Most people adore their furry animal companions, but they don’t always love everything they do. Whether they’re training a puppy, caring for an older pet, or gone longer than expected, the occasional bathroom-related accident can happen, which is often frustrating. Plus, if they urinate on your wood flooring, figuring out how to remove black urine stains from hardwood floors quickly becomes your only priority.
You can remove black pet urine stains from hardwood floors using several approaches. Applying everyday household items like hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, dish soap, or baking soda may be enough. For stubborn stains, you might need to sand it away or use wood bleach, enzyme cleaner, or a hand scraper.
Which option is best can depend on the size and age of the stain. If you need to figure out how to remove black urine stains from hardwood floors, here’s everything you need to know.
Mix one cup of vinegar into a warm water-filled bucket and the add some drops of grapefruit oil to the solution to get rid of the odor. Scrub the floor with this safe cleaning solution, concentrating on the most prominent spots. As you scrub, the odor and stains should be disappearing.
How to Remove Black Pet Urine Stains from Hardwood Floors: 8 Easy Ways
Multiple approaches can potentially remove black pet urine stains from hardwood floors. Which option is best can depend on the size and age of the stain. Fresher, smaller stains are generally easier to deal with than older, larger stains. As a result, they may require fewer harsh chemicals or less manual labor to handle.
However, even if the stain is older, starting with the gentlest option is typically best. Then, work your way up through more aggressive approaches.
If you need to figure out how to remove black pet urine stains from hardwood floors, here are eight easy ways that are worth trying.
A convenient option to try for most people involves hydrogen peroxide. It’s a common household item, so there’s a decent chance you already have some available.
The typical household-strength hydrogen peroxide – 3 percent – is what you want to use. If you have a version that’s a higher percentage, you’ll want to dilute it with water before moving forward, bring the mixture down to the 3 percent concentration.
Take a clean, soft cloth and dampen it with hydrogen peroxide. Next, use the cloth to scrub at the black pet urine stain. If it begins to come up immediately, dampen the cloth as needed and continue rubbing until it’s completely removed.
If the stain is stubborn, you can soak the cloth in peroxide and set it on top of the stain. Check it once an hour for up to a few hours to see if there’s any progress. If the stain starts to come up, you can scrub it with the cloth or leave it to soak until the stain is gone. Just keep in mind that lengthy soaking can lead to light-colored stains, so some refinishing may be necessary.
Baking soda is highly absorbent, making it an excellent option for removing excess moisture from materials like wood. If you just discovered the stain and the area is still damp, apply baking soda directly onto the spot and let it sit for several hours, checking it hourly to gauge its progress.
After letting it sit, take a soft cloth and gently rub the baking soda over the area with the stain. Make sure to keep the pressure light. Baking soda is abrasive, so pressing too much can lead to scratches.
If the stain is gone, you can sweep or vacuum up the baking soda since it’s dry material. If the stain is stubborn, you may want to spray the baking soda with white vinegar to up the cleaning power. Then, let it sit for a few minutes before gently rubbing the stain to remove it.
White vinegar has excellent stain-fighting power, making it a solid choice for removing black pet urine stains. Take white vinegar and mix it with warm water, using about one cup of vinegar per gallon. If you’d like, you can add a couple of drops of grapefruit oil to create a fresher scent, but that isn’t required.
Once you have the mixture, dampen a soft cloth with it. Next, gently rub the spot. If it begins to come up, continue that process until it’s completely removed.
If the stain isn’t budging, you can dampen the cloth and let it sit on top of the stain. Check it every 15 minutes to see if there’s any progress. If so, move back to the scrubbing approach. Once you’re no longer making progress, dampen the cloth and let it sit again, going back and forth until the stain is gone.
If you’re dealing with minor, newer pet urine stains, you might be able to remove them with a hand scraper. This process is very manual and requires a delicate hand, ensuring you don’t gouge the floors by mistake.
You’ll apply steady, gentle pressure to the hand scraper. Move it with the grain across the stained area, working to only take up as little of the material as possible. It’s better to work using several shallow passes than one deep one, so keep that in mind.
