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Help! How to Remove Cat Pee?

061208_cat.jpgI just noticed that after being away the cat was stuck in a room without a litter box and she peed on the wood floor. I've cleaned up the surface, but my hunch (based on smell) is that it seeped below and is in between the wood planks. How do I get in there to clean it up without warping the floor? Can I pour an enzyme based product on it? Help!

 
 

I've been considering spraying it with icky poo and letting it soak in for a little bit before blotting it up, but I'm concerned that the moisture will warp the floor, but if there's pee in there, that will warp it too...

Please not that that is not my cat in the picture, it's from sly fox a's flickr and her name is lola bean.

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cleaning, cleaning, good question, cat pee, bad kitty, pet accident

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Comments (35)

awwwwwwwwwwwwkitty

posted by jenny! on June 12th 2008 at 11:02am
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Perhaps trying Nature's Miracle will help? I haven't had to use it (thank god for no accidents from the cats yet!) but i have heard it works WONDERS (and it certainly has for my twin's dog!). cat pee is really one of the worst things ever!http://www.naturemakesitwork.com/catalog/prod_detail.php?id=79

if you go to this website and ask this question, they will recommend a product for you. good luck!

posted by karenwog on June 12th 2008 at 11:02am
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That kitty looks so mad!

posted by Cassis on June 12th 2008 at 11:03am
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my parents had this problem.... they got rid of the carpet, cleaned and sealed the concrete slab below it and low and behold the smell was still there. As it turns out the cat pee had moved under the baseboards and into the drywall-- they had to replace the bottom 3 feet of drywall in every room. I dont know what your situation is but my parents were pretty surprised (and majorly grossed out) that they're aging cat had done this much damage over a relatively short period of time.

posted by matt manfredini on June 12th 2008 at 11:11am
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We had the same problem and poured gallons (literally) of every product on the market on it including Nature's Miracle and it still smelled to high heavens. We ended up having to replace the subfloor and the flooring. I think your best bet is to carefully remove the section of the hardwood, cut out and replace the subfloor and then patch up the hardwood. Wish I had more uplifting advice. meeew.

posted by otherminds on June 12th 2008 at 11:24am
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i guess i'd start by pouring a whole lot of nature's miracle over the area, or "icky poo." let it sit for a few minutes, then place a towel over the area to start absorbing it. keep replacing the towel as it absorbs the moisture....

if your place is older and you have gaps in the wood, stick some newspaper in the cracks to pull up whatever you can. maybe try sucking a little up with a vacuum or setting up your fan to blow down onto it.

or let the icky poo sink in, then set up a dehumidifier to pull out the moisture.

i don't know that any of that will work... but that's what i'd try.

posted by closertotheocean on June 12th 2008 at 11:24am
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matt, don't even say those words, that is a nightmare I cannot face!

posted by laure on June 12th 2008 at 11:24am
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I have 3 kitties, one of which is extremely finicky and will absolutely not use the litter box if it has been used by another cat, so I periodically find messes on my old oak floor. I also would recommend using Nature's Miracle! They offer a version specifically made for cats that so far has worked for me. I haven't noticed any discolorations or warping in my floor as of yet. Also I like the Method surface cleaner: it has no harsh chemicals and seems to get the smell out pretty well.

posted by jaynamo on June 12th 2008 at 11:31am
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In a word: Anti Icky Poo.

posted by umithepumi on June 12th 2008 at 11:32am
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Laure-

I know that Nature's Miracle has a version specifically for cat urine -- it's a different chemical composition than the original.

Hopefully it will work on it -- but you may have to sand and re-stain the floor.

posted by thirdcoastgirl on June 12th 2008 at 11:36am
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Thanks Everyone!

posted by laure on June 12th 2008 at 11:39am
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There are products specifically for cat piss. I've had some for a year or so and it works great. I can't remember the name but I bought it at Petsmart. You simply saturate the area and let it dry. After that, mop/clean the area.

