Okay, this is going to be a yucky one – don’t say I didn’t warn you!
When we moved in about two years ago, there was carpet in the living room, the bedrooms and, wait for it, the bathroom.
Like most things in this house, they were all really old as well as dirty and stained. The little dog that the people that lived here before us had, obviously wasn’t house-trained and I don’t really even want to start on what the bathroom carpet was like.
Let’s just say, we assume that its original colour was red – but when we moved in was more yellow!
Even before moving in, we removed the carpets. The underlay underneath them must have been ancient, as it almost completely dissolved when ripping up the carpets.
It was quite a mess and really smelly. But, the worst was still to come – the smell of urine didn’t go away!
That’s when we realised that the dirt and urine must have soaked right through the carpet into the floorboards. It was absolutely revolting! This is what the bathroom floor looked like.
I’m not sure why anyone would ever lay carpet in a bathroom, it’s so unhygienic! And, after lots of cleaning and scrubbing with bleach, we still couldn’t get rid of the smell.
That’s when I tried this really high-tech and complicated easy and cheap solution – bicarbonate of soda and vinegar.
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First, we sprinkled the bicarbonate of soda over the floorboards, and then drizzled the vinegar on top.
The two immediately reacted with each other and started to foam.
Now for the hard work, we started to scrub the floor and massaged the mixture into the floorboards.
You can almost watch all the dirt bubble up.
Using this method we worked our way along each floorboard and finally wiped away any residue with clean water. That was it! It worked so well, and all the smell was gone after just one application.
We made sure to let the floor dry completely before laying the new vinyl tiles. They were really easy to lay and are much cleaner and more hygienic than the carpet. Here is the result.
It’s only a temporary solution, but at least it’s clean and more importantly, it doesn’t smell anymore!
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Jennifer says
I can’t tell you how helpful this has been to us. Worked a treat. Thank you so much!
Christine says
That’s so great to hear, Jennifer! So glad it worked for you, too.
Cx
Malc says
Just regarding that closing statement “It’s only a temporary solution”………will the stench return if not sealed?
Christine says
No, the smell didn’t return but I can see how that might be confusing. The temporary referred to the bathroom makeover, not to the smell.
Cx
L says
Would you recommend using this method on stained wood floors as well?
Christine says
I think that it will be less effective on any floors that have been sealed (which I assume yours have if they’ve been stained). I’d recommend testing in a small area that won’t be visible to make sure that the vinegar doesn’t react with the stain first though as you don’t want to end up with a patch that’s a different colour!
Cx
Joanne stokes says
Hi I need to clean wooden floor boards is it white vinegar I use with bicarbonate of soda and how long do they take to dry plz
Christine says
I wouldn’t use this method to clean a floor unless you really have to remove any bad odours. For general cleaning, I’d recommend a good wood floor cleaner which should be great for general dirt and maintenance. It’s always important not to let wooden floors get too wet (always use as little moisture as possible) which is why wooden floors generally dry quite quickly.
Cx
Trevor says
Hi how long do you let it soak. In to the floor boards?
Many thanks Trevor
Christine says
Not long at all, Trevor. It was more a matter of scrubbing the floor than letting it soak in.
Cx
Brianna says
Thank you very much for sharing this!! I have been scratching my head for 3 years trying to figure out what to do with my hardwood floors. We moved in 3 years ago into an old victorian home, the whole thing is wood. In a few rooms upstairs I guess they had locked cats up in there and the hardwood floor smell was just COMPLETELY HEINOUS – I tried many things from essential oil, to just vinegar, to I don’t even remember. I read your article and tried it last week — WOW wow wow. I could love you lol. Thank you so much. Thank you for taking the time to write all this out for us!!
Christine says
I’m so, so happy that this worked for you! Thank you so much for sharing your results! Writing about cat pee may not be the most exciting thing ever but it’s so worth it to help people like you!
