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Being a cat owner comes with some undeniable truths, one of them being that you will eventually have to deal with a cat accident outside of the litter box. We can mostly figure out how to clean it out of carpets, but how do you get rid of cat urine from concrete and cement?
If you’re here, you probably have a cat who has urinated on a concrete floor, probably either in a basement or garage. Concrete may not be a material that we think will hold cat urine smell, but it does and requires specific products to remove the odor.
Cat urine is more concentrated than dog urine, and cleaning cat urine from a concrete or cement floor may take multiple treatments, but it will eventually come out with the right products and some elbow grease.
Unlike a soft surface that can soak in an enzyme cleaner, you may wonder how a urine neutralizer can soak into a porous material like concrete. It can be done.
Related Post: The 3 Best Enzyme Cleaners for Cat Urine
Will Concrete And Cement Hold Odors?
A concrete floor might look smooth, but concrete and cement (which is an ingredient in concrete) are both porous materials that have small holes all over their surface. Those holes soak in liquid and odors if you don’t clean up the area quickly.
The uric acid crystals in cat urine can permeate the concrete and become difficult to remove, especially the longer it has taken to discover the problem.
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Another issue with cat pee on concrete is that once you’ve cleaned the area, the smell can come back if moisture is introduced to the area, which garages and basements are especially susceptible to.
Locate The Source Of The Odor
Unless you see a puddle on the floor, it can be difficult to locate the source of the telltale odor. You know it’s there, but you don’t know exactly where.
If you aren’t sure where the source of the smell is coming from exactly, a black light is especially helpful to find the source. Black lights will pick up all kinds of things, but you can usually tell what a former puddle looks like under the light.
How To Use Enzyme Cleaner For Cat Urine Smell
Once you have cleaned the bacteria from the area, now is the time to use an enzyme cleaner. Enzyme cleaners break down the ammonia and proteins in the urea that has been left behind and will continue to smell.
Even if humans can no longer smell it, your cat can and may end up marking the same spot again unless you clean the area thoroughly.
- Soak the area and work the enzyme cleaner into the concrete surface with a mop, deck brush, or sponge.
- Let the cleaner soak into the area for 15-30 minutes.
- Cover the area with plastic to allow the area to remain wet. This way the enzyme cleaner has more time to soak into the concrete.
- Allow the area to dry on its own.
You may need to repeat this step depending on how long your cat has used the spot as a litter box and how long the urine was in the area before being cleaned.
Can I Clean Cat Odors With Household Cleaners?
On most surfaces, no. Most household cleaners aren’t meant to clean pet urine odors. Some of them even contain ammonia which will only worsen the situation, so avoid using multi-surface cleaners, etc., to clean cat pee stains.
It is best to use a product specifically made to neutralize urine odors, such as an enzymatic cleaner. Vinegar and baking soda can also help neutralize cat urine odor.
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Can I Clean Cat Urine With Bleach?
The short answer is no. Do not try to remove cat urine from concrete floors with bleach. Bleach is a disinfectant, but it won’t do anything for the smell.
Bleach is also a caustic chemical, and if your cat has done its business in the basement or garage, you don’t want your home to be enveloped in bleach fumes.
Recommended Enzyme Cleaners To Get Urine Out Of Concrete
Most enzyme cleaners are only rated for soft surfaces like carpet and bedding or tile and wood floors. To remove the cat urine smell from concrete, you will need to use a cleaner that says it will work on concrete.
Our go-to enzyme cleaner to clean the cat urine smell out of concrete is Mister Max Icky Poo, which comes in both a scented and unscented formula.
If you have a large area that needs to be cleaned, Mister Max Icky Poo can also be purchased in a gallon size.
Rocco & Roxie Supply Professional Strength Stain and Odor Eliminator is another highly recommended enzyme cleaner for pet odors in concrete. If needed, Rocco & Roxie is also available in a gallon size.
If all else fails, you can try Trisodium Phosphate.
Trisodium Phosphate To Remove Pet Urine Odors
If you have tried pre-treating the area and cleaning it with an enzyme cleaner and it still smells, you may need to bring out the big guns.
We recommend this as a last resort because Trisodium Phosphate, or TSP, can be corrosive and damage the skin.
Be sure to wear rubber gloves made for cleaning, safety glasses, and protective clothing if you have to use TSP to remove cat urine odors.
How To Clean Cat Urine With TSP
To clean the area, mix a half cup of TSP per gallon of hot water and scrub thoroughly with a deck brush. TSP will dry quickly, so work in small areas at a time to ensure it has soaked into the concrete.
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TSP may cause a reaction with the uric acid and create a stronger odor. This is normal and isn’t cause for alarm. Allow the TSP to dry for about 10 minutes (if it dries too quickly, apply more), then brush away any residue with a heavy-duty broom and rinse it completely with hot water.
Use A Sealant To Keep Cat Odors Away
For tough odors, you may need to seal the basement or garage floor after cleaning the area. Remember, even if you can’t smell cat pee anymore, your cat might be able to.
As a preventive measure, if your cat revisits the area or if odors keep creeping up, repeat the steps above and seal your concrete floor with an odor-blocking primer such as Kilz Primer.
How To Stop Your Cat From Peeing Outside Of The Litter Box
While it seems impossible, you can remove the cat urine smell from concrete as long as you have the right products.
If your cat continues to pee outside its litter box, you might want to take him or her to the vet to find out why.
Reasons Why A Cat Pees Outside Of The Litter Box:
- The box isn’t cleaned often enough
- Stress
- Illness
- Your cat doesn’t like the location of its litter box.
If you have multiple cats, try providing at least one litter box with good-quality cat litter per cat and, if possible, have a litter box available on each floor of your home to help stop the problem before it starts or continues.
Final Thoughts
Thankfully it’s not hard to get rid of cat urine from concrete and cement, but you do need to use products that are meant for the job. Don’t be afraid to treat the area more than once, especially in cases where cats have been using the area as a litter box for a long time.
We hope these tips have helped you clean cat urine from a concrete floor or patio, and you’ll be rid of the offending odors in no time!
Last update on 2021-04-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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