How do you get rid of the smell of cat urine?

[ajhemmings]

I am looking at a house and the basement stinks of cat urine. It is a bare basement floor and the walls are finished with other rooms going off from this main area at the bottom of the stairs where the pervasive smell is. My worry is that I will have to strip the walls down to studs to get rid of the smell.

Does anyone have any experience with this and how far did you have to go?

Thanks,

Andrew

 

[Bates]

When I was a claims adjuster (in a prior career) it was always strip down to the studs and spray seal the studs, re-insulate and new drywall. We would paint the foundation wall if it was really bad too. The cement floors would have to be painted with concrete paint too. The whole idea was to mask and hide as much as possible as cleaning alone would never fully eliminate it. Lots of whatever version of bleach they'd had too.

Now this was about 15 years ago, not sure if there's better process now a days. for this one I'd suggest contacting a disaster restoration company in your area and see what they say.

 

[kfort]

There is a neutralizing product. Specifically for the concrete. Spray/ brushy it on real thick, lay down poly so it MUST soak in to the concrete. Come back 24 hr later and continue on w painting / sealing (killz is great). I would remove the bottom 18 inches or so of drywall if it is really bad.

 

[RE123RE]

Hi,
Question in chemistry - what in the world do cats emit that penetrates walls?
Thanks

 

[kfort]

Drywall is good at absorbing fluids. So is wood. So is concrete (lesser, but yes it absorbs liquids). Urea will not go away unless you break it down with a neutralizing agent. Even hydrogen peroxide which is significantly more oxidizing than chlorine won't do it.

 

[RE123RE]

Drywall is good at absorbing fluids.

Hi,
What fluid on the wall, cats don't pee sideways do they?
Thanks

 

[kfort]

Hi,
What fluid on the wall, cats don't pee sideways do they?
Thanks

Have you been in a unit where cats have relieved themselves wherever / whenever they please? Do you think that direct contact with urin is the only way that walls can smell like it?

I once removed a backseat from a jeep from a house. It was stored below the stairs. It had been used for minimum 3 years as a bathroom point for two male cats. And yes, they hit the walls too. Regardless...

Any soft surface absorbs odours. Neutralize anywhere you know there's been contact, especially with raw concrete. Remove /replace any soft surface that you can. Including drywall. Including framing if needed & able. Carpets. Underlay. Drapes. If it's soft, assess it and replace if possible.

Have a good evening, and may you never go through what I did when carrying out a 80# car seat soaked in cat "fluids".

 

[dplummer]

Urine, cat or otherwise is acidic . On a ph scale it's a 6 . 7 is neutral. To correct the affected concrete is to be washed with a alkaline detergent which should be in the 8-10 area on the ph scale & power washed. Drywall & absorbent materials should be replaced if possible. You can also check the area with a black light. The affected urine area will illuminate .

 

[Chris Matlashewski]

I just had a similar experience. Pet smart has a enzyme neutralizer by Bissel that breaks down the uric acid. I put it on and covered with plastic for 6 hours and most of the smell is gone. Reapplying a second treatment seemed to do the trick

 

[Tina Myrvang]

Great Matts, thank you for sharing.

 

[RE123RE]

I just had a similar experience. Pet smart has a enzyme neutralizer by Bissel that breaks down the uric acid. I put it on and covered with plastic for 6 hours and most of the smell is gone. Reapplying a second treatment seemed to do the trick

Hi,
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks

 

[Banterers]

Yea, I agree with the other people on here, you should definitely use an alkaline solution. At the very least, you are lucky because the smell is isolated to a bare floor rather than say, a wooden floor.

 

[REInvestors888]

Although sounds discriminating, it's for this reason that cats should not be allowed in rental units unless they are trained and owned by responsible tenants. Just a thought.......

 

[Tyler - Picket Fence Properties]

Hi all... We purchased a property a few weeks ago and tried all the chemicals above along with lots of Google search recommendations and an expensive solution from a pet store. It could be that the urine was just too much to be cleaned but nothing worked for us.

What we did was removed the first 4 inches of drywall on all affected areas and purchased Kilz oiled based stain and odor sealer and put two coats over the areas. Smells like new construction now!

 

[kfort]

Killz is so good, and such a minor up charge compared to cheap primer that I don't buy anything else anymore. $10 additional for piece of mind is a cheap cheap sleeping pill.

I actually instructed my realtor recently that I'm hoping the next one smells just as bad