Cx
Pokathy Gochenour says
I have a smell really bad in a wood floor what do you think about steam cleaning it with the same solution because I have large gaps in between the wood panels and I don’t really care about ruining the wood because eventually we want to get up floors these are pine
Christine says
I don’t think steaming it will make much of a difference but I guess anything is worth a try!
Cx
John Butcher says
I just saw this and someone named Bruce had problems some time ago. I too just bought a rental property and with the same problems as Bruce. The fact that there is internal access to the underneath of the house suggests that there may not be sufficient air flow under the house assell. This will also contribute to the odours in the house. Just a heads up, according to recent information we’ve received, the previous tenant in the house we bought, had upwards of 30 cats in the house with 6 toms confined to one bedroom. I will certainly give this a try as it sounds a lot friendlier than another suggestion which was kerosene then eucalyptus oil. Many thanks. John B.
Christine says
Fingers crossed it works for you – although I’m not sure that anything will help after 30 cats lived there! Yikes!
Cx
Tonya Edgell says
Just wondering if this worked? Past family member in grandparent farm house had 40 small dogs in one room!! EEEWWWW the smell is awful, I don’t care at all about the finish because if we can save them I plan to paint them .
Christine says
It worked really well for us and it sounds like anything is worth a try! We just had one dog to content with, I can’t even imagine what 40 must be like!
Good luck, Tonya!
Cx
John says
Vinegar plus baking soda = cleaning agent is a common myth. The actual reaction is this:
CH3COOH + NaHCO3 = CH3COONa + CO2 + H2O which neutralises both the acid vinegar and the alkaline baking soda.
The fizzing that you are seeing is carbon dioxide (CO2). CH3COONa is sodium acetate, which does not really have cleaning properties. The urine-neutralising properties of your mix are entirely down to the baking soda that remains after the acid in the vinegar has neutralised some of it. You would be better off if you simply dissolved the baking soda in hot water and then sponged it onto the boards.
Sorry to pee on your parade, but I hope this helps.
Christine says
Thanks for sharing, John! It’s interesting to hear about the chemistry behind it. Still relieved that it worked and I’ll give it a try with water if I should ever be in a situation like that again.
Cx
Jimmy says
Sort the grout out. Its minging.
Christine says
Haha, it’s safe to say that the whole bathroom is no longer there!
Cx
Tracy hopkins says
Hello there…. My aging cat has used the wooden front floor in my kitchen a few times and wee on it… I can’t get rid of the smell and reading your post I’m loving all the positive results but I’m getting a little confused which solution I should use.. desperately needing your help please..!!xx
Christine says
What would you like to know, Tracy? Happy to help if we can!
Cx
Kelly Kaskiw says
Do you use hot water
Christine says
To clean afterwards I wiped up the mess with clean water (probably cold) and then I cleaned the floor as I normally would with wooden floor cleaner and warm water.
Cx
Kelly Kaskiw says
It is plywood on my floor
Christine says
Depending on the plywood it might not be great with moisture. I’d recommend testing in a small area that won’t be seen first to see if it causes any problems first.
Cx
Kelly Kaskiw says
How long did you leave it on for Baking soda and vinegar
Christine says
Just a couple of minutes worked for us most of the time, Kelly. I’d say the most was about 15 minutes with a lot of scrubbing! ;)
Cx
Karen says
Hello everyone. How did all of your experiences with this treatment pan out? Ive just done it and cant work out if its just masking the smell as all we can smell is pickling vinegar. Its so strong. Does it fade at all? Thank you. karen. X
Christine says
The smell of vinegar disappeared after a couple of hours maybe a day at the most. It worked really well for us, fingers crossed it does the trick for you, too!
Cx
Ellie says
We live in the UK and after losing my job to poor health have been “dumped” in a housing association property. The smell of urine in the bedrooms is awful (in all 3!) . There are big gaps between the wooden floorboards where they are old and damaged. What should I do if it drops down these gaps? Really hoping this helps as the smell is so putrid!
