How do I clean a very dirty wood floor with pet stains?

Question

Here is the story... My grandmother is 86 and lives in a 40 year-old house. She has two little dogs. 2/3 of the time they pee outside, 1/3 inside. My grandmother will not get rid of the dogs nor will they suddenly become housebroken. I visit two or three times a week. I want to clean the puddles of urine (there is only #1, no #2, lol), and clean the wood floor. I also want to perhaps add something to the wood for protection. Should I merely mop with a regular cleaner and warm water? Should I use a special formula you have tried? Should I use a machine? Keep in mind that even if I spend 10 hours cleaning the floor those darn little dogs will mess it again. Just cleaning ideas, please. No psychological stuff or getting-rid-of-the-dogs stuff will work. Please be as specific as possible in regards to the tools or cleaners or machines or formulas you have successfully used. Thank you!!!

Answer 1

The first person is right and it would be great if you can do that. Anyway a pro to come in and refinish is your best solution but the cost is a lot. Do it your self requires a floor sander and its labor intensive and will probably upet grandmother. Also there are chemical smells assosiated with floor refinishing that may not be good for grandma and the dogs. At 86 grandmother probably wont want you to do that.
To clean you get a bucket and put it full of hot water using a disenfectant I like best the Clorox disenfecting floor and surface cleaner crisp citrus smell. I buy it at Sams club. Anyway a floor machine would be helpful for the first time doing it such as a wet dry vac set on wet just do not leave any liguid on the floor for very long it will warp the wood. Mop then rinse and mop and rinse. When it is clean use a string mop and the cleaner to get the urine up each time you go over to the house. I do not know what to tell you about the dogs once they go on a spot they go back again and again. The make a product that destroys the urine URINE BE GONE. I am not sure how big a room your talking about and how much you want to spend. . Without refinishing the only wood floor coating I am aware of is floor wax. The directions are on the container but again floor wax wont hold up if urine sets on the floor.
I hope this has been some help. I work as a cleaner and do a wood gym floor . The best way is a good refinish job and then just hot water to clean but that does not help your situation much.

Answer 2

You might add a coat of wax to the floor. The amount of time the urine sits, means when the dogs are gone the floors are going to need refinished. You might buy scrap linoleum to cover parts of the floor.

Don't use any ammonia in you cleaning. With animals, they just mark the area over and over again to outdo the competitor.

If there are out of the way corners, I would try a litter tray, surrounded by a bit of newspaper. With perhaps a bit of ammonia, on the litter. (In a barn, we had trouble with cats going all over, we put a litter box in, and both our cats and dogs started using it.) .

Try spraying the areas after you clean, with Fabreeze. Try the next week with a watered down tabasco sauce spray. Dogs sniff before they go, so that might steer them away from the same spot over and over again.

Answer 3

Cleaning with vinegar water does do the trick along with the wax to protect for later. You might also want to purchase two other items, one is a can of citrus spray you can buy in a pet store that is specifically for stopping them from using a specific area and the other is a blue pad that has a scent on it that would encourage them to use that particular spot if they really have to go. It is like a large flat Depends for dogs.

Answer 4

hey listen here i have your solition i clean houses for a living and i have just recently intercounted that same problem in one of my clients homes , what you need to do is mop the floors with vinager water then after you mop it take your same wet mop and put a product calle quick shine floor finihesr down just mop it on the floors like you would mop and glow let it dry and each time you use it the floors get looking like new floors with every use hope that helps you

Answer 5

Okay, first take the dogs to the vet to make sure they don't have urinary tract infections. Then find a way to close the doors on that room in the house. Hire repairmen to come refinish the floor. It needs to be stripped, relaquered, and protected. I don't think it's a job for one lady unless you're really handy.

TX Mom