How to Take Pet Odor Out of Hardwood Floors

Where there are pets, there will be accidents. New puppies go through a housebreaking phase. Older pets may have incontinence issues. Cats are notoriously fussy about the placement and cleanliness of their litter boxes. These situations can lead to times when pets urinate on hardwood floors. You'll want to get clean up the urine as soon as possible to keep it from leaving a smell and stain.

Things You'll Need

• Cloth
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Enzymatic cleaner
• Rags
• Plastic
• Weights

Instructions

1. Wipe up as much urine as possible with a clean, absorbent cloth. Remove the urine as soon as you find it. The longer it sits on the hardwood floor, the more likely it is to seep into the underflooring and the harder it will be to remove the smell.

2. Dampen a cloth with hydrogen peroxide and wipe over the area to help remove any urine stains and smells.

3. Apply an enzymatic cleaner designed to break down the urine and eliminate pet urine smells and stains. These cleaners are available at pet supply stores. Follow the manufacturer's directions. You may need to reapply to remove urine smell completely.

4. Soak rags in hydrogen peroxide to remove older urine smells and black stains. Place the rags over the urine spots and cover with plastic. Add weights to keep the plastic in place. Replace rags as they dry. You should notice the stain lifting from the floor and absorbing into the rags. This process could take several weeks to remove the urine completely.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not use ammonia-based products to clean pet urine stains. The ammonia smell will attract pets back to urinate in the same spot.

• Use a black light to locate dried pet urine. This will help you identify problem areas.

• Test cleaning treatments in an inconspicuous corner prior to applying to the urine stain. The ingredients in the cleaners may further damage some types of wood.

• Dried urine may require you to sand and revarnish the wood floor. Urine that seeps into the subflooring may require you to remove and replace the hardwood to get rid of the smell.

References

• Pet Urine Stains on Hardwood Floors
• Removing Pet Urine from Hardwood Floors
• Wood Floor Help