[Tmrrptr]

I need help.
Client REALLY needs help.
BIG TIME.

1200sqft residence had MANY cats, for many years.

This is THE MOST INTENSE I have ever smelled.

Furniture cleared from Liv rm & kitchen.
Carpets long gone... bare subfloor, semi degenerating.

Considering pressure washing the interior, for starters.

What might work? 50lbs of baking soda in solution?
The enzymes? where would you get those in bulk???

...and then, to seal off walls, ceiling, AND flooring????

All suggestions except the torch would be appreciated.
r

 

[ProWallGuy]

I'd seal it just like smoke damage with BIN.

Actually, I'm lying. I wouldn't touch that job. But if I did, I would do it as above.

 

[Workaholic]

I too would treat it like smoke damage. I sure don't envy you man.

 

[jackrabbit5]

For walls and ceilings I'd use BIN, but for the floors I think I would opt for a clear poly instead. The poly will still seal in the odor but should stand up better in the event the floors get wet again from future carpet cleaning or whatever.

 

[Nathan]

The folks over at CleaningTalk.com might be able to help you some as well... not sure. Good luck!

 

[Tmrrptr]

Thanks guys... going to 2nd conference over the project today.
r

 

[slickshift]

I hate to say this, but feline urine is one of the most heinous and tenacious odors ever
I'd be surprised if anything other than floor and drywall removal actually really work
It's the only thing guaranteed to work anyway
If it's not too bad, a complete enzymatic cleaner douching and a BIN over everything might work
...might, if it's not too bad
If it's soaked into the walls and floor....it may come back to haunt them weeks/months later

 

[straight_lines]

Well there is another urine which trumps cat's. Ferrets! :blink:

I can tell you from years of apartment restoration that you will have a very hard time masking that smell.

If it was just maybe two cats we would seal the subfloor with a sealer, and replace the carpet. But from the sound of what you have there I would replace the subfloor and walls. Especially in the corners, tom cats love to spray them..

Good Luck!

 

[Paintman]

Sub out?

I think that if it was me, I would call in a specialist such as Servicemaster or Servpro. Someone who specializes in cleaning (and they do crime scenes, fire jobs, etc.) has access to technologies, products, and techniques that we may not. They also would be the most likely to know whether or not that odor can even be overcome.

 

[chrisn]

I think that if it was me, I would call in a specialist such as Servicemaster or Servpro. Someone who specializes in cleaning (and they do crime scenes, fire jobs, etc.) has access to technologies, products, and techniques that we may not. They also would be the most likely to know whether or not that odor can even be overcome.


I would have to agree with that,let the pro's handle it.

 

[Tmrrptr]

Thanks for all the good suggestions!

I met with the people again... part of subfloor has now been removed.

It's now obvious they've also been hanging out under the house. Yuck!

I threw out a figure for some preliminary work, so I could begin working, and they went into bigtime sticker shock.

I just won't do it at all without walking through the door with a pressure washer going full blast, for starters. Then enzymes, then BIN.

I told them I had conferred with experts nationwide.
It would be a shame if they didn't take good advice.
r

 

[Painter James]

um...torch

 

[Workaholic]

I told them I had conferred with experts nationwide.
It would be a shame if they didn't take good advice.
r

good one.:thumbup:

 

[Brian]

I told them I had conferred with experts nationwide.
It would be a shame if they didn't take good advice.

I use a similiar line rather often. I tell my customers that I am active on contractor boards and have access to the knowledge of experienced professionals across the world. It's actually a good selling point.

In regard to this situation, I would probably walk. Too many things can go wrong, and guess who gets blamed?

You can never lose money on a job you don't do.

Brian Phillips

 

[Rich]

dude walk away
I agree with Brian
Think about what you're saying....pressure washing the INSIDE of a house? c'mon

 

[Tmrrptr]

Rich, I was very serious about the pressure washer inside.

It was, and still is, very bad.

My clothes reeked 2hrs after being in there for an hour. Had to change!

and the kitchen was nearly like the hood in an oriental restaurant.

I've just GOT to watch my own health on jobs.
If I go down, it really clamps our business and income quite a bit.

But they got sticker shock, and decided to diy.
Now, work has stopped!

Seasonal change here, more moisture and humidity. Most likely would be to hard to dry it out now, after an aggressive interior wash.
When it's 110, 115 degrees here, no prob, with a couple fans going.
r

 

[Joewho]

First of all, tie a rope to each cats tail and throw them over a clothes line.

Then, find out if homeowners insurance will cover the cost.

 

[Tmrrptr]

No, no!

Gotta be very nice to clients pets!

I once lived near a park, where people dumped animals...
A nice lady was walking her children to the park as I chased a stray from our yard one day... She went up one side and down the other!
Reamed me a new one, in no uncertain terms, using language I never would have expected!!! And all I'd done was Shoo! Go Home! Get!

Somehow I was worse than the jerk who abandoned their animal.
Oh well.
r

 

[ProTouchPainting]

Oh gessshhh gag-gag! Thanks a lot i just remembered that smell! :thumbsup:

I did one like that one time for a really nice guy that rescued dropped pets.
His neighbors had complained so much about the dogs barking when they where let out side that he must have just quit letting them out. Gag---!
So he was fixin it up to sell. And had moved to the country. I was the original painter of the house/he was a very nice guy then/ and i had compassion for any one who would wreck a new house of that value to rescue animals. But my goodness it was NASTY!
I was only contracted to cover the spots on the wall and make it fresh looking again. Gave him the cheapest price i could based on the the above nice guy part. And in the end he almost doubled my billing amount when he cut the check. :thumbup:
I recommended he rip out most of the downstairs sub floor/ and replace all the heat cooling duck work. Which he did. But i guess it didn't completely rid the house of odor. Later i noticed a warning sign and cation tape all over the door. Something to the effect of a Ozone generating machine running inside. :blink: No idea how that turned out though. But the house sold a month or so later.

Oh to even further the weirdness of the ozone machine i found it funny that when he first bought the house he had an area 51 sticker (Like a clearance sticker!) and a gov. plate on his brand New Mustang. We kidded with him at the time about where big bother was hiding the UFO's. He really didn't want to say anything about it. That and the fact that he threw money around so freely made me think he may have been actually been involved with area 51. Paid cash for every thing. Even paid cash on the second property before selling the nasty first one, according to his Realtor.
Thinking he musta actually been an alien to live like that.

 

[ComRemodel]

Yeah, I once did some work for one of those restoration companies that used ozone generators. They used to put furniture from fire damaged houses in a room with the ozone generator. Worked pretty good to get rid of the smell. Thing was there were no warning tapes or signs, matter of fact one of the company owners actually spent alot of time in the room sitting at a desk talking on the phone while the generator was operating!

I mentioned to him that that can't be good. Ozone is just oxygen charged with an extra electron and is a normal product of electrical discharges (like lightning) and sunlight. That's why it gets rid of odors so well. But the concentration in that room had to be way up there. Not sure what that will do to a person but for sure it will make them smell better. :whistling2:

-Hal