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?
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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
I have stainless steel “drains” that we power spray daily, but I have a build up of urine crystals that are very hard to remove. Any suggestions on a product or process that will remove the crusty buildup?
Roberta
Sorry for the delay in responding. I will address a process first. The urine crystal build up is high alkaline urine salts which form as the urine dries. Like other alkaline situations (hard water, rust etc.) you can neutralize it with an acid based product. After it is neutralized it washes away easily. It basically just dissolves and runs off or down the drain in your case. The challenge I foresee with your situation is that the acid can discolor the stainless steel. You will want an acid strong enough to neutralize the urine crystals but not strong enough to damage the stainless.
Some type of acids work faster than others at dissolving the urine crystals. Some are safer for the stainless steel drain covers. There are also different grades of stainless steel, which can effect how the drain cover will respond to the acid cleaning.
Citric acid is very safe for the stainless steel. Dissolve 1 to 1 ½ cups of Citric acid (powder) into a gallon of hot water. Apply to the area with the urine. A sprayer with a tip that produces foam will allow the acid to stay in contact with the crystals for a longer time. Hopefully this will be enough for the slower acting citric acid to dissolve the urine. Then rinse with clear water or water with just a little alkaline (most dish, laundry or hand soaps) in it to neutralize the acid.
TCU will work much faster to dissolve the urine but can also take some shine off the stainless steel. I suggest trying the citric acid first. Only go to the TCU if the citric does not work. Try the safest approach first. Especially with the TCU Neutralizer, be sure to rinse with a little alkaline in the rinse water.
I bought a house about a year ago. The previous owners let the dogs urinate in the garage. After moving in we used just about every cleaning solution to get the smell out. After cleaning the concrete we then sealed it with an epoxy concrete sealer. The smell of urine has returned. I am not sure how to get rid of it. Not sure if using any cleaning products would help seeing that we sealed the concrete. What would you recommend in this situation? Thanks-Mark
Mark
As you know these odors can be challenging. You say the smell has returned indicating that it was gone for some period of time. This makes me wonder what changed to to stir the smell up again. The 3 things that come to mind are moisture, heat and air movement. If the weather (air) in your area has turned more moist recently, or the garage has been warmer, or air is being circulated through the area (or any combination of these) then that could explain the smell returning. Re-create the conditions before the smell returned and you have a good chance that the smell will become undetectable again.
The fact that the smell did come back shows that it was not eliminated in the cleaning and treating process, or sealed effectively enough to do the job for you. Unless you have a dog of your own and additional urine has been added to the area. This happens often. A dog will smell the residual odor of urine even when we can’t and urinate in that same area. Sealing helps but there are microscopic holes in sealers. These microscopic holes or air bubbles are actually larger than the odor molecules. So the odor molecules can and will pass through the sealer when conditions allow. Sealers do not create an absolute seal against odors. Some say sealers are useless because of this. Most say that the sealers will seal enough of the odor to be useful. If you use an additional coat of sealer that will then block more of the odor molecules from escaping or moving through the seal.
If you decide you need to re-treat the concrete then you will need to remove the sealer you have put down to do that. Use a good urine eliminating product (http://www.removeurine.com) (or a regular oxidizing bleach can work well on concrete) and keep it on and wet long enough so it will soak down into concrete and come in contact with the urine. It needs to come in contact with the urine to neutralize, digest or encapsulate it. After treating and removing most (say 90%) of the smell with treatment then a couple coats of good sealer usually is satisfactory.
One other thing I will throw out there is to check the Sheetrock and wood framing in the garage, or any other surfaces (items)that might have been contaminated. The smell could be coming from these other items. Many times the urine will soak into these and they need to be decontaminated also.
Hi Leonard,
Do you have any experience removing rat urine? I have a basement apt. in my home, which I have rented for over 10 years and we have had always had a “no pets” policy. I have never had a tenant who has violated that policy until now. These tenants had a very large pet rat who had a rather large tumor (golf ball to lemon size) under its abdominal area. The rat was about two years old and the tenants concealed and kept it in a cage in a fully finished storage area underneath a full flight of stair to my main floor area. The tenants lived in my apt. for 7 months and concealed their pet. I found out about it quite by accident. They were not very clean themselves and surprisingly they were the same regarding their pet. They told me that their rat had never been out of it’s two level cage, but going over the carpet with a black light has revealed otherwise. There are a lot of spots, quarter to half dollar size, in various places all over the carpet as well as splashes on the wall and carpet in the area where the cage was kept. I purchased a produce called “OXY Solution Carpet Stain Remover” from a pet store and was going to use it when I found your site. The listed ingredients in this product are purified water, hydrogen peroxide, cleansers, stabilizing agents, & fragrance. With a later inquiry, I learned that PetCo and Pet’s Mart both recommend a product called “Nature’s Miracle” that has the following ingredients in it: water, enzymes, isopropol alcohol, & citrus scent. I want to make sure that a product that will best remove the rat urine, as I have been told by my sister, who had cats before, that the only way to get rid of it is to replace the carpet and pad and have a professional clean the concrete floor underneath as well. There is also some dried baby spit up on the carpet in a few places as well that they made no attempt to clean up, so it was dried and smelled pretty bad, that I have not been able to remove either. They had a six month old baby when they moved in last December. I finally got these tenants to move out, and now I just have to clean up the mess. I would appreciate any advice you can give me on how to best do that, esp. since the urine and spit up have been there for a while. Also, with your experience can you positively identify what kind of urine is on carpet. Also, I was wondering if you can positively identify Rat Urine? I live in Lindon, Utah, which is just north of Orem. Thank you so very much for any help you can give me! Utah Landlady P.S. Please do not sell my e-mail address, as I already get junk mail that I do not want!
Eve
I have not dealt with rat urine and no, I do not have the equipment or capability of identifying the kind of urine it is. I can tell you that both the urine (and as far as I know all types of urine) and the baby spit up are organic materials. There are several type chemicals that are effective on organic materials. Oxy or oxygen type chemicals and enzyme type chemicals are effective. The hydrogen peroxide in the Oxy solution is what would make it effective and the enzymes in Natures Miracle is what makes it effective. I know Natures Miracle is a good product. You have to use it according to the directions though. Enzymes take time to break down the organic urine or spit up. Any product you use needs to come in contact with the urine residue. Enzymes take time to work and digest the urine so you have to get the enzymes to the urine and keep it damp long enough for them to digest it. Oxy type products need to come in contact but they work almost immediately. If the urine is into the pad and floor the product needs to get there also and it has to have time to work. If you have urine spots all over the apartment then if becomes difficult (time consuming) to find them and treat them. The products are effective when you get a quality product and use it properly. Some times it takes several applications to completely remove the smell. There are times it is preferable to replace the carpet but most replace it because they believe the smell will not come out. Stains are a different matter. Most of them can be remove but urine can take the color out of fabrics (carpet). When the color has been removed then cleaning will not put it back. Hope this helps.
