I’m going to go look at a house (will be my first flip) that has “a very bad urine smell and it must be bad to keep house on market this long (219 days)” says the realtor. I was wondering if anyone has come across fowl smells and the measures they used to get it smelling like a new house. I think this deal could be really good but the 219 days on the market scares me more than the urine smell.
I had a rental that had a cat urine odor. It had a crawl space, so it had a wood floor. Here's the technique: pull up the carpet and pad and haul it to the dump, scrub the floor with soap and water or an enzyme cleaner until it doesn't stink, then seal the floor. Use polyurethane or a sealing paint. Replace the floor with the product of your choice.
That project sucked.
I use OdorX. It’s a liquid that you can spray on just about anything and it gets rid of the smell.
Mike
Some people swear by white vinegar. I had to get cat urine smell out of hardwood floors one time and it was nasty. Will never forget the smell. We also sealed the floor with poly and it helped a lot.
What happens if you buy a home with urine trouble and you can’t get rid of the smell? You guessed it, you’re in trouble.
Sorry, too easy to pass on that lame joke. :biggrin
Mike, does OdorX REALLY work, or is it just for rentals with pets that have had an accident or two? I've passed on deals where the odor was just so bad because the odor made my eyes water as I walked through the threshold of the front door...
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I was watching a show about people who clean up crime scenes and they said something like “with the right tools, you can clean up ANY smell”…so I think I might use that as my inspiration. I just hope it’s not a plumbing problem and the smell is baked into the studs.
Don’t know about cat urine, but do know about dog urine. I bought a raised house that I couldn’t stand to be in without holding my breath. The white carpet was yellow. The two dogs sleep under the bed. It was soaked. The front sun room had glued down boat carpet and was the dogs bath room.
What I did. Hired someone to remove carpet from house. Had to hire a crew to scrape the carpet off the porch. Went to the big pet chain and bought the enzyme by the gallon. Can’t remember how many gallons, but kept buying and spraying until the dark wet stained sub floor from the urine started to look like new wood. This took a couple of weeks. Then I mopped the whole floor with bleach. Then I kilzed the floor. I had someone kilz the textured ceiling. Then I painted the walls. Then since it was on the water I lived in it till it sold.
I have bad allergies. The above plan worked with dog urine.
Funder,
Yes, OdorX works. As I recall, it’s a little expensive (about $40 per bottle of concentrate). You can read about it on their website at OdorXIt.com.
I have absolutely no financial or other business interest in this product. I’m just saying that I use it and it works. Mix it up in a garden sprayer and have at it.
Mike
I used vinegar and water on dog urine…it neutralizes something (I don’t feel like looking it up). It worked well but cats are a little different.
Something you could do is look at the chemical makeup of a good cat litter. One of their ingredients is made to absorb and eliminate cat urine odor. Find the chemical and dilute it with water…google works wonders for the chemical student wannabe.
Cheers.
Urine Gone works well. http://www.urinegone.com/?cid=244913
Not cheap, and the black light is more gimmicky than functional, but the product does get rid of the smell.
I would pick it up here http://www.plymouthdirect.com/ and just get the refill kit.