Any experience removing urine from flooring? (multiple rooms)

[GoingDownLikeBHS]

Buying an old house, sadly the smell is unbearable. My solution would be to remove ALL the floor coverings, skip them, check any hardboard, maybe remove that too, treat floorboards and stair treads with an enzyme wash, allow to dry then have laminate and new carpets laid. I think that might also mean some if not all of the doors have to come off and be altered to accommodate new levels.

Does that sound like completely unnecessary overkill? What order would you do things in? Has anyone done this? It sounds pretty disruptive.

Might be worth trying Bio K -20 from TM Chemicals first.

Yuck. First option I would do would be to start with a load of enzyme spray. Carpet cleaner machine and mop on hard floors after. Only then think about ripping things out and replacing. Unless I had lots of money in which case I'd rip out and replace asap. Are you sure it's urine and not rodents?

Having done similar I would say don't rush to put in anything new until you are sure you are at the bottom of it. We pulled up floorboards and replaced then in the winter when the heating came on we realised that the joists had also been soaked and they released their own smell through the new floor! It was a great house in the end though and we loved it once we tackled the smells!

@Badslipperluck - yes definitely human urine, sadly previous owner was elderly and unwell. Personally, I don't think I could live with carpets even if I had them professionally cleaned. I don't have loads of money but feel compelled to spend what I do have on new flooring. But yes I see your point about trying the cleaning first.

@Pluto46 do you mean straight onto existing carpets, or remove then apply on to exposed floorboards?

Blimey @Pizdets - how did that come to be? Was it human or animal do you know? If that was likely here, I wouldn't be able to cope with all that, neither the cost or the disruption.

I know people on here who have bought cat lady houses before with cat urine in the floors and they have had to take all the floor boards up and replace them.

Google says that cat urine is worse than human due to high ammonia content which I think makes it more penetrating (tries to reassure self..!!)

The Bio K 20 was very successful on cat urine …it was a new carpet and used it directly on the carpet

It’s all got to come up even the walls might need to be replastered. You’ve got to start from scratch really.

Oh gosh this is really tough. I'm also on a quest (cat wee). It takes a lot of patience. And possibly some more money....sorry.
Wee can only be controlled with an enzyme cleaner. Do NOT bleach or use normal cleaning products. Bio-Kleen, Nature's Miracle, etc, get an an enzyme cleaner and

• soak the area. Soak it. Don't spray and go - you'll miss bits.
• Leave it to evaporate (really)
• Be prepared to repeat the process every 2 weeks
• a UV torch will help show where the urine is.

My cat died five years ago and the floors have been sanded and sealed since then, but I still sometimes catch a whiff of cat wee on a damp day, in her "favourite spot"

so this is definitely human urine, should I be slightly reassured by that (?!) - google says ammonia in cat wee makes it much worse and more damaging. I'm wondering if this doesn't really happen to buyers that often.

I've used Bio K 20 very successfully, but they also make a product specifically for human urine which will probably suit you better. https://www.tmchemicals.co.uk/bio-digest-human-urine-odour-remover-117-p.asp

They are very helpful, I'd be inclined to give them a call and ask their advice.

We bought a house in which one room had been occupied by an old chap with dementia. We removed the carpets completely and deep cleaned, then re-carpeted, but it was only the one problem room so not too dreadful.

Thank you @MontyDonsBlueScarf that's very helpful. @Papyrophile I reckon its lounge, stairs, landing and main bedroom unfortunately so most of the house (its only small 2 bed). Hence I'm thinking it would have to be done before we moved in.

I agree if there's that much needing doing @GoingDownLikeBHS ! Ugh!

Yes! We used an ammonia based cleaner (if that’s the right spelling)

I'd start by scrubbing with sodium bicarbonate which will neutralise and clean it.

Hopefully the floors are made of wooden planks with a ventilated void beneath. As long as the air bricks are clear it is OK to let water run through, but you need to dry the wood quickly, and cold. Lots of ventilation. Don't use heat. You can take up a few floorboards to look undefneath.

I'd recommend buying a builder's wet and dry canister vac which can suck up dirty water

It's generally bad news. Our new neighbours took on a house that had been rented out to a family with 2 dogs and 6 cats..... All indoor and not trained. No idea how they actually lived with it. Throughout the summer the floors were treated with specialist treatments and dried out several times. All the windows open. In the end every floorboard had to come up, and the joists then had to be treated. It was awful.

I had this too, all carpets went to the dump. Threw out all the ghastly air fresheners that just added to the smell. Windows open as much as possible. Floorboards professionally sanded and varnished, wallpaper stripped.

That was traumatic - I cried when I moved in but it was the only way to afford a bigger place. It'll be worth it in the long run 😊

It was human. Unfortunately the previous owner had effectively drunk himself to death and the house was borderline derelict by the time we moved in. The problem for us was mainly confined to the bathroom. But we that meant we could afford it!

It's not pleasant but there are ways to tackle it - just make sure you take a good look at the joists when everything else is up or you'll risk sealing in a smell.

How long was the house empty OP? I only asked because we took on a derelict property and if its been empty 2 or more years, there are tax reductions on the cost to replace certain items. Happy to share details if relevant to your home.

Ours had been empty 7yrs. Strangely, any smell of the human and rat urine and diarrhoea was gone- but the physical evidence was still there, just dried up and desiccated. I sympathise OP. 🤢

@JDM625 - bloody hell!! The house I looked at has only been empty a few months, maybe nearer a year (they've already got probate) but in any case I think its too much for me to deal with; thanks to everyone who has commented, I don't think I am going to proceed with it. Agent reckons other people happy to just come in and put new carpets down, and he's right. Many young couples with no experience at all will assume it's just the carpets. Maybe if the vendors had thought to get the carpets cleaned there'd be a better indication but as it stands if people are willing to pay the asking price and risk it, then they will get the house and good luck to them. It had a few others things wrong so it was too much when all added together.

Back to the drawing board!

I don’t blame you. I think if it’s going to bother you, it will, if that makes sense.

I couldn’t live with the idea of it, let alone the smell. We viewed a house some years back which had been adapted for the owner’s needs, including an actual toilet in the bedroom (not screened off or anything). I decided I’d never get that image out of my mind and we crossed it off the list.