Disinfecting Old Wood Floor

[redbrickhat]

I want to clean and disinfect an old wood floor.

It is not waxed and it doesn't seem to be finished anymore.

Could I use clorox, a vinegar solution, or should I settle for a wood soap to be safe?

Thanks.

[hallerb]

what are you trying to remove or elminate?

if its urine you CANT remove it since its soaked in the wood:(

The BEST you can do is scrub well, with whatever you want, then let dry sand and at least 2 coats of outdoor polyurethane.

you cant remove odors from wood just seal them in!

Outdoor poly since if it later gets wet the odor will NOT come back!

this is the only effective way to take care of odors in wood, wether they are smoke urine etc and is what the fire restoration comapnies do.

follow the directions and its 100% effective forever!

[jeffreydesign]

It depends. There is an enzyme product available at professonal cleaning supply houses that will "eat" urine and other offensive odor causing yuck out of your floor, but it takes several applications to work and it's not cheap.

I would avoid clorox since bleach will bleach the wood (unless you apply it perfectly even) and open the grain. Vinegar can help clean the wood however you will find that it doesn't do much.

If odors are the problem, try the enzyme liquid, then sand the floor thoroughly, then seal it. If you're going to cover it with carpet, paint it with KILZ or BINZ (2 or 3 coats) first.

-Jeff redbrickhat wrote:

[David Nebenzahl]

jeffreydesign spake thus:

Where did you (and the previous poster) get "urine"? The OP didn't say anything about it.

Maybe you two are mind readers ...

[Tim Fischer]

True, but it begs the question, what does one need to 'disinfect' a floor for?

-Tim

[David Nebenzahl]

Tim Fischer spake thus:

I always understood urine to be pretty sterile, actually.

[GWB]

Mebbe so, but it still stinks.

[jeffreydesign]

while urine *is* sterile on immediate exit, the microbes and bacteria that love it aren't and their waste products are what create the smell. If you want to kill all that and "eat" what's left (leaving nothing for the microbes to feast on) the enzymes will do the job - this doesn't apply only to urine - it works for nearly any organic substance. Not mind reading, just using common sense.

-Jeff

David Nebenzahl wrote:

[Norminn]

Clean it first with a vac. Clean with a cleaner intended for wood floors. A damp mop with cool water and a little bleach, followed by clear water rinse mopping, should help "disinfect". First time you walk back in with shoes on will bring the dog-poop and whatever soils the places we walk outdoors. Is there a particular hazard present that you are concerned about? If you have a baby crawling around, remember it is probably facing much worse stuff sitting in the seat of a grocery cart and then sticking it's fingers in it's mouth. Big yuck! And then there are the doorknobs in restaurant bathrooms. Don't know how we survive.

If you use bleach, don't use much and test it on a spot that isn't out in the middle of the floor.

[Phisherman]

You can damage a wooden floor with water--wood expands when wet so there is a chance the floor might buckle. Steam is even worse. All this depends on the condition of the finish. You can use Murphy's Oil Soap but try to minimize the time the floor is wet. Use several old terry cloth towels after you have washed and rinsed an area. It would be good to work in single 4x4 foot areas at a time. A fan, in addition to the towels, will help speed the drying. If there is an area that requires disinfection, use 92% alcohol. Do not use household bleach on wood.

[Goedjn]

FRESH urine is generally fairly safe. Or at least, if it's not, whoever you're getting it from has a serious problem.

But it's also a great breeding ground for all kinds of unpleasant beasties, so if it's more than a few minutes old, it's probably not safe anymore.

[redbrickhat]

The hazard was that I found old rat feces and urine stains when I moved a cabinet and a bed.. I washed it up but want to do a more thorough job.

Thanks for the responses.

[Norminn]

That would get my cleaning juices going :o) I couldn't convince my hubby to get an exterminator for roaches (not a huge infestation) until I mentioned that they run through the cat box for a snack before they crawl across his dinner plate in the cupboard.

If your wood floors have bare spots, strong bleach can alter the color, so I would test. Basic cleanliness is pretty effective, unless the place was covered with rat droppings.