Removing pet urine odor from grout?

[Aunty Social]

Does anyone know how to get dog/cat urine stench out of grout? One (or more, we still haven't found the culprit) of our animals is peeing in the entry on our tile. I thought we were getting it cleaned up, but the house smelled horrific yesterday, and I finally traced it to the grout (I think). So far I've washed it with soapy water with a bit of baking soda and a drop of essential oil, used a 30% bleach/water solution on it, scrubbed the grout with baking soda/salt/water paste and a toothbrush, and just repeated the scrubbing and am letting it sit, hoping to draw some of the smell out.

 

Needless to say, none of these attempts has worked.

 

I really don't want to rip the floor out - and we can't really afford to anyway. Since I used the bleach, I'm a little leery about putting vinegar on it - don't know how much bleach might still be soaked into the grout, kwim? I prefer to use natural cleaners, but will use strong commercial stuff if I have to. (the bleach was a preemptive strike that didn't work)

 

Anyone btdt? I'm looking for any ideas, and am willing to try just about anything.

[Firefly]

We had a cat that used to pee in the fireplaces (we have 5 of them! Old house...) anyway, the odor really soaked into the stone. I used Nature's Miracle and it worked like a charm. I poured it on in a puddle, let it sit for a few hours --or longer, even overnight. Then I mopped it up. Sometimes it would take two applications but after the second the smell was gone. I would try that before I started ripping up the floor. Good luck, I hope this helps. :)

[hornblower]

You need an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle. There are a couple other similar products out there. Get it from pet supply shop or vet's office. With stuff like tile & grout, it will come out relatively. Spray & leave it on to dry by itself. Repeat a bunch of times. Do not wipe. You need the enzymes to break down the odor. I'd buy a big bottle :-) (it works on human stains & if your kids ever upchuck on your carpets you'll be glad to have it on hand....:001_smile:)

 

Don't forget to do the walls in the area - there's usually splash even if you don't have a cat who sprays.

 

And give your critters a good exam & strongly consider a vet visit. Anyone who suddenly starts peeing needs a vet workup to r/o medical probs; then if that's clear, troubleshoot behavioural issues.

 

good luck!

[ElizabethB]

You could try vinegar first, it's cheap and works well for some smells.

[Tap]

We are going through this at a house we stay at often. The owner (dhs best friend) built it new a couple of years ago, sold it, and then ended up with it back after the buyers lost their jobs. The new owners had a cat and it ruined one of the bathrooms floors. I have used just about everything I can think of to deodorize it. The thing that seemed to make a bit of a difference was the pet urine cleaning product I bought at Pet Co. I think they also sell it at cheaper stores too. I also bought a strip black light, and used that to identify the places that the cat sprayed. It helped a lot to see where to concentrate my efforts. One thing that I hadn't noticed until I used the lights, was that the cat had sprayed the walls and baseboards too.

 

Our next step is to, remove the baseboards, clean and add a new layer of varnish. Then we are going to clean/dry the tile with steam, and reseal it. We are also going to use Kilz on the walls and repaint. Other than that, if it doesn't work....he is going to have to replace the tile. :0(

[Aunty Social]

Thanks! I've got to run out later today, so will try to find some of this.

 

They all just came from the vets less than 2 weeks ago, with a clean bill of health, so I'm thinking it's behavioral, not illness. Plus, none of them are acting sick. We have had problems with this before (I got a new bedroom out of the last time:lol:), but thought we had corrected it. Apparently not:glare:.

 

Once we discover who's behind it, I think they will be going to a new home - as much as it breaks my heart.

[Aunty Social]

Ooh, a black light! I never thought of that. And, the kids will think it's cool.

 

mental note - add black light to shopping list.

 

Hope your clean up works - I hate replacing tile!