Contractor unable to get rid of pet odor.

[Samson Tefera]

The house I bought had a strong pet odor, cat urine, and as part of the scope of work, I asked contractor to eliminate that odor, however house was repainted and work 99% complete, but odor came back. Contractor assured me smell would go away after house repainted, but that's not the case. Pet odor removal services cost between $8k to $10k. Any advice.

[Samson Tefera]

I included pet order removal in the scope of work.

[Thomas S.]

Contractors need to dig deeper and probably replace sub floor in effected areas.

You could try ozone treatment first.

[James Galla]

Try an enzymatic carpet cleaner. I always thought pet odors needed a bit more, though, such as taking care of the subfloor.

[Bob Okenwa]

Was a primer used over the area that the odor is originating from? You can also try Odoban from Home Depot. I've heard that stuff works pretty well.

[Samson Tefera]

They have already laid the floor tiles already though.

[Manolo D.]

@Samson Tefera You are out of luck. Blacklight plus vinegar should have done the trick for urine. If you have not mitigated the odor before laying down the floor, it will stay under the floor. Odor abatement companies charge that much because they will have a machine and an enclosed system in place to suck the odor and source dry so it will not come back, my opinion is you are stuck with that or finding someone who doesn't mind the odor.

[Ned J.]

Cat urine will soak into the baseboard, subfloor, drywall etc....anything that has pores. You have to remove the effected material or seal it with Killz and other products....regular paint wont do it. If you had a contract to have the source of the odor removed and the contractor didn't do it, then that's a issue they need to correct. Find the source.... I would think tile would seal the floor pretty good..... that's a lot of thinset over a floor to lay tile right...... its likely the drywall/baseboard/wall studs/footer boards at the base of the walls......

[Amy A.]

If the pet saturated a particular corner, urine could have wicked up the back of the sheetrock or baseboards or both. 

[Manolo D.]

Ned Jackson Which product of Kilz are you talking about? Kilz is a brand like samsung or sony.

[David Wandel]

You also need to change the furnace filter and have the ducts cleaned.

[Ned J.]

Originally posted by @Manolo D.:

Ned Jackson Which product of Kilz are you talking about? Kilz is a brand like samsung or sony.

http://www.kilz.com/products/primer?filter=elimina...

I've used the original primer the most.... it helps.... but again, if the drywall or wood is soaked and you can remove those materials, then do it.

[Jerry W.]

I use the oil based Kilz when I deal with pet odors.  Especially cat.

[Manolo D.]

Ned Jackson You might need 3 or more coats to fully cover. I would do vinegar based abatement, wash off then 3 coats of primer by Kilz, primer is just...primer.

Jerry W. I agree, oil covers more, ugly if you use it over water based paint though.

[Steve Babiak]

Originally posted by @Manolo D.:

Ned Jackson You might need 3 or more coats to fully cover. I would do vinegar based abatement, wash off then 3 coats of primer by Kilz, primer is just...primer.

@Jerry W. I agree, oil covers more, ugly if you use it over water based paint though.

Well, given this situation, wouldn't you really want to remove the water based paint first, so the wood itself gets treated with the odor removal products?

[Brian Ploszay]

If it is dog or cat pee, there is a solution that breaks it down.    I think you can buy it a major pet store.

[Kevin Enderle]

You can try a Chlorine Dioxide treatment. CLO2 is a gas which gets into everything. Very very powerful oxidizer but won't break down rubber or plastic like Ozone. Can't be in the structure 24 Hrs. I've used it in pet, mold, cigarette and sewage contaminated structures with near perfect results. 

[Account Closed]

@Kevin Enderle  It will also kill any bedbugs while it is doing it.  I am not sure what it would do to stained wood products, but you are correct about it getting smells out.

[Shaun C.]

What you need is to shock treat the house with a commercial grade ozone generating machine. It literally breaks the organic molecules down so the odor will go away.

[Samson Tefera]

Wow thank you all for the great responses!

[John Kraakevik]

As some have mentioned, the ozone treatment is the ONLY way to go.  It is cheap, 100% effective, and deadly.  Close up the house. Turn on the machine for 24 hours and come back.  Absolutely nothing can be in the house.  It will cure carpet, kill mildew, fix odors, everything with absolutely no other treatment.  But I can't emphasize enough no one can be in the house.  It will kill any pets or people.

[Deb Meyer]

Lots of great answers but if you know where the source of the odor is - just spray OdorXit Concentrate on the area.  No paint needed. or ozone.  The best way to find the source of the odor is to get on your hands and knees (good knee pads needed), find the source and spray.  OdorXit Concentrate is essential oils and water, no need to be out of the house, just spray it on the odor.  And be sure to smell behind cabinets-especially kitchen cabinets that don't go all the way to the ceiling (cats sit on cabinets and pee right there), bottom of doors (urine drips down door and runs across the unpainted bottom, it gets absorbed and still smells), any heat/ac vents on the floor or low on the walls (looks like a litter box to cats), thresholds (pee at the door and the pee runs between all the cracks) behind toe strips, baseboards, etc.) These are places that would never be painted, and the stinky salts in the urine are still active due to the humidity in the air.  Good luck!  

[Chris Itotia]

am in the cleaning and restoration industry.ozone and chlorine dioxide and many other suggestions here might work but the most important thing is that you have to treat the source for it to work.A professional grade black light could have helped you find the source easier before your contractor painted and installed new flooring.

If it is very strong odor  the proper way to do it is find source,treat,clean everything and then chlorine dioxide or ozone.

[Spencer I.]

Samson Tefera, did you eventually get rid of the odor? How? 

[Samson Tefera]

I believe so, I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought, mainly the re-painting of the whole house. In one of the closets, The contractor said he bought a cleaning supply called fabuloso, then warmed it or heated it up, and let it sit in the closet so the fresh smell got absorbed by the walls?

That's what I was told. But every situation is unique I guess...

[Phyllis E.]

@Samson Tefera : I am surprised that no one mentioned "Nature's Miracle"!!! It contains the enzymes that, in nature, break down the compounds in the urine, feces, etc. I've used gallons of the stuff myself from my dogs and cat's "problems", haha. It does work! If you walk into a Petsmart or Petvalu, you will see whole shelves devoted to this product in its various itterations. They have ones just for cats, for all pets, for hardwood floors, carpets, or extra strength, etc. and it comes in gallon sizes as well as smaller. If you turn off the lights and close the drapes, and use a black light, the spots where the pet made a mess show up. (However, even after treatment, the spot will still show up under blacklight. It just won't smell anymore.) Hope this helps.  http://www.naturesmiracle.com/products.aspx