Once the stained area is removed, you may need to lightly sand the spot. That will depend on whether there are noticeable edges denoting where you scraped material away.
Wood bleach – also called wood brightener – is essentially a lightening agent. Along with removing the wood stain, it can tackle stains caused by other fluids. However, it also can change the color of the wood itself. If you go this route, you’ll need to work carefully.
Since wood bleach can alter the color of wood, you should only try this option for smaller stains. That way, any shift in the hue of the wood may be unnoticeable.
Check the manufacturer’s directions regarding any mixing and application steps. Apply the wood bleach methodically and slowly, ensuring it doesn’t extend beyond the black pet urine stain area. If any wood bleach comes in contact with other areas of your floor, wipe it up immediately.
Sanding and refinishing your floors may be your best choice for larger or deeper stains. It allows you to remove all of the stained wood, giving you a fresh surface.
Whether you sand and refinish a single area or an entire room or flooring run may depend on how deep the stain is and whether you could apply a finish to one spot that matches the rest of your floor. If that’s the case, you can use fine-grit sandpaper – going with the grain – to carefully remove the stain. Then, refinish it to match the rest of the room.
If the area you’re working on would stand out from the rest of the room, you may need to sand and refinish the whole space. Using a floor sander – going with the grain – is usually the fastest option. After sanding, you’ll remove the debris, clean the surface, and then refinish.
However, if sanding and refinishing aren’t in your wheelhouse, you may need help from a professional. Additionally, if your wood flooring isn’t thick enough, this may not be an option. If that’s the case, you may have to replace the damaged boards or the entire floor to deal with the stain.
Remove Urine From Hardwood Floors With Baking Soda
Baking soda is also an effective solution for this pet problems. They can easily absorb liquid from any surface and it can also use in pet litters to dry out urine and pet stools. It can also remove the pungent odor away.
Once all the stain and odor are removed, scrape away the materials like baking soda using a fine grade steel wool gently over the floor. Keep the area dry.
Use a stronger mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a squirt of dish soap and a sprinkle of baking soda. Then wipe the urine and dry it with a soft cloth.
White vinegar is an alternative solution for removing stains and odor caused by animal urine. Chemically, vinegar neutralizes ammonia from animal urine. It also natural and will never harm the environment.
Sanding the floor and apply touch up hardwood floor stain using a paint brush can fix small damage caused by the urine. You can also consult a professional of the kind of sandpaper to be used to avoid greater damage.
Another layer of coat sealer can also be considered to prevent further damage. These are available in any department stores or hardware shops. Pet shops sells odor remover that also can remove bacteria from urine.
Be sure all the odor is gone so the smell doesn’t draw your pet to the same spot. A simple scrubbing with water and soap is one convenient way to clean up urine away from your floor.
The 8 Top Ways to Remove Black Urine Stains from Hardwood Floors
Tools Needed: Baking soda, cleaning cloths, water
One of the simplest ways to remove a urine stain from hardwood floors is by using baking soda. Urine is usually slightly acidic, so baking soda breaks down the acids in urine and removes moisture just as well as it neutralizes odors. Unless your area is damp or humid, you may want to use water to create a paste. Then scrub it into the stain and let it dry before wiping or vacuuming it off.Pros
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Tools Needed: Hydrogen peroxide, cleaning cloths, water, spray bottle
Hydrogen peroxide is another effective chemical for removing stains. Dilute the peroxide with water and spray liberally over the area. Allow it to soak for at least twenty minutes before cleaning with a damp towel. Hydrogen peroxide is great for breaking down surface urine stains without damaging hardwood floors and will leave your floor looking shiny and clean.Pros
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FAQ
How do you remove old urine stains from floor?
- Cover with an absorbent pad soaked in rubbing alcohol.
- Let it remain in place for 5 minutes, then wipe the area with a cloth dampened with ammonia. (Do not use ammonia on linoleum or vinyl floor tile.)
- Rinse well with water and wipe dry with a soft cloth.
Can urine stained hardwood floors be refinished?
Does urine damage wood floors?