Christine says
We had fairly large gaps between our floorboards, too. I would suggest sprinkling some bicarbonate onto the floorboards first and then carefully drizzling tiny amounts vinegar on top. It foams up pretty much straight away and I think you shouldn’t have any problems with liquid running down cracks if you work in small areas, are careful and don’t use too much liquid.
It sounds like you’ve been having a really rough time, Ellie! Keeping my fingers crossed that things improve for you and, of course, that you manage to get rid of the smell!
Cx
Lucy says
I have just given this a go and PRAYING it works! However, the smell is way worse currently than it was before? Is this a good or bad sign?
*sleeping with my fingers crossed tonight*!
Christine says
I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it works for you, Lucy!
Cx
Janet Gomez says
When you say bicarbonate soda..does that mean baking soda?
Christine says
Yep, it’s the same thing, Janet.
Cx
Sono says
Your article’s final words, “It’s only a temporary solution, but at least it’s clean and more importantly it doesn’t smell anymore!” What do you mean by ‘temporary solution’, does that mean the odor come back?
Christine says
No, the smell didn’t come back – we were referring to the makeover of the bathroom.
Cx
Zoe Lyon says
We have a property that we let out and our first ever tenant was the tenant from hell!! Shes now been booted out after a long and costly court battle and they hell hole she left behind is sould destroying!
A friend just sent this article to me and its been a massive relief to know there is a cheap solution that others have tried and tested and have had it work!
Thank you, im now off to stock up on bicarb of soda and white vinegar by the truck load!
Christine says
Oh, no – that sounds truly awful, Zoe! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it works for you, too!
Cx
Zoe Lyon says
We did our first clean with the solution and we can already smell the difference, i think one more lot should do it! Thank you so much for this article, its been a godsend and saved my sanity!!
Christine says
So happy to hear that it worked for you, Zoe!
Cx
Shelley says
Hi thanks for the information. Our flour boards are painted. Can you let me know if that would damage them?
Christine says
I’m not sure – we only tried this method on our unfinished floor. Maybe it’s worth testing in an area where it’s not seen?
Cx
Helen says
Zoe – we feel your pain as our tenant has just done pretty much the same thing for us, even thought pets aren’t allowed in the property under the terms of the tenancy agreement. Don’t be put off letting your property though – we’ve been doing it for years and this is the first time we’ve had a nightmare tenant. Everyone else was just lovely. Off to buy some bicarb and vinegar now…thanks for the idea Christine.
Kelly says
Hi should I let the solution go into the cracks in between the wooden flooring as I think dog wee has gone in between the cracks of the wooden flooring on our landing floor upstairs or should I just use it on the floorboards themselves?
Christine says
I wouldn’t let it run between the cracks, Kelly. It would be difficult to clean away afterwards and maybe scrubbing the surface is already enough to remove the smell.
Good luck!
Cx
Kelly says
ok thanks I will give it a try
Maureen says
Going to give this a try. We moved into a rental in February. My landlord just bought the house. He ripped up the carpet and sub – floor in the basement as the previous owners had big dogs that peed down there. But you can still smell it as I think they peed on the corner of the walls. Fingers crossed.
Christine says
Keeping my fingers crossed that it works, Maureen!
Cx
Vikki says
Ive just bought a house and there was carpet in the bathroom – have ripped them up and it stinks! have tried bleach to no avail so i will try the bicarb and vinegar tonight – fingers crossed!!
Christine says
Fingers crossed, Vikki! Hope it works for you!
Cx
Gerry says
I hope this at least takes out that horrid ammonia stench…almost hits the puke gag reflex thingy…sorry for the descriptive.
Christine says
I remember the feeling, Gerry! Keeping my fingers crossed that it works for you.
Cx
Sandra Lewis says
Hi, we have just moved in to a housing association property. We have a problem with the wooden floor boards in the toilet. All the old flooring was removed before we moved in. It is very clear that the people in the house had toilet problems as the floor is discoloured and stinks of urine. Will the bicarb and vinegar work on human urine? I know, it’s grim right.
