Cat urine smell

[notbob]

.410 gauge

[nestork]

Being a landlord of a small apartment block, I spend more time at my local Janitorial Supply store than most people.

An ozone generator is the biggest gun in the arsenal when it comes to eliminating odors. When a person who lives alone dies in their house, and the body isn't discovered until the neighbors start to complain about the horrible smell coming from the house, it's an ozone generator (or several of them) that are used to eliminate the smell before the house is put up for sale (if that's what the will states or beneficiaries of the will want.

Ozone generators can be rented from many of the places listed under "Janitorial Equipment & Supplies" in your yellow pages. It is unhealthy to breathe ozone in, so it's best to leave the room immediately after starting the ozone generator, and not to enter the room for several hours after the ozone generator stops. Often they will have built in timers, but you can also simply use an extension cord run under the room door to plug them in and unplug them as necessary.

Ozone is O3, or a three atom oxygen molecule. Ozone is an "oxidizing bleach" because it works exactly the same way as other oxidizing bleaches like sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and hydrogen peroxide (HOOH). That is, they all spontaneously break down to form more stable molecules, O2, NaCl and H2O, releasing a lone oxygen atom as they do. Lone oxygen atoms are extremely reactive, and tend to react with large organic molecules which are inherantly unstable and will break down on their own given sufficient time (like DNA). Large organic molecules are often the source of colours, smells and undoubtedly, tastes. The oxygen atom eliminates the colour, smell or taste by reacting at various sites on the large organic molecule and thereby breaking it into pieces. The pieces of the molecules are still present, but since none of them absorb certain wavelengths of light or affect the olefactory sensors in our noses or tastebuds on our tongues the same way as the original molecule did, the colour, smell and taste seem to disappear as those large organic molecules are broken into pieces.

So, when you bleach the colour out of a cotton T-shirt, it's more correct to say that you destroyed the dye molecules on it than to say that you removed the dye. The pieces of dye molecule are still on the cotton, but they're in pieces which don't absorb any wavelength of light in the visible range, so the cotton looks the same as it would if those pieces weren't there. Similarily, ozone destroys the molecules in the air that cause smells, and the organic substances that produce those molecules.

But, ozone will work on ALL large inherently unstable organic molecules. So, if you have dyed carpeting on the floor, dyed upholstery on your couch, dyed fabric on your curtains, the ozone will lighten those as well as it breaks down some of the dye molecules on each. PAINTS use pigments instead of dyes, and some of those pigments are large organic molecules whereas others are inorganic, and best described as coloured rocks that have been pulverized into a very fine powder. The organic pigments may be damaged by ozone, whereas the pulverized rocks won't be affected by it. So, whether ozone affects your paint colour depends largely on what colour your wall paint is.

Undoubtedly, the reason why this ozone generator company was told to stop advertising that their ozone generators relieve any medical conditions is that people will breathe in that ozone hoping to cure themselves of it, and the ozone will attack the tissues in their nose, throat and lungs as well as irritate their skin.

[chaniarts]

perhaps your light isn't the correct wavelength. when i use my scorpion finding light on cat urine, it fluoresces a LOT.

it's probably migrated. under the tiles, baseboards. if it hung out in the windowsill, then perhaps down between the window and wallboard, if it's not sealed. it may have soaked into the wallboard, and not fluoresce because it's not on the surface anymore.

[chaniarts]

because your point is incorrect. neutering can stop marking, but it isn't 100% effective. i work in a pet shelter, all males are neutered on entrance, and i can tell you for sure they still mark, along with some females.

[Ralph Mowery]

Too late for that, the cat and renter have already left. The 410 is a preventive to be used before, not after.

[jamesgang]

ybe the last 6 months of his occupancy. The basement totally reeks of cat p iss.. we went over the basement with a black light to no avail. we saw mayb e 1 or 2 suspicious areas. We mopped with Odoban twice. Sprayed Natures Mir acle 3 times.. The smell is less than it was, but it is still there.. most of the basement is linoleum tile, and one small area is bare concrete. But, we can not find the definitive area(s) with the blacklight.. (Unlike the h ouse we live in.. so it's not like we blind or something) There was urine s oaked card board boxes when he left, but they have been removed out of the basement for weeks. any ideas? I have bee thinking of not spraying the natu res miracle but just pouring straight on the floor and scrubbing it in and covering with plastic to keep it working for a day..