In regard to human urine being left in the toilet to help save water, what would you recommend as a natural method to help eliminate the odor and help neutralize the urine and reduce ring buildup? Something I could mix with water and put in a spray bottle…
Charles
I don’t have a good answer. Sorry. You could try some Clorox bleach or chlorine or bromine. Like what is used in hot tubs. In my experience when urine is left sitting in a toilet for a long time it can etch a mark (ring) in the bowl that can not be removed and then you need a new toilet. Microbe products and enzyme products both break down and digest urine. They need to be damp to work but sitting in the toilet is way past damp. I don’t know how effective they would be in that situation. You want to be careful with what you put in the sewer system. Ask a chemical toilet company that supplies chemical toilets for construction sites.
Hello
i have just moved into, it seems the owner allowed the dog to urinante and excrete in a spare room with laminate tiles in. So much so that the tiles have almost come away from the floor. underneath these tiles it STINKS of dog urine, is this cleanable?? its on a concrete floor
Terry
Because it is laminate tile on concrete I suggest you first try mopping it with an oxygen bleach solution. (Like Clorox bleach) But clean the area first with any good floor cleaner you use. The oxygen in the bleach should break the urine molecules down into more basic elements and kill the smell. The solution will need to soak in and come in contact with the urine residue to work on it. So put it on heavy and let it soak in. And or apply it several times. The dogs have possibly been urinating on it for months or longer. Test an area first to be sure it will not damage the laminate tiles. If the result from this does not satisfy you contact me for some more commercial type applications. It sounds like because the tile is starting to come up you should think about replacing the tile and when the tile are up use the above process to eliminate the smell in the concrete.
My two horses urinate at the same place all the time. The ground is gravel, covered with pine needles. How can I eliminate the smell ? Can you advise me ?
Urine from man or animal is organic. There is a product that contains naturally occurring microbes along with other ingredients called “Grass Revitalize” from http://www.removeurine.com
The microbes in the product absorb and break down organic matter such as urine (horse urine in your case) which results in eliminating the odor. The product is designed and marketed for use on grass for protecting it against and restoring it from the damage caused from dog urine. I understand you are not trying to protect or restore grass but the microbes will still absorb and break down the organic matter in the horse urine and eliminate the odor. You do not want to use it in freezing weather because freezing can damage the microbes. It needs to be reapplied every few months during the warmer weather. The microbes take time so the smell will not be gone overnight but they will do the job. Thanks for the question.
We have a new house (3mo). Someone didn’t use the portapotty and used our master closet instead. The builder had someone remove the carpet, put an enzyme on the concrete and immeadiatly spray 2 coats of Kilz on it. Then new pad and new carpet. That was three weeks ago. The house still smells of urine. We have no pets. Please help us.
Warren
I will offer a couple of ideas or thoughts. First enzymes take time to digest and break down the urine. The area would need to be treated with the enzyme product and kept damp for a sufficient period of time for the enzymes to work on the urine residue. From your description it sounds like it was not given time to work. Some enzyme products work faster than others. It can take 2-3 days under good conditions for it to break down the urine. You also need to make sure the enzyme product comes in contact with the urine residue. For example if the urine is deep into the concrete then the enzymes need to get in deep also. If the urine has run under the base board and soaked into the base board or is in the sheetrock then the enzymes need to get into those as well. There are products that will eliminate the smell immediately on contact but many people prefer the enzyme type products. Not all the products that are available are of good quality either but even a good one needs the proper conditions to be effective. As you say the odor can get into the clothes and also into the new carpet and pad if it was not neutralized well. The contamination in these should be minimal and easily removed though. The products will neutralize the urine if they are used properly. First you have to locate the contaminated areas. A black light can help with this and of course our noses are useful. Once all areas are isolated then cleaning to remove as much residue as possible and then the treatment with a good product and use it as directed. In some cases on concrete and wood we can not completely eliminate all the odor because of the porousness of these materials and so sealing them can complete the job. In your case it could be they were not thorough enough or they didn’t give the product time to work or it was not a good product or they haven’t treated all the affected area’s.
Hope this helps.
what else can you remove dog urine with besides peroxide, salt and white vinegar????
First locate all the contaminated area’s. Then clean as much urine residue up and out as you can. Preferably with an extraction machine like a wet dry vac. This will actually suck the urine up an out of what you are cleaning. Add a water base solution to the area a little at a time and vacuum it back out to create a rinsing action. Next treat the remaining urine residue use one of the following 3 types of products.
1. Bio-enzyme products. The enzymes digest or break down complex
molecules in the dog urine into simpler ones.
2. Oxidation products. This process releases a large volume of oxygen causing the urine to break down to basic components such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other components that either leave as gases or are easily extracted.
3. Odourcide. Odourcide is an amazing new odor counteractant. Odourcide is new technology. 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 from many sources. It is very effective on urine. These are availale at removeurine.com
Hi
I wonder if any of the products you recommend have the potential to damage nearby plants? Our dogg run is next to plant beds and the water that we use to rinse the slate in the dog run drains into these beds which is why we haven’t attempted to use any specific products yet – would be very grateful for your advise.
Jo
Actually yes. Some of the dog urine products I recommend could be harmful to plants. We recommend certain acidic products for particular applications and oxidation products for other applications. These I would not recommend for around plants. The number one product I recommend “Severe Urine Neutralizer (SUN)” should be safe on plants. It is a polymer base and has no harmful ingredients but I have not tried it around plants and you would need to test it first. The product I do recommend for around plants is “Grass Revitalize”. It is slower to neutralize urine odor than SUN but it actually adds microbes to the soil. These microbes help the plants including grass in several ways including breaking down the waste products (urine) into nutrients the plants use to thrive on. These microbes also prepare the soil to hold moisture much better. It takes less water, yet the plants have a more consistent supply of moisture because it is more available to the roots of the plants.
can any of these products be used on drywall??
Yes They can be used on drywall. My first suggestion is to use “SUN” but I need more details of your specific situation. You want the SUN solution to come in contact with the urine residue without over-wetting the drywall. If you get the drywall to wet it will swell up and begin to fall apart. If you just need to spray the solution on the surface of the drywall you will be fine. Even if it needs to just penetrate the surface paper and into the drywall slightly you will be fine. If it needs to be saturated and let stand like that you will have damage to the drywall.
