Animal smells & urine odors on or around the outside of buildings: how to track down and remove the sources of animal-related smells at buildings: odors, feces, dog or cat odor troubleshooting guide.

This article provides suggestions for finding and removing animal odors from on or around the exteriors of buildings - a section of our discussion of animal or human odor removal from building interiors, building exterior surfaces, from soils around buildings or from urine-odor smelly clothing, bedding, and other soft goods.

This article series 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 or on clothing and other soft materials.

Animal Odors & Smells or Urine or Feces Contamination at Building Exteriors

Pet & Animal Odor Removal Guide: How to Get Rid of & Prevent Animal Odors, Cat, Urine, Dog Urine, or other Animal or Human Smells on or around Buildings

Here we give advice concerning the detection and removal of animal smells & odors from dogs, cats, or other pets. The little skunk and that other brown furry stuffed animal in our photo (above left) were not responsible for smells in this home, but they were doing their best to keep the inspector from noticing the water stains from a flooded floor.

Cat allergen and odor source identification, testing, removal, are also discussed beginning at Cat Dander: how to inspect and test a building for past or current presence of cats, cat hair, cat dander, and cat allergens". Also see Pet Allergens.

Article Contents

• URINE ODOR REMOVAL at BUILDING EXTERIOR
  • HOW TO REMOVE HUMAN URINE ODORS ON OR NEAR BUILDINGS
  • CLEANING SUGGESTIONS FOR REMOVAL OF PET ODORS & PET URINE
  • URINE OR MOLD SMELL CLEANIN OR SEALING PRODUCTS & DO-IT-YOURSELF FORMULAS

Animal smells in or around buildings, both indoors and outside, may be due to current or prior pets in a building, pet urine or fecal waste, cat boxes, animal hair, dog dander, cat dander (are allergens and are indicators of the level of prior pet activity), dust tracked in by dogs.

The little stuffed animals in this photo include a skunk - both were innocent of any pet-crimes, but they had been placed at either side of a basement door jamb to cover stains from basement water entry.

Here are some tips for removing animal smells from building exteriors

• Find the odor source: First, find where the odor or smell is originating: from urine, feces, a dead animal, or something else at a specific location around the building exterior or on building surfaces themselves, such where a as a coyote or dog or cat (or human) has been urinating on a building wall.
  
  At ANIMAL or URINE ODOR SOURCE DETECTION we give advice on finding the source of urine or animal smells
  
  also see GOPHER HOLE DAMAGE for advice on repelling wild animal pests.
• 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.
  
  See UV LIGHT BLACK LIGHT USES for finding urine or other body fluids.

• Also check for dead animals around buildings including in hidden or hard to access areas such as under porches, crawl areas, chimney outdoor cleanout openings, and in roof eaves.

  Animal odors in buildings can occur when an animal such as a mouse or rat has died in a building cavity. A dead animal smell has been described by our clients with a wide variety of terms ranging from a vague noxious stink that seemed to vary with humidity to a sweet sickly smell.

  Dead animals or even insect nests in building plumbing, especially building vents, can also produce unexpected sewer odors - see Septic and Sewer gas odor links discussed below.
  
  Also see FIBER & HAIR IDENTIFICATION

Cleaning Suggestions for Removal of Pet Odors & Pet Urine At Building Exteriors

How to Get Rid of Animal or Pet Odors At or On Building Exteriors. Below we list useful steps in removing & stopping animal urine & odors at building exteriors.

Also see ANIMAL or URINE ODOR SOURCE DETECTION for a discussion of removal of animal smells & odors & stains inside and at buildings.

Smelly soil around a building: You may need to remove really smelly soil depending on the kind of animal and how much peeing it's been doing.

Raccoons rarely urinate on building exteriors but they are less fastidious if they gain access to the building attic or basement.

Animal urine on building exterior walls: masonry walls can be power washed or if necessary cleaned with a masonry cleaning product;

• 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.
• Concrete walks, driveways, foundation walls can be washed and sealed.
  
  See CONCRETE DUST & ODORS
• Painted surfaces such as walls urinated on by an animal: 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.
• 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;

Animal Urine or Smell Removal

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.
  
  Details are at ANIMAL or URINE ODOR REMOVAL
• Odors on clothing, furniture, soft goods: Also see URINE ODOR REMOVAL in CLOTHING This article describes bacterial/enzyme based cleaners that may be extra effective in removing human or animal urine odors from clothing, diapers, bedding, towels, etc.
• Urine Odor Treatment & Removal Products: see ANIMAL or URINE ODOR REMOVAL
• Around buildings where pets or other animals are still present: see ANIMAL or URINE ODOR REMOVAL
• 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.

Beginning at ANIMAL or URINE ODOR SOURCE DETECTION with advice on finding the source of urine or animal smells at or in buildings, we give advice concerning the detection and removal of animal smells & odors from dogs, cats, or other pets.

Reader Question: how to stop coyotes or dogs from urinating on a building

Have coyotes and dogs urinating on cedar wall near front door entrance. Have tried everything such as sprays, bleach, soap and water, obstacles, etc... nothing works. - C. Jones 10/10/11

Reply:

C Jones:

I've found that both bleach and mothballs discourage animals marking building walls with urine. But it is certainly true that once a dog or coyote has peed on a house wall, because the urine soaks into the wood, that smell is then easily noted by other dogs or coyotes who are compelled to leave their mark as well.

In that case you may have success by power washing to get the wall as clean as you can, then sealing the surface with a clear sealant, followed by use of animal repellant sprays or even a pile of mothballs.

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.

...

Continue reading at ANIMAL or URINE ODOR REMOVAL or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Animal Odor & Allergens Articles

• ALLERGEN TESTS for BUILDINGS
• ALLERGENS in BUILDINGS, RECOGNIZING
• ANIMAL ALLERGENS / PET DANDER - home
• ANIMAL or URINE ODOR SOURCE DETECTION
  • ANIMAL DAMAGE to BUILDINGS
  • ANIMAL ENTRY POINTS in BUILDINGS
  • ANIMAL NOISES in BUILDINGS
  • ANIMAL STAINS & MARKS in BUILDINGS
• BLACK STAINS from ANIMALS
• CAT DANDER in BUILDINGS
  • CAT DANDER CLEANUP, PREVENTION
• FIBER & HAIR IDENTIFICATION
• OZONE MOLD / ODOR TREATMENT WARNINGS
• PET ALLERGENS / PET DANDER
• PET STAINS & MARKS in BUILDINGS
• URINE / ANIMAL ODORS IN BUILDINGS - home
  • ANIMAL or URINE ODOR SOURCE DETECTION
  • ANIMAL ENTRY POINTS in BUILDINGS
  • ANIMAL NOISES in BUILDINGS
  • ANIMAL STAINS & MARKS in BUILDINGS
  • ANIMAL or URINE ODOR REMOVAL
  • ODOR REMOVING DETERGENTS
  • PET STAINS & MARKS in BUILDINGS
  • URINE ODOR REMOVAL at BUILDING EXTERIOR
  • URINE ODOR REMOVAL in CLOTHING
• UV LIGHT BLACK LIGHT USES

Suggested citation for this web page

URINE ODOR REMOVAL at BUILDING EXTERIOR at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING ODOR DIAGNOSIS & CURE

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---