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How to Remove Pet & Other Animal or Human Odors, & Smells Inside or Outside Buildings
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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
How to remove or clean off animal smells, urine, stains inside or outside of buildings: this article provides suggestions for cleaning off or removing 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 explains how to stop, get rid of & prevent future 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 other soft materials.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
Cleaning Suggestions for Removal of Pet Odors & Pet Urine Indoors
 Beginning at ANIMAL ODORS IN BUILDINGS with advice on finding the source of urine or animal smells at or in buildings, we give advice concerning the detection and removal of animal smells & odors from dogs, cats, or other pets. At Removing Odors at Building Exteriors we discuss the problem of odors outdoors on and around buildings. Here at Cleaning Suggestions for Odors / Urine we describe how to remove smells & odors.
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". Or see Pet Allergens.
A complete guide to tracking down and curing odors in buildings is at ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE. 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. Thanks to reader Cathye Bunthoff for odor tracking suggestions.
- Wash or dry-clean soft goods that are not going to be disposed-of. See Urine Odor Enzymes, Detergents & Odor Removers below.
- 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.
This article series continues at Removing Odors at Building Exteriors.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about how to remove pet, other animal, or human urine & other odors & smells inside or outside buildings
Question: the cat in the attic left strong smells of cat pee & cat poop
My problem is that there was a cat in my attic (very large attic, approximately 4000 sq ft), for a long period of time. The cat was removed about 1 1/2 year ago, but the smell is just as strong. We have an attic ladder in one of the bedrooms and you can smell the cat urine/poop odor through that door, even when closed. Of course I can not see where the pee and poop is to remove just those areas, so is there anything I can do? - Cathy
Reply:
Cathy I've dealt with this problem in a number of homes. Unfortunately the solutions that work are to remove all soft goods (insulation, for example) that are smelly or contaminated, and then to clean and seal the remaining surfaces. There are odor sealant paints used, for example, as a smoke odor remedy after a fire and that should work well in your case.
The tough decision is about the extent of drywall to be removed. If you remove all of the insulation in the smelly attic and inspect all surfaces you will probably see on the attic side of ceiling drywall areas that look perfectly clean (just seal those) and others that look stained - consider replacing those.
You can also use a UV light to see pee on surfaces.
Question: trouble removing cat urine odors
I purchased a house, rather cheap, with the intent of fixing it up and renting it. The house had severe cat urine problems that I figured would be relatively easy to clean up – I was wrong.
This is an old 2 story house and for months now I have been tearing out any possible source of the problem and staining over those possible sources I could not remove. To date;
· All floor coverings such as carpet and vinyl have been removed.
· The entire first floor ceiling has been removed, exposing the joists and the underside of the second story tongue and groove floor. Saw very little evidence of urine soaking thru this floor.
· I have removed plaster from the floor up about 12 inches, exposing the studs (there is no insulation in the walls). This was done on both levels of the house. This exposed area was sealed.
· The entire hardwood floor has been removed off the first floor.
· Most of the sub-floor on the first level has been replaced, down to the floor joists (kitchen and bathroom floors were not removed, they were covered with vinyl and did not seem to be a problem). For structural reasons I had to leave about six inches of the sub-floor away from the wall. The sub floor that remains was sealed.
· All the upstairs tongue and groove flooring was removed, down to the floor joists. On the interior walls upstairs, about 3 inches of the studs were cut off as some of them showed signs of urine stain.
· All floor joists have been sealed.
I recently had three noses in to evaluate. There is a smell but only in the living / dining area on the first level. One said she smelled construction material only. The second smelled only paint. The third said some paint, some kitty, but not bad. I myself think I can smell it but I believe I am a bit biased.
I have concluded that some odor remains and I want to further eliminate before I begin to finish off the house but don’t know where the source could possibly be. Questions I have are;
· Could the remaining plaster be soaking up some of the odor and, if so, could sealing it eliminate the odor.