Can I buy these products in the UK, if so where please.
Thank you
Heather Johnson
I am checking into setting up the shopping cart so it will accept orders from the UK. Give me a couple days to get it done. Thanks
Do you have any experience removing rat urine? I have a basement apt. in my home, which I have rented for over 10 years and we have had always had a “no pets” policy. I have never had a tenant who has violated that policy until now. These tenants had a very large pet rat who had a rather large tumor (golf ball to lemon size) under its abdominal area. The rat was about two years old and the tenants concealed and kept it in a cage in a fully finished storage area underneath a full flight of stair to my main floor area. The tenants lived in my apt. for 7 months and concealed their pet. I found out about it quite by accident. They were not very clean themselves and surprisingly they were the same regarding their pet. They told me that their rat had never been out of it’s two level cage, but going over the carpet with a black light has revealed otherwise. There are a lot of spots, quarter to half dollar size, in various places all over the carpet as well as splashes on the wall and carpet in the area where the cage was kept. I purchased a produce called “OXY Solution Carpet Stain Remover” from a pet store and was going to use it when I found your site. The listed ingredients in this product are purified water, hydrogen peroxide, cleansers, stabilizing agents, & fragrance. With a later inquiry, I learned that PetCo and Pet’s Mart both recommend a product called “Nature’s Miracle” that has the following ingredients in it: water, enzymes, isopropol alcohol, & citrus scent. I want to make sure that a product that will best remove the rat urine, as I have been told by my sister, who had cats before, that the only way to get rid of it is to replace the carpet and pad and have a professional clean the concrete floor underneath as well. There is also some dried baby spit up on the carpet in a few places as well that they made no attempt to clean up, so it was dried and smelled pretty bad, that I have not been able to remove either. They had a six month old baby when they moved in last December. I finally got these tenants to move out, and now I just have to clean up the mess. I would appreciate any advice you can give me on how to best do that, esp. since the urine and spit up have been there for a while. Also, with your experience can you positively identify what kind of urine is on carpet. Also, I was wondering if you can positively identify Rat Urine? I live in Lindon, Utah, which is just north of Orem. Thank you so very much for any help you can give me! Utah Landlady P.S. Please do not sell my e-mail address, as I already get junk mail that I do not want!
+1
All urine including rat urine is organic. The spit up or vomit is also organic. Bacteria create enzymes. The enzymes digest and break down the organic materials. If the active enzymes come in contact with the urine and spit up residue (molecules) they will begin to break down those molecules into more basic elements . By breaking the molecules down it eliminates some stains (not always all the stains) and the odors. You need a good enzyme product (Natures Miracle is one and Max Enzyme from removeurine.com is another) it needs to come in contact with the urine and spit up and the enzymes need to be kept active (kept damp) long enough to break down those elements. If urine is in the pad and concrete the enzymes need to get there also and be kept active so they can work. If its just in the carpet fibers then just adding the product to a carpet cleaning process should take care of it.
I am not familiar with the Oxy product you mention. It is working on a totally different principle. Cleansers are there to remove the stains. The peroxide also removes certain type stains (the yellow pigment in the urine) and could have some effect on odors (not the best for odors). The fragrance is used to make the cleaning process more pleasant and cover the foul odors.
There are new products like “Severe Urine Neutralizer (SUN)” from removeurine.com (also work on the molecules) that are just as effective at removing all organic odors as enzymes and the advantage to it is it works immediately on contact. So they have to come in contact with the organic molecules (like the other products) but they kill the smell in minutes. It doesn’t have to be kept damp for hours to days. They are effective on many stains also.
Depending on the stain you may need another product or process (which is the case with any product you use). Urine can create several stains including 1. a yellow spot from the pigment in it. Or 2.alkaline salt residue. Or 3. the high PH in the alkaline can even remove color from the carpet. or 4. A lipid buildup from the urine. Lipids are removed with solvents. If the color has been removed you can not replace this with cleaning. Alkaline salts are removed with an acid base cleaner. The yellow pigment is usually removed with basic cleaners but can sometimes need a peroxide or oxidizing product to remove. Hope this helps and doesn’t just complicate it for you.
i hav just purchased from u s.u.n its a fantastic product,but cost just as much 2 ship as 2 purchase!!!is there a uk suplier?
There is no UK supplier. Sorry. We sell only from our site and Amazon at this time. You could try purchasing on Amazon. The shipping might be less. They might also just not allow you to purchase from the UK through Amazon. I am not sure exactly how they handle it with their system. Thanks for your endorsement and feedback for our ” Severe Urine neutralizer (SUN)” product.
I am looking for the chemical that when sprayed on surfaces will allow a Black Light to illuminate urine that may be on things but dried before I could find it to get it cleaned up. Short of training my other dog to sniff out where this Wiener dog we rescued has been peeing when our backs are turned, Or getting down on my hands & knees and sniffing or deodorizing every inch of my home, I,m hoping to find a “Urine Detection Spray”
I am not familiar with any spray that helps illuminate urine. The alkaline salts in urine illuminate under a black light without spraying a chemical on it. Alkaline salts are created through a chemical process urine goes through as it dries. There are goggles available that enhance and increase the visibility of the glow from fluorescent areas.
The most effective UV for locating urine deposits is the long wave UV around 385 nanometers.
Ultraviolet lights in several intensities are available to help you locate urine deposits. Low powered UV lights must be held very close to the carpet in a dark room. Medium intensity lights can work from a few feet away. High powered lights can quickly be used to check a carpet from several feet away.
All UV 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. Another option is to drape a sheet or dark blanket over yourself while making the inspection.
we have pet grass for dogs to use at our apartment property, approx 4500 sq ft
the smell will knock you over
mainly where the bld exits are
what products do you recommend
Ken
Two products that I will recommend. Use one or the other. You don’t need both. The first is “Severe Urine Neutralizer SUN” from http://www.removeurine.com. This is an amazing pet odor neutralizer that will kill the odor of any urine (and a lot of other organic odors)it comes in contact with. You just mix it up and spray or pour it on and the odor is neutralized.
The other is “Grass Revitalize” from http://www.removeurine.com. The advantage to Grass Revitalize is it is designed for outdoor use. You spray it on and water it in. It puts natural microbes into the soil that are beneficial in many ways to plants including grass. It is used to counteract the damage dog urine does to grass. Also the microbes break down and speed up the decomposition of the urine and even feces in the grass. Once thee waste products are broken down the odor is eliminated. This also results in the grass being able to use these waste byproducts as fertilizer to strengthen the plants instead of it damaging them.
