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How to Find & Remove Pet & Other Animal or Human Odors, & Smells in Buildings InspectAPedia®  -     How to remove animal odors, pet urine odors, or human urine odors from building interiors or exteriors How to identify odors or gases by type, source, and toxicity. Noxious odors or smells in buildings can be diagnosed and cured

This article provides suggestions for finding and removing animal odors from buildings, building interiors, building exterior surfaces, and from soils around buildings. The article focuses on removing pet or other animal odors from buildings due to pet urine, pet feces, wild animal urine, or even human urine on and around buildings.

A complete guide to tracking down and curing odors in buildings is at ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE. Readers should also see Black stains from animals for a description of the cause and cure of various types of stains caused by pets or other animals in buildings, and also see CAT DANDER in BUILDINGS for a discussion of animal allergens indoors and how they are detected and removed.

This website provides articles on to diagnose, test, identify, and cure or remove a wide range of obnoxious or even toxic odors in buildings and in building water supply. We discuss odors from a variety of sources including animals including pets, dogs, cats, or unwanted animals or dead animals, formaldehyde odors in buildings from building products or furnishings, plumbing drains, plastic or vinyl odors from building products, flue gases, oil tanks or oil spills, pesticides, septic odors, sewer gases, and even abandoned chemicals at properties. Thanks to reader Cathye Bunthoff for odor tracking suggestions.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Pet Odor Guide: How to Find, Test, & Remove Pet Odors, Pet Odor Detection, Cat, Dog, or other Animal or Human Smells in Buildings

Here are some tips for removing animal smells from buildings:

Suggestions for Finding the Source of & Removing Animal Odors Indoors

How to find the source of pet odors, including pet urine odors.

• Determine that animals have previously been in the building even if there are none there at present. Look for scratches, stains, and odors as we describe below.
  
  Pet doors and fences also tell the history of the type and size of pets that have been in a building. Also see Black stains from animals for a description of the cause and cure of various types of stains caused by pets or other animals in buildings
• Follow your nose - often pets were confined to particular rooms or areas of a home
• Allergic reactions - of people to entering or spending time in a building may be due to the presence of animal hair or more likely animal dander from dogs, cats, or other pets. A carefully selected dust sample from a building is an easy screen for the presence of animal dander including dog dander, cat dander, evidence of rodents, dust mites, insects and other allergens. Where appropriate, other chemical assays for allergens are also present, but we advise against ordering costly tests that may risk inaccuracy if the sample itself is not selected by an expert.

• Look below vinyl sheet flooring and vinyl floor tiles in an area where pets may have urinated. Readers have reported finding pet urine that had soaked into backer material or even cardboard or paper underlayment that had been placed underneath vinyl floor tiles. A reader reported that on pulling up the laminate portion of flooring they found pet urine-soaked paper backing material that had remained glued to the subfloor. The urine pattern was found around the perimeter of where a bed had been placed - the pet had urinated repeatedly on flooring around, but not under, the bed.
• Use a "black light" or UV-light to look for pet urine even where no stains are visible. Small black lights are available from pet supply stores, art supply stores, and forensic and police equipment suppliers and are generally inexpensive.
  
  Both plug-in and more convenient battery-operated black-lights are available. Use the black light in dark or near dark conditions for the best view. Urine will shine a bright yellow color in this lighting

Cleaning Suggestions for Removal of Pet Odors & Pet Urine

• Wash or dry-clean soft goods that are not going to be disposed-of
• Couches and wall to wall carpets are very difficult to fully clean; try steam cleaning; inspect carpet padding below carpets and replace it if it's stained or smelly;
• Inspect wood flooring or sub-flooring below pet-stained carpets - the wood surfaces may also have absorbed urine and will need cleaning and possibly sealing with a clear sealant. we have found it nearly impossible to sand-out serious pet stains on finished wood flooring - sometimes the stains and dark oxidized wood has penetrated too deeply. Such badly stained flooring would need to be replaced or sealed.
• Drywall that has been peed-on by a pet is very difficult to clean successfully unless the urine was minimal. If minimal, cleaning with a pet odor remover and painting with an odor-sealing paint might work. Otherwise you'll need to cut and remove the drywall and replace it.
• Floor or wall cavities, including ceilings below a pet-peed-on floor above, may contain building insulation which has become wet with urine. If you cannot remove animal odor from a wall or floor or from a room below a pet-stained floor, it may be useful to cut a test opening through drywall closest to the stained area to inspect for odors or urine penetration. Remove any smelly or stained insulation, clean and seal the building cavity before installing new insulation and finish surfaces.
• Deodorizer powders and bags of "odor absorbing" materials may help a bit, but in our opinion it makes a lot more sense to find the source of an odor and remove it - urine, dead animals, feces, dirty litter box, than to leave the source and try to absorb the odor.
• Odor eliminating chemicals and washes for dog or cat urine: we've experimented with odor eliminating sprays and cleaners to remove pet urine odors from floors and carpets with mixed success. Often we could remove the odor enough that humans did not detect any remaining unpleasant smells. But in some cases the dog or cat returned to the same location again. Pet repelling chemicals: in that case products that include an odorizer that discourages an animal from urinating in the same spot may help.
• Some sources recommend baking soda alone as an odor removal treatment for dog or cat pee. We have rarely found this material sufficient for animal urine; more serious cleaners and in cases pet odor removers and neutralizers were needed.
• Free dog or cat urine deodorization formula: several pet owners have written to describe versions of a simple do-it-yourself procedure that they report often has good results. The procedure may work for treating urine from other animals as well.
  • If the urine spot is on carpeting, lift the carpeting to determine if urine has soaked through the padding and onto the floor below. If so, we recommend discarding the urine-soaked area of carpet padding and cleaning the floor surface. The steps below might permit you to save the carpeting - you'll need to buy, cut, and install a new square of carpet padding to replace the padding you removed. If you try these steps without exploring below the carpeting you may not be as successful as urine may have soaked deeply into the padding and even the subflooring
  • Blot up as much of the urine as you can - we just use paper towels
  • Soak the urine spot with a dilute vinegar solution ( 3 parts water to one part household vinegar)
  • Blot up the vinegar mixture and let the spot dry
  • Baking soda: sprinkle baking soda on the urine-spot
    