· There will be ¼ inch drywall covering the remaining plaster, would this seal it off.
· Would an ozone generator help eliminate the odor.
· Would a black light help in detecting the source.
· What might other sources be.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated. - John
Reply:
John
I do not recommend using an ozone generator for this cat smell problem - if you over-do ozone treatments you can create worse and more expensive troubles than ever in the building, and regardless it's not likely to "cure" an odor coming from urine soaked wood, plaster, or other materials in the home. Ozone treatment can work successfully on particles and smoke molecules such as during deodorizing after a fire [11], but in other applications such as mold odor remediation we frequently receive complaints of over-treatment, and oxidized materials that emitted worse odors than ever. Ozone warnings are at OZONE HAZARDS.
I would also not laminate drywall over problem surfaces without some prior treatment and sealing of those spots. The risk is that such a solution is later found to be ineffective and there is a greater cost to tear out the work and do it over again.
Steps in removing the cat smell problem you describe include:
- Clean all hard surfaces in the problem area using a detergent or other suitable household cleaner.
- Inspect for urine-soaked spots you missed using both our SMELL PATCH TEST to Track Down Odors and a UV or "black" light
- Remove and discard any soft goods that are stinky such as carpeting, carpet padding, insulation, and loose or damaged peed-on plaster. Discard soft goods that have absorbed odor such as upholstered furniture (or re-upholster it); some such goods as curtains can sometimes be deodorized successfully by dry-cleaning or even simple laundering.
If there are soft goods that you intend to have cleaned you should discuss the problem with your cleaner. There are specific types of "counteractants" that can be applied to deal with odors in the surface of fabrics, for example. However if odors,pet urine, mold, or other contaminants have penetrated more deeply into carpeting or upholstered furniture, in our experience those materials cannot be successfully deodorized.
- After cleaning, for surfaces that are to be covered (such as wall cavity sheathing and framing or plaster walls/ceilings that you plan to laminate over with drywall) seal the remaining surfaces using a fire-remediation type sealant paint, a lacquer primer-sealer (Zinsser's B-I-N primer sealer) .
In sealing up otherwise structurally intact building framing, sheathing, and walls, ceiling floors that are odor sources, we have seen good results with both Zinsser's products and with other sealants. See MOLD SPRAYS, SEALANTS, PAINTS for some products that should work.
- Seal surfaces that are to remain exposed with a suitable sealer, either a primer/sealer on walls/ceilings/painted trim, or a clear sealer (unpainted trim) or use a clear gloss or semi-gloss polyurethane floor sealer on wood floors.
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- [1] Thanks to reader Cathye Bunthoff for suggestions regarding tracking pet urine odors to the backing of vinyl flooring and around furniture 04/6/2009.
- [2] "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.
- [3] 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
- [4] Allergens: WebMD discusses allergy tests for humans at webmd.com/allergies/allergy-tests
- [5] Cat Dander: how to inspect and test a building for past or current presence of cats, cat hair, cat dander, and cat allergens
- [6] Clinical Atlas of Mold Toxicity - An Online Description of Toxic, Pathogenic, Allergenic Fungi, Fungal Diseases
- [7] Pollen Allergens: identification, plant pollen and indoor air quality
- [8] Products to Reduce Mold & Allergy Problems to reduce indoor mold or allergen levels: air cleaners, air purifiers, dust mite covers, vacuum cleaners, crawl space vents
- [9] 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
- [10] Rodent control issues, including dander, fecal, and urine contamination of Buildings and Building insulation
- [11] "Handling Smoke Damage after a
Fire – Getting Soot and Smoke Out, Chapter 13, Residential/Farm Fires, The Disaster Handbook 1998 National Edition",
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences,
University of Florida, University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, web search 02/07/2012, original source: disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/PDFS/CHAP13/D13-17.PDF [copy on file as /sickhouse/Fire_Smoke_Odors_UFL.pdf ] -
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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