The advantage to Severe Urine Neutralizer is it works on the molecular level immediately neutralizing on contact. This means as soon as you apply it to the urine causing the odor it eliminates that odor. The microbes take time to break down the urine molecules. This means the odor lingers until the microbes finish their job.
Hope this helps. If you have other questions don’t hesitate to ask.
Hi Leonard!
I’ve been finding some very useful information from you on this website and I really appreciate it! However, I do still have one (ok, maybe TWO) more question(s)!
We have a “small” 😉 (8’x24′) dog kennel that has a cement floor located right outside our back door. Being in a wheelchair, we built it this way for my convenience in being able to let my dog out without the need for tying him up, not have to worry about him getting away from me, and making it easier to clean up than it would be if he did his business out on the lawn. Well, 2 dogs and 18 years later, you can about imagine the stench we and, unfortunately, the neighbors are experiencing….not good!
And, of course, I didn’t know it wasn’t a good idea to use a power washer….driving the urine further down into it! My husband has cleaned it with one many times!
We are going to try your recommendations now and treat it a couple times, leaving the product on the cement for a couple days each time. There are so many different products and all seem to have good reviews. Which product would you suggest that would work the best for our cement floor kennel situation? (Urine Off, which also comes in Veterinary strength?? Nature’s Miracle? OdorZyme? Something else??)
My other question is about the sealing of it after it’s been cleaned. Once we’ve sealed it, our dog will, of course, continue to use this area for his business. Will we need to clean and reseal it every so often or would we just wash it down good with the hose and put on another coat of sealant?
Your recommendations would be greatly appreciated as we need to get this done in the near future. Thank you!
Sue
You asked
“Which product would you suggest that would work the best for our cement
floor kennel situation? (Urine Off, which also comes in Veterinary
strength?? Nature’s Miracle? OdorZyme? Something else??)”
I would recommend either “Severe Urine Neutralizer SUN” from
removeurine.com or “Max Enzyme” from removeurine.com. Both products are
good and will eliminate the smell if used correctly. The SUN eliminates
the urine odor immediately on contact. The Max Enzyme takes 4-24 hours for
the enzymes to digest the urine molecules. Both products need to soak in
to where the urine is and come in contact with the urine residue and then
have the time to work. So you need to apply it liberally and then either
cover it with plastic or keep adding additional solution or water to keep
it damp long enough for it to soak in and work. Again the SUN solution
works much faster.
About sealing: In some cases urine will have penetrated into concrete or
wooden. Because these materials are very porous it is usually not possible
to completely clean them. Then it will be necessary to seal in any
remaining odor using varnish, shellac or an acrylic sealer.
Pigmented shellac makes an excellent sealer. However it will change the
appearance of the surface to which it is applied. This means it will not
be appropriate in every situation. Clear shellac or an acrylic sealer for
floors or concrete also works will. These products are clear and will not
change the appearance as markedly as a pigmented product.
These sealers do wear off over time. With dogs nails on them they could
wear off quicker of course. If the concrete remains sealed so the urine
does not penetrate then all you need to do is reseal it. If the sealer
wears off to the point the urine again begins to penetrate the concrete
you may need to treat it again before sealing. It will wear off first in
the traffic areas. One more point to note is sealers have microscopic air
holes in them after they dry. The odor molecules are smaller that the
holes in the sealer so odor can pass through the sealer even though
moisture can not. So more than one coat of sealer is recommended. Even so
the most complete process is to clean, treat and seal the concrete.
When it is sealed good the urine will run to and off the edges of the
concrete and then you may still get odor from those areas.So those areas
become the areas that need odor neutralization treatment.
Hope this helps. If you have any other questions just let me know.
HELP! HELP! HELP!
In a condo I own the tenant’s 2 cats and 1 dog urinated to a 70% penetration rate on ceramic tile on the first level, the gypsum concrete on the second level and the plywood subflooring on the stairs and third level. This evidently happened over a three year period. Do I need to replace all the flooring? Please help me find a solution.
When you describe it as 70% penetration I take that to mean 7/10’s deep into the tile, concrete and plywood in isolated spots. As apposed to 70% of the surface area of the tile, concrete and plywood have been contaminated with urine. If you do mean 70% deep in isolated spots then what you need to do is locate those spots that are contaminated with the urine and soak them with a good urine odor neutralizer solution. Make sure to soak the surfaces to that same 70% depth. If the neutralizer solution comes in contact with the urine residue it will neutralize / remove the odor. Use a good effective urine odor neutralizer solution like “Severe Urine Neutralizer SUN” or a good enzyme type solution like “Max Enzyme” from http://www.removeurine.com/sun or from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/SUN-Severe-Urine-Neutralizer-Concentrate/dp/B005MEJ23K or http://www.amazon.com/Max-Enzyme-Urine-Digester-Concentrate/dp/B005MEKW2U
The tile and concrete should be fine but the plywood can warp as a result of getting it wet if it is not already warped from the moisture of the urine. If it warps you can repair it by cutting an x through the middle of the warped bubble that is bumped up and screwing the plywood back down flat with flooring screws. Or you can repair it by replacing that section. Make sure you only cut through the top layer of plywood and not through both layers of flooring.
But if you mean 70% of the surface of the materials (tile, concrete and wood) have been contaminated or that 70% of the surface has been contaminated 70% deep then it would most likely be better to replace the flooring rather than trying to treat the large effected areas. Even if you replace you may have areas you still need to treat with an odor neutralizer depending on what yo find after you tear up the old flooring. If they had a male dog it may have sprayed up on the Sheetrock walls. This would not be soaked in as deep if it exists at all. There may be spots that it soaked through cracks and ran down to the underneath flooring that you would treat rather than replace. If you have a very large area that is contaminate you can still do a massive soaking of the whole area virtually flooding the area and letting it soak in to the correct depth but the amount of solution needed for that and the amount of work involved the amount of moisture you would be putting into the surfaces would make replacing a more viable option. A good neutralizer solution will eliminate the odor of new or old urine. The fact that it is over 3 years does not mean you can not eliminate the odor but it does mean you probably have a larger areas and deeper into the surfaces than it would be over a shorter period of time.
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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?
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. 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.
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.
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.
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.
I have stainless steel “drains” that we power spray daily, but I have a build up of urine crystals that are very hard to remove. Any suggestions on a product or process that will remove the crusty buildup?
