Cat Urine Odor

I have the opportunity to move into a very nice apartment with reduced rent if I do a few cosmetic improvements (mostly painting) prior to moving in.

There is only one problem. The previous tenants had a cat that seems to have found a couple favorite spots to unrinate on the hardwood floor. Would it be advisable to sand and refinish the floor or to use some type of product that will neutralize the odor?

Thanks.

John

Reply to
Redlocks
Loading thread data ...

-> I have the opportunity to move into a very nice apartment with reduced rent

-> if I do a few cosmetic improvements (mostly painting)

-> prior to moving in.

->

-> There is only one problem. The previous tenants had a cat that seems to have

-> found a couple favorite spots to unrinate on the hardwood floor. Would it be

-> advisable to sand and refinish the floor or to use some type of product that

-> will neutralize the odor?

There are several enzymatic-type products that will neutralize organic (pee, vomit, etc.) messes. You can find them most often in the pet department of places like Wal-Mart or even your local grocery store.

I use "Out!" which is fairly cheap, can be bought at both of the above mentioned places (at least where I live) and has a pleasant smell that isn't too strong.

If there is a stain, that will take more work, and I can't help you there. I have the same problem.

Reply to
Suzie-Q

Our house was formerly home to many (about a dozen) cats and two or three small dogs who had the run of the place in more ways than one. When we bought it, we did extensive renovations and did not even live in the house for six months. Right before we moved in we had the floors sanded and refinished with stain and polyurethane.

While the floors were "open" after sanding, you could still smell traces of the trapped urine released by the sanding. However, staining and sealing them got rid of all the smell. In a few spots, you could see stains left by the urine -- nothing to be done about them. If I had had the chance, I would have treated the areas with an enzyme cleaner such as "Nature's Miracle" but even without it the odors were no longer apparent.

You will hear a lot of people say that cat urine is permanent. This is not my experience.

Reply to
Tom Miller

treating it with an deodorizer of any kind won't do it. you HAVE to clean and seal the floor! go to the hardware store and tell them what you have, they will sell you a sealant. all you have to do is paint it on the urine areas (once you've cleaned it with ammonia). .... then (depending on how bad it is ), you will need to clean the carpet and apply an enzyme deodorizer.

Reply to
WHoME?

We had a very bad hardwood (and, in the basement, concrete) - cat urine battle.

If you are cat-free, then you have half of fight won!

The other half of the equation that worked for us was a product we purchased online called ProKlean.

It wasn't cheap. Their web site looks like it was designed by an eith grader...in 1998...but the stuff worked very well.

Web site:

formatting link

Cat Urine specific:

formatting link
Inexplicably, product use instructions are only available online, and not shipped with the product!
formatting link
But: the stuff worked....

Good luck!

Reply to
ropeyarn

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.