Urine is a material that is difficult to remove from any surface. Especially from the concrete surface which is full of pores. If you have pets that have used basements, garages, balconies or other paved surfaces as their private toilets, you may find it frustrating trying to get rid of their urine odor. Even if you wash it 100 times, it feels like the urine smell won't go away. This article will show you how to get rid of this urine odor with a little effort and some special cleaning fluids.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Preparing the Area to be Cleaned
Step 1. Clean the area of dirt or dirt
If there is a sticky residue on the floor, such as carpet glue residue, remove it using a scraper. If you start with a clean floor, you won't make the floor dirtier by applying chemicals to the floor or pushing dirt into the pores of the concrete surface.
Remove furniture that might hinder cleaning or that could be damaged by the harsh chemicals you use
Step 2. Choose an enzyme cleaner
Urine contains uric acid crystals that are difficult to decompose and adhere firmly to hard and porous concrete surfaces. Ordinary cleaning fluids such as soap and water will not be able to bind these uric acid crystals. Therefore, even if the area is cleaned with soap and water many times, the crystals will remain attached. Enzyme cleaners will break down uric acid crystals and release them from the concrete surface.
- Even if you think that the urine smell has gone after using regular cleaning products, a little bit of moisture (or even on a humid day) will cause the urine smell to reappear. Uric acid will release a very foul-smelling gas when water appears in the air.
- Look for an enzyme cleaner made specifically for cleaning pet urine (you can even look for one made specifically for dogs and cats).
Step 3. Use your nose or a flashlight with an ultraviolet light to look for places where urine is exposed
An ultraviolet light or black light can show where urine has been stained, especially if you've tried cleaning the area many times and there's no longer any visual sign of urine. Turn off the lights in the room and place the UV lamp at a height of 30 cm – 1 meter from the floor. The stain will appear yellow, blue or green. Use a stick of chalk to mark the place if you plan to only clean the stained area of the floor.
- If the stain is not visible with a UV light, try to smell the urine stained area. Bring fresh air into the room and search for odors in the room until a spot that has urine stains or smells of urine is found.
- Even if you only want to clean the stained areas, perhaps by cleaning them multiple times, it is highly recommended that you clean the entire floor so that the stained parts of the floor that are not visible with the UV lamp can still be cleaned.
- If you clean the entire floor, you won't see any spots on your floor. Cleaning with cleaning fluid often makes the color of the concrete floor look faded and look cleaner than other parts of the floor. By cleaning thoroughly, the floor will look clean, even and not streaky.
Method 2 of 3: Preparation Before Cleaning Concrete
Step 1. Purchase a high-quality cleaner such as trisodium phosphate (TSP)
A high-quality cleanser will ensure that all other elements of the urine (such as bacteria) are completely removed and the enzymatic cleaner can work quickly to break down uric acid crystals. Wear protective eyewear and rubber gloves as TSP can damage your skin.
- Stir the TSP in a bucket with hot water at a ratio of 113 grams for every 4 liters of water.
- If you don't want to use high-quality chemicals like TSP, you can use a mixture of water and vinegar (2 parts vinegar to 1 part water).
Step 2. Pour the TSP mixture onto the floor and use a broom brush to scrub the floor
Divide the cleaning area into small areas (about 1 x 1 meter). Don't let the TSP dry too quickly. The TSP must remain wet on the concrete surface for at least 5 minutes. If the TSP has dried before 5 minutes, add the TSP mixture or water to the cleaned area. The longer the floor is wet, the more the TSP seeps into the concrete.
You may feel the urine odor intensify as you prepare the floor for cleaning. This is normal because uric acid crystals react with water
Step 3. Pour hot water over the area to be cleaned and use a wet/dry vacuum to suck up all the liquid
The vacuum cleaner will also suck the TSP liquid from the floor. Clean the floor with hot water twice and let the floor dry naturally overnight.
- Do not use a fan to speed up the drying process. You should leave the concrete floor exposed to the cleaning liquid as long as possible and loosen as much urine residue as possible.
- If your vacuum cleaner smells like urine after vacuuming the TSP, turn on the vacuum and flush the hose with an enzyme cleaner (1 part concentrate cleaner diluted with 30 parts water). After that, turn off the vacuum cleaner. Spray and clean the dirty water tank inside the vacuum cleaner.
- If you use a carpet cleaning tool, do not defecate in the cleaning tool tank. Add water to the tank, then set the carpet cleaner on the rinse/removal cycle and turn it on.
Method 3 of 3: Cleaning Concrete
Step 1. Prepare the enzymatic cleaning concentrate according to the instructions
Some cleaners must first be mixed into the carpet cleaning fluid and some only require the addition of water. Follow the directions carefully and make sure the concentrate is not diluted with too much water.
Make sure the floor is completely dry after the pre-cleaning done the day before before you apply the enzyme cleaner
Step 2. Wet the area with an enzyme cleaner
You should work in small pieces (about 1 x 1 meter). Use enough liquid to wet the area for at least 10 minutes. Add liquid when the area starts to dry out again because the liquid must seep into every layer and pores of the concrete to break down the uric acid crystals.
- For easier application, use a “clean” household floor sprayer. A dirty sprayer will spray and transfer the dirt in it into the concrete and can cause another bad smell to appear in the concrete.
- In the areas you have marked stains with urine, use your muscles to thoroughly clean. You may need to scrub the floor with a brush to ensure the enzyme cleaner is working properly.
- In heavily stained areas, air bubbles may appear. Mark these areas. You may need to clean it again if the smell doesn't go away.
- Repeat the process until you have cleaned the entire floor.
Step 3. Let the floor dry overnight after you finish cleaning it
To prolong this process and give the enzymatic liquid time to work, you can cover the floor with a plastic tarp. Plastic sheeting can slow down the evaporation process of the cleaning liquid.
If the smell persists, clean the affected area again with an enzymatic cleaner
Step 4. You can coat your concrete floor when the smell is completely gone
This coating will make your floor easier to clean the next day and usually your floor will look more attractive.
Tips
- Wooden planks nailed to concrete floors and wooden stairs need more attention because urine stains often collect between the wood and concrete.
- Cleaning concrete that has been exposed to defecation with a pressure cleaner can make it difficult to remove odors especially when the water from the pressure cleaner is directed into the concrete with a slope higher than 45 degrees and/or when the pressure cleaner uses a spray with a small angle of inclination. Cleaning in this way will further push odor-causing materials into the concrete making it more difficult to reach and neutralize.
