Hi,
My out of state clients had a very smelly carpet in a home that was closed up for over a year. You can imagine the odor of cat spray after a year in a hot house. We convinced them to replace the carpet but could not convince them to have the slab underneath treated. Now we've got a new carpet and the smell is coming back just like the carpet guy said. I heard of a chemical that can be sprayed on the carpet to neutrolize the smell but cannot remember what it was. Does anyone know of anything that will help? This house will not sell like it is
Thanks,
Tara

I've never used it but hear that atmosklear is very good and may do the trick.

Febreze! Lot's and lot's of Febreze!! Write that down.

Are you sure Febreeze will work? I thought maybe there was some kind of industrial strength solution that might be available.

kilz

I was kidding. I would imagine it has soaked into the wood flooring under the carpet. I would contact a carpet cleaning service in that area and explain. See if they have any ideas.

I think there's some stuff called Urine Gone http://www.urinegone.com/?cid=174864 that is supposed to break down the enzymes and clear the smell but then again, there's probably a hundred products that claim the same thing. Sorry to hear about your dilemma. Hope everything works out.

It is a concrete slab underneath. The carpet guy was going to use some kind of enzyme to kill the smell but my cheap sellers would'nt go for it. Is'nt Kilz for walls? Could the smell seep into the walls? They were all repainted except for the bedrooms.

If that doesn't work, have 3 dogs pee on the carpet, it just might negate the cat pee smell! jk

okay if its concrete use Bacteria Blast, it's cheap. I wouldn't think it would seep in to walls.

Where can you find bacteria blast? Should I check with janitorial services, they have all kinds of cleaning agents.

You know what....use Bleach, it will kill everything. It will also be much cheaper than industrial grade bacteria blast.

Bleach won't work. I had a listing like this and we tore up the carpet washed with bleach took the tack strips up, and got an air filter (ozone) and ran it 24 hrs a day for a week. Took care of it until we turned the heat on b/c cats tend to urinate down the duct work. Wonderful thought I know. Some how we were able to sell it.

I have brand new carpeting down. Bleach is out of the question. I have a ozone filter running. I need to know where to get a chemical that will kill the smell on a carpet. The Bacteria Blast sounds promising, anyone know where to get it?

Thank myoklahome for a chance at a solution. I think what you mentioned might be what I was thinking about. I'll give it a shot.
Thanks!

Pull the carpet up carefully, bleach the slab and tack strip, clean the back of the carpet, relay and steam clean.

Quote: I think there's some stuff called Urine Gone

It's called Vapoohrize.

Cant use bacteria blaster on carpet. Sorry, I was under the assumption the new carpet hadn't been laid yet.

Check this site for info about Atmosklear:
http://www.atmosklear.net/eliminate-odor/eleminate-pet-odors.html

Call ServPro and have them come "disinfect" the house and carpet. I have colleagues who have done this and made a huge difference.

Actually there is a product called "Zorbex". It neutralizes unpleasant odors. You can order it on line from "Big Ds". It really works!

Paint the slab with Kilz and that should take care of the problem as it will seal the slab.

Fire is very sanitizing

This does work. You will have to take the carpet up to do this. Any application on the carpet itself will probably just be temporary, because the cat smell will come back if it is on the slab. You can also treat wood floors with Kilz. It works great.

I wouldn't use Kilz on a slab. If at some later time someone wanted to lay tile or wood you wouldn't want to put your thin set or glue on what is basically a layer of paint. Bleach and water is the correct and cheapest way to go.

Why not air the stench out by first cleaning the carpet by hiring a professional carpet cleaner and than leaving the doors and window`s opened for 12-15 hrs.

Bleach and water is a temporary solution and the smell will definately return as cat urine contains a protein that will permeate the concrete. Sealing the slab is the only way to permanently stop the odor.
If someone later wants to lay tile or wood they can strip the floor or better yet lay a subfloor which is the recommended way of doing it so the floor will not be as cold.

You really can't go wrong using bleach. It's going to go where ever any other liquid went. Anytime I've used bleach and it has been a permanent solution. There are plenty of concrete sealants available, Kilz is just not a good idea. From looking at the label, they don't mention this type application. It's really more of a sheetrock type sealant, although they do also mention masonary, as in vertical walls (cinder block, ect.)

Sub-floors are rare in this area. 99% of our floors are installed directly to the slab.

Tucker,
My carpet and flooring sub-contractor swears by Kilz. It is cheaper than most concrete sealants and effectively does the job and is easy to apply.

I did a rehab job last year(Jan) where the previous owner had anywhere between 19-30 cats at a time. Floors were so bad it had gotten into the wood floors and basement concrete. Tried the bleach route but it failed badly. Luckly we had not gotten the carpet down and the smell returned after 2 days. Asked our carpet sub and he recommended the Kilz. We painted it and smell was gone. I tend to trust someone who has been installing flooring for 20 years so I for one will stick with the Kilz and forego the bleach which did not get the job done for me.
If the product will seal verticle block walls it will also work on concrete floors.

ServPro has some process where they come in and "disinfect" by spraying something in the house. It gets smoke out of walls from a 40 yr smoker living in a home, all kinds of odors. It doesn't mask it, it eliminates it. I have tons of allergies and cannot stand the Febreze and other products that just "mask" the problem.

Also, beware of bleach as it is very hazardous. If you had a choice between mold in a shower or bleach, the mold would be safer for your respiratory system in most cases.

Paul,

I just picked up a listing and have the same cat problem. It's vacant and we are swapping out the carpet.

Kilz has a few different varieties out there; did you use a specific one? The Kilz 2 latex primer is cheaper than the concrete sealers.

Also, about how many sq ft do you get out of a gallon? I've got about 1150 sq. ft. to seal.

Thanks!

I use the KILZ Original-Low VOC
You get about 370sf from a gallon.

Great, thanks!

From Kilz web site:

"KILZ® Original – Low V.O.C.

KILZ Original Low V.O.C. (Volatile Organic Compound) provides the maximum stainblocking properties of KILZ Original primer in a low V.O.C. formula. It blocks most odors and creates an excellent base coat for latex or oil-base paint. Use KILZ Original Low V.O.C. primer formula on almost all interior surfaces including furniture, drywall, plaster, woodwork, paneling, wallpaper, masonry, brick, painted metal, and properly prepared glossy surfaces."

Specific FAQ:

"To block pet odors:

KILZ Original or KILZ Odorless primers

KILZ Original primer and KILZ Odorless primer are the ideal primers for sealing in odors, especially those created by pets. KILZ Original primer or KILZ Odorless primer can be applied to flooring, walls, and baseboards. For severe odors, two coats are recommended. NOTE: KILZ Original primer or KILZ Odorless primer should only be applied on flooring when carpet or tile will be applied." End.


I was unable to find any mention of an application of this product to a slab. I would suggest you contact customer service as I suspect they may advise against type of app.

http://www.kilz.com/

Tucker,
Concrete counts as masonry and despite your skeptism the Kilz works! It is nice to see that you took time out of your busy day to research it. Sorry that you were unable to find anything to backup your position.
The reason the bleach is not a permanent solution is cause the urine is deep in the concrete and the bleach will evaporate long before it reaches the source of the odor. If it was a surface stain then bleach would do it but not having soaked into concrete over years.