Roberta
Sorry for the delay in responding. I will address a process first. The urine crystal build up is high alkaline urine salts which form as the urine dries. Like other alkaline situations (hard water, rust etc.) you can neutralize it with an acid based product. After it is neutralized it washes away easily. It basically just dissolves and runs off or down the drain in your case. The challenge I foresee with your situation is that the acid can discolor the stainless steel. You will want an acid strong enough to neutralize the urine crystals but not strong enough to damage the stainless.
Some type of acids work faster than others at dissolving the urine crystals. Some are safer for the stainless steel drain covers. There are also different grades of stainless steel, which can effect how the drain cover will respond to the acid cleaning.
Citric acid is very safe for the stainless steel. Dissolve 1 to 1 ½ cups of Citric acid (powder) into a gallon of hot water. Apply to the area with the urine. A sprayer with a tip that produces foam will allow the acid to stay in contact with the crystals for a longer time. Hopefully this will be enough for the slower acting citric acid to dissolve the urine. Then rinse with clear water or water with just a little alkaline (most dish, laundry or hand soaps) in it to neutralize the acid.
TCU will work much faster to dissolve the urine but can also take some shine off the stainless steel. I suggest trying the citric acid first. Only go to the TCU if the citric does not work. Try the safest approach first. Especially with the TCU Neutralizer, be sure to rinse with a little alkaline in the rinse water.
TCU: http://www.bridgepoint.com/products.html?item_num=CS20GL++++++++++++++&wscdet_show=320000
CITRIC ACID: http://www.bridgepoint.com/products.html?item_num=CR20A+++++++++++++++&wscdet_show=365000
Locate a distributor near you: http://www.bridgepoint.com/locator.html
I bought a house about a year ago. The previous owners let the dogs urinate in the garage. After moving in we used just about every cleaning solution to get the smell out. After cleaning the concrete we then sealed it with an epoxy concrete sealer. The smell of urine has returned. I am not sure how to get rid of it. Not sure if using any cleaning products would help seeing that we sealed the concrete. What would you recommend in this situation? Thanks-Mark
Mark
As you know these odors can be challenging. You say the smell has returned indicating that it was gone for some period of time. This makes me wonder what changed to to stir the smell up again. The 3 things that come to mind are moisture, heat and air movement. If the weather (air) in your area has turned more moist recently, or the garage has been warmer, or air is being circulated through the area (or any combination of these) then that could explain the smell returning. Re-create the conditions before the smell returned and you have a good chance that the smell will become undetectable again.
The fact that the smell did come back shows that it was not eliminated in the cleaning and treating process, or sealed effectively enough to do the job for you. Unless you have a dog of your own and additional urine has been added to the area. This happens often. A dog will smell the residual odor of urine even when we can’t and urinate in that same area. Sealing helps but there are microscopic holes in sealers. These microscopic holes or air bubbles are actually larger than the odor molecules. So the odor molecules can and will pass through the sealer when conditions allow. Sealers do not create an absolute seal against odors. Some say sealers are useless because of this. Most say that the sealers will seal enough of the odor to be useful. If you use an additional coat of sealer that will then block more of the odor molecules from escaping or moving through the seal.
If you decide you need to re-treat the concrete then you will need to remove the sealer you have put down to do that. Use a good urine eliminating product (http://www.removeurine.com) (or a regular oxidizing bleach can work well on concrete) and keep it on and wet long enough so it will soak down into concrete and come in contact with the urine. It needs to come in contact with the urine to neutralize, digest or encapsulate it. After treating and removing most (say 90%) of the smell with treatment then a couple coats of good sealer usually is satisfactory.
One other thing I will throw out there is to check the Sheetrock and wood framing in the garage, or any other surfaces (items)that might have been contaminated. The smell could be coming from these other items. Many times the urine will soak into these and they need to be decontaminated also.
Hi Leonard,
Do you have any experience removing rat urine? I have a basement apt. in my home, which I have rented for over 10 years and we have had always had a “no pets” policy. I have never had a tenant who has violated that policy until now. These tenants had a very large pet rat who had a rather large tumor (golf ball to lemon size) under its abdominal area. The rat was about two years old and the tenants concealed and kept it in a cage in a fully finished storage area underneath a full flight of stair to my main floor area. The tenants lived in my apt. for 7 months and concealed their pet. I found out about it quite by accident. They were not very clean themselves and surprisingly they were the same regarding their pet. They told me that their rat had never been out of it’s two level cage, but going over the carpet with a black light has revealed otherwise. There are a lot of spots, quarter to half dollar size, in various places all over the carpet as well as splashes on the wall and carpet in the area where the cage was kept. I purchased a produce called “OXY Solution Carpet Stain Remover” from a pet store and was going to use it when I found your site. The listed ingredients in this product are purified water, hydrogen peroxide, cleansers, stabilizing agents, & fragrance. With a later inquiry, I learned that PetCo and Pet’s Mart both recommend a product called “Nature’s Miracle” that has the following ingredients in it: water, enzymes, isopropol alcohol, & citrus scent. I want to make sure that a product that will best remove the rat urine, as I have been told by my sister, who had cats before, that the only way to get rid of it is to replace the carpet and pad and have a professional clean the concrete floor underneath as well. There is also some dried baby spit up on the carpet in a few places as well that they made no attempt to clean up, so it was dried and smelled pretty bad, that I have not been able to remove either. They had a six month old baby when they moved in last December. I finally got these tenants to move out, and now I just have to clean up the mess. I would appreciate any advice you can give me on how to best do that, esp. since the urine and spit up have been there for a while. Also, with your experience can you positively identify what kind of urine is on carpet. Also, I was wondering if you can positively identify Rat Urine? I live in Lindon, Utah, which is just north of Orem. Thank you so very much for any help you can give me! Utah Landlady P.S. Please do not sell my e-mail address, as I already get junk mail that I do not want!
Eve
I have not dealt with rat urine and no, I do not have the equipment or capability of identifying the kind of urine it is. I can tell you that both the urine (and as far as I know all types of urine) and the baby spit up are organic materials. There are several type chemicals that are effective on organic materials. Oxy or oxygen type chemicals and enzyme type chemicals are effective. The hydrogen peroxide in the Oxy solution is what would make it effective and the enzymes in Natures Miracle is what makes it effective. I know Natures Miracle is a good product. You have to use it according to the directions though. Enzymes take time to break down the organic urine or spit up. Any product you use needs to come in contact with the urine residue. Enzymes take time to work and digest the urine so you have to get the enzymes to the urine and keep it damp long enough for them to digest it. Oxy type products need to come in contact but they work almost immediately. If the urine is into the pad and floor the product needs to get there also and it has to have time to work. If you have urine spots all over the apartment then if becomes difficult (time consuming) to find them and treat them. The products are effective when you get a quality product and use it properly. Some times it takes several applications to completely remove the smell. There are times it is preferable to replace the carpet but most replace it because they believe the smell will not come out. Stains are a different matter. Most of them can be remove but urine can take the color out of fabrics (carpet). When the color has been removed then cleaning will not put it back. Hope this helps.
