Pet & Other Animal or Human Odors, & Smells or Urine Odors at Building Exteriors InspectAPedia® -
How to remove animal odors, pet urine odors, or human urine odors from building exteriors
How to remove human urine odors on or near buildings
How to identify odors or gases by type, source, and toxicity. Noxious odors or smells in buildings can be diagnosed and cured
Questions & answers about finding and getting rid of animal odors and smells at or on buildings
Animal smells & odors: how to track down and remove the sources of animal-related smells at buildings: odors, feces, dog or cat odor troubleshooting guide. This article provides suggestions for finding and removing animal odors from the exteriors of buildings - a section of our discussion of animal or human odor removal from building interiors, building exterior surfaces, from soils around buildings or from urine-odor smelly clothing, bedding, and other soft goods. This article series focuses on removing pet or other animal odors from buildings due to pet urine, pet feces, wild animal urine, or even human urine on and around buildings or on clothing and othrer soft materials. For removing animal odors inside buildings see ODORS, URINE REMOVAL.
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Readers should also see Black stains from animals for a description of the cause and cure of various types of stains caused by pets or other animals in buildings, and also see CAT DANDER in BUILDINGS for a discussion of animal allergens indoors and how they are detected and removed. Also see Car Odors - Animals.
This website provides articles on to diagnose, test, identify, and cure or remove a wide range of obnoxious or even toxic
odors in buildings and in building water supply. We discuss odors from a variety of sources including
animals including pets, dogs, cats, or unwanted animals or dead animals, formaldehyde odors in buildings from building products or furnishings, plumbing drains, plastic or vinyl odors from building products, flue gases, oil tanks or oil spills, pesticides,
septic odors, sewer gases, and even abandoned chemicals at properties.
Here we give advice concerning the detection and removal of animal smells & odors from dogs, cats, or other pets. The little skunk and that other brown furry stuffed animal in our photo (above left) were not responsibel for smells in this home, but they were doing their best to keep the inspector from noticing the water stains from a flooded floor.
Cat allergen and odor source identification, testing, removal, are also discussed beginning at Cat Dander: how to inspect and test a building for past or current presence of cats, cat hair, cat dander, and cat allergens". Also see Pet Allergens.
Animal smells in or around buildings, both indoors and outside, may be due to current or prior pets in a building, pet urine or fecal waste, cat boxes, animal hair, dog dander, cat dander (are allergens and are indicators of the level of prior pet activity), dust tracked in by dogs.
The little stuffed animals in this photo include a skunk - both were innocent of any pet-crimes, but they had been placed at either side of a basement door jamb to cover stains from basement water entry.
Here are some tips for removing animal smells from buildings:
Suggestions for Finding the Source of & Removing Animal Odors Indoors
How to find the source of pet odors, including pet urine odors
Determine that animals have previously been in the building even if there are none there at present. Look for scratches, stains, and odors as we describe below.
Pet doors and fences also tell the history of the type and size of pets that have been in a building. Also see Black stains from animals for a description of the cause and cure of various types of stains caused by pets or other animals in buildings
Follow your nose - often pets were confined to particular rooms or areas of a home
Allergic reactions - of people to entering or spending time in a building may be due to the presence of animal hair or more likely animal dander from dogs, cats, or other pets. A carefully selected dust sample from a building is an easy screen for the presence of animal dander including dog dander, cat dander, evidence of rodents, dust mites, insects and other allergens. Where appropriate, other chemical assays for allergens are also present, but we advise against ordering costly tests that may risk inaccuracy if the sample itself is not selected by an expert.
Use your eyes - you may see pet scratches on one side of a door (photo at left), telling you where the pet was sequestered. Also look for teeth or claw marks on window sills, door trim, stair parts, flooring baseboard trim, or any other component that an animal may be able to bite or gnaw.
Pets shut into a room may urinate in that space, particularly near a door leading to outside or around a large piece of furniture, or if territory marking, often against a wall.
