Advice needed about cleaning wood floor & removing urine smell!

pamela

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I am starting to freak a bit now because it has been over a week and still after mopping, scrubbing at the wood floor, I can STILL smell the urine!!

Heidi has a bacterical infection and peed/pooped on the couch and some of the pee trickled down to the floor overnight. Heidi is now on medicine.

I need some advice ASAP about the wood floor. ANY advice about removing the smell??????
 

strange_wings

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Depending on finish and wood type, know that any cleaning product advice anyone gives you could leave your floor discolored due to the fact that it has to sit on the wood for a while and soak in to do any good.


Honestly, if your finish is so thin that the urine penetrated the wood, you'll probably just have to sand and refinish that spot.
 

ldg

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

Depending on finish and wood type, know that any cleaning product advice anyone gives you could leave your floor discolored due to the fact that it has to sit on the wood for a while and soak in to do any good.


Honestly, if your finish is so thin that the urine penetrated the wood, you'll probably just have to sand and refinish that spot.
Unfortunately, it sounds like that may be the case.
But before you get to that point, I would try soaking it with what we've found to be the best enzyme cleaner out there: http://www.nokout.com. Enzyme cleaners are the only thing that will work if anything is going to, and the only way to do it is to saturate the area - the enzyme cleaner has to reach wherever the pee got to.
 

strange_wings

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^The only catch is that you don't want to risk discoloring the wood too far down. That would require a lot more sanding and could make it harder to disguise the refinished spot.
 

ldg

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Good point. It's a risk either way, really. I will say we used Nok Out on the wood floors when Spooky had a problem and peed on a rug that was on the wood floor - the urine discolored the finish and wood anyway before we ever got to clean it up. The Nok Out did not make it worse, but did fix the urine problem.
 

strange_wings

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It depends on the wood used. Some will bleach out easier... I swear I've read that pine will? Red oak is the most common, though, and what I myself have. I haven't tested it to figure out how resilient it is to liquid abuse.


Another thought, if the spot isn't currently discolored at all, and just smells. You may be able to put a couple thin layers of polyurethane (assuming this is a modern floor put in sometime between the mid 60s and now) and scoot the couch up to cover it.
 
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pamela

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Oh DEAR. I was afraid of this.

The floor is NOT discolored- just smells of urine if you get on the floor or sit on the couch then sometimes the smell drifts up. EWW...

*sigh* My parents are already giving me a hard time about Heidi and the fact that this is the 2nd couch she has ruined. I've bought a new couch and plan to cover it in plastic when I'm not using it so hopefully this won't happen again.

Mom is really pushing me to put Heidi to sleep but I REFUSE to since it's related to infection hopefully caused by food change. She has already been through so much in her life.

I'll try Nok out and cross my fingers. I am NOT telling my parents about the floor or they'll be yelling at me non-stop even though it's not their house.

I've told my mom flat-out that it's my home, my furniture and my money. She was like but you let cats CONTROL you! I just rolled my eyes and walked away.
 

ruthyb

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I ahve laminate flooring and my kitties went through a phase of peeing and it really did smell. I bought some urine nuetraliser off ebay, it was £12.50 for 10 litres, it smells like candy floss and you only need a bit and it really does work and it is safe for pets, its also stopped them from doing it. I know I'm in UK but you must be able to et urine nuetraliser over there. x
 

catlover19

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When I first got my puppy and he was peeing on the floor, I bought natures miracle spray. I have laminate flooring and no matter how much I mopped it still smelled like pee in my apartment. This stuff worked amazing. I just sprayed it on the floor and wiped it right off with paper towels.

This is the one that I bought. http://www.naturemakesitwork.com/cat...ail.php?id=113
 

ldg

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Are you sure it's the floor that's the problem then, and not urine still inside the couch? Spooky used to pee on the couch, and even with Nok Out we often had to treat it several times - pee really wicks, and to get the enzyme cleaner you're using to "wick" the same way you really have to soak those cushions and anyplace else the urine may have gotten into.....
 

ldg

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...my mom and dad had a problem with how much we were willing to spend on our cats' health. We told them it's simply an issue of compassion for a living being for whom we accepted responsibility when we adopted them - and I am darn glad they never considered putting me down for any health issues I had while growing up - but if they want me to consider putting them down if they start having health problems as they get older, we can talk about it.
That did end any further conversation about it, and they always ask after the kitties.
 

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I use Nok Out thanks to Amy's suggestion. I have to use a ton of it though since there are so many marks and it can be costly. However it's the only thing that hasn't left a smell that reminded me of urine. It had a funny odor when I poured it on the backing of the throw rug (like melted plastic). I haven't noticed a discoloration on the wood. If sanding is an option I would do it and refinish.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by LDG

but if they want me to consider putting them down if they start having health problems as they get older, we can talk about it.
They must have pushed you a little too far to get that comeback!

The easiest way to keep someone from sticking their nose into something that isn't their business is to simply not tell them. Your cats, your home, your money - your problem to deal with and fix.
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by LDG

Are you sure it's the floor that's the problem then, and not urine still inside the couch? Spooky used to pee on the couch, and even with Nok Out we often had to treat it several times - pee really wicks, and to get the enzyme cleaner you're using to "wick" the same way you really have to soak those cushions and anyplace else the urine may have gotten into.....
YEP- I'm POSITIVE. I literally crawled around with my nose glued to the floor and couch to find where the smell was coming from and it's from the floor. *blushing*
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by LDG

...my mom and dad had a problem with how much we were willing to spend on our cats' health. We told them it's simply an issue of compassion for a living being for whom we accepted responsibility when we adopted them - and I am darn glad they never considered putting me down for any health issues I had while growing up - but if they want me to consider putting them down if they start having health problems as they get older, we can talk about it.
That did end any further conversation about it, and they always ask after the kitties.
LOL. I did mention that before and they were like- animals are not human so don't compare us to animals!
 
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pamela

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

They must have pushed you a little too far to get that comeback!

The easiest way to keep someone from sticking their nose into something that isn't their business is to simply not tell them. Your cats, your home, your money - your problem to deal with and fix.
YEP.. That's what I've decided what to do from now on.
It's tough though if you have your mom coming to petsit while you're away- have to warn her that cats might pee/poop and that there will be plastic covers on furniture.
 
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