Removing dog urine smell from tile grout

August 25, 2020 11:37 AM

Frank Sinatra is an adorable wombat*. He also has shit for brains and doesn't reliably hit the puppy pad shown on that tile floor. The unsealed grout is fouled and I need to know how to remove the smell before we (I assume?) seal it.

Google has much to say, so I'm really looking for anything MeFites have tried personally. Thanks!

*We didn't buy him, he's a medical adoption, don't come for me!

posted by DarlingBri to Home & Garden (16 answers total)

Try blotting the area and then saturating it with plain, white vinegar, and letting it dry. I've had good luck with this method. I've tried the enzyme cleaners, but none have ever worked for me.
posted by answergrape at 11:45 AM on August 25, 2020

Check out the Thoornell Odor-Off supplies - their product for cats works and cat pee is way stinkier than dog pee, IMO.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:53 AM on August 25, 2020

Nature's Miracle is the most widely available enzyme-based door neutralizer (at least in the US). Enzyme action on urine etc is different from any normal cleaner, and it's the best stuff for removing animal(and human) excretia odors from floors and furniture.
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:52 PM on August 25, 2020 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Not a wombat.
posted by w0mbat at 1:26 PM on August 25, 2020 [34 favorites]

Best answer: Nature's Miracle has been reformulated to include an exceedingly strong and incredibly persistent perfume. And, unfortunately, vinegar is said to corrode grout. I have previously found a good unscented enzyme cleaner that I think was called Earth's Best or something, but it doesn't seem to be made anymore--but there are other unscented enzyme cleaners you could try.

Also, there would be nothing to apologize for if you got that cute wombat from a responsible wombat breeder. Where do people think good wombats come from? If you have specific needs for a companion or working wombat, how else would you be able to know what you're getting?
posted by HotToddy at 1:49 PM on August 25, 2020 [6 favorites]

Nature's Miracle has been reformulated to include an exceedingly strong and incredibly persistent perfume.

Try Urine Erase, then. I'd call a hardware store to see if they have it.
posted by sebastienbailard at 6:29 PM on August 25, 2020 [1 favorite]

That picture...
is....
Oh my.
What a heartmelter
:-)
posted by armoir from antproof case at 10:44 PM on August 25, 2020 [2 favorites]

I would suggest an unscented enzyme cleaner such as Anti-Icky-Poo Unscented, saturate the area, cover with plastic and reapply so it remains damp and active for about 5 days. Patience and keeping the area damp and saturated with enzyme cleaner has been key for me.
posted by drlith at 5:56 AM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Hey, I have three of those like-minded wombats! You need to pick yourself up a bottle of Odoban from Home Depot (Linen is my favorite flavor). It's maybe $10 for a gallon and is the bomb - you dilute it and can put it in a spray bottle or use it to mop the floor. I even use it in the laundry for dog towels and blankets. Definitely works way better than Nature's Miracle and gets rid of All the Smells.

Harvey, Obie and Cranford send their regards to Frank. They also recommend checking out washable pee pads on Amazon. Memail me if you have any other questions!


Legit, I've had Frenchies for 25 years, these guys are #7, 8, and 9 in my Pigdog journey. Frank is awesome!
posted by dancinglamb at 6:26 AM on August 26, 2020 [3 favorites]

Argh, I just saw that you're in Ireland. If you'd like, I can ask on my Frenchie breeder group what the UK/Ireland/Scotland members use. Your DDB is just beautiful - I want one, but I would have to get a divorce first. *sigh*
posted by dancinglamb at 6:38 AM on August 26, 2020

I had a cat pee on unsealed concrete. Soaking the area in Oxyclean repeatedly so it could soak down into the grout worked for us, but it took several attempts. I have an incontinent dog & swear by Natures Miracle & buy it by the gallon, I've used it to remove dog pee smell from everything from a couch, to a handmade wool sweater to a concrete floor. I've currently got a sheet with a period stain doused in it sitting waiting for me to wash later today, it works on pretty much any body fluid.

Points to note with Natures Miracle & all enzyme cleaners, you have to flood the area, not just spritz it, more so if you want it to soak into the grout. It takes time to work, cover it with plastic & leave it overnight to do it's thing, it can take more than one treatment. It will smell worse before it gets better, thus the people complaining about the perfume, that is to hide the fact the enzymes make the smell of pee stronger while they're doing their thing. All brands will smell more strongly while working, it's the nature of that type of cleaner, it fades when all the pee is gone don't panic.
posted by wwax at 6:53 AM on August 26, 2020

Response by poster: Wow you people are some dog pee experts! Frank thanks you all for seriously shortening the odds of me drowning him in a bucket.

I have ordered a UK scent-free enzyme cleaner that will be here next week. In the interim, I flooded the floor with a high-concentration bucket of Napisan/Oxiclean non-chlorine bleach and mopped it up after a bit. It has made a big difference and I am really hopeful that the enzyme cleaner will finish eradicating the urine from my grout.

Shout out to all the other batpig butlers, especially @dancinglamb. Harvey, Obie and Cranford are great names (my folks live next door to Cranford!) Frenchie + DDB + Boxer seems to be a really, really, really common brachy trifecta, and is the ideal snoring ensemble, but unfortunately we lost our 5th Boxer in December.

(We adopt brachys exclusively, because we love our vet and hate money...)
posted by DarlingBri at 1:33 PM on August 26, 2020 [2 favorites]

Obie is actually Oberon, King of the Fairies, because Giant Puppy Ears. Cranford was found abandoned in a horrible snowstorm a few years ago. I didn’t like the name of the town he was found in, and Cranford was nearby. It fit him much better, hence his name. Harvey is named for the giant rabbit in the Jimmy Stewart movie. I did have a boxer growing up and they all do go to a bulldog specialist on Staten Island. Everyone thinks I’m insane for driving 45min to a vet. But WE know that’s normal. ;)
posted by dancinglamb at 4:44 PM on August 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Update: My kitchen floor tile grout is the happy recipient of this enzyme spray cleaner, which has absolutely no odor but also manages to magically and rapidly remove the odor of dog pee. Everyone is happy, especially Frank Sinatra because his mama is much less grumpy-faced!
posted by DarlingBri at 5:19 AM on September 5, 2020

"batpig" is pretty funny.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:48 AM on July 13, 2021

Response by poster: Looks like a bat, sounds like a pig, is clearly a batpig.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:13 PM on July 13, 2021 [1 favorite]