Look for stains - on floors or walls, where pets urinated or marked spaces;
These dog urine stains went un-noticed until the property owner removed smelly carpeting and carpet padding. These stains cannot be removed by light sanding - flooring replacement would be necessary as the stains were deep into the wood.
The owner elected to re-seal the floor against odors.
Look below smelly carpets as often urine has soaked through carpets, carpet padding, and has entered the subflooring or finish flooring wood materials.
In this urine-stained corner we found that the pet urine had penetrated carpet padding as well.
Look below vinyl sheet flooring and vinyl floor tiles in an area where pets may have urinated. Readers have reported finding pet urine that had soaked into backer material or even cardboard or paper underlayment that had been placed underneath vinyl floor tiles. A reader reported that on pulling up the laminate portion of flooring they found pet urine-soaked paper backing material that had remained glued to the subfloor. The urine pattern was found around the perimeter of where a bed had been placed - the pet had urinated repeatedly on flooring around, but not under, the bed.
Use a "black light" or UV-light to look for pet urine even where no stains are visible. Small black lights are available from pet supply stores, art supply stores, and forensic and police equipment suppliers and are generally inexpensive.
Both plug-in and more convenient battery-operated black-lights are available. Use the black light in dark or near dark conditions for the best view. Urine will shine a bright yellow color in this lighting
Also check for dead animals in building attics, crawl spaces, wall or ceiling cavities and in duct work or air handlers or chimneys.
Animal odors in buildings can occur
when an animal such as a mouse or rat has died in a building cavity. A dead animal smell has been described by our clients with a wide variety of terms ranging from a vague noxious stink that seemed to vary with humidity to a sweet sickly smell.
Dead animals or even insect nests
in building plumbing, especially building vents, can also produce unexpected sewer odors - see Septic and Sewer gas odor links discussed below.
Rodents, especially in the HVAC system such as air ducts, may also be a bacterial or Hanta virus hazard.
Cleaning Suggestions for Removal of Pet Odors & Pet Urine
Couches and wall to wall carpets are very difficult to fully clean; try steam cleaning; inspect carpet padding below carpets and replace it if it's stained or smelly;
Inspect wood flooring or sub-flooring below pet-stained carpets - the wood surfaces may also have absorbed urine and will need cleaning and possibly sealing with a clear sealant. we have found it nearly impossible to sand-out serious pet stains on finished wood flooring - sometimes the stains and dark oxidized wood has penetrated too deeply. Such badly stained flooring would need to be replaced or sealed.
Drywall that has been peed-on by a pet is very difficult to clean successfully unless the urine was minimal. If minimal, cleaning with a pet odor remover and painting with an odor-sealing paint might work. Otherwise you'll need to cut and remove the drywall and replace it.
Floor or wall cavities, including ceilings below a pet-peed-on floor above, may contain building insulation which has become wet with urine. If you cannot remove animal odor from a wall or floor or from a room below a pet-stained floor, it may be useful to cut a test opening through drywall closest to the stained area to inspect for odors or urine penetration. Remove any smelly or stained insulation, clean and seal the building cavity before installing new insulation and finish surfaces.
Deodorizer powders and bags of "odor absorbing" materials may help a bit, but in our opinion it makes a lot more sense to find the source of an odor and remove it - urine, dead animals, feces, dirty litter box, than to leave the source and try to absorb the odor.
Odor eliminating chemicals and washes for dog or cat urine: we've experimented with odor eliminating sprays and cleaners to remove pet urine odors from floors and carpets with mixed success. Often we could remove the odor enough that humans did not detect any remaining unpleasant smells. But in some cases the dog or cat returned to the same location again.
Pet repelling chemicals: in that case products that include an odorizer that discourages an animal from urinating in the same spot may help.
