Oh no! It’s happened. You’ve walked out into your garage and noticed a foul smell. Every cat owner knows the foul smell we’re talking about: cat urine. To your horror, you realize that someone left the door open to the garage, and your feline friend decided to relieve itself on the concrete. What to do?
While concrete is durable, it’s also porous, which means it will soak up any spills with ease. The big question is: how to get the cat urine smell and stain out of the concrete?
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll go through the process of how to get rid of the smell and stain.
The 5 Steps to Removing Cat Urine Smells & Stains Out of Concrete
1. Before you start
First things first: let’s find the stain. Sometimes it’s obvious, especially if the stain is fresh. If the stain is fresh, you’ll have a better chance of quickly eliminating the smell and stain.
You’ll want to use a UV blacklight to find the stain, or other possible stains, for that matter. UV blacklights work wonderfully for this purpose. Also, make sure the area is dark so that the stain will show up. If the stain is in your driveway and not your garage, wait until nighttime and turn off any outside lights for better detection.
2. Preparation
Now that you’ve located the stain (or stains), you’ll need to prep the area. Sweep in and around the area to remove any loose debris.
Next, try absorbing as much of the stain as possible with an old rag or cloth before proceeding further. Of course, this step only applies if the stain is fresh.
3. Decide your method of cleaning
Cat urine can be a bit tricky to remove because it contains uric acid, and uric acid is insoluble, meaning the uric acid is not diluted because cats usually don’t drink much water. Also, cat urine contains ammonia, pheromones, creatinine, and bacteria. Because of this, it’s best to use an enzymatic cleaner to clean the stain because it will break it down.
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If you want to try a homemade solution, you can try these steps to make your own. If your homemade solution doesn’t work, try an enzymatic cleaner. If you do decide to make your own solution, we advise you not to use bleach because it will clash with the ammonia in the urine and can cause a reaction. While bleach will disinfect the area, it won’t remove the smell.
4. Spray the stain
It’s essential to follow the directions on the cleaner bottle before proceeding. Most times, the cleaner will advise spraying the area and letting it soak for a while, and on concrete, it may need to sit for at least a day or two to soak into the porous material. You also may need to apply the solution multiple times.
After letting the area soak, gently scrub the area with some sort of bristle brush. This will allow the solution to penetrate the stain and smell further. Now, wait it out and let the area dry. Once it’s dry, you can do a sniff test to determine if the smell is gone. In addition, bust out the UV blacklight again to see if the stain has been removed. If the smell and stain are still present, repeat the above steps until it’s eliminated.
Keep in mind that if the stain is old, you will have to repeat these steps multiple times.
5. Apply a concrete sealant
Once the area is dry, applying a sealant will help prevent further accidents. If your cat can still smell urine in the spot, it may urinate there again. A sealant will cover up the area well; plus, sealants help keep the concrete in tip-top shape.
Wrapping Up
Dealing with cat urine is just one of the factors of owning a cat. However, suppose your cat keeps urinating outside of its litter box. In that case, you may want to have your cat examined by your veterinarian to ensure that the reason isn’t a medical issue, such as a urinary tract infection, diabetes, or hypothyroidism. Make sure to clean the litter box regularly, too, to aid in preventing further accidents.
We hope that this step-by-step guide helps you eliminate that unwanted cat urine smell and stain out of your concrete. If it helps, please share your experience with other cat owners so they, too, can have a concrete floor free from cat urine smells and stains. Remember, if the process doesn’t work the first time, multiple applications may be in order.
Featured Image Credit: nanniezwawa, Shutterstock
