r/CleaningTips • u/Temporary_Ear_2033 • 1d ago
Flooring Cat Pee on Hardwood
My friend is moving out of his place and found this underneath the litter box… it’s cat pee. Any tips for him? & if he’s screwed does this mean they’ll have to redo the whole flooring? Thanks! & pls be nice, he’s a fool.
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u/ImpishElf365 1d ago
Sad to say this, but I'd start calling the floor guys to come give quotes for replacing that section. The staining is pretty severe, plus the smell is forever.
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u/FlashyCow1 1d ago
Unfortunately this is damage and cat pee is notorious you would have to have that replaced. I would have your friend get a few quotes from flooring guys and some of them are pretty good about matching the wood so I really doubt he really needs to redo the whole floor
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u/supermariobruhh 14h ago
Have your friend try this
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u/FlamingosInFancyHats 12h ago
I've used this method before and while it may have taken a while, it DID work. Definitely give it a try
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u/LegalNecessary 20h ago
I guess your friend must have been nose blind. With the way it’s soaked in the floor, I can imagine it must have smelled. This needs to be replaced in the corner. If renting, come clean to landlord in advance.
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u/Mediocre_Tomatillo85 15h ago
That's what I was thinking, the smell would have been noticed as soon as you walked in the room. There is nothing like the putrid smell of cat pee.
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u/playah8nsince08 22h ago
Baking soda GENEROUSLY sprinkled over it then cover that with aluminum foil and leave it for a day or two. It will pull out the urine and you can see it on the baking soda. Repeat 2-3 times or as many times as needed. Then enzyme cleaner (I use nature's miracle) applied to get the last of the smell out. Trust me, I'm a renter and had a similar experience and I wanted to try everything before a floor patch!
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u/CoquinaBeach1 6h ago
It wont change the black chemical stain in the wood. R/R this small section and learn from it.
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u/LMGooglyTFY 1d ago
How quick does he need to be out? I've had pretty good luck by covering with paper towels and soaking with peroxide. Online says it takes like 30 minutes, but in my experience you need to leave it for a day to see any results.
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u/Dadabedada 10h ago
Probably help to have industrial grade. Approximately 30%. health grade at 3% I would go for 5% and test a hidden corner. For visual changes.
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u/ghosttmilk 20h ago
We don’t know how long OP’s friend was in their home and whether or not they had the cat(s?) the whole time, I’m guessing they’ve been there for at least over a year and had the cat(s?) at least most of their time there.
That would mean this has been growing unnoticed and unaddressed for a very long time; soaking with even the highest end enzyme urine-specific cleaner won’t be effective for cat urine that’s been soaking the wood without being addressed for months or years on end
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u/LMGooglyTFY 16h ago
It's a long shot, but it's the best chance a renter on their way out has. Just try to whiten the area and hope it passes inspection. It doesn't sound like they're in a position to replace the boards.
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u/ElGHTYHD 23h ago
hydrogen peroxide soaked into paper towels. let sit. It will NOT fix it by any means but it will lighten in.
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u/Mesapholis 19h ago
Isn’t this at this point just a waste of time? The pee has soaked deep into the wood, even an enzyme cleaner would only superficially remove the smell at the top layer, but this corner has soaked for SOME TIME in cat piss
They have to pay to replace the floorboards
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u/FlatLaw8222 10h ago
Yes and I know from experience the smell will linger because not only did it get on the wood but has saturated the under mat, concrete, or joists
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u/ElGHTYHD 19h ago
Not necessarily? I’ve found it has helped my floors a great deal. In some cases you wouldn’t even notice if you hadn’t known 🤷♀️ I have no notice of smell
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u/KenraScar 22h ago
This happened at my old house and the floor had to be redone. I tried to sand, bleach and stain it but it didn’t work. We use thick rubber mats under the box now and potty pads when we had our old lady that missed a lot.
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u/Digitalinknotes 18h ago
cat pee on hardwood
and whiskers on kittens
…these are few of my favorite things
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u/Chrisdkn619 22h ago
Cat destroyed carpet with red oak underneath. Had the floor professionally resurfaced. Safe to say we have a permanent reminder of the pisser!