Christine says
Ewww, that sounds awful Sandra! I’m not sure that it’ll help but it’s always worth a try as it’s pretty much free to do.
Hope it helps!
Cx
Ave says
Hi just finished applying the products on my floorboards. I don’t want to get rid of my cat. So once my new carpet is down. Will it stop her weeing there. As at the moment she’s restricted to 2 rooms in the house and I feel guilty. Thank you. Ave.
Christine says
We don’t have pets, so I’m not sure what will work to stop your cat weeing there. I doubt that the bicarb and vinegar would make any difference though.
I assume that there are specialist products available for cats – maybe they’re worth checking out.
Good luck.
Cx
Sue Hibbert says
Hi just been looking at what to do to clean cat urine stained floor boards and found this site. Will try this over the next few days. I have 5 cats atm and over the years they have caused lots of urinary damage to the house. I’m really hoping this one works – I have tried bicarb /surgical spirits and other methods in the past on carpets but to no avail – ammonia still comes through but will let you know how I get in with this. Thanks for the tip.
Christine says
Hope it works for you, Sue! Apparently cat urine is more difficult to remove but I guess it’s always worth a try.
Cx
Mrs G Butcher says
Will your solution work on concrete floors.
Christine says
I don’t think so, but I guess it’s worth a try as it’s almost free to do.
Cx
Jane says
Glad I found this I’m going to do the floorboards round the toilet in my bathroom asap!
I’m replacing the vinyl floor tiles and have lifted the old ones round the toilet but the rest are well stuck so might take a while. I need to put the new tiles down straight away as there are sticky patches from the adhesive so I’ll need a whole day for that.
I once saw brown shagpile carpet not only on the floor in a bathroom in Edinburgh but all the way round the outside of the bath!!!!!! Crazy!
Christine says
Ewww, that sounds horrible! I really don’t understand why anyone would ever put carpet in a bathroom, but shagpile around the bath is a particularly interesting choice. Yuck!
Hope you manage to get your floorboards clean, Jane!
Cx
Jane says
I know eh???? :)
Well I’ve scrubbed the boards round the toilet using bicarbonate of soda and vinegar then wiped them clean – letting them dry now!
I also took the toilet seat off and cleaned all the parts of that – I do this now and then having a teenage son but obviously need to do it more often!
I also removed the stinking screws holding the toilet to the floor and pulled the old vinyl tiles out. Hoping I’ve got rid of the smell but if not I’ll do it again before laying the new tiles at the weekend! Soooo glad I found your page!
I’m also going to use your tip about using expanding stripseal between the flooring and the skirting boards in my living-room – should help keep the heat in come winter! :)
Christine says
There’s nothing quite like a good clean (especially in the bathroom) to make your room feel fresh again. Glad to hear that our method is working for you!
The strip seal is something that worked really well for us, hope it does for you, too!
Cx
Sasha says
Great method, I’m going to try it! Carpet in bathrooms is (weirdly) not unusual in the UK in my experience :-/
Christine says
It’s almost free, so always worth a try! Yep, the bathroom carpet thing seems like a weird UK phenomenon.;)
Cx
irene says
I am in the process of cleaning the floorboards in the entrance hall and will try the vinegar and bicarb also I found it helps to use cat litter after cleaning it absorbs smells and helps to dry thanks for the tips Irene from scotland
Carly says
Hello,
We just ripped up the carpets in our hallway. It has been a rental for 30 years. My dogs have peed on the carpet (when they were learning to be trained) and I think where they did it is where the previous owner dogs did. I have a carpet cleaner so I cleaned the carpets over and over again. Finally, we decided to just take it all up. When we took it up tonight the wood is dark brown from the urine and light where it did not penetrate. I am going to try this! Hope it works for us! TY
Christine says
Eww, you never know what you’re going to find under old carpets.
Our floors definitely weren’t as bad as yours sound, but I guess anything is worth a try! Good luck!
