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Cat pee smell in bathroom
Q. I recently bought a home and home and there is an odor in the bathroom that I can't pinpoint. We found several areas that the previous owners cat had urinated on, we ended up replacing carpet (needed it anyway) and thought we had eliminated the odor, however, now we have an odor we can not for the life of us find. I thought it originally was from the cat peeing all over a banister, it smelled really bad. I pulled all the sheetrock off, and yes it was nasty and stuck just like cat pee. I soak the inner wood with some OxiClean [affil links] and cleaned it real good and replaced the sheetrock, initially the smell was gone but in a couple days returned. The smell is located at the base of the banister next to the stand up shower, I have access the under side of the flooring but when I get under there I can't detect the odor.. Ideas? I did at one point get so disgusted with the smell that I coated all the wood underneath with polyurethane and the smell was gone but now after about 3 weeks the smell is back.
Mark Williams- Milford, Kansas
A. Mark,
Re. your odour, have you checked the drain outlets from your sink or bath?
Even in a highly MODERN building where everything is to code, some people, ie. some, a few, but not all, have sinks that have an odiferous smell.
The local expert will tell you to remove the trap, clean it, replace, maybe dump some clorox down, too.
The main cause in exceptional cases is the trap height or/and no breather (i.e., a vent pipe going to atmosphere). And them thar traps are all of one size!
If it is the trap, ie. trap height, then you should INCREASE it's depth. Not quite simple as you'd need some adaptors.
... and before someone else comes back and says that I'm wrong and that the modern traps are high enough, HORSE MANURE! If there is a sudden emptying of 'other' sinks at the same time, you can get a mini HIGH suction effect that will nicely 'empty' the trap and allow you to really enjoy those highly pleasant (?) odours! ...
Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).
A. Hi Mark.,
The smell could be from a water leak in the shower area. Reseal the shower and spray any internal areas with an anti fungal spray. Could be that water leaking into the wall is creating an environment for fungus to grow in and it can smell real bad like dirty socks or cat pee.
STEVE BEAUMONT- NEW ZEALAND
A. Hey Mark...
I find myself laughing but its really not too funny smelling cat pee, I hate that smell.. and that's why I'm prone to answer your problem... There is a product call CONSUME its made by Spartan Chemical Company, its for this cat pee it neutralizes it. It's the best you can get for this.
Frank Thomas- Modesto, California
A. Yeah, we had a cat too, and blamed a horrible smell in the basement office on the innocent critter. You might call an exterminator to put an experienced nose on the job. I'll tell you what it actually was in our case, and probably is for you, but you're very much not going to like hearing it. A dead mouse in the wall.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. Yeah... I feel his pain. We have no cats. Cats have never lived in our house. We do have mice. When other types of traps did not seem to work, my husband put out that "mouse bait" that comes in granular form. The mice are supposed to move outside to die because they will be looking for water. One of them didn't make it. Our bedroom is now full of a rather nasty smell. Even an ozone generator can barely keep ahead of it. After having searched the room, looked under all furniture and in every space.... our conclusion is that said mouse died in the wall. Peeeeyewwww. Previous experience says that you have to suffer at least one, two or maybe even three weeks with this. If the above problem has been ongoing for more than a few weeks, I am not sure it is due to a dead mouse (unless there is a serial mouse killer about ;) ). Eventually, they fully decompose or desiccate and mummify.
Ronna Erickson- Amherst, Massachusetts
A. Ok....ok...now.-. a few of you will remember the great Hydrochloric/Muriatic acid debate of early 2002...and ya'll know how I feel about the cat thing...but, due to unrelenting pressure applied from my girlfriend, I was forced to break down, and get a kitten. If my bathroom starts smelling...
Marc Green
anodizer - Boise, Idaho
Q. I have a pungent foul odor coming from under one of the sinks in the master bath....I've taken everything out, replaced cabinet liner, wiped everything down and even used liquid plumber down the drain......comes back! Worse...I know my cat has been known to pee in that sink....but what can I do for the odor?
Carolyn J RoseRetired - Jacksonville, Florida
2006
A. Your best bet at this point is to call in a professional Odor Removal Service or Restoration Co. Make sure they bring in a UV-Blacklight, Hydro Sensor & Tape off the the drain holes and air out the room before they get there.
Jody slaughterodor removal service - Los Angeles, California USA
November 23, 2014
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