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We love our pets, but they can admittedly be murder on hardwood floors. Even if your pet is housebroken, statistically speaking, if you have a pet, you have…um…“accidents.” Pet urine can kill your floors faster than just about any other natural substance, largely due to its acidic nature. If (or more likely, when) this happens, how do you protect your investment?

You’ll find a number of suggestions for home pet urine remedies on pet websites around the Internet, but we’ve settled on one method that many homeowners swear by, and one that is most likely to help your situation without doing more damage to your floors.

Clean Excess Pet Urine Immediately

As soon as you see the accident site, grab the paper towels. Every minute counts! Lay paper towels over the spot and let the urine soak up naturally—don’t attempt to wipe it as you could actually work more urine into the wood pores. Once the initial spill is up, keep blotting the area gently with paper towels until no more moisture appears on them.

Sprinkle with Baking Soda

Baking soda is an excellent natural deodorizer as well as an absorptive agent. Once you’ve gotten up as much of the mess as possible, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over the affected area to absorb and deodorize any remaining pet urine. Make sure the entire area is covered with space to spare. Leave the baking soda overnight to absorb the excess urine.

Vacuum the Mess

After letting the baking soda sit overnight, carefully vacuum up the baking soda using a wood-safe attachment. Do not use anything with stiff brushes or a beater, as these could scratch the floor.

Deodorizing the Area

Once you’ve cleaned the pet pee, the next challenge is lifting any lingering odors. Not only will it give off an unpleasant odor (especially in warm weather), but once a pet has “marked” that area, the scent may instinctively cause him/her to use the space again. Baking soda should lift most of the odor, but you can further deodorize it by doing either or both of the following:

 

  • Apply a 1:1 solution of warm water and vinegar using a cloth towel. Wring the towel thoroughly to avoid adding excess liquid to the floor. Wipe the area gently, allow it to sit for a couple of minutes, then blot it dry. The vinegar should remove odors as it evaporates.
  • Cover the area with kitty litter overnight, then vacuum up the next day, just like you did with the baking soda. IMPORTANT: Kitty litter can scratch your floor, so when doing this step, make sure the litter remains undisturbed when you lay it down, and make sure you vacuum it up completely when removing it. Try covering the litter with a box turned upside down or barricade the area to keep anyone from shifting the litter. Also, vacuum the entire area carefully and thoroughly (again, with no beaters) to catch any stray pieces of litter.

 

If the pet stain persists, or if your floor gets discolored…Your next step is to have your hardwood floors professionally repaired. For expert hardwood flooring service in Tulsa, Jenks, Glenpool, Sand Springs and other parts of Green Country, call Renaissance Hardwood Floors at 918-298-4477.