Comments on: How do I remove caked-in cat poop from wood floors?

Question: How do I remove caked-in cat poop from wood floors?

Braeog — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:24:53 -0800

A bout of constipation and butt-dragging resulted in my cats rubbing their poop into the poorly-surfaced hardwood floors of my apartment, and no amount of scrubbing or Lysol will remove the poop caked into the grain of the wood. This is not a stain, the poop is literally caked into the wood. What do I do to remove it with a minimum of damage to the floors? Is there some way to dissolve the poop?

By: amyms

amyms — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:35:00 -0800

How about scouring it with Murphy's Oil Soap (or the equivalent) and a toothbrush?

By: fshgrl

fshgrl — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:47:21 -0800

Soap, water and a stiff brush.

By: mudpuppie

mudpuppie — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:01:32 -0800

If it's really localized, you could probably use some fine-grain sandpaper to et down to the grain enough to get that shit out. It shouldn't make a big dent. Then use furniture oil to bring the shine back. Rub with the grain, not against.

Please note that this is what I'd do if I had hardwood floors. But I *don't* have hardwood floors. It could possibly be horrible advice.

By: minus zero

minus zero — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 01:32:07 -0800

No actual advice, sorry. However, some googling found this

By: Nattie

Nattie — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:24:02 -0800

You might try vinegar. Any variety should work, but I tend to use apple cider. Let it soak for five minutes then try wiping it away.

By: mattoxic

mattoxic — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:32:13 -0800

Burn it out

Wait till it dries, the play a blowtorch over the area. The poo will burn off before the wood is affected.

By: about_time

about_time — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:30:26 -0800

Nature's Miracle will dissolve the odor-causing particles at least. But I don't know if it will damage your floors or not.

By: SuperSquirrel

SuperSquirrel — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:29:54 -0800

I've used the Nature's Miracle Just for Cats formula with great success on carpets. I've never tried it on wood floors, but I wouldn't hesitate.

You're sure your floors are hardwood, and not laminate (like Pergo)? If they are definitely hardwood, then I believe they wouldn't be damaged by letting the Nature's Miracle soak in for a while to really loosen the poo, and then scrubbing with a brush like suggested above. You might follow up by using a hair dryer or fan to dry the wood out.

By: Melsky

Melsky — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:30:54 -0800

Hydrogen peroxide is good for this, it will foam up and attack organic matter like blood or feces.

By: ick

ick — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:57:12 -0800

SuperSquirrel's advice is my method. Anything caked on gets loosened with just water or nature's miracle and then the scrubbing begins. I also have a machine that will saturate and suck the floor dry. Then, over a couple weeks the wood dries more and the marks usually disappear.

By: pseudostrabismus

pseudostrabismus — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:46:00 -0800

Toothpick? Toothbrush?