apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


How To: Remove Urine from Dirt

080708_parker.jpg

The Parker Hotel has a great garden with sandy paths, ours is similar but has a problem...
We've been wanting to take advantage of having a garden this summer and really sprucing it up (a little late, we know but summer can last well into September in LA) so that we can entertain and get away without leaving home. We have a tiny problem though: most of the neighborhood cats have been using the garden as their personal litter box.

 
 

The main issue? The garden is covered in course sand like at the Parker in Palm Springs. All this does is solidify for the cats that it must be for them. So we're past the point of being able to use cinnamon to deter the kitties, we have to get serious. We've started breaking up the sand and have pulled out all of the 'chunks' we've found and thrown them away. We're planning a planting bed, so a lot of the sand needs to be spread out over the garden or simply disposed of. Here's the plan:

• We've put the 'toxic sand' in the sun, to just bake, after all it works for pillows.

• We read that spreading citrus oils or peels helps to lessen and eventually eradicate the odor of urine, but we really can't take any chances so we plan to spray it all down with Nature's Miracle, and we mean saturate it.

• Then we'll do it again.

• Then we'll let it bake.

• Then, hopefully it'll be remedied and we will cover the ground with cinnamon to deter any future mishaps.

If you have anything to add to this, please feel free, it's a dirty job so the faster it gets taken care of, the better.

Tags

How To..., pets: dogs, cats, snakes, etc., garden, urine, cat odor

Related Links

Share

Comments (16)

Why don't you ask The Parker? They accept pets. Maybe they have the same problem.

In the past I've dug out and removed contaminated soil and then replaced it with fresh bags. This only works for smaller spaces though.

posted by Mubs on August 7th 2008 at 10:00am
view Mubs's profile

I have read here in past post comments that Nature's Miracle's formula has changed for the worse, and that there is another product on the market that uses the original formula. Unfortunately, I don't recall the name, so you'll have to do a little digging for it (unless someone else can help out here). My other advice would be to spray the Nature's Miracle (or whatever) in the evening. The sun will dry it up before it has a chance to work.

posted by greer on August 7th 2008 at 10:00am
view greer's profile

good call greer!

posted by laure on August 7th 2008 at 10:20am
view laure's profile

First thing -- cat waste can be very toxic, particularly to pregnant women or people with compromised immune systems. So you should definitely get rid of the contaminated soil and replace it.

Discourage them by planting areas so full they can't roll around (they're looking for dirt). There are some plants that are supposed to have unpleasant odors to cats: rue, for instance. Also anything with thorns. I've also seen recommended as a general insect and animal repellent a spray of water, garlic and hot pepper -- it's not toxic but it's nasty to the taste and smell (to an animal). You'd have to respray after rain, of course. I tried it on leaf-stripping ants and it worked.

If you want an occasional cat, you might put in a bed of catnip in a far far corner. If you're feeding birds, be sure to think about not only keeping the birdfeeders out of cat reach, but also making sure that there's nowhere close enough for the cats to lurk and pounce on birds feeding on the ground. If the cat has to run across a far distance of open ground it gives the birds a sporting chance.

posted by Deborah on August 7th 2008 at 10:31am
view Deborah's profile

i think that both nature's miracle and the original version, now called "petastic," both offer limited success(es) when fighting pet odor problems. plus, you can get really tired of the "fragrance!"

one to consider is a natural zeolite clay product called "hero" (http://www.hero-odors.com). it has no smell, is not a wet product, and could be mixed right in with the sand. plus...it is available online.

they make both an odor remover and a litter additive, as well as a host of other products, and their website and 800 number are VERY helpful!

good luck!

posted by beevee on August 7th 2008 at 10:53am
view beevee's profile

Sorry, no advice regarding getting the urine out of the dirt but to keep cats off your new plantings and dirt, fill glass jars with water and place (covered tight) around your property. Obviously, you can make these jars as pretty installations or as temporary as you like but something about the reflective properties of the water in glass keeps them away and perfectly "green" and non-committal (unlike specific plantings or garden designs).

posted by kariko on August 7th 2008 at 11:21am
view kariko's profile

I bought a rug and didn't know it was pee soaked.. I used white vinegar in the jars that are used for fertilizer, connected to my water hose, and it worked after 3 x's and letting sun hit it.. Now I know why the 1,000 dollar rug was 40 bucks.. It's fine now!!!

posted by parrishnut on August 7th 2008 at 11:28am
view parrishnut's profile

might want to look at it from the other angle... how can you get rid of what's causing the odor as opposed to the odor itself... thoughts on getting rid of the cats past the incessant use of topicals you have to reapply?

posted by redneckmodern on August 7th 2008 at 11:37am
view redneckmodern's profile

I'll back up the vinegar comment, it really works. The vinegar smell goes away after a few days.

posted by SuperGrrl on August 7th 2008 at 11:57am
view SuperGrrl's profile

I had a kitty using my windowbox as a litterbox all winter. After I removed that dirt (UGH) and re-soiled and added new plants, my hairdresser said that adding hair clippings to the top layer of soil would keep the cat from coming back and doing his thing again. The cats don't like the way the hair feels on their paws and they'll leave your plants/dirt alone. I know it sounds weird, but it totally works! Get a bag of hair clippings from your hairdresser and give it a try.

posted by darcidoodle on August 7th 2008 at 12:40pm
view darcidoodle's profile

Yes, a cat mint or catnip bush in a far corner will keep them in that one spot. I did the same thing in my garden. It truly works.

posted by medusa12120 on August 7th 2008 at 1:24pm
view medusa12120's profile

I have cat issues here, and we just dug out the soil until we couldn't smell the urine anymore, and added fresh new soil to the area.

For our mulch, we use dried rosemary and pine branches. They are all dry and prickly and the cats don't like it. (the cats like our regular bark mulch unfortunately).

posted by Kerith on August 7th 2008 at 1:58pm
view Kerith's profile

you can also sprinkle cayenne pepper on the soil or the perimeter of the garden to keep cats away.

posted by stinkypants on August 8th 2008 at 5:20am
view stinkypants's profile

coffee grounds (new or used) scattered on the area where the cats are pooing.

posted by loislane on August 8th 2008 at 6:40am
view loislane's profile

Simple Solution works really well. I have a small area in the yard where my dog goes when we can't get him out for a walk. I buy Simple Solution in gallon jugs and once in a while I pour out about a cup and sprinkle it over the spot.

Simple Solution is also great for stinkiness in the house, like dog vomit (our dog has a nervous stomach). Use the spray bottle for this.

We have the cat poop problem (neighborhood cats, darn them) and I'm intrigued by the coffee grounds suggestion.

posted by dia on August 8th 2008 at 7:13am
view dia's profile

Disclaimer first: I've never tried this, but I've read that spritzing the scent of wolf will keep deer from eating your garden. A google search turned up at least one company that claims it will also keep cats away... no mention of whether you have to trade the scent of cat urine for that of wolf urine. Link here:

http://www.predatorpee.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=LE&Category_Code=WU

It won't help with initial deodorizing, but perhaps it could save you from needing to repeat the process.

posted by one_eyed_squint on August 25th 2008 at 10:04am
view one_eyed_squint's profile

Feeds

RSS icon Los Angeles

+ City Feeds