Have no fear - you will get that awful stench out of there. Its not cheap but it works.

posted by SeanG on June 12th 2008 at 11:41am
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Try nature's miracle or I also find that Vinegar will neutralize the order. My cats have peed outside the box when it isn't as pristine as they'd like it to be and we have wood floors. I've let it (nature's miracle) air dry and the floors seem to be okay. It might not work in one go, so I recommend trying it a few times and just air the place out. It will go away, give it a little time! Good luck, cat pee can SUCK!

posted by katie on June 12th 2008 at 11:41am
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Aww.
Grump Cat is grumpy

posted by cassandra158 on June 12th 2008 at 12:12pm
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Not helping here... just a story of holy terror to share.

I know the handyman who did all the updates and renovations in my building over the past 6 years.

Over the last 60 years, some units were carpeted over the lovely hardwood floors. The last unit to renovate had been the victim of carpeting pet. Once he removed the carpet there were horrible stains all over the hardwood floors.

Now, in every other unit, he sanded the floors and refinished them to a very nice effect see here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/singleclickchick2/306305595/

But in the pee unit... he was warned by many professionals that sanding the pee stained hardwood would result in a great burning pee smell throughout the building. He ended up installing new flooring over it.

posted by clickchick on June 12th 2008 at 12:16pm
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that's supposed to be carpeting PLUS pet

guess the symbol didn't show up!! sorry

posted by clickchick on June 12th 2008 at 12:17pm
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Also,
My bf's gramma is oldschool, and she never cleans wood floors with anything other then vinegar (she's so pro-vinegar it scares me). And their cat is a male, not neuteured, so he pees ALOT to mark his scent (really annoying, we can't leave our shoes on the floor when we go over or else they're soaked with pee)...but suprisingly the house really doesn't smell. Maybe that will help.

posted by cassandra158 on June 12th 2008 at 12:18pm
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I think what makes urine smell so strongly is ammonia, which is alkaline (basic). Neutralizing it with an acid might help (as was suggested by the previous commenter). Try white or apple cider vinegar.

posted by ilovebutter on June 12th 2008 at 1:08pm
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That cat is plotting world domination.

posted by MelissaLeigh on June 12th 2008 at 2:31pm
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I had a similar issue with a concrete floor. I poured REAL vanilla on it several times and it appeared to take care of the problem.

posted by williamsweyr on June 12th 2008 at 3:34pm
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I'm glad I'm not alone in this!

posted by laure on June 12th 2008 at 4:28pm
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My cat(s) peed inside my wood lined (and painted) hall cupboard. I tried vinegar and bicarb, treated it two or three times. It did not do a thing. Finally out of absolute frustration, I tried a solution of about cup of warm water to a heaped tablespoon or so of Napisan (any other nappy/diaper solution would work). Leave to soak in for about an hour and then wipe up the excess and blot with a clean wet cloth to clean up any residue. Not a green solution at all, but it did the trick, smell completely gone and didn't warp any of the timber. Just maybe try a little in a hidden spot first to see the reaction on your floors.

posted by appleton on June 12th 2008 at 5:52pm
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I had the same issue with a ling term pee problem on wood and soaked it again and again with Natures Miracle, which DID warp the floors a bit, it didn't really work that well. I had much better results with a solution of Dr Bronners, white vinegar and K.O.E Kennel odor eliminator mixed with water.Be of good cheer, one weekend's worth of soaking isn't so bad, we are mostly talking about long term stuff on this thread , over time it will leave...

posted by mskk on June 12th 2008 at 6:08pm
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what had worked for us when our cat peed on the wool rug and therefore the wood floor (bleaching the wool rug and dark staining the floor) is murphys oil soap. Just put a large table spoon on something the size of a dinner plate (or proportional) and rub with a paper towel till theres no more. There may be a bit of a residue, but it will subside over time and getting walked on. This kinda cured the smell, but most of the smell was in the rug. I would really not use an enzyme base or water because of the severe damage it can do to a wood floor. It can warp, damage the surface quality, and also damage the substructure underneath. But also that is where the smell has absorbed. If its unfinished floor, I would get it waxed, it always evens out the color a bit.