Cx
Liv says
Hi I have the same problem but I’m renting I’ve used vinegar & bi carb on carpet but the smell just won’t go away it just gets stronger and the dog just keeps peeing coz of the smell .
Is there any way to get rid of the smell without ripping up the carpet ? There is floor boards underneath
Christine says
I assume that the smell has penetrated through the carpet and into the floorboards beneath. I think that the only way of completely removing the smell is to clean the floorboards underneath and even then, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to remove the smell from the carpet. As you’re renting, I’m not sure what to suggest, as your options are limited. Maybe there’s a carpet cleaner available for this kind of problem.
Cx
aileen says
So glad i found this. As I lifted my carpets today and want to clean the boards. This is perfect.
Thank you
Christine says
Good luck! Hope it works for you, too.
Cx
Emily says
My bathroom was also carpeted when I bought my house. I don’t get it either. I got a lot of the smell out in my bathroom just by sanding the wood flooring and then finishing it and sealing. That was just mildewy, human urine smells though (an elderly woman and her husband were the last residents and had lived in the home for 55 years). I was still struggling with a particularly bad room where I assume they kept a litter box for their cats (smells like there were at least 50 here), so I’ll have to give this a try. The carpet literally disintegrated when it was pulled up in that room.
That’s such a beautiful wood floor you’re covering up!
Christine says
I’ll never get why people thing that carpet in the bathroom is a good idea. Your old one sounds particularly discusting.
There were fairly big gaps between the floorboards which is why we decided to cover the floor, but we have the wooden floor on show in every other room of the house.
Cx
Kayleigh says
How long did it take?
Christine says
I’d guess it took around 30 minutes and as far as I can remember, we went over the area twice.
Cx
sue says
Will give this a try. My bathroom has had a horrible smell in it since I moved in. Thanks.
Christine says
Keeping our fingers crossed that it works for you, Sue!
Cx
Julian says
This is a great way to remove urine stains and smells. We have also poured peroxide on the area, placed a couple of layers of towels down and covered it with a heavy duty shower curtain. We left it there for 3-5 days. The urine absorbs into the towels. We then use the baking soda and vinegar on another layer of clean towels. This will remove the oily residue from the urine and hopefully prevent the dog from returning to that spot.
This is a great solution to remove the stains and odors form animals. However, we have found that they sometimes return to the area. A good soaking with Nature’s Merical for Cats and for Dogs is used as a final step.
Unfortunately, if the area s badly stained, nothing you do will resolve the problem. You will need to remove the floor and replace it.
Christine says
Thanks for sharing your tips, Julian! It’s always good to have a few options.
Cx
Chance says
Hello, I’m the Director of a Boys & Girls Club here in Central Florida. I saw this article and I absolutely loved it! As I’m sure you know, kids are a bit messy, especially young boys and their bathrooms. I was just wondering, before I put it all of the work and effort, do you think this will work on linoleum? If not, do you have any suggestions? I have tried soaking it in bleach overnight, Odo-Ban, etc. Nothing works. Thanks for the article!
Christine says
I’d give it a try, as it’s pretty much a free thing to do, but I’m not too hopeful as I assume it’ll work better on more porous surfaces. I wonder if the problem is under the linoleum?
That’s a tough one – not sure what else to suggest! Sorry we can’t be more help!
Cx
rachel says
Yes it works on it. I use it on my sons bathroom.
Christine says
Great to know, Rachel! Thanks for sharing.
Cx
C. M. Barons says
I worked in a school setting for many years. I found that after cleaning the wall around urinals/toilets, sanding, priming with a shellac-based primer, repainting… Go over the paint with a clear epoxy coating. The epoxy coating will shed urine and is extremely easy to clean. It holds up very well to constant cleaning and in most cases will last for several years.
Stacey faulkner - moudy says
Hi I’ve just purchased lots of bi carb and white viniger in hope that after ripping up my dining room carpet I can get rid of tad smell of dog urine! I’m not sure where the spots are so guessing I’m just going to have to scrub the whole floor! Wish me luck, really hoping it works :) x
Christine says
Ewww… happy scrubbing & good luck! It worked for us, so fingers crossed it does for you, too.
