24, 2009

Part one Locate the source

When you are dealing with urine odor often you do not have a stain or anything visible indication to show you where the urine odor is originating from, or where the problem is. I am going to discuss the different methods of finding these areas. We have several tools available to locate them.

It is very important to locate each area because if you don’t find all the problem areas, you will not be able to completely eliminate the urine smell. Each spot needs to be treated. It needs to be treated with the correct chemicals and in the correct way if you want to get 100% odor removal. The steps you take change depending on how severe your urine odor problem is.

The tools available are our eyes, our nose, ultraviolet (UV) lights, and moisture detector.

Eye’s If you actually see the area where the dog is urinating,  or when there is a yellow stain left on the surface of the carpet, this is when we use our eyes to locate the area. If you can look at the back of a loose carpet or rug and inspect it, many times there will be stains left that are obvious when nothing is visible otherwise. This is true with other fabrics also. The stains will look like water stains and sometimes there will be a white salt residue.  If the carpet is not loose but is installed you can still pull it up off the tack strip and look at the backing. This then will need to be stretched or kicked back in again onto the tack strip. You can also use the alternative injection method of treating  the urine odor.

NOSE Obviously the nose is a great tool for locating the contaminated areas. We may enter a home or a room and immediately smell the presence of odors associated with urine. Sometimes it is strong and sometimes it is a faint urine odor.  Determining the precise location of the smell is more difficult. In part this is because air currents diffuse the odor. Closing any open windows, turning off ceiling fans, heating or air conditioner and other sources of air movement will make it easier to locate the source. Remember that most women are more sensitive to odors than men. If you are a male with less than a great nose for odors you may benefit from a female assisting you.

Continue with part two “Urine Odor, locate the source”

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Urine Odor 1

You can remove urine and eliminate urine problems yourself.

With a little information and help 90% of these problems can be corrected at home. The other 10% you may want to hire a professional.

To remove urine there are several things you will want to consider. In a dog urine removal situation you need to analyze the extent of the damage that you have. Consider this, if a small dog (10-15 lb dog) deposits approximately 2 1/2 ounces of urine each time he/she urinates. And if he/she urinates only 2 times a day, in one month that is just under 1 ¼ gallons of urine. In one year it is over 14 gallons. So ask yourself, approximately how long has the urine been accumulating?

Did you catch it right away or has this been going on for some time? Is it spread out in smaller amounts over a larger area or has it been concentrated in only two or three small spots?

This example is considering a small dog, 10-15 pounds. What if you are dealing with a large dog or two? Obviously the larger the dog the larger the amount of urine.  The answers to these questions change the steps necessary to remove the urine effectively and completely. Don’t be discouraged there are solutions to even the severe situations. To assess the damage and to locate all the urine spots you have see our "Urine Odor locate the source" and "Pet Urine, scale of severity" posts.

This post via the Dog Urine blog where you get solutions and answers to dog urine odor, pet stains and dead or dying grass spots.

Remove Urine

I am guessing you already have a problem or you would not be here.

Many people, not all but many are looking for a one step quick and easy method to remove and eliminate the damage caused by dog urine. Dog urine in carpets or rugs. Dog urine on concrete or hardwood. And dog urine killing grass or plants and more.

And who can blame them? Of course that is what they want. Isn't that what we would all want?

In this blog I will tell you exactly how to do just that. But only if your problem is a minor or light problem. If it is more than that (a moderate or severe problem) then it most definitely is going to take more to eliminate it. It can still be done effectively but it will not be quite as quick and easy.

We will discuss step by step how to deal with the minor problems and what types of products are affective for that. We will also discuss the different degrees of dog urine damage. From minor to severe damage. And step by step how to take care of each. What products and procedures to use to get the best results. Keep in mind with dog urine we are dealing with several different issues. We have the odor. We have the stain. We have the contamination and in the case of dead or dying grass we have the nitrogen and PH of the urine to address. Some products are designed to eliminate more than one problem at a time. In most cases though, it takes a multi-step solution to achieve the desired results.

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Dog Urine