The Best Way To Banish Gross Dog Urine Smells From Concrete Floors

When pets have accidents, the smell of urine can linger even after a thorough cleaning. If your dog decides to relieve itself in your basement, garage, or another area of your home with concrete floors, removing the persistent odor isn't always easy. Luckily, by thoroughly cleaning the surface with trisodium phosphate, vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide, and then following up with an enzymatic cleaner, you'll be able to get rid of the stench of soaked-in pet urine. This method should work for any type of urine stain, not just messes from dogs.

The reason the smell of urine can hang around on concrete, even after you've tried cleaning the area and have removed the stain, is that the surface is porous. This allows for the liquid to be absorbed by your floor, and the uric acid from the urine will remain in the concrete, leaving a residual smell. While regular soaps and floor cleaners may not be able to tackle the odors from dog pee, enzymatic cleaners target the proteins in organic stains.

For fresh accidents, use paper towels or cleaning rags to absorb as much of the urine as possible. If the odor is coming from a spot you've cleaned before, you'll need to find it, which can be difficult once the stain has been removed. Black lights are an easy way to see where any urine remains on your floor. After locating the spot, you'll want to clean your concrete floors to make it easier to remove the unpleasant scent.

Trisodium phosphate, also known as TSP, is great for cleaning concrete floors because it becomes alkaline with water and can help kill bacteria that could be the cause of ongoing urine smells. Dilute ½ cup of the TSP with a gallon of hot water, scrub the affected area, and rinse it away. When working with trisodium phosphate, it's important to wear protective gear like gloves and goggles as it can be harsh on skin. 

TSP may also have negative impacts on the environment, but you could also clean the spot with hydrogen peroxide or vinegar instead. Create a solution of one part water and two parts vinegar or combine ½ cup of baking soda, 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide, and a little dish soap with a gallon of water. Once you have cleaned your concrete floor thoroughly, an enzymatic cleaner will be able to penetrate the concrete and eliminate smells from dog urine.

After cleaning your floors to help get rid of any germs that could be contributing to the dog pee scent, applying an enzyme cleaner will ensure those odors are gone for good. Rather than just covering the stench, enzymatic cleaners contain microorganisms that release enzymes. These enzymes will eat away at the proteins in organic stains like urine. This causes the urine molecules to shrink and gets rid of the smell. Though enzymatic cleaners are effective, they can take at least 15 minutes or longer to work.

To start, check the directions on your enzyme cleaner to ensure you're using it properly. Apply the solution to the areas of your concrete where your dog peed and let it soak into the concrete for 10 to 15 minutes. You might also try scrubbing the enxyme cleaner into the floor. If you're dealing with a particularly old stain, you may want to try to keep the enzyme cleaner wet overnight or for a whole day. This can be done by covering the spot with a damp rag. You can repeat the process if any scent remains.