Some sources recommend baking soda alone as an odor removal treatment for dog or cat pee. We have rarely found this material sufficient for animal urine; more serious cleaners and in cases pet odor removers and neutralizers were needed.
Free dog or cat urine deodorization formula: several pet owners have written to describe versions of a simple do-it-yourself procedure that they report often has good results. The procedure may work for treating urine from other animals as well.
If the urine spot is on carpeting, lift the carpeting to determine if urine has soaked through the padding and onto the floor below. If so, we recommend discarding the urine-soaked area of carpet padding and cleaning the floor surface. The steps below might permit you to save the carpeting - you'll need to buy, cut, and install a new square of carpet padding to replace the padding you removed. If you try these steps without exploring below the carpeting you may not be as successful as urine may have soaked deeply into the padding and even the subflooring
Blot up as much of the urine as you can - we just use paper towels
Soak the urine spot with a dilute vinegar solution ( 3 parts water to one part household vinegar)
Blot up the vinegar mixture and let the spot dry
Baking soda: sprinkle baking soda on the urine-spot
Up to this point it's unlikely that any bleaching or discoloration problems will have arisen from these steps. But the next step, because it includes an oxidant, could whiten or bleach the surface, so try the remaining steps first on a small inconspicuous area:
Deodorizing solution: Mix ¾ cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide together with 1 teaspoon of detergent (dish detergent or liquid laundry detergent will be fine), and apply this solution on top of the urine area that already has been powdered with baking soda.
Scrub: If the area being treated is carpeting use a soft brush to scrub the carpet lightly to work the solution into the carpet.
Dry & Vacuum: Let the solution dry and vacuum up the dust and debris from the urine-area
In buildings where pets are still resident:
Walk your dog: pets left alone for too long are the most likely to become habituated to relieving themselves indoors.
Careful management of cat litter boxes is important for both odor and sanitation; people who change the litter too infrequently can become inured to cat odors coming from the litter box - a smell source that will be more noticed by visitors. If your cat has stopped using the litter box it may be due to smelly cat litter that the cat just can't stand. When we were late changing our litter our cat would stand on the edge of the litter box to pee - she didn't want to set foot in the litter box unless it was clean. Peeing from the edge of the litter box was inaccurate.
Pet cages, including bird cages and dog crates need to be kept clean for the same reasons.
Crate your dog during a training period, taking the dog outside frequently until you and the pet both know the schedule - most dogs will not urinate in their own crate unless they have been left alone for far too long, or perhaps if the animal is sick and incontinent (discuss this with your vet).
Dogs and cats will continue to re-visit and urinate on a building surface where the urine odor remains from previous crimes. If surface cleaners and pet odor removers prove inadequate to discourage the pet from urinating in the same spot, you'll need to combine use of a pet repellant chemical in that location with diligent toilet training and (in the case of cats) a clean litter box.
Other special deodorizing products may suit your less common pet, such as ferret waste odor removing chemicals and skunk odor removers.
Cleaning odors off of your pet itself: can require simple shampooing - use a pet shampoo or in an emergency, baby shampoo - keep soap out of pet eyes and away from delicate tissues such as a female animal's vagina. Special products are available from pet suppliers and from veterinarians if you need to remove skunk odors from your cat or dog. (We used to wash our skunked-dog in tomato juice - which was marginally effective.
Removing Animal or Pet Odors from Building Exteriors
Smelly soil around a building: You may need to remove really smelly soil depending on the kind of animal and how much peeing it's been doing.
Raccoons rarely urinate on building exteriors but they are less fastidious if they gain access to the building attic or basement.
Animal urine on building exterior walls: masonry walls can be power washed or if necessary cleaned with a masonry cleaning product;
For painted surfaces, you may need to paint-over really smelly surfaces that don't respond to cleaning with pet odor neutralizer sprays. Use a paint intended for odor sealing such as paints used on building interiors for odor control after a fire - your paint supplier can steer you to the right paint from their catalog - let me know what you use and how well it works.
