Odor removal suggestions?

[SacredCow]

A friend of mine just moved into a new rental house, and found out why the previous tenant was kicked out: He had cats in the laundry room with no litter box (they just did their business anywhere and everywhere) :scared: Needless to say, the room reeks. The landlord has had it cleaned a couple of times, but it's not helping much.

So what remedies might my friend try? I'm kind of thinking that the final solution is going to involve having the floors removed, but in the interim- anything that can help to diminish (or at least mask) the stench is welcome. Products available for purchase and home-made concoctions are equally welcome!

[NJmaverick]

1. What kind of floor is it?

[SacredCow]

7. I guess that would have been good info to give, huh?

My bad....

It's a vinyl made to look like hardwood. I'm honestly not sure if it was a sheet (like linoleum) or individual tiles- I couldn't stay in there for very long.

[NJmaverick]

16. I would think the best thing you could do is use a wax stripper

and thoroughly clean the floor. Then put a good was coating. Vinyl is pretty impervious, so I have to think any odors are trapped in the coating, not the floor itself

[SacredCow]

18. I'm afraid that it has gone around the vinyl....

through the cracks and at the wall and soaked into the wood.

At least there are a couple of windows in there...

[NJmaverick]

19. ouch, in that case you will eventually have to replace that wood or at least give it a good sanding

and then seal the wood. In the interim, any of the other odor covering suggestions may help

[SacredCow]

21. Hopefully the landlord will cooperate if it comes to that....

:hi:

[trof]

27. Dead dog.

I posted about this a few weeks ago.
Dog got locked up in a then vacant house .
Long story.
Dog expired.

Pulled up the carpet.
Tile? in your case.

Two applications of 25% bleach 75 % water.
Two or three applications of straight white distilled vinegar.
Then we put two coats of polyurethane over the spot.
No. Odor. Now.

[Sanity Claws]

2. Baking soda helps

Put baking soda in small containers scattered in the offending areas. That stuff really helps absorb odors.

[ipfilter]

3. I've used vinegar on hard surfaces with limited success.

If cat pee soaked into carpet forget about it.

[3.14158675309]

4. Yuck. If possible, I'd go nuclear and bleach whatever I could....

[SacredCow]

11. They've used bleach and pine-oil with almost no effect....

Seriously... I think that he's going to be looking at having those floors removed.

I just can't imagine living in a house like that... Oh, and for the record- it was also INFESTED with fleas when he first looked at it.

[guitar man]

5. if it's cat piss on carpet

That's a tough odor, but about the only thing I have ever used that has a fighting chance against it is Windex. Depending on how badly it's soaked, if it's really innundated with it, replacing the carpet is about the only option.

good luck

[SacredCow]

9. It's not carpet....

It's vinyl. My bad for not saying so!

:hi:

[guitar man]

10. wood underneath or concrete? nt

[SacredCow]

12. Wood....

It's a pier-beam foundation.

[guitar man]

15. Ok

If the piss has managed to get under the vinyl and soak into the wood, it might be a bit of a pain. The best thing to do in that case is rip out the vinyl and roll Kilz primer over the wood floor before you put new flooring down. Be sure to let it dry out real good before you do so you have less of a chance of rot setting in to the wood. Some sanding may be in order, and if it's over a large arrea, renting a floor sander might not be a bad idea before priming it.

I used to work for a slum lord getting places ready to rent between tenants so I picked up a few tricks along the way.

[flvegan]

6. Hose it down with Odoban. Let it sit and sink in.

Vac/wipe up. Let dry. Reapply.

Odoban is available at Home Depot, etc.

[Gormy Cuss]

8. Try a mineral absorber

Like this http://www.gaiam.com/product/06-0623.do?SID=WG092SPRTAPEMACS&GCID=C18376x003&keyword=06-0623

An immediate way to address it is with boxes of baking soda but cat urine is a nasty odor-- as another poster noted, if there's carpet in that room it's a goner. I've heard of people needing to remove subflooring when the odor is particularly bad.

[SacredCow]

14. I think that removal of the subfloor is probably warranted....

It's not carpet, but it's seriously, seriously foul in there...

[Rambis]

13. Zero odor

I used it on a leather bag a cat soiled and it worked like a charm. It is expensive but the most effective thing I have ever used.
http://www.zeroodor.com/

[AirmensMom]

20. That is the nastiest, most toxic stuff.

I bought some but it's too perfumed for me. They gave me my money back and told me to keep it, but I'll never use it.

[Rambis]

23. No problem here

it is not like fabreeze which we can't use for fear of asthma attacks.

[AirmensMom]

24. It has a "tracer scent" ...

which really set me off. I only sprayed it once in one room and couldn't air it out fast enough. I wouldn't recommend it to an asthmatic. You're lucky you didn't have a problem with it, but it's safer to use products without chemical fragrance ... no matter what code word they want to call it.

[DeepBlueC]

17. Nature's Miracle

It's an enzymatic cleaner that is available in pet stores. They have one that comes in a gallon and a half size. It is meant to soak into the paths where urine went so apply generously and wait. All will be well. It does the job.

[Inspired]

25. I swear by this stuff.

[AirmensMom]

22. Here:

http://www.petodorremoval.net/

Pay $9.99 for a recipe that really works or your money back. Make your own stuff, so you only pay once. I've tried everything else. This one's worth your money.

[Whoa_Nelly]

26. Paint the walls and ceiling in addition to getting out the odors from the flooring.

Walls and ceiling absorb a lot of odor.

Remove odors form the flooring (am assuming it's vinyl) with vinegar and water solution:

http://www.mrscleannw.com/tips/clean-linoleum.html

Heavy Duty Linoleum Floor Cleaning
To do a real heavy duty Linoleum floor cleaning (assuming the linoleum is not just old and discolored) try this: We use this on all linoleum floors we clean, and we clean A LOT of floors!

Mop linoleum with a mild detergent and wait awhile to allow it to penetrate the ground-in dirt

* Use a canister vacuum, or broom and thoroughly vacuum up all dust and dirt.
* Get a good wax stripper and using a good scrub brush, follow manufactures instructions, and make sure any wax on the linoleum is completely removed.
* Mix white vinegar (food grade) and water 50/50 in a spray bottle fill up a mop bucket with warm/hot water.
* Use the spray bottle to spray the vinegar solution on the linoleum floor, and mop the floor with the warm water in the mop bucket.

The vinegar cleaner solution smells, but as it dries the smell will dissipate completely, it cuts grease and is a disinfectant and a mold and mildew remover. It leaves no residue or spots.

[undeterred]

28. Check out Planet Urine

http://www.planeturine.com/

[SacredCow]

29. PlanetUrine?

That scares me a little...

:rofl:

[undeterred]

30. It happens after Global Warming.

:hide:

[Lethe]

31. after you do all that, get some sage sticks

kill the evil odor spirits