In regard to human urine being left in the toilet to help save water, what would you recommend as a natural method to help eliminate the odor and help neutralize the urine and reduce ring buildup? Something I could mix with water and put in a spray bottle…
Charles
I don’t have a good answer. Sorry. You could try some Clorox bleach or chlorine or bromine. Like what is used in hot tubs. In my experience when urine is left sitting in a toilet for a long time it can etch a mark (ring) in the bowl that can not be removed and then you need a new toilet. Microbe products and enzyme products both break down and digest urine. They need to be damp to work but sitting in the toilet is way past damp. I don’t know how effective they would be in that situation. You want to be careful with what you put in the sewer system. Ask a chemical toilet company that supplies chemical toilets for construction sites.
Hello
i have just moved into, it seems the owner allowed the dog to urinante and excrete in a spare room with laminate tiles in. So much so that the tiles have almost come away from the floor. underneath these tiles it STINKS of dog urine, is this cleanable?? its on a concrete floor
Terry
Because it is laminate tile on concrete I suggest you first try mopping it with an oxygen bleach solution. (Like Clorox bleach) But clean the area first with any good floor cleaner you use. The oxygen in the bleach should break the urine molecules down into more basic elements and kill the smell. The solution will need to soak in and come in contact with the urine residue to work on it. So put it on heavy and let it soak in. And or apply it several times. The dogs have possibly been urinating on it for months or longer. Test an area first to be sure it will not damage the laminate tiles. If the result from this does not satisfy you contact me for some more commercial type applications. It sounds like because the tile is starting to come up you should think about replacing the tile and when the tile are up use the above process to eliminate the smell in the concrete.
My two horses urinate at the same place all the time. The ground is gravel, covered with pine needles. How can I eliminate the smell ? Can you advise me ?
Urine from man or animal is organic. There is a product that contains naturally occurring microbes along with other ingredients called “Grass Revitalize” from http://www.removeurine.com
The microbes in the product absorb and break down organic matter such as urine (horse urine in your case) which results in eliminating the odor. The product is designed and marketed for use on grass for protecting it against and restoring it from the damage caused from dog urine. I understand you are not trying to protect or restore grass but the microbes will still absorb and break down the organic matter in the horse urine and eliminate the odor. You do not want to use it in freezing weather because freezing can damage the microbes. It needs to be reapplied every few months during the warmer weather. The microbes take time so the smell will not be gone overnight but they will do the job. Thanks for the question.
We have a new house (3mo). Someone didn’t use the portapotty and used our master closet instead. The builder had someone remove the carpet, put an enzyme on the concrete and immeadiatly spray 2 coats of Kilz on it. Then new pad and new carpet. That was three weeks ago. The house still smells of urine. We have no pets. Please help us.
Warren
I will offer a couple of ideas or thoughts. First enzymes take time to digest and break down the urine. The area would need to be treated with the enzyme product and kept damp for a sufficient period of time for the enzymes to work on the urine residue. From your description it sounds like it was not given time to work. Some enzyme products work faster than others. It can take 2-3 days under good conditions for it to break down the urine. You also need to make sure the enzyme product comes in contact with the urine residue. For example if the urine is deep into the concrete then the enzymes need to get in deep also. If the urine has run under the base board and soaked into the base board or is in the sheetrock then the enzymes need to get into those as well. There are products that will eliminate the smell immediately on contact but many people prefer the enzyme type products. Not all the products that are available are of good quality either but even a good one needs the proper conditions to be effective. As you say the odor can get into the clothes and also into the new carpet and pad if it was not neutralized well. The contamination in these should be minimal and easily removed though. The products will neutralize the urine if they are used properly. First you have to locate the contaminated areas. A black light can help with this and of course our noses are useful. Once all areas are isolated then cleaning to remove as much residue as possible and then the treatment with a good product and use it as directed. In some cases on concrete and wood we can not completely eliminate all the odor because of the porousness of these materials and so sealing them can complete the job. In your case it could be they were not thorough enough or they didn’t give the product time to work or it was not a good product or they haven’t treated all the affected area’s.
Hope this helps.
what else can you remove dog urine with besides peroxide, salt and white vinegar????
First locate all the contaminated area’s. Then clean as much urine residue up and out as you can. Preferably with an extraction machine like a wet dry vac. This will actually suck the urine up an out of what you are cleaning. Add a water base solution to the area a little at a time and vacuum it back out to create a rinsing action. Next treat the remaining urine residue use one of the following 3 types of products.
1. Bio-enzyme products. The enzymes digest or break down complex
molecules in the dog urine into simpler ones.
2. Oxidation products. This process releases a large volume of oxygen causing the urine to break down to basic components such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and other components that either leave as gases or are easily extracted.
3. Odourcide. Odourcide is an amazing new odor counteractant. Odourcide is new technology. 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 from many sources. It is very effective on urine. These are availale at removeurine.com
Hi
I wonder if any of the products you recommend have the potential to damage nearby plants? Our dogg run is next to plant beds and the water that we use to rinse the slate in the dog run drains into these beds which is why we haven’t attempted to use any specific products yet – would be very grateful for your advise.
Jo
Actually yes. Some of the dog urine products I recommend could be harmful to plants. We recommend certain acidic products for particular applications and oxidation products for other applications. These I would not recommend for around plants. The number one product I recommend “Severe Urine Neutralizer (SUN)” should be safe on plants. It is a polymer base and has no harmful ingredients but I have not tried it around plants and you would need to test it first. The product I do recommend for around plants is “Grass Revitalize”. It is slower to neutralize urine odor than SUN but it actually adds microbes to the soil. These microbes help the plants including grass in several ways including breaking down the waste products (urine) into nutrients the plants use to thrive on. These microbes also prepare the soil to hold moisture much better. It takes less water, yet the plants have a more consistent supply of moisture because it is more available to the roots of the plants.
can any of these products be used on drywall??
