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Looking for recommendations for pet urine cleansers/neutralizers. I purchased a home that at the time I went with the realtor had no odors. Closing day I get the keys and when I opened the door it hit me like a ton of bricks.
The smell is awful! I ripped up the flooring and primed the sub floors with odor blocking primer and installed new flooring. The smell is still there!
My neighbors told me that the previous owner was a Bengal cat breeder and had rooms in the basement for about 20 cats so I washed the walls and floor in the basement with vinegar but the smell is still there. I think the stinky air is traveling from the basement up to the house. I’m desperate! Has anyone tried a product that worked well. Thank you for your help.
Sorry about your very unpleasant discovery. I had a friend who bought a property that had been owned by cats, so I know how bad it can get. It’s not enough to just wash the basement floors … if they’re wooden and have absorbed anything, they usually need to be completely replaced. The lower parts of the walls might also be affected. If that’s the case, the plaster will probably have to be removed as well. I’ve had some success using washing soda (sodium carbonate) to salvage outdoor fabrics marked by tomcats, but indoor walls and wood-based materials are much difficult to restore. Also the basement needs good ventilation, so try to improve it somehow… After a week you can notice improvements. Blocking any airflow between basement and the living space is another thing to consider.
Thank you so much! I like the idea of blocking the air vents that circulate the stinky air from the basement into the house. I will order some vent filters and I will install today. Thank you so much for the suggestion. I really appreciate it!
Don’t know what kind of heating/cooling system you have, but I’d say you need to have all the ductwork cleaned before you bother with vent filters.
And I have never used one, but ozone generators are supposed to be excellent for removing odors. You can’t be in the house when it’s running, and I think for several hours afterwards (make sure to research the safety warnings), and neither can pets.
Your dilemma reminds me of of a story I think is an urban myth, where a woman had gone through a nasty divorce in which her husband ended up with the house. She wanted to get even with him, so when she had arranged to go back to gather up all of her stuff while he was at work, she took the finials off the curtain rods, and stuffed the hollow metal rods with shrimp.
The husband wanted to sell the house, but neither he nor the realtor could find out where the horrible smell that permeated the place was coming from, nor get rid of it, so he had to sell it dead cheap.
I think that is , as you say, an urban myth Muddy. Somebody did it one time or another, or did something like it, and the story just morphed. The one I heard was a guy bought a bunch of whole fish, wrapped them in plastic, and then put packages of them under the insulation in the attic.
Ritz, I know this is probably the last suggestion you want to get, but you possibly have a legal remedy . In most states sellers are required to disclose a known material defect of a home. If the seller operated a cattery , depending on the details, they might have been obligated to disclose to you. Consider contacting an attorney if this home use can be clearly documented. Getting long time , multi cat urine smells gone , unfortunately, is much much harder than dog. I note you mentioned you didn’t smell anything when you toured the house. You may know that many chemical odor destroyers operate by deadening your noses ability to smell them. Google that …
Thank you for the suggestion. I do plan to take the previous owners to small claims to get reimbursed for the expense of ripping up the flooring and putting down new flooring. They hid the pet damaged flooring under laminate flooring. I took pictures to prove they tried to hide it. Apparently she was a Bengal cat breeder and used her basement, family room and sun room as nurseries for all these cats.
Gross. And this person lived in the house with it reeking of cat urine?
I had a crazy neighbor once who had a manx cat, which are tailless cats. Her cat got impregnated by some stray cat and a couple of the litter were tailless, a couple had super short tails, and a couple had full tails. She chopped the tails off the ones who had them, so she could falsely sell them as full-bred manxes.
Apparently this woman was nuts, according to the neighbors, she was also a hoarder and a smoker. Thank God she didn’t burn down the house with all those little souls in it. Th fealtor, her brother, used an ozone machine and had laminate flooring installed to cover the pet damage. I can’t prove that they used an ozone machine but I can prove they hide the pet damage by covering it up with laminate flooring. It’s been a nightmare and I’m a cat person but my cats were never neglected nor did I exploit them. The lady didn’t work, she exploited them, just like a “Bengal cat factory.” That breeder should have her licensed revoked. I personally rather adopt than buy, more now seeing first hand how breeders exploit pets for profit.
I am so sorry for you and this situation. I’m not a take it to court person, but in this case it needs to happen. Did you say her brother was the realtor? Somehow they need to be called out on this.
Did you have a home inspection? If so, they should have found this. I don’t always have them, but in this case you would not have bought the house after their findings.
This is so deceitful and they need to account for what they have done.
Yes, I had a home inspection and it didn’t come up. They hid it well with the laminate flooring and the ozone machine. Her bother was the selling realtor so I guess he knows how to hide things to sell a house : ) I’m hoping the judge will rule in my favor.
Not sure what the laws are in your state, but you do have recourse for undisclosed damages if you are ripping out flooring, etc… You should be able to make a claim and be compensated by the seller. Also the listing agent should be notified as breeding cats in the home probably isn’t legal. There are ways to make a claim that don’t cost a fortune… Nolo Press and Legal Zoom have forms for all kinds of stuff… Don’t let them get away with it!!! Good luck.
P.S. Don’t forget 30% vinegar rather than regular cooking/cleaning vinegar.
