[Kell]

Might as well ask this here,

Looking at a house to buy, they have large dogs, house stinks to high heaven. Will the smell still be there if I have new carpet/pad installed and paint it with fresh paint? I have no experience in this area as we have NO pets and I do NOT like the smell.

This is a deal breaker if I have to remove the subflooring or something like that. My in-laws had to do that after they pulled the carpet and cat urine was soaked into the wood.

Long shot asking this question but you guys seem to answer most every other odd ball question I have!

thanks,
Kelly

[andyg]

If they have peed on the flooring, it will all have to come up to get the best results the fastest. I've worked in places that have been cleaned many times with all imaginable products that still smell horrible after months. Wood just absorbs it and won't let it go.

[The Boss]

There are oils in the urine that soak the wood under the carpet and will leach continuously. The house I rebuilt last summer/fall had dog stains on the carpeting in the hall upstairs. We pulled it up and the hardwood underneath had been soaked repeatedly. In the morning when we would get there the hardwood would look dry but with the heat of the day it would start to look wet or darker, by the end of the day it would look like we had a leak but it was just the oils leaching out of the wood. We ended up pulling the hardwood & threw it away - put down tar paper and new hardwood - fine after that.

[Kell]

As I feared,

I have no idea if they peed on it or not but I can only assume, and that would be a lot of flooring to remove unless it was only in spots? Just smells like wet dogs, and I can't stand that.

[sleepy]

If you don't smell dog pee just have the carpets professionally cleaned or replaced and paint the walls and ceilings, heat ducts cleaned out. what you smell is most likely dander.(sloughed off dead skin).

[salem1912]

We just refinished our hardwood floors and had to replace several pieces where the cat had pee on the carpet it looked like the floor was charred.

[cuz68]

Originally Posted by The Boss

There are oils in the urine that soak the wood under the carpet and will leach continuously. The house I rebuilt last summer/fall had dog stains on the carpeting in the hall upstairs. We pulled it up and the hardwood underneath had been soaked repeatedly. In the morning when we would get there the hardwood would look dry but with the heat of the day it would start to look wet or darker, by the end of the day it would look like we had a leak but it was just the oils leaching out of the wood. We ended up pulling the hardwood & threw it away - put down tar paper and new hardwood - fine after that.

I have never heard of oil in dog pis,Where does the the oil come from licking the drive way?

[The Boss]

Not motor oil! Natural oils from their food, fats.

[Txbobcat]

I ripped up wood floors in a house a few months ago. It was bad and nothing would get the smell out. If a slab concrete house amonia and then vinegar would do it. If it is just smell not pee in the carpet use vinegar when you clean the carpet along with soap.

[David Jones]

My brother bought a foreclosure a couple of years ago that had been a home for dozens of dogs. Bad enough that it was inches deep in dog poop. They ended up tearing out the bottom sheetrock on the walls and ripping up all the floors. EVERYTHING got bleached then primed then painted THEN flooring put down. No more smell.

Yes, he got it cheap.

[Rawbin]

I bought the house across the street from mine from the bank. It had been vacant for two years.

The prior owner had a dog that neighbors told me "wouldn't go outside" and the urine stains had actually wicked up the bedroom door frames trim. yuck.

So I removed all the carpets and padding (after two years the padding was still wet, very nasty).

Then I polyurethaned all the subfloors.

Just took a roller, nap and tray and went to town. That took care of the smell.

This might be a $80.00 fix (two gallons of poly) to your problem instead of removing and replacing all of the subfloors.

But you will have to by the house to try it first.

[pontiak]

Ther is a product called "Natures myrical". I have had good luck with it on puppy spots, never tried it on huge nasty areas. You have to soak the area completely and let it dry completely! It is supposed to kill any enzymes that cause odor. (They also have a version for skunk odor)