Cx
Bruce says
Hi.
I just moved into a rental which smells so bad not just of cat and dog urine but baby nappies as well apparently they had carpet and professional cleaners in the cupboards are chip board the whole place smells of urine but 2 rooms are more prominent as the animals were inside about 10 all together the cupboards really stink now my partner and I have used mix water vinegar and bi carb soda together and sprayed every where but the house still smells what do u recommend. The agent got some specialist in but it only masked the smell for a few days there is access under house from inside with dirt what do u recommend to do the wooden floor boards have been stained and polished and the skirting boards have been painted so its a tough one
desperate. Bruce
Christine says
Wow, that sounds awful, Bruce! The bicarb and vinegar solution worked well for us, but that sounds like a really serious case. I’m really not sure what to suggest except to get the specialists back in again.
Sorry we couldn’t be more help – keeping our fingers crossed that it all works out well for you!
Cx
Jason says
For cat urine, you will need to use hydrogen peroxide. Nothing else that a regular consumer has easy access to works effectively on that that I know of. The acetic acid/sodium bicarbonate reaction will work fine for most dog & human urine, but not fully effectively for cat urine. You will most likely need to replace any urine soaked particle/chip board, nonetheless.
Carla says
You probably have cat fecees and tribe under the house. The best way to destroy the orders is take the dirt under the home. Apply lime and cover with a plastic sheeting. This will resolve the issues under the house. Just make sure you ccan bet all access with screen and chicken wire to allow air to flow and keep the animals out.
As for the inside you may need to use a stronger solution of vinegar and baking soda. If that doesn’t work I have used Odor Ban to help clean odors. But you have to use a strong detergent made for animal stains. There is an organic one online made from oranges. I hear works well. Not sure if the name.
Hope this helps. I realize this is ans old thread.
Jacquie says
Thanks Christine, my partner and I have also found hideous stains and the smell of urine is intense. Apparently the last owners had 9 or more cats at anyone time!!! They lived here for about 50 years so we have also dug up many plastic bags of decomposed cats in the garden as well. Lovely, … NOT! Who buries dead animals in plastic bags??!!! It’s a big job, many surprises and we never knew what we were in for as the smells were trapped under the parquetry and carpets. Your photo’s really help also. I will try this technique and let you know.
Christine says
You’re welcome, Jacquie! I heard that can urine can be even more difficult to remove than dog urine. As it’s a pretty much free solution, it’s always worth giving it a try though!
Good luck & hope you don’t find any more cats! Yuck! (Just put me off my breakfast ;))
Cx
Theresa says
OMG, dead cats buried in plastic bags in the gardens. That must have been really gross; I can’t even imagine. We bury our pets when they pass but I’ve never put one in a plastic bag. WOW
Bert Veldhuizen says
Hi, I realize this is a very old post but figure I’ll ask anyway….did this solution help with the cat urine soaked floor boards? We have a similar situation in our house.
Phil manners says
Thanks. It worked a treat for us to.
Christine says
That’s great, Phil! There’s (almost) nothing worse than a smelly floor!
Cx
Jenn says
We ripped up our stinky pee-smelling carpets and discovered sub floor underneath(so disappointing)! Adding hardwoods to the space lightened it up, and was what we had hoped to find under the carpets. In my other home, with wall to wall wood, tenants had dogs that peed in one spot in the hallway. My question is: Does this treatment destroy the hardwood? Or simply remove the stink? Will you have to re-sand and seal the floors after this treatment? Thank you for sharing all of your trials and hard work! It is inspiring!
Jenn
Christine says
The pee-soaked floors were definitely one of the most disgusting things that we had to sort in our house. Our floorboards were still in an unsanded and unsealed state when we removed the pee smell. The bicarbonate and vinegar shouldn’t damage your floor at all (although it’s probably a good idea to test it somewhere where it wont necessarily be seen later). As our floors weren’t varnished, the mixture penetrated the floorboards really easily. I assume that it will be more difficult if the floor is sealed – maybe still worth a try though! Just think of it as cleaning – it shouldn’t effect, damage or make any other work necessary. Hopefully it will just remove the smell.