Yes They can be used on drywall. My first suggestion is to use “SUN” but I need more details of your specific situation. You want the SUN solution to come in contact with the urine residue without over-wetting the drywall. If you get the drywall to wet it will swell up and begin to fall apart. If you just need to spray the solution on the surface of the drywall you will be fine. Even if it needs to just penetrate the surface paper and into the drywall slightly you will be fine. If it needs to be saturated and let stand like that you will have damage to the drywall.
Can I buy these products in the UK, if so where please.
Thank you
Heather Johnson
I am checking into setting up the shopping cart so it will accept orders from the UK. Give me a couple days to get it done. Thanks
Do you have any experience removing rat urine? I have a basement apt. in my home, which I have rented for over 10 years and we have had always had a “no pets” policy. I have never had a tenant who has violated that policy until now. These tenants had a very large pet rat who had a rather large tumor (golf ball to lemon size) under its abdominal area. The rat was about two years old and the tenants concealed and kept it in a cage in a fully finished storage area underneath a full flight of stair to my main floor area. The tenants lived in my apt. for 7 months and concealed their pet. I found out about it quite by accident. They were not very clean themselves and surprisingly they were the same regarding their pet. They told me that their rat had never been out of it’s two level cage, but going over the carpet with a black light has revealed otherwise. There are a lot of spots, quarter to half dollar size, in various places all over the carpet as well as splashes on the wall and carpet in the area where the cage was kept. I purchased a produce called “OXY Solution Carpet Stain Remover” from a pet store and was going to use it when I found your site. The listed ingredients in this product are purified water, hydrogen peroxide, cleansers, stabilizing agents, & fragrance. With a later inquiry, I learned that PetCo and Pet’s Mart both recommend a product called “Nature’s Miracle” that has the following ingredients in it: water, enzymes, isopropol alcohol, & citrus scent. I want to make sure that a product that will best remove the rat urine, as I have been told by my sister, who had cats before, that the only way to get rid of it is to replace the carpet and pad and have a professional clean the concrete floor underneath as well. There is also some dried baby spit up on the carpet in a few places as well that they made no attempt to clean up, so it was dried and smelled pretty bad, that I have not been able to remove either. They had a six month old baby when they moved in last December. I finally got these tenants to move out, and now I just have to clean up the mess. I would appreciate any advice you can give me on how to best do that, esp. since the urine and spit up have been there for a while. Also, with your experience can you positively identify what kind of urine is on carpet. Also, I was wondering if you can positively identify Rat Urine? I live in Lindon, Utah, which is just north of Orem. Thank you so very much for any help you can give me! Utah Landlady P.S. Please do not sell my e-mail address, as I already get junk mail that I do not want!
+1
All urine including rat urine is organic. The spit up or vomit is also organic. Bacteria create enzymes. The enzymes digest and break down the organic materials. If the active enzymes come in contact with the urine and spit up residue (molecules) they will begin to break down those molecules into more basic elements . By breaking the molecules down it eliminates some stains (not always all the stains) and the odors. You need a good enzyme product (Natures Miracle is one and Max Enzyme from removeurine.com is another) it needs to come in contact with the urine and spit up and the enzymes need to be kept active (kept damp) long enough to break down those elements. If urine is in the pad and concrete the enzymes need to get there also and be kept active so they can work. If its just in the carpet fibers then just adding the product to a carpet cleaning process should take care of it.
I am not familiar with the Oxy product you mention. It is working on a totally different principle. Cleansers are there to remove the stains. The peroxide also removes certain type stains (the yellow pigment in the urine) and could have some effect on odors (not the best for odors). The fragrance is used to make the cleaning process more pleasant and cover the foul odors.
There are new products like “Severe Urine Neutralizer (SUN)” from removeurine.com (also work on the molecules) that are just as effective at removing all organic odors as enzymes and the advantage to it is it works immediately on contact. So they have to come in contact with the organic molecules (like the other products) but they kill the smell in minutes. It doesn’t have to be kept damp for hours to days. They are effective on many stains also.
Depending on the stain you may need another product or process (which is the case with any product you use). Urine can create several stains including 1. a yellow spot from the pigment in it. Or 2.alkaline salt residue. Or 3. the high PH in the alkaline can even remove color from the carpet. or 4. A lipid buildup from the urine. Lipids are removed with solvents. If the color has been removed you can not replace this with cleaning. Alkaline salts are removed with an acid base cleaner. The yellow pigment is usually removed with basic cleaners but can sometimes need a peroxide or oxidizing product to remove. Hope this helps and doesn’t just complicate it for you.
i hav just purchased from u s.u.n its a fantastic product,but cost just as much 2 ship as 2 purchase!!!is there a uk suplier?
There is no UK supplier. Sorry. We sell only from our site and Amazon at this time. You could try purchasing on Amazon. The shipping might be less. They might also just not allow you to purchase from the UK through Amazon. I am not sure exactly how they handle it with their system. Thanks for your endorsement and feedback for our ” Severe Urine neutralizer (SUN)” product.
I am looking for the chemical that when sprayed on surfaces will allow a Black Light to illuminate urine that may be on things but dried before I could find it to get it cleaned up. Short of training my other dog to sniff out where this Wiener dog we rescued has been peeing when our backs are turned, Or getting down on my hands & knees and sniffing or deodorizing every inch of my home, I,m hoping to find a “Urine Detection Spray”
I am not familiar with any spray that helps illuminate urine. The alkaline salts in urine illuminate under a black light without spraying a chemical on it. Alkaline salts are created through a chemical process urine goes through as it dries. There are goggles available that enhance and increase the visibility of the glow from fluorescent areas.
The most effective UV for locating urine deposits is the long wave UV around 385 nanometers.
Ultraviolet lights in several intensities are available to help you locate urine deposits. Low powered UV lights must be held very close to the carpet in a dark room. Medium intensity lights can work from a few feet away. High powered lights can quickly be used to check a carpet from several feet away.
All UV 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. Another option is to drape a sheet or dark blanket over yourself while making the inspection.
we have pet grass for dogs to use at our apartment property, approx 4500 sq ft
the smell will knock you over
mainly where the bld exits are
what products do you recommend
Ken
Two products that I will recommend. Use one or the other. You don’t need both. The first is “Severe Urine Neutralizer SUN” from http://www.removeurine.com. This is an amazing pet odor neutralizer that will kill the odor of any urine (and a lot of other organic odors)it comes in contact with. You just mix it up and spray or pour it on and the odor is neutralized.