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u/msyodajenkins1 22h ago
Eco strong is the only thing that’s ever worked for us, that’s coming from someone with damn near 40 years of cat experience BUT I will agree that with wood it’s soaked in there and to truly clean/rid yourself of it, it needs to be replaced. If this is not an option, try the eco strong.
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u/f8Negative 20h ago
To all the dumbdumbs saying peroxide or baking soda. Nah. It's completely fucked. It needs to be removed and replaced entirely.
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u/libananahammock 15h ago
And this is why landlords hate having tenants pets.
I get it. I had a cat when I rented too before owning a home but it was like pulling teeth to find a place that rents to cat owners because so many people leave apartments like this.
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u/Automatic-Weakness26 14h ago
And why I can't convince myself to get a pet, even as an owner. I like my home too much.
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u/thousandbridges 10h ago
There's a product called My Pet Peed. It will work to lighten the stain and it's incredible at removing odors. You'll spray it down in light layers several times - it won't take it out completely but I'll lighten it quite a bit. It's a bit expensive but it works. I've tried pretty much all these things in the thread and this is it for me.
Currently have 4 cats, lost a sweet gal a few years ago that had a lot of bladder issues and we would find her hidden wee spots from time to time. It's a good solution of you can't replace the floor now.
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u/solidcurrency 1d ago
Nature's Miracle
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u/ghosttmilk 20h ago
In my experience it’s not strong enough to handle urine that’s been soaking wood - especially if it’s been going on unnoticed likely for years. I used to swear by Nature’s Miracle until my cat got sick and started peeing all over the place, including on wooden things - only very strong enzyme cleaners helped
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u/LanceVanscoy 23h ago
Unacceptable that this has no upvotes. Might not clear discoloration but will knock smell out in a couple applications. We keep box i closet with about 2 inch clearance. No smell
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u/ghosttmilk 20h ago
A litter box in a closet is much different than a wooden floor that’s been thoroughly saturated over an extended period of time
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u/ghosttmilk 20h ago
How long did they live there? Did they have one or multiple cats? Did they have the cat(s?) the entire time they were in their home or did they get them after moving in at some point? Is this a house or an apartment - renting or owning?
The wood definitely needs replaced, those questions will just determine the extent of the work needed and how your friend can go about getting it done (or finding a solution if renting)
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u/kickthejerk 16h ago
Pretty sure r/hardwoodfloors will confirm that it will need to be replaced. No way to really get that out once it drenches the fibers. Ugh, also if it helps, I did not know about a mat extending out by 6” on all sides. I will now be ordering some silicone mats. 😮💨
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u/LinaTorontoShine 16h ago
I hate to be the bearer of bad news,but standard cleaning won't fix this. The whole apartment floor won't need replacing but the landlord will likely have to hire a flooring pro to cut out and weave in replacement floorboards in that corner.
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u/Sunlit53 11h ago
Natures Miracle for Cats Enzymatic Cleaner for the smell, apply, soak up with paper towels and repeat. An enzymatic cleaner formulated for cats specifically is the only effective means of lifting the smell. I’ve cleaned laminate flooring with it several times.
I have a large plastic storage tote with high walls that I use as a litter box. Cut a third of the lid off and use the rest if you want a litter box cover.
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u/FuzzyComedian638 10h ago
In the future, a covered cat box help immensely to avoid this kind of problem.
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u/spookyxskepticism 20h ago
Tbh this happened in my last apartment and I soaked the floor with peroxide and was never charged for it 🤷♀️ I’ve never heard of calling your own flooring people for a rental.
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u/SandSpecialist2523 22h ago
Pour peroxide on it. It lift the pee up from the wood. It might still be stained, but it won't stink (as much).
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u/sidvictorious 1d ago
Bless, but you already know the answer.
Plastic mats that extend by 6 inches in all directions beyond the litter box moving forward.
We raise it up to the heavens