Hey everyone, I need your help with a situation I’ve found myself in. To cut a long story short, I’m a landlord who made the mistake of renting out my property to friends for a few years. Unfortunately, they left the house in a terrible state, with it reeking of urine – I mean, completely soaked in it. After taking back control of the house, I was faced with a massive cleanup operation.
I ended up having to empty three dumpsters to get rid of all the damaged items. I tore out the luxury vinyl plank flooring, underlayment, carpet, padding, trim, and doors. The bathroom had to go entirely. I even had to get rid of all the appliances. I spent hours cleaning the walls and subfloor thoroughly, and even scraped and cleaned the concrete in the basement. I tried using enzymes worth $300, like Nature’s Miracle, on the subfloor, concrete, and lower part of the drywall over three separate treatments. Additionally, I applied Zinsser, an oil-based product, on all the subfloor, concrete, and the lower sections of the drywall, giving them two coats each. I also ran an ozone treatment to help with the odor.
I didn’t stop there. I cleaned all the windows, scrubbed down the kitchen counters, and even sanded the cabinets. I vacuumed the vents and used a cleaner to clean everything within arm’s reach inside them. I replaced the air filter twice. Despite all this effort, the house still has a lingering 20% urine smell that just won’t go away.
I know the best solution would be to replace all the drywall and subfloor, but as a non-professional landlord who rented out the property at a low cost, I don’t have the funds to replace everything. I’m reaching out to anyone who has experience with this kind of situation. Is there something I might be missing in my cleanup efforts?
The house is a split-level with four bedrooms, one bathroom, and spans 1800 square feet. I’m open to any suggestions or advice you may have to help me completely get rid of that persistent 20% urine smell that’s still lingering in the house. Thanks in advance for your help!