Cx
mandy says
hi the vinegar you used would that be white vinegar we have the same problem. So glad i saw your post. Thanks Mandy
Christine says
Yep, it was just the cheapest standard white vinegar that I could find. Good luck, Mandy!
Cx
tao says
Is this safe to use around pet’s?my.mom has a dog that pees on everything she saved him from being killed in a shelter because no one wanted him because he’s not house broken and refuses to use pee pads
Christine says
I’m really not sure if it’s safe for use around pets. It is natural and you should really remove all of it – hopefully along with the smell of urine – but I guess it’ll be impossible to guaratee all of it is gone.
Cx
Jason says
The reaction involved in this process is a very simple acid/base neutralization, & the products (carbon dioxide, sodium acetate, & water) are quite benign to humans & pets.
tao says
The urine is soaked into the floor board under the carpet which I’m ripping out the carpet and putting tiles down but the smell is in the wood
Christine says
Our situation was the same. We scrubbed the wooden floor with the solution and then let it completely dry before putting down the (vinyl) tiles. It’s a pretty much free way of trying to remove smells and worked for us, so I’d give it a try.
Cx
Marl says
Did sort it out? I’m in same he’ll situation … nothing it’s working
tammy says
Will this work for cat pee on plywood subfloor?
Christine says
We’ve heard that can urine can be even more difficult to remove than dog urine. Having said that, you probably already have bicarbonate of soda and vinegar in your pantry, so I guess it’s worth a try!
Cx
S. Carr says
Forget cat spray. You may even have to remove the lower wall sheetrock and replace it. I was told that in the livingroom, we’d have to tear up at least six inches of the concrete and than reapply new concrete to fix the problem. We had purchased the home from an elderly couple who loved cats. We just had no idea as allergic as I am to them that we would never be able to have the repairs done due to my disability. It takes major repairs. I’m not sure if products like Oils will absorb and cover the smell. It wasn’t available when I lived in that home. I eventually just had to move out.
Christine says
Wow, that sounds awful! Thanks for sharing your experience (even if it’s one I hope I never have to face).
Cx
jasmine says
Where do you buy the bicarbonate at?
Christine says
I just bought it at the supermarket (it’s in the baking section). You can easily order it online as well though.
Cx
Christy says
look for baking soda. Sodium Bicarbonate is just it’s fancy name.
Lisa Jane says
Baking powder, which contains bicarbonate of soda, comes pre-mixed with the acidic ingredient. The acidic ingredient most often used in baking powder is cream of tartar. People drink Bicarbonate Soda for ph balancing within the body or brush their teeth with it for whitening. Please don’t say what you said above. It’s not true. Even though people use cream of tartar for internal health, most baking Soda products have high levels of aluminium – a heavy metal that is link to Alzheimer’s & Dimentia. Bicarbonate Soda products have high levels of aluminium too – but when there is let any, the company will label it. Anyway, I just felt the need to correct your comment for health safety reason. This is my niche. :)
Pat says
What about the gaps between the floorboards if you can’t get between the floorboards would this leave an odour?
Christine says
I think it’ll depend on your circumstances, Pat. The method worked for us but I guess it’ll always depend on how bad the situation is.
Cx
Bmac says
It works— I think! After a miserable realization that Hydrogen Peroxide did NOT work!!! (it was a true waste of timeand energy, from the spray bottle, to paper towels, to plastic wrap—PU!!!)
Although a hot day, I was ready for another go, this time your way.
I only did a 10ft.x4ft. section, but there is a definite improvement. And these floors wee BAD- toxious!
Christine says
That’s great news! It’s always worth a try, especially as it’s an almost free solution.
Thanks for sharing!
Cx