posted by mje on June 12th 2008 at 8:50pm
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We had this problem in our old apartment, one of our cats started to pee in a corner where we had wood floring, with wide gaps between the floorboards. We finally soaked the corner in spirit vinegar and it worked, the smell disappeared completely. And we placed a bowl with spirit vinegar in the corner for a while to prevent him from doing it again. That worked too. It was such a relief, before that it smelled for months and we almost thought we had to get rid of the cat, which then was about five years old, now he lives with us in our new house, he is nine years, he pees on the floor maybe once every sixth month, but it is not a big thing, we just put spirit vinegar on it and it doesn't smell after that.

posted by Elisabet on June 12th 2008 at 10:10pm
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hi-

I just picked up some 'odorzout' from petsmart and it seems to be a miracle worker. I love the natures miracle for cats mixed with oxyclean but it hasn't been deepcleaning or permanent. Before odorzout it had been the only thing that really worked. Also, ecoquests ozone machines do a pretty good job of getting in and stopping the smell but again it does seem to come back if you remove the machine, takes a while though (like a month) before the smell comes back. The odorzout is cheap too $7 @ petsmart for a canister and it's a ground mineral so it's dry which sounds better for your situation. Good luck! I'll be following this thread ;-)

posted by SagePixie on June 12th 2008 at 10:43pm
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I will never understand cat people... the solution is to move and GET A DOG!

posted by anyimage on June 13th 2008 at 11:02am
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Hydrogen peroxide works well and is very cheap. You pour it on the spot and it will bubble up. Scrub it in and let it dry. You may have to do this several times and you will see a noticeable difference overnight. Hope this helps.

posted by suzy8track on June 14th 2008 at 7:45am
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PS I've tried Nature's Miracle, vinegar and something called Biozyme and nothing worked as well to get out the stain and smell as Hydrogen Peroxide. You have to be diligent and keep at it. The smell will go away overnight and the stain may take a couple of days before it fades away completely.

posted by suzy8track on June 14th 2008 at 8:25am
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Laure -- I know your pain. We have three cats, and have recently installed hardwood flooring. We're not looking forward to the first major pee incident.

My dad had a real problem. His cat was older, and apparently had been missing the litterbox for months. When my mom was alive, they had sprayed all sorts of stuff to try to eliminate the odors, but all that did was cover them up -- unsuccessfully. The smell got into the air conditioning system (there was an air return right next to the litterbox), as well as into the carpet, the padding, etc....

We tried every chemical application known to man, followed by steam cleaning, etc.... In the end, the only solution that worked was to remove the carpet and carpet padding, treat and seal the concrete underneath, and then put in new flooring.


I don't want to rain on your parade -- you may be luckier than we were, so you should definitely try the other things first. Just keep in mind that you may also have to apply more extreme measures.

Good luck!

posted by bradknowles on June 15th 2008 at 6:31pm
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white vinegar work great now on hard wood floors Idont know ...Maj

posted by majeral512 on July 18th 2008 at 11:31am
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There is a product called Get The Urine Out that works for my parents' cats. It is available here http://www.getthesmellout.com/. The problem that you have is the wood floor. For any product to remove the urine/odor, it has to come in contact with the urine. You may or may not ruin the wood trying to treat it with any product.

posted by Litwin2 on September 30th 2008 at 2:27pm
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i just developed an intense cat pee phobia. thanks a lot.

posted by red.door.read. on January 15th 2009 at 8:24am
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I concur--Natures Miracle is great for this. It will seep through the cracks just like the pee did.

Check out this post for more info:
It's about pee on carpets but applies to wood as well. i can say from experience--unless you have to put Natures Miracle on many times due to repeated accidents, it won't damage the floor.

http://cuckoomulticat.blogspot.com/2009/03/pee-on-carpets-you-need-miracle.html

posted by v.cuckoo on August 21st 2009 at 6:24pm
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I use my own product to totally remove my tomcats pee smell
which trigger joe is 15 years old. I agree with other statements that it takes a month or more and the smell starts to return. I use other products also that totally eliminate pet odors also. you can email me for info on my methods that work to destroy pet pee odors at norm767@yahoo.com

NormsHome

posted by NormsHome on December 5th 2009 at 10:54am
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