Have you ever successfully eliminated pet urine odor and just plain pet odor?

[Tussiemussies]

Just wondering if anyone here has had success with eliminating pet urine smells or just general pet odors? We are looking into buying a house but the house is perfect for us in every way but has some of the above...

Thanks for your help!

Christine

[bae]

"Nature's Miracle" has been very helpful for me.

[SteveinMN]

Boy, Christine, I know my mom has had success with getting rid of pet odors with something called Nature's Miracle stain/odor remover; it's a liquid that comes in a quart-sized (?) bottle, but it lasts quite a long time. But those are surface stains caught while they are still fresh.

It may be a matter of scrubbing everything in sight and airing out as much as you can. If you're talking deep-set smells, though, you'll have to figure out how far they go. It may be a matter of removing fabrics/soft surfaces in the house (carpet, window treatments, etc.). If the stains go down to the subfloor or have soaked into millwork and drywall, however, they may have to be covered with a sealer (like Kilz or something else appropriate to the material being covered). I know that companies which recover housing from floods and fires and similar disasters use ozone generators to eradicate smells. You may be able to rent one; I have no idea how much such a service would cost. But you really need to find out how deep the smells go.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks so much Bae and Steve for the helpful information. I think I am going to use a black light to find the stain itself. We are going to paint the whol interior of the house with Dutch Boy Odor Eliminator paint. I will try the nature's miracle on the stains I find.

Thanks for your help! Christine

[Miss Cellane]

If it is cat urine, be aware that it is one of the toughest smells to remove. You can buy a black light at pet stores and hardware stores that will show up spots where cats have peed on the floor and walls.

If cat pee has gotten into wall to wall carpet, your best bet is to remove the carpet and padding, soak the subfloor in Nature's Miracle or another enzymatic cleaner several times, then seal with something like Kilz, and then put down new carpet and padding. I have heard of people ripping up the subfloor and putting in a new one because of cat pee.

For walls, again, tons of Nature's Miracle, Kilz or another sealant that will seal in odors and new paint.

Cats can spray against walls, and curtains and furniture. They have also been known to pee into vents, like heating and cooling vents.

If it is just general animals odors, I'm a bit surprised that the real estate agent didn't make the owners try to clean things up. But just a general doggy sort of smell can probably be eliminated by through cleaning and professionally cleaning the carpets. And a lot of fresh air.

[sweetana3]

Our house had a cat that sprayed in a corner of the finished basement. We had to rip out that corner and replace the drywall and the molding. It did eliminate the smell. It is hard to eliminate.

[goldensmom]

Arm and Hammer Pet Odor and Stain Remover works well but the only way we’ve found to truly remove the odor was to replace the carpet and sub-floor that our cat urinated on then re-locate the source to the barn.

[Mer05]

Another vote for carpet removal! My parents bought a house that, among other housekeeping disasters, smelled like cat piss. It was not really obvious when the air conditioner was running (as when they viewed the place), but horrific when the house had been shut up with no air circulation. We ripped out all the carpeting, and that fixed it. Their previous house came with wet-dog smell, and they also replaced the carpets there.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks everyone for letting me know your experiences. When we go through inspection I am going to take a black light with me just to see where all of it is... My husband doesn't care what we have to do. Otherwise the house is perfect for us so I know se'll have a big job on our hands before we actually move in. :)

[decemberlov]

Hope everything works out for you Tussie :)
I too vote for ripping up the carpets. Nature's Miracle is a good cleaner however I found it didn't completely eliminate odors from messes that weren't caught fairly early on. And I'm not so sure about cat urine, we did use it when house training our pup and when we moved out of our apartment and bought our house we did have to pay for 1/2 of the cost to replace the carpet in one room. We now have hardwood floors and no more puppy accidents and I'm thrilled!! Would never want to go back to carpets!
Is it possible to get an estimate on ripping up and replacing the carpets and possible getting this worked into coming off the price of the house? Every little bit helps!

[vrvs]

Just wondering if anyone here has had success with eliminating pet urine smells or just general pet odors? We are looking into buying a house but the house is perfect for us in every way but has some of the above...

Thanks for your help!

Christine

Odors are an ongoing problem for pet owners; candles and sprays are temporary fixes, and have to be replaced when they run out. Ionizers and Ozone generators are effective but can be expensive and require cleaning and filter replacement. There is a natural permanent application that will resolve your odor problems.
Air-ReNu is a paint additive you mix with paint apply to your walls, yes it’s a little work, but it works great and once applied it works 7/24/365 and does not have to be re-applied. You can find it on the Internet. www.air-renu.com

[citrine]

We had that in the house we bought....we ripped out all of the carpeting and had the hardwood floors sanded and re-stained....worked like a charm!

[Tussiemussies]

Thank you everyone for you replies
and help. I think we will try the paint additive and remove all carpet and strip the hardwood floors and refinish.

Thanks again for your help!:)

[Miss Cellane]

Tussie--do you know what kind of pets were in the house? If there were cats, when you take the black light there, don't just check the floors. Check the walls to about 3 feet above the floor. If the urine got into the drywall, you may have to replace that. Dog pee is easier to get rid of, in my experience.

[Tussiemussies]

Thank you Miss Cellane, the cats seemed confined to the basement, that is the only place I smelled them, it is a finished basement, so I will check it as you have recommended. The dog pee smell was in the living room, they have hardwood floors, so I think we will have them re-done before we move in. Thank you for your help!

[Jessamyn]

When my cat peed in the backseat of my car, I poured a bottle of white vinegar on it. My car smelled like vinegar for a few days but I've never smelled cat pee again, even when it's been in the hot sun all day. That being said, I had a cat who peed on the carpet in one room and there is no getting out the smell. Ripping it up is probably the only answer.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks Jessamyn, when we go through inspection we're bringing a pro black light to see exactly what we are dealing with.

That was great that you got the cat pee smell out of your car, sorry about your carpet.

We all love our pets so much, but this is the downside for many that have them, they never completely housebreak...

[herisf]

I have a male dog who's urine is pretty ripe. Regular Nature's Miracle doesn't touch it. I have to use Nature's Miracle Urine Destroyer to keep it under control - and now he wears wraps (aka male diapers) when I'm out of the house). Unfortunately, Urine Destroyer is more expensive - and I buy it by the gallon now on-line.

[Wildflower]

Nature's Miracle has worked wonders at my house! :)