Prof Hill wrote in message ...
Prof Hill <uc...@ns.vvm.com> was heard to remark:
: I just evicted a renter because they had cats in my furnished house in
: violation of the rental agreement. I got what damages $ I could from them.
: The mechanical damage I can handle, but how do I get rid of the terrific
: stink? The only way I can stand to be inside the house is with a big fan
: blowing air in the door. I have treated the rugs for fleas, and think I
: have them down. Will I have to discard the furniture and rugs?
--
"I have just developed the greatest protocol since the Angel of Death
invented Passover. Thousands shall fall before the might of my checksums,
and loud shall be the lamentations of those who fail to route my packets.
The purity of my header bytes shall bring swift destruction and suffering
unparalleled to my enemies. Death! Death and ingrown toenails to the
infidels who fail to adopt it! And Victory! Victory unmitigated by
sorrrow, strife, or packet loss to the faithful! ... Er... How do I get it
adpoted as a standard?"
--Mr. Protocol
My experience was remove the carpet and the padding (trash)...scrub the wood
floors with pet ordor remover (I used Nilotex)...then paint the floors with
Kilz...put down new padding and carpet. I've lived there 5-years since with 2
cats!!! NO accidents....
1) throw out the carpet
2) take a hot flame and heat the concrete foundation toasty warm
I tried the friendly bacteria stuff from the pet store, I tried a dozen
gallons of Clorox bleach, I tried several different types of household
cleaner. But the only thing that got rid of the urine smell was to heat
the concrete and throw out the carpet.
Yuck.
Good luck,
--dsg
-------------------------------
BJones5494 <bjone...@aol.com> wrote in article
<199807081402...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
In severe odor situations (*strong* cat urine odor), throw out the carpet,
pad, tack strip.
Urine turns *alkaline* from an acid in a matter of a few days after being
deposited. Therefore, you use an *acid* to clean...not an akaline, like
bleach, or detergents. I use Unsmoke Pipe and Porcelain Cleaner, an acid
detergent, used to clean bathroom fixtures. Vinegar would work; I would mix
50/50 with water.
[You smell *ammonia* in dried urine...ammonia is probably the strongest
alkaline cleaner in a home.]
If the floors are wood, lightly sand, sweep/vacuum, scrub with your acid
solution, extract/mop. Let dry.
If the floors are cement, sweep/vacuum, scrub with your acid solution,
extract/mop. Let dry.
Spray the solution on with a pump garden sprayer, and agitate with a push
broom. Or mop it on. Use a wet vac to extract, or mop.
Apply a solvent based acryllic sealer for cement. I use Neutralizer's
"Neutral-P-Seal". *Any* solvent based acryllic cement sealer will work. The
above product also works on wood subfloors. Thompson's Water Seal is
*specifically* not recommended.
We use BINZ (favorite) or KILZ, or any alcohol based shellac on walls and
wood. Same process; clean with acid, dry, seal.
The idea is simple: you cannot remove dried urine from *porous* surfaces
like wood and cement. You must *seal* the unremovable urine in the
contaminated surfaces. It must be sealed from *exposure* to heat and
moisture. If warm, moist air does not contact the dried urine crystals, you
will NOT smell the urine.
If you do not seal, and even when the cat is gone, and carpet is simply
replaced, warm, moist air will make the smell return, and contaminate the
new flooring. *Months*, even *years* later. You *only* smell in the presence
of heat and moisture.
Enzymes can work, but in situations of strong odor, they *never* will. A cat
urinating just 6 ozs per day is 17 gallons of urine per year. Enzymes will
work in single or very infrequent urinations. However, if the smell is
strong, you have a major contamination. If 20% of the surface is
contaminated, 60% of the underlayment is. (Use a blacklight to find; males
urinate on perimeter vertical surfaces, females squat in the center of
rooms, usually.)
On contaminated wood or cement sub-floors, you can put down *hundreds* of
gallons of bleach, detergent, water, enzymes...pick your favorite. You can
extract with a bilge pump after *flooding* the structure, and you will
*never* remove the urine from the billions of holes in these floors.
Wash with an acid after light sanding of wood. Extract and dry. Seal. Done.
Odor *gone*.
Simple.
Mark
IICRC Certified Master Cleaning Technician
IICRC Certified Master Restoration Technician