How to Get Pet Urine Out of Hardwood Floors

Stains are a common hazard with furry friends. Pet urine is a cleaning hassle no matter where it ends up, but hardwood floors are a particularly bad place for your pets to miss the litter box. Urine is acidic, so it can break down the finish of hardwood surfaces. It leaves a splotchy, dark stain, and the residue bacteria and odor can linger deep below the surface. But if you’ve just come home to find dog urine seeping into your living room floor, don’t rush for the sanding equipment. Charlie’s Soap is here to help. Here’s how to get pet urine stains out of hardwood floors.

1. Mop 

First thing—damage control. Using cloth or paper towels, try to clean up as much liquid as you can. You’ll want to continue dabbing at the area until it’s completely dry. After you’ve blotted out as much liquid as possible, you can use a blow dryer on a cool setting to remove any remaining moisture.

2. Scrub 

Once the area is as dry as possible, it’s time to attack the remaining stain. There are some DIY solutions out there, such as hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, or baking soda, but these can be a pain to work with. Homemade cleaning solutions tend to be too gentle to break through serious stains, or too volatile for household surfaces. Treatments such as hydrogen peroxide could cause discoloration or damage.

For best results, find a stain remover you can trust. Charlie’s Soap Indoor and Outdoor Surface Cleaner is an environmentally-safe cleaning product. Gentle on household surfaces, it’s still powerful enough to handle the tough stuff—like pet stain removal. Simply spray the cleaner on the stained area and scrub it away. While you’re scrubbing, be careful not to damage the hardwood floor. Even a soft-bristled brush, such as an old toothbrush, may scratch the surface. It’s best to stick with a microfiber cloth or sponge. As you work at the stain, you should see it start to lift.

3. Soak

Pet stains leave all sorts of bad stuff behind, even if the discoloration has disappeared. Pet urine odor tends to linger, and with it, bacteria. Additionally, several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been found in pet urine. Left on your hardwood floor, VOCs are highly toxic. A powerful odor remover and disinfectant are necessary to tackle this residue.

Soaking the stained area is a great way to remove bacteria, pet odor, and VOCs. Deodorizers like white vinegar may be able to remove some of the residue, but it may be ineffective for deep cleaning. Our personal favorite solution? Charlie’s Soap oxygen bleach. Unlike chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach is environmentally-friendly with no volatile chemicals or irritants. That means it’s safe to use on your delicate hardwood floors. It still packs the punch of regular bleach, so it will flush out the remaining bacteria, no problem.

The easiest way to soak the stained area is by spraying it with an oxygen bleach/water mixture. Our oxygen bleach is highly concentrated; in a spray bottle, mix as little as a tablespoon into a cup of cool water for an effective, versatile DIY cleaning solution. Heavily spray the mixture over the stained area. Allow the mixture to sit for an hour. During this time, it should seep deep into the flooring and remove all remaining urine smell, bacteria, and harmful residue.

4. Rinse and Dry 

Lastly, you’ll want to flush the area completely with clean water. Simply pour water directly onto the affected area. Then, mop up the remaining water with a clean cloth. Cleaning hardwood floors can be risky—excess moisture warps wooden floors. Try to remove as much excess water as possible to keep them in tip-top shape. Voila! Urine stains are a thing of the past.

Clean From the Top to the Bottom 

Whatever the mess, Charlie’s Soap has your back. Whether you’re dealing with hardwood floors, carpet, or laundry, we’ve got what you need. Our cleaning products are designed to take on the brunt of cleaning. Our experts spend time and effort dealing with life’s messier moments, so you don’t have to. That’s what we’re all about here at Charlie’s Soap—clean, for life. Shop Charlie’s Soap