Vinyl siding that has been urinated on by animals should be scrubbed with any common household cleaner. Do not spray a power-washer "UP" against vinyl or aluminum siding as you may blow water into the wall cavities.
Aluminum siding that has been urinated on can be washed with a household cleaner but be careful about scrubbing aluminum siding that has become chalked on its surface - you may scrub off the paint, leading to an exterior paint job.
If you know that the urine was from humans urinating around a building indoors or outside, you might call the company making animal odor neutralizer to ask if they have an opinion about what works best in their product line. Most of the animal odor neutralizers are for dog or cat urine.
If the building exterior being still being visited by animals who continue to spray urine on or near the building, male cats or dogs marking territory, a stinky groundhog, skunk, or male deer marking your garden and shrubs, it helps to know what the animal is. There are also specific repellents aimed at individual animal species.
There are chemicals specifically sold to neutralize animal odors - stop by a pet supply store or look online - they work pretty well.
Use the spray on surfaces that can be cleaned;
Also see Removing Urine Odors from Clothing This article describes bacterial/enzyme based cleaners that may be extra effective in removing human or animal urine odors from clothing, diapers, bedding, towels, etc.
To Return to Mold/IAQ Action Guide: What to do about mold, mildew, and other indoor allergens
an environmental testing guidance website explaining what to do about mold, mildew, and other indoor allergens.
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Thanks to reader Cathye Bunthoff for suggestions regarding tracking pet urine odors to the backing of vinyl flooring and around furniture 04/6/2009.
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
Kansas State University, department of plant pathology, extension plant pathology web page on wheat rust fungus: see http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/path-ext/factSheets/Wheat/Wheat%20Leaf%20Rust.asp
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home",
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.htm
US EPA - Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Building [ copy on file as /sickhouse/EPA_Mold_Remediation_in_Schools.pdf ] - US EPA
US EPA - Una Breva Guia a Moho - Hongo [on file as /sickhouse/EPA_Moho_Guia_sp.pdf - - en Espanol
Allergies, Allergens, Allergy Testing in Buildings - References & Products
Allergen Tests in Buildings advice about how to test, what to look for, in evaluating the level of dog, cat, or other animal allergens in a building
"IgG Food Allergy Testing by ELISA/EIA, What do they really tell us?" Sheryl B. Miller, MT (ASCP), PhD, Clinical Laboratory Director, Bastyr University Natural Health Clinic - ELISA testing accuracy: Here is an example of Miller's critique of ELISA
http://www.betterhealthusa.com/public/282.cfm - Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
The critique included in that article raises compelling questions about IgG testing assays, which prompts our interest in actually screening for the presence of high levels of particles that could carry allergens - dog dander or cat dander in the case at hand.
http://www.tldp.com/issue/174/IgG%20Food%20Allergy.html contains similar criticism in another venue but interestingly by the same author, Sheryl Miller. Sheryl Miller, MT (ASCP), PhD, is an Immunologist and Associate Professor of Basic and Medical Sciences at Bastyr University in Bothell, Washington. She is also the Laboratory Director of the Bastyr Natural Health Clinic Laboratory.
Allergens: Testing for the level of exposure to animal allergens is discussed at http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/animalallergy/diagnosis.shtml (lab animal exposure study is interesting because it involves a higher exposure level in some cases
Allergens: WebMD discusses allergy tests for humans at webmd.com/allergies/allergy-tests
Animal Allergens: Dog, Cat, and Other Animal Dander - Cleanup & Prevention Information for Asthmatics and regarding Indoor Air Quality.
Recognizing Allergens: What various indoor allergens look like - identification photos to help identify pollen, dust mites, animal dander, toxic or allergenic mold - Common Mold and other Allergens, Irritants, Remedies & Advice
Rodent control issues, including dander, fecal, and urine contamination of Buildings and Building insulation are discussed at our
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