There Is No Tag For "Odor"

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Happy post-Halloween! I'm wondering if, locally, there's such a thing as an odor removal service. Specifically, pet odor. To complicate things, pet odor in wood.

We have a utility closet that became the stealth pee target of our very elderly Siamese. Dear kitty left this mortal coil two years ago, but the smell persists, especially in summer. We've dealt with it by just blocking the door to the closet most times, but we really need the storage space. I tried Nature's Miracle but no miracle was delivered. Wondering now if there's a professional who could help. I guess it doesn't have to be super-local, since they'd be coming to us and we'd pay what they need. Grateful for leads from my neighbors. :-)

Comments

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I hadn't tried that. This might be a good winter project if I can't find a professional, since the smell isn't so overwhelming then. This space is about 2'x 10', so I'd need lots more baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.

Cat urine is sure a fearsome opponent.

[enveri.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming it's a hardwood floor, and not subflooring? We had a similar situation in our old house where the previous occupants had... well, we don't know WHAT they did; the plywood subfloor was soggy in one spot from oversaturation of moisture and there were -several- large urine-saturated areas when we pulled up the carpet. We let it air out for a month or two and it was able to dissipate (we replaced the subfloor where it was soggy). My research in getting rid of odor showed that there are odor-blocking primers (Kilz was mentioned specifically) you can put down. But if this is a hardwood floor or moulding, that won't help you much.

If the aforementioned baking soda and peroxide don't do the job and this IS finished wood, perhaps stripping the finish, sanding and refinishing might be an option?

Good luck, and please let us know if something works! :)

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

This happened in my house, we ended up just getting the hardwood floor replaced in the closet. It cost $150 for a typical old-house sized closet.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

If it comes to that, I'll do it. It's about 20 square feet of storage space that we desperately need, but we've got to get the stink out. By any means necessary!

[masswich.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest sanding and refinishing. If its a small space you can sand with an electric hand sander (a mouse or circular one), starting with coarse and working your way to fine, then wiping it off well and putting on 2-3 coats of varnish. Shouldn't take too long.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

It's one of those 3rd floor side-of-the-attic sort of closets with a sharp sloped ceiling which is the underbelly of the roof, and I don't think the hardwood flooring extended into the side space. It's probably sub-flooring. I can't believe that after 2 years it's still so strong. A sealant might be our only hope.

[enveri.livejournal.com]

If it's unfinished plywood, that might be the most labor-efficient method to try. A 1 gallon isn't that expensive, and even with doing 2-3 coats you can do it in a single afternoon. Just make sure it gets plenty of ventilation so you don't fume yourselves. :)

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

if it's unfinished particle board, I would rip it out and replace it--not expensive or difficult to do.

if it's solid hardwood (and sounds like even if it was once finished it probably qualifies as unfinished now) I would try to baking soda/peroxide method. if you can properly air it out, repeated sprayings of a bleach solution might work too, but would stain the wood if that matters (pee stains it a lot worse, usually)

[pekmez.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest that - if it's not something nice looking anyway, fitting new plywood in there might be easier. Possibly you want to yank out and replace any insulation that's in there, too, though.

On the other hand, at least one of our eaves closets has flooring that is probably as old as the house - nothing pretty or finished, but where we'd put in plywood nowadays, this is just some wide planks with pretty big gaps between them.
And it would be something of a project to replace that... but one someone has obviously done in the other eaves closets...

[dial-zero.livejournal.com]

I had to do this in my apartment; the previous residents had a cage with 9 ferrets and the stink was unimaginable. I haven't gotten around to refinishing it, but just sanding off the top layer made a huge difference.