How to Remove Dog Urine Smell From Concrete

Pet urine odor that emanates from concrete can be embarrassing, especially in your home. I’ve been able to solve this problem for my clients so I thought I would share how to remove dog urine smell from concrete. See, concrete is extremely porous and quickly absorbs odor causing liquids. For example, daily cleaning can disinfect the surface of the concrete but the bacteria hides deep inside the substrate, causing the awful smells to come back time and time again.

Let me share with you how I permanently solve this problem for my clients. The trick is to neutralize the preexisting bacteria as much as possible, lock in whatever is left, and then lock out any new odors from entering. Here it is in a nut shell…

Tip #1

To clean the concrete and neutralize the odors I use an enzyme cleaner that also has beneficial bacteria in it. Most brands of enzyme cleaners only have enzymes and as soon as the surface dries after cleaning, the enzymes stop working. The cleaners with the beneficial bacteria work better because they continue to break down any organic material ( like pet stains ) for days after cleaning the surface. These beneficial bacteria eat up the bad bacteria that cause the odors for up to a week after the concrete is dry.

I give this style of cleaner to my clients because it can also be used as a maintenance cleaner. So any future accidents can be easily cleaned up and the odor causing bacteria is eliminated… awesome!

Plus, they’re pet and human friendly… meaning they’re non-toxic and super low in VOCs.

Tip #2

This is step two and the main reason why this process works so well. See, your concrete just sucks up the odors and they’re practically impossible to get out, even using the cleaners described above. So don’t! I’m sure you’re thinking… this guy is nuts! But let me explain further. To clarify, I use a deep penetrating sealer that soaks far into the concrete and chemically reacts with the minerals inside the slab. As it cures it fills in the voids in the concrete where fluids and bacteria hide out. This locks in any odor causing bacteria and locks out any new bacteria from soaking in. The concrete is now permanently more dense and completely waterproofed. So when your dog pees on the concrete the fluids will sit on top of the surface, not soaking in like they use to.

Other penetrating sealer will work okay but only treat the top of the concrete. The sealer I use soaks really deep into the substrate it just works much better to hold back those nasty odors.

Clean up any new messes by rinsing the area with water and scrubbing with the enzyme / beneficial bacteria cleaner described above. This should completely remove any smell from the area… yay!

In addition, this deep penetrating sealer is water based,pet and human friendly, non-toxic and VOC free.

The Products I Use

Over the years I’ve used most of the major brands of enzyme cleaners and penetrating sealers with limited results. Nothing fully worked so I was always on the lookout for a combo that completely eliminated the nasty smells. The chemist who makes some of the products we sell turned me on to his enzyme / beneficial bacteria cleaner. This stuff worked really well and I used it for years. Eventually I approached him about re-formulating the cleaner to specifically target pet urine odor, and making a better deep penetrating sealer, so he took the challenge. After about a year of working on it and trying out the products in the field, we came up with Odor Kleanz cleaner and Odor Shield sealer.

Ever since, this has been my go to for treating pet urine odor problems for my clients. None of the combinations I’ve used over the years has worked as well as these do. Personally, I don’t think a better combo exists.

The Process Of Cleaning Your Concrete

Skip this step if your concrete is free of paint or other sealers. Your concrete should have any preexisting surface sealers or paint removed first. This can be done using an over the counter floor strippers like Blue Bear Soy Gel Stripper floor stripper or Scorch Stripper, pressure washer, or a floor machine equipped with stripping pads. Then the floors need to be thoroughly cleaned / degreased to remove any stripper residue.
Next, clean the floor with Odor Kleanz. Just pour the cleaner and water at a 50% / 50% ratio (1×1) into a clean pump sprayer. Any cheap weed sprayer from the hardware store will work. Spray down the solution until the surface looks completely wet. Scrub the areas vigorously with a deck brush or push broom. The more you agitate the surface the better it works. Spray more down if any areas start to dry up.
After scrubbing the areas for at least 15 minutes, rinse the concrete thoroughly. For interior applications you can wet / dry vacuum up the dirty water and rinse water after cleaning. You can also use a mop to remove the dirty water and rinse water as well. Let the concrete dry and Odor Kleanz will continue to work it’s magic for days after.

The Process Of Sealing Your Concrete

Just pour Odor Shield into a clean pump sprayer… you can rinse out the sprayer you used for the Odor Kleanz and use the same one. Spray down the sealer until the surface looks completely wet. Let it soak in for about 20-30 minutes.
If there’s any sealer left on the surface after the 20-30 minutes you should remove it. I usually use an old bath towel and drag it across the surface, then throw it out. Or you can mop it up with a dry, clean mop head. A wet / dry vac works as well… easy peazy! Keep the area completely dry for 24 hours, and as soon as it looks dry you can have full foot traffic on the treated area.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when you follow this step by step process it will permanently remove preexisting pet urine odor from concrete and will prevent it from coming back. This is the combination I use for my clients when I get calls about pet urine odors in their concrete. Over the years I’ve used many other products on the market and this combination works the best… by far. I’m proud to say that I’ve helped with the testing of these products along the formulation process to ensure that they work above any beyond all the other cleaners and sealers I’ve tried… pretty cool.

You can use this in your home, basement, kennel, vet clinic, dog walk, or outside patio. In addition, what’s cool is it doesn’t change the look of the concrete. And it also won’t leave a powdery residue on the concrete like other penetrating sealer do.

Another fun fact, since Odor Shield increases the density of the concrete it can be used during the polishing process as well. I usually add it after the I’m done with the lower grit levels and I also add it right before the final step of the polishing for maximum protection and shine enhancement. This is a great option for kennels, pet stores, or other commercial polished concrete floors looking for that extra protection against pet accidents.

Resources