Pet urine smell in hardwood floors

Wilmington, Delaware
Rehabbing & House Flipping
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Pet urine smell in hardwood floors

Beth WheelerPro Member
Investor 路 Wilmington, DE 路 Member since 2017 路 32 posts 路 13 votes

I am working on a home that has a horrible pet urine smell. We pulled the carpets out of the home and found hardwood floors. However, the smell of pet urine is extremely bad and the floors have been saturated.  How do I get the pet urine smell out of the hardwood floors?  I would love to save the floors, but I would settle for getting the smell out. 

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Chris Ayars
Real Estate Agent 路 VA 路 Member since 2024 路 54 posts 路 43 votes
2y

Not sure about wood, but white vinegar gets the urine smell out of a lot of things. Wood flooring may just have to be replaced if the urine has saturated deeper than floor refinishing will handle.

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  • Chris Ayars
    Real Estate Agent 路 VA 路 Member since 2024 路 54 posts 路 43 votes
    2y

    Not sure about wood, but white vinegar gets the urine smell out of a lot of things. Wood flooring may just have to be replaced if the urine has saturated deeper than floor refinishing will handle.

    1Reply
  • Jacob Sherman
    12 Penns Trail Suite 138 Newtown, PA 18940 路 Member since 2023 路 1k+ posts 路 319 votes
    2y

    I would hop on the forums on facebook by searching for hardwood installers etc and get their opinions on some remedies 

    1Reply
  • Joehn B.
    Investor 路 Houston 路 Member since 2022 路 80 posts 路 44 votes
    2y
    Enzymes.  Amazon has a decent one under Amazon basics brand.

    but if the wood is soaked / deep you might have to replace it in those spots.
    1Reply
  • Peter MckernanBusiness Member
    Residential Real Estate Agent 路 Irvine, CA 路 Member since 2013 路 2k+ posts 路 1k+ votes
    2y
    Quote from @Beth Wheeler:

    I am working on a home that has a horrible pet urine smell. We pulled the carpets out of the home and found hardwood floors. However, the smell of pet urine is extremely bad and the floors have been saturated.  How do I get the pet urine smell out of the hardwood floors?  I would love to save the floors, but I would settle for getting the smell out. 


     Depending on how deep you may have to replace them since that urine smell will linger. I have done flips by just painting walls with a smoker that had lived there for 20+ years and it never really came out (we replaced the floors) and were still there. 

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  • Beth WheelerPro Member
    OP
    Investor 路 Wilmington, DE 路 Member since 2017 路 32 posts 路 13 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Chris Ayars:

    Not sure about wood, but white vinegar gets the urine smell out of a lot of things. Wood flooring may just have to be replaced if the urine has saturated deeper than floor refinishing will handle.


     I ran into a hardwood flooring specialist in the hardware store and asked him about the pet urine. He suggested spraying enzyme remover and/or 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water.  He said once you spray it on the floor to put kitty little on top and walk all over it crushing the kitty litter into finer particles. Leave it on for at least an hour and then remove. Repeat if needed.  We tried this and it worked tremendously. We are applying for the second time now, but there is just a slight odor at this point.  I may be able to save these floor after all.  I am so impressed!

    2Reply
  • Beth WheelerPro Member
    OP
    Investor 路 Wilmington, DE 路 Member since 2017 路 32 posts 路 13 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Joehn B.:
    Enzymes.  Amazon has a decent one under Amazon basics brand.

    but if the wood is soaked / deep you might have to replace it in those spots.
    I ran into a hardwood flooring specialist in the hardware store and asked him about the pet urine. He suggested spraying enzyme remover and/or 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. He said once you spray it on the floor to put kitty little on top and walk all over it crushing the kitty litter into finer particles. Leave it on for at least an hour and then remove. Repeat if needed. We tried this and it worked tremendously. We are applying for the second time now, but there is just a slight odor at this point. I may be able to save these floor after all. I am so impressed!
    2Reply
  • Beth WheelerPro Member
    OP
    Investor 路 Wilmington, DE 路 Member since 2017 路 32 posts 路 13 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Peter Mckernan:
    Quote from @Beth Wheeler:

    I am working on a home that has a horrible pet urine smell. We pulled the carpets out of the home and found hardwood floors. However, the smell of pet urine is extremely bad and the floors have been saturated.  How do I get the pet urine smell out of the hardwood floors?  I would love to save the floors, but I would settle for getting the smell out. 


