Aargh help - the smell!!

[pawprints]

OK the last tenant was a dirty cow and her 2 dogs and cat have peed all over the lounge/hall and entrance carpet (and suspect the bedrooms too).

I have ripped up the lounge carpet and am going to replace that first. After dry reaching at the carpet and underlay, it seems the urine has soaked through to the concrete slab also.

The smell is 'marginally' better with the carpet gone, and I have mopped the slab with diluted bleach solution.

Can anyone advise what else I can do to the concrete to eliminate the remaining odour before new underlay and carpet is installed next week??

I'm going to have to do the same to the hall and bedrooms me thinks

 

[Rob Williams]

http://www.ehow.com/how_2266936_remove-urine-odor-from-concrete.html

Not sure I'd go as far as step 4. Sealing with paving paint would be a better bet than additional concrete to seal it.

 

[yadreamin]

Oh dear we had the same problem a few years ago and l can still remember how rotten the smell is.
Rip out the carpets and the underlay. dont dilute the bleach [get 3/5 litre containers from coles] just pour it over the concrete slab and swish it around with the mop. you might have to do this a few days in a row. do a pine o clean swish or nil odour as well. keep all windows open as much as you can. if there is curtains in the house then l am affraid they will have to go too. maybe you could try washing these not sure we just tossed ours as it was so bad. then once you give the place a new coat of paint it seems to improve dramatically. last of all new underlay and carpet. never again did the odour come through but by hell it took some work.
leave it as long as possible before the new carpet goes down.
All blinds etc will have to be washed too cos the urine gets absorbed by everything in the house.
I really do feel sorry for you and l hope you have a helper.
good luck
cheers
yadreamin

 

[poordeveloper]

I have the same problem in an apartment we are currently renting. When we initially inspected the apartment, the landlord had all the doors and windows open and we didn't notice the smell. After signing a lease and picking up the keys we noticed the problem and it's since become apparent that the landlord was all too aware of the problem but is unwilling to spend the money to rectify.

Anyway, I definitely think what you need is an enzyme based bacterial cleaner which will actually break down the urine bacteria. If it's sunk into the concrete, bleach isn't good enough. Deodorizes, perfumes, etc are worse - they'll mask the problem for a short time only. The stuff is available from pet stores and vets - I've even see some packaged along with a UV lamp for locating organic matter. I recall it was something like $25 for a normal size spray bottle (~750ml?) but that was a while back.

 

[zaph]

our family swears by 'nil odour'.

you could always get a priest in - i find jewish is the best

 

[ani]

I had the same problem in a block of flats, did the bleach, pine o clean etc etc and it still smelt.

The carpet layer told me to use estapol or similar on the concrete to seal the odour in, it worked a treat.

 

[sparky23]

I hope the tenant is paying for the new carpet, chemicals and labour?

 

[Casserole Dish]

I know it sounds crazy but have you tried vinegar and bi carb soda? The vinegar breaks down the stinky bits (enzymes? yeah?) so let that soak in and smell like a bad fish and chip shop for a while (long as possible) then go crazy with the bi carb soda which will absorb the smells left. Let it sit and sit and absorb. Then sweep it all up and maybe repeat.

I have successfully done this on two wees my cat did on the carpet here at home.

Might not be quite right for what you want to do but could be an alternative to bleach (which only fights with the smell IYKWIM)

 

[pawprints]

Thanks for the advice guys. I will try the vinegar and bicarb angle tonight. I was also told to try BioZet Enzyme washing powder?!
The carpet is being laid next Tuesday. I have tossed the blinds and painted the skirting boards.

Sparky, this is my house now. My PPOR, previously tenanted. I can only hope the dirty cow didn't get her bond back but I doubt it.

 

[anson_he]

Hi guys,

I have a similar problem in the property I am going to renovate next month. It has timber floor underneath of the carpet. Just wondering what I can do to remove the odors on the timber subfloor after removing the carpet and underlay.

Cheers,

Anson

 

[Chatto]

Had a similar problem with a cat, I ripped all the carpet out (bless insurance) and cleaned concrete with a phenol based product at the supermarket or bunnings, in a brown bottle.

It will remove smells and kill all bacteria (used for cleaning out chicken coops)

the downside is the house will smell like cleaner for a week or two.

great for stinky weelie bins too.