    Up to this point it's unlikely that any bleaching or discoloration problems will have arisen from these steps. But the next step, because it includes an oxidant, could whiten or bleach the surface, so try the remaining steps first on a small inconspicuous area:
    
    
  • Deodorizing solution: Mix ¾ cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide together with 1 teaspoon of detergent (dish detergent or liquid laundry detergent will be fine), and apply this solution on top of the urine area that already has been powdered with baking soda.
  • Scrub: If the area being treated is carpeting use a soft brush to scrub the carpet lightly to work the solution into the carpet.
  • Dry & Vacuum: Let the solution dry and vacuum up the dust and debris from the urine-area
• In buildings where pets are still resident:
  • Walk your dog: pets left alone for too long are the most likely to become habituated to relieving themselves indoors.
  • Careful management of cat litter boxes is important for both odor and sanitation; people who change the litter too infrequently can become inured to cat odors coming from the litter box - a smell source that will be more noticed by visitors. If your cat has stopped using the litter box it may be due to smelly cat litter that the cat just can't stand. When we were late changing our litter our cat would stand on the edge of the litter box to pee - she didn't want to set foot in the litter box unless it was clean. Peeing from the edge of the litter box was inaccurate.
  • Pet cages, including bird cages and dog crates need to be kept clean for the same reasons. Crate your dog during a training period, taking the dog outside frequently until you and the pet both know the schedule - most dogs will not urinate in their own crate unless they have been left alone for far too long, or perhaps if the animal is sick and incontinent (discuss this with your vet).
  • Dogs and cats will continue to re-visit and urinate on a building surface where the urine odor remains from previous crimes. If surface cleaners and pet odor removers prove inadequate to discourage the pet from urinating in the same spot, you'll need to combine use of a pet repellant chemical in that location with diligent toilet training and (in the case of cats) a clean litter box.
  • Other special deodorizing products may suit your less common pet, such as ferret waste odor removing chemicals and skunk odor removers.
• Cleaning odors off of your pet itself: can require simple shampooing - use a pet shampoo or in an emergency, baby shampoo - keep soap out of pet eyes and away from delicate tissues such as a female animal's vagina. Special products are available from pet suppliers and from veterinarians if you need to remove skunk odors from your cat or dog. (We used to wash our skunked-dog in tomato juice - which was marginally effective.

Removing pet odors from building exteriors

• For painted surfaces, you may need to paint-over really smelly surfaces that don't respond to cleaning with pet odor neutralizer sprays. Use a paint intended for odor sealing such as paints used on building interiors for odor control after a fire - your paint supplier can steer you to the right paint from their catalog - let me know what you use and how well it works.
• Vinyl siding that has been urinated on by animals should be scrubbed with any common household cleaner. Do not spray a power-washer "UP" against vinyl or aluminum siding as you may blow water into the wall cavities.
• Aluminum siding that has been urinated on can be washed with a household cleaner but be careful about scrubbing aluminum siding that has become chalked on its surface - you may scrub off the paint, leading to an exterior paint job.
• If you know that the urine was from humans urinating around a building indoors or outside, you might call the company  making animal odor neutralizer to ask if they have an opinion about what works best in their product line. Most of the animal odor neutralizers are for dog or cat urine.
• If the building exterior being still being visited by animals who continue to spray urine on or near the building, male cats or dogs marking territory, a stinky groundhog, skunk, or male deer marking your garden and shrubs, it helps to know what the animal is. There are also specific repellents aimed at individual animal species.  
  There are chemicals specifically sold to neutralize animal odors - stop by a pet supply store or look online - they work pretty well. Use the spray on surfaces that can be cleaned;

To Return to Mold/IAQ Action Guide: What to do about mold, mildew, and other indoor allergens an environmental testing guidance website explaining what to do about mold, mildew, and other indoor allergens.

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MVOCs & MOLDY MUSTY ODORS
ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE
ANIMAL ODORS IN BUILDINGS
CARBON MONOXIDE & GAS HEAT ODORS
CARPETS & PADDING ODORS IN BUILDINGS
GAS MEASUREMENT TOOLS
HEATING OIL EXPOSURE HAZARDS, LIMITS
HEATING SYSTEM ODORS
HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS
MOLD ODORS, Musty Smells in Buildings
ODOR DIAGNOSIS CHECKLIST
ODORS, SEPTIC or SEWER
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OZONE for MOLD OR ODORS
PAINTS & COATINGS ODORS IN BUILDINGS
PLASTIC ODORS-SCREENS, SIDING
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SEWER GAS ODORS
SEWER GAS ODORS in COLD WEATHER
VINYL Siding or PLASTIC Window ODORS in Buildings
VINYL CHLORIDE HEALTH INFO
WATER ODORS

• Thanks to reader Cathye Bunthoff for suggestions regarding tracking pet urine odors to the backing of vinyl flooring and around furniture 04/6/2009.

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