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Urine smell to floorboards

Posted by sharon (sharon), 2 January 2004
hi
i have a job cleaning an elderly gentlemans home and the bedroom carpet has been removed and unfortunately the urine has soaked through to the floorboards ,i have bleached the floor boards  several times but the smell is still there the familyt are asking why i cant get ridd of it i have also disinfected several time s but fear it is ingrained into the wood
any suggestions
Posted by Mike_Boxall (Mike_Boxall), 2 January 2004
Hi Sharon

If you read Derek Bolton's reply to a similar question a while ago, you'll understand why it is so difficult to remove it.

Many people supply products (including ourselves) that can deal with the surface soiling but once it has penetrated the boards themselves it can almost impossible to get rid of the smell entirely.

The topic can be found here: http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=carpetequipment;action=display;num=1061662300

If you have 'bleached' the floor several times I suspect you're prepared to try anything. What condition are the floorboards now in? Do they appear to be sealed or are they bare wood? Is it upstairs or downstairs? Can you see the area thats causing the problem?

Regards

Mike Boxall
Posted by sharon (sharon), 2 January 2004
the floorbaords are in an upstairs bedroom and are are varnished/stained and stained in places ,it was interesting to read the other problem i have always found vinegar nuetralises the odours of dog urine ,
I wonder maybe if bicarb would be effective maybe with vinegar
Posted by RAINBOW69 (CATMAN), 3 January 2004
Sharon,

Try some PVA  bond watered down this is an excellant sealant. You can get it from B&Q. It works a treat on stains

Catman
Posted by Mike_Boxall (Mike_Boxall), 5 January 2004
Hi Sharon

I'd avoid mixing anythying together that isn't meant to be mixed together!

I'm surprised the problem is so bad if the floor has been sealed. As Derek said in the other post the uric acid crystalises into alkline salts which cause the smell. Once these penetrate the wood it is very difficult to treat. My advice would be to saturate the area with a product like Prochem Urine Neutraliser which is acidic and will hopefully neutralise the soiled area.

It's not somewthing we would normally recommend for wooden floors but on the basis you have already cleaned them with bleach it is not likely to do much more damage providing you rinse the floor thoroughly beforehand.

As a last resort you could try resealing the floor but it would be better to treat the problem at source if at all possible.

Sorry I can't be more positive than 'It's worth a try' but whatever you do always rinse thoroughly!

Regards

Mike
Posted by RAINBOW69 (CATMAN), 5 January 2004
Sharon,

PVA bond, is meant to be mixed with water, it gives you the instruction on the side of the tin. Depending on what you use it for. It can be used to seal concrete in floors, soot on walls, water stains,smells such as yours. It is clear and is used alot in the building & restoration industry, and compared to other types of blocking agent it is cheap.
Posted by wreelyclean_servic (Wreelyclean Services), 9 January 2004
Shocked Shocked...Maybe the old gadger did some massive trickles and a fair bit of it is now in the plasterboards which constitute the ceiling of the room below Undecided

You`ll have a hard time with that one and I`d go as far as to say that all you can do is mask it with a deodoriser or sub contract the work out to a builder and get the ceiling sorted....with the obligatory finders fee from the builder.. Grin Grin
Posted by BeeClean (BeeClean), 9 January 2004
It is possible but i think unlikely thats its gone through the carpet, the backing, the floorboards, and the ceiling below. im not convinced about sealing it in with pva but its a cheap option to try and sounds like you have nothing to lose Undecided
Posted by BeeClean (BeeClean), 9 January 2004
let us know what you do and if it works!

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