Introduction
Are you maybe owner of cats and have lately run into a cat urine problem? Or maybe you have a regular visitor on your property who marks some spots daily or weekly?
I’ve had some cats on as much as I love them, I have to say the urine problem was sometimes quite a lot to handle. I had to get rid of quite a few pieces of furniture because once they got marked, they usually did it again after some time.
Now concrete floors are something that we most likely won’t get rid of and I’m guessing that we don’t want to get rid of our pets. So what do we do in this kind of situation?
Cat urine and concrete
As stated before, cat owners often look for ways on how to remove cat urine from concrete. Cat pee tends to leave behind a distinct and overpowering smell that tends to stay for months and even years. This is made worse by the porous nature of concrete, which soaks up cat urine making it more difficult to remove.
The chances of another cat urinating in the same space also increase if there is a cat urine smell that is sticking on the floor. It is therefore important that you remove cat urine and all its traces as soon as possible to stop this behavior.
Before the problem gets too bad, you have to use the right products to be more successful with this challenge. If you use the wrong product, the urine might just stick even worse and deeper, and getting rid of it will be just harder.
Removing cat urine using hydrogen peroxide
You can put together a mix of 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide together with a cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of soap. Mix well before placing everything in a spray bottle.
Spray the solution over the affected areas, let the solution stay for about 20 to 30 minutes, and wipe dry. You can do the same process a second time to make sure that all traces of the odor is removed.
There are also mixtures recommended with hydrogen peroxide and vinegar where you place 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide and 2 cups of undiluted vinegar or water into the spray bottle. You can repeat spraying it as many times as it takes to remove the odor.
Removing cat urine using vinegar
The old house cleaning favorite, vinegar, works as well. It’s the most chemical-free solution out here and can be used combined with water to get rid of the urine. It can be mixed with 2 parts vinegar and 1 part water.
You have to let it soak for 1 day before washing it off. It can also cause color variations in concrete so you have to watch out and maybe do a test sample before you start. That way you will know what will happen and maybe wash the whole floor.
What’s good about vinegar is that since concrete is porous and urine goes deep in it, vinegar can sink in deep as well. It’s used also to remove mold and moss and it works in the same kind of fashion here.
It’s also something that is highly available and it’s one of the least harmful cleaning products you can imagine. At homes, it could be one of the most useful liquids for cleaning actually.
Removing cat urine using Trisodium Phosphate (TSP)
TSP is good for urine stains as it gets down to the bacteria. It’s mixed with hot water and you can use it to scrub the urine spots if you can find them or the whole floor. It’s irritative to the skin so it’s good to have some protection.
Also, read the instruction from the bag on how to mix it with water so it won’t be too strong or too mild. TSP can also cause changes in floor color so have to be careful with it or maybe use it on the whole floor.
I’d only use TSP after I’ve tried other means because I wouldn’t want any changes in my floor color or wipe the whole floor because of it. If nothing else works, then it’s a different tale.
Removing cat urine using pet urine enzymatic cleaner
These should be sold at pet stores. It breaks the bacteria and neutralizes the odor so these are quite good solutions as well. These are products developed for this purpose so they should work.
Here as well, you should read the instructions as products are different. If it’s a concentrated product, you don’t want to over dilute it but want it just right to work. This is usually an overnight job as well.
Personally, I’ve never used these as I’m a vinegar man it seems, but I’ve heard from my friends these work. Still, there are many products on the market so the only way to find out is by testing them.
Removing cat urine using paints and sealers
Most professionals recommend using paints and sealers to cover up the urine-soaked areas. Oil and other non-water solvent-based paints are great at sealing up the cracks and pores in the concrete which effectively removes the smell.
Some experts recommend doing two layers to ensure that no pore is left unpainted. You can purchase paints by the gallon in most hardware stores. However, give a few days between coats to make sure that the first coat has dried thoroughly before you paint the second coat.
We used to seal the concrete floors before installing laminate flooring at pet apartments when I was just starting out with construction work. It worked is all I can say as it is a quite expensive way to fix this kind of problem.
Conclusion
Paints and coatings like epoxy combined with one of the above methods combined are one of the most effective treatments for urine-soaked cement floors. If you own pets or have pets regularly visit your house, patio, or deck it is good to prevent this problem from happening.
Sealing the concrete is an effective way to stop its pores from sucking in the urine and smell. If the accidents have already happened it’s good to clean it before painting/coating. The floor should be cleaned anyway before painting so it should be a combination anyway.
The products that contain live bacteria and enzymes, which are great for removing odors and other types of odors from concrete and other surfaces, should also be tried before taking greater measures. In mild cases, it can save you from the trouble of painting.
You can also find other organic odor eliminators designed to eliminate vomit smells from surfaces. These could be useful for removing cat urine odors without the harsh fumes of bleach. If you want something homemade and completely safe you can also try using apple cider vinegar, which some cat owners swear to be more than effective at removing cat urine odors.
Personally, as a former cat owner, I swear by the surfaces that won’t let the odor stick. Paint and coatings that are easy to clean are good and other solid surfaces as well. If that’s not an option, then we just have to live with other solutions.
