Pet smells in crawl space and basement
COremodeler
| Posted in General Discussion on
I had a tenant who apparently locked their pet in my rental property’s basement, nice huh. I’ve completely demo’d everything down to a dirt floor and concrete walls and the smell is as intense as ever. Anyone have suggestions on removing the smell? I’m tempted to hose it down and see if the ground can break down the animal waste. The house is completely gutted so the moisture shouldn’t be a problem. I’m going to remodel and sell the place but not w/ this smell, any thoughts.
Replies
I'll start off by telling you I don't have any idea how to handle the problem on the dirt floor. On concrete, however, I was able to remove some pretty intense dog smell by scrubbing with Lysol, rinse with clean water, repeat. Then, use a garden-type sprayer to mist the area with a 100-200 ppm bleach solution (about 1 - 2 oz. per gallon of cool water) and let it air dry. I did this twice, included the bare concrete foundation walls, and the basement smells as clean as a swimming pool. The chlorine smell dissipates, but the dog odor has not returned in four years now. Actually, now that I think of it, try your local pet store for their "pet odor neutralizer" product, and try misting that solution on the dirt floor. Won't hurt, but might work. Good luck - I know what you're dealing with, and it isn't pleasant.
I mentioned this before and a number of others said you needed a chemical suit to do it but I have used lime a number of times with great success. Just go to the local masonary supply place and buy lime for masonary. Lay a couple of inch layer on the dirt. Smell will be gone in a few days.
As far as the concrete goes mix a solution of 50/50 white vinegar and water and slosh this on the floor and leave it. It takes a week or so for the vinegar smell to go away although you can work in the place after a day or so but feel like a pickel. DanT
That's rough, CO.
I've got a similar situation in a room in my house, only it's a cat/wood floor thing. Internet research was not very encouraging; with a wood floor, if the stain is deep, REMOVAL is the only solution. Do you know what animal it was? If it was a cat, your problem is more difficult. I wouldn't use the hose as a solution, it might just drive the smell deeper. The best way to start is to find out exactly what you're dealing with - it may smell like it's coming from all over, but pets often target one specific spot. Buy a common "black light" bulb (I'm not exactly sure where to get these, but they're easy to find) and turn it on in the otherwise darkened area in question. The urine will show up as white spots, or yellow if it's very old, and you'll know the extent of the problem. If it's in the dirt, I'd say dig it up completely. If it's on the wall, You might be able to wash it off, but then you may need to dig it up from the ground anyway.