The other is “Grass Revitalize” from http://www.removeurine.com. The advantage to Grass Revitalize is it is designed for outdoor use. You spray it on and water it in. It puts natural microbes into the soil that are beneficial in many ways to plants including grass. It is used to counteract the damage dog urine does to grass. Also the microbes break down and speed up the decomposition of the urine and even feces in the grass. Once thee waste products are broken down the odor is eliminated. This also results in the grass being able to use these waste byproducts as fertilizer to strengthen the plants instead of it damaging them.
The advantage to Severe Urine Neutralizer is it works on the molecular level immediately neutralizing on contact. This means as soon as you apply it to the urine causing the odor it eliminates that odor. The microbes take time to break down the urine molecules. This means the odor lingers until the microbes finish their job.
Hope this helps. If you have other questions don’t hesitate to ask.
Hi Leonard!
I’ve been finding some very useful information from you on this website and I really appreciate it! However, I do still have one (ok, maybe TWO) more question(s)!
We have a “small” 😉 (8’x24′) dog kennel that has a cement floor located right outside our back door. Being in a wheelchair, we built it this way for my convenience in being able to let my dog out without the need for tying him up, not have to worry about him getting away from me, and making it easier to clean up than it would be if he did his business out on the lawn. Well, 2 dogs and 18 years later, you can about imagine the stench we and, unfortunately, the neighbors are experiencing….not good!
And, of course, I didn’t know it wasn’t a good idea to use a power washer….driving the urine further down into it! My husband has cleaned it with one many times!
We are going to try your recommendations now and treat it a couple times, leaving the product on the cement for a couple days each time. There are so many different products and all seem to have good reviews. Which product would you suggest that would work the best for our cement floor kennel situation? (Urine Off, which also comes in Veterinary strength?? Nature’s Miracle? OdorZyme? Something else??)
My other question is about the sealing of it after it’s been cleaned. Once we’ve sealed it, our dog will, of course, continue to use this area for his business. Will we need to clean and reseal it every so often or would we just wash it down good with the hose and put on another coat of sealant?
Your recommendations would be greatly appreciated as we need to get this done in the near future. Thank you!
Sue
You asked
“Which product would you suggest that would work the best for our cement
floor kennel situation? (Urine Off, which also comes in Veterinary
strength?? Nature’s Miracle? OdorZyme? Something else??)”
I would recommend either “Severe Urine Neutralizer SUN” from
removeurine.com or “Max Enzyme” from removeurine.com. Both products are
good and will eliminate the smell if used correctly. The SUN eliminates
the urine odor immediately on contact. The Max Enzyme takes 4-24 hours for
the enzymes to digest the urine molecules. Both products need to soak in
to where the urine is and come in contact with the urine residue and then
have the time to work. So you need to apply it liberally and then either
cover it with plastic or keep adding additional solution or water to keep
it damp long enough for it to soak in and work. Again the SUN solution
works much faster.
About sealing: In some cases urine will have penetrated into concrete or
wooden. Because these materials are very porous it is usually not possible
to completely clean them. Then it will be necessary to seal in any
remaining odor using varnish, shellac or an acrylic sealer.
Pigmented shellac makes an excellent sealer. However it will change the
appearance of the surface to which it is applied. This means it will not
be appropriate in every situation. Clear shellac or an acrylic sealer for
floors or concrete also works will. These products are clear and will not
change the appearance as markedly as a pigmented product.
These sealers do wear off over time. With dogs nails on them they could
wear off quicker of course. If the concrete remains sealed so the urine
does not penetrate then all you need to do is reseal it. If the sealer
wears off to the point the urine again begins to penetrate the concrete
you may need to treat it again before sealing. It will wear off first in
the traffic areas. One more point to note is sealers have microscopic air
holes in them after they dry. The odor molecules are smaller that the
holes in the sealer so odor can pass through the sealer even though
moisture can not. So more than one coat of sealer is recommended. Even so
the most complete process is to clean, treat and seal the concrete.
When it is sealed good the urine will run to and off the edges of the
concrete and then you may still get odor from those areas.So those areas
become the areas that need odor neutralization treatment.
Hope this helps. If you have any other questions just let me know.
HELP! HELP! HELP!
In a condo I own the tenant’s 2 cats and 1 dog urinated to a 70% penetration rate on ceramic tile on the first level, the gypsum concrete on the second level and the plywood subflooring on the stairs and third level. This evidently happened over a three year period. Do I need to replace all the flooring? Please help me find a solution.
When you describe it as 70% penetration I take that to mean 7/10’s deep into the tile, concrete and plywood in isolated spots. As apposed to 70% of the surface area of the tile, concrete and plywood have been contaminated with urine. If you do mean 70% deep in isolated spots then what you need to do is locate those spots that are contaminated with the urine and soak them with a good urine odor neutralizer solution. Make sure to soak the surfaces to that same 70% depth. If the neutralizer solution comes in contact with the urine residue it will neutralize / remove the odor. Use a good effective urine odor neutralizer solution like “Severe Urine Neutralizer SUN” or a good enzyme type solution like “Max Enzyme” from http://www.removeurine.com/sun or from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/SUN-Severe-Urine-Neutralizer-Concentrate/dp/B005MEJ23K or http://www.amazon.com/Max-Enzyme-Urine-Digester-Concentrate/dp/B005MEKW2U
The tile and concrete should be fine but the plywood can warp as a result of getting it wet if it is not already warped from the moisture of the urine. If it warps you can repair it by cutting an x through the middle of the warped bubble that is bumped up and screwing the plywood back down flat with flooring screws. Or you can repair it by replacing that section. Make sure you only cut through the top layer of plywood and not through both layers of flooring.
But if you mean 70% of the surface of the materials (tile, concrete and wood) have been contaminated or that 70% of the surface has been contaminated 70% deep then it would most likely be better to replace the flooring rather than trying to treat the large effected areas. Even if you replace you may have areas you still need to treat with an odor neutralizer depending on what yo find after you tear up the old flooring. If they had a male dog it may have sprayed up on the Sheetrock walls. This would not be soaked in as deep if it exists at all. There may be spots that it soaked through cracks and ran down to the underneath flooring that you would treat rather than replace. If you have a very large area that is contaminate you can still do a massive soaking of the whole area virtually flooding the area and letting it soak in to the correct depth but the amount of solution needed for that and the amount of work involved the amount of moisture you would be putting into the surfaces would make replacing a more viable option. A good neutralizer solution will eliminate the odor of new or old urine. The fact that it is over 3 years does not mean you can not eliminate the odor but it does mean you probably have a larger areas and deeper into the surfaces than it would be over a shorter period of time.