     Depending on how deep you may have to replace them since that urine smell will linger. I have done flips by just painting walls with a smoker that had lived there for 20+ years and it never really came out (we replaced the floors) and were still there. 


      I ran into a hardwood flooring specialist in the hardware store and asked him about the pet urine. He suggested spraying enzyme remover and/or 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. He said once you spray it on the floor to put kitty little on top and walk all over it crushing the kitty litter into finer particles. Leave it on for at least an hour and then remove. Repeat if needed. We tried this and it worked tremendously. We are applying for the second time now, but there is just a slight odor at this point. I may be able to save these floor after all. I am so impressed!

    0Reply
  • Beth WheelerPro Member
    OP
    Investor 路 Wilmington, DE 路 Member since 2017 路 32 posts 路 13 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Jacob Sherman:

    I would hop on the forums on facebook by searching for hardwood installers etc and get their opinions on some remedies 


     I ran into a hardwood flooring specialist in the hardware store and asked him about the pet urine. He suggested spraying enzyme remover and/or 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. He said once you spray it on the floor to put kitty little on top and walk all over it crushing the kitty litter into finer particles. Leave it on for at least an hour and then remove. Repeat if needed. We tried this and it worked tremendously. We are applying for the second time now, but there is just a slight odor at this point. I may be able to save these floor after all. I am so impressed!

    0Reply
  • Beth WheelerPro Member
    OP
    Investor 路 Wilmington, DE 路 Member since 2017 路 32 posts 路 13 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Chris Ayars:

    Not sure about wood, but white vinegar gets the urine smell out of a lot of things. Wood flooring may just have to be replaced if the urine has saturated deeper than floor refinishing will handle.


     I ran into a hardwood flooring specialist in the hardware store and asked him about the pet urine. He suggested spraying enzyme remover and/or 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. He said once you spray it on the floor to put kitty little on top and walk all over it crushing the kitty litter into finer particles. Leave it on for at least an hour and then remove. Repeat if needed. We tried this and it worked tremendously. We are applying for the second time now, but there is just a slight odor at this point. I may be able to save these floor after all. I am so impressed!

    0Reply
  • Sherry McQuageBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker 路 Moore County, NC 路 Member since 2020 路 168 posts 路 141 votes
    2y

    Very interesting solutions!  I will try the enzymes, and white vinegar with kitty litter next time.

    I sold a house with beautiful wood floors...seller's cats would go to 3 specific corners and urinate.  Buyer had to have those sections of the floor replaced as they were too saturated to save...wood had turned black there.  Ugh!  At least the cats favored 3 corners, and not the entire floor area.馃榿

    0Reply
  • Joehn B.
    Investor 路 Houston 路 Member since 2022 路 80 posts 路 44 votes
    2y

    Glad it worked!!! 

    0Reply
  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire 路 Northeast, TN 路 Member since 2015 路 10k+ posts 路 16k+ votes
    2y
    Quote from @Beth Wheeler:

    I am working on a home that has a horrible pet urine smell. We pulled the carpets out of the home and found hardwood floors. However, the smell of pet urine is extremely bad and the floors have been saturated.  How do I get the pet urine smell out of the hardwood floors?  I would love to save the floors, but I would settle for getting the smell out. 


     I bought a house once I called the cat piss house - you couldn't go in without a respirator it was so bad. My hardwood floor guys sanded everything down - the smell was amplified if you can believe it - but after they got a couple of good coats of polyurethane on it the smell was completely gone. These were original 1920s hardwood flooring so that will make a difference, as the grain is dense and hard and doesn't absorb as readily as newer, quick growth hardwoods.

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  • Bruce WoodruffPro Member
    Contractor/Investor/Consultant 路 San Diego / Phoenix 路 Member since 2021 路 12k+ posts 路 15k+ votes
    2y

    To really get rid of it, you may have to sand the floors. One house I had to sand down 3 times....

    0Reply
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