I'll cast a vote for the ozone generator. I've never seen anything remove odors like they do. It's sort of amazing. I diy'ed one using a neon sign power supply.

[Stormin Mormon]

.410 gauge

[nestork]

Five times a day I set my mat down on the ground, face toward Mecca, kneel down and humble myself before God and thank HIM profusely that Canada doesn't have scorpions.

[chaniarts]

you have sissy scorpions

we have lots of different types. my cat cornered one in my living room trying to hide under my shoe just last night, about a 2"-er.

also 13 types of rattlers and gila monsters, which are really slow, but they are like pit bulls, as they don't let go once they have hold of you.

almost everything in the desert can get you one way or another.

[gregz]

I would treat the floor with vinegar first. I was working on my trailer last year. I ran ozone on and off for couple of months. Helped just a little. After fixing leaks and drying interior walls, the smell remained. What I'd did after that had the biggest effect. I clear coated all exterior walls, made with board material. I used polyurethane floor coat on all woodgrain, and water based polyurethane on upper walls and ceilings.

I had even used chlorine dioxide emitters, that didn't help much. Not enough power. That's the other gas that gets rid of odors.

Greg

[Stormin Mormon]

Five times a day I set my mat down on the ground, face toward Mecca, kneel down and humble myself before God and thank HIM profusely that Canada doesn't have scorpions.

[Chris]

hey all-- thanks for the input... at of it.. I am shelling out a few hundred $$ for a company to come in. This morning, I talked to them.. They said their system has never failed. They steam clean the area, disinfect, and then seal the floor and some of the walls with a compound that only a few in the state are authorized to use. They are coming tomorrow.

In the meantime, I made my last attempt today.. rather wasted my day- I went to a janitor supply company, and the guy sold me this jug of stuff of enzymatic urine removal stuff.. he told me it will defintiley work.. I get to the rental property and start to work.. Lo, I think I found one of the big sources- there was a metal shelve unit. and when I started to move it I was hit with a terrible funky smell.. I scanned it with the black light and there were faint signs of something, and it had started rusting..plus, when I moved the shelves, it looked like something exploded onto the wall behind it.. something splattered and soaked in to the block wall. and there certainly was something showing underneath on the concrete floor with the black light.. and, there was a mirror just leaning up against the wall next to the shelves, and the back looked like it was at one time "wet".,, hmmm... so.. I got to work.. I followed the guys instructions.. the stuff was stong, even when diluted, and my lungs started getting irritated. a few hours later I was done. all I smelt was the chemical. I take my wife over, who has a better nose than me, and she said now all she smells is pee and chemical. So, the smell is still there. whatever it was, it discolored the paint on the floor...

I am sure this company will do the job right.. just that its a freaking pain in the ass and the wallet..

so yeah, no more pets...

[Chris]

and oh yeah, the piss might have gotten under the tiles as well.. My wife took the black light and said she thought she saw stuff coming through cracks and in between tiles in one corner..

so, seal that sucker..

[Jon Danniken]

On 05/02/2013 02:21 PM, jamesgang wrote: [snip]

What did you use for the element?

Jon

[Chris]

i forget..It had a generic name like "pet urine removal" the bottle was green and white...

I just need to get this done.. the apartment needs to be rented..

[hrhofmann]

Let us know what happens, and the name of the chemicals that they use, even if they are restricted it is good to know what works.

[Chris]

Well the guy came.. He didnt clean the floors because I had already dont th at. The stuff he used was called Pro Clean Odor Barrier. He says it is only available to certified people, but it looks like its avail online. Its a s pray on latex coating that turns non water soluble and dries to a thick coa t. When he left all the urine and chemical smell from my previous attempt t o clean this was gone..

[nestork]

Where did he spray it? Just on the linoleum tile floor?

What did he use to spray it with? A garden sprayer?

[Chris]

He sprayed it on the tile and a small room that was cement. He went up the concrete and brick and block walls about 18 inches, and also sprayed the ba seboards of the finished area. He did 500 sq feet in about 20 mins. The uri ne smell and chemical smell from my previous attempt to get the smell out d isappeared right away. My wife went over tonight and immediately noticed th e funk was gone.. So.. Mission accomplished!

[Chris]

Oh yeah.. Just a garden sprayer was used.. This stuff is really thick and it will jam up expensive sprayers.