Nothing speaks elegance quite like hardwood floors. They add sophistication and warmth to your house while enhancing its appeal. However, if you share your home with a four-legged friend, you’ll have a hard time protecting the fine finish of hardwood flooring. Let’s face it – no matter how much time you invest in potty training your pooch, they are prone to ‘accidents’.Dog Urine can be very damaging to hardwood floors and can lead to permanent damage. So if you have a canine friend, you must learn how to protect hardwood floors from dog urine.
How to Protect Wood Floors from Dog Urine – Instructions
1. Apply Sealants
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- 1 quart
- 400-600 sq. Feet per gallon
- Compatible with all clear wood finishes
- Great for sealing all interior wood, including floors
- An oxygen-crosslinking polyurethane (OCP) waterborne formula.
- Also available in semi-gloss or gloss.
- Natural wood color enhances the beauty of the wood.
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Last update on 2020-05-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Apply an appropriate hardwood floor sealant that would increase the outer layer coating of the wood. You can use the Rust-Oleum Zinsser 854 or Bona Mega Wood Floor Finish Satin for the job. It would be like placing a glass between the surface of your floor and foreign elements. This barrier would prevent dog urine from leaking into the wooden floor. Wood isn’t a non-porous material like glass or ceramic so even a little moisture on the surface will find its way into the layers of the wood.
While the damage might not be readily apparent, moisture inside the wood would weaken the integrity of wood fibers. Moreover, mold and mildew might start growing in moist hardwood floors.
Sealants or protective finishes can minimize urine damage to your hardwood floor by creating a layer that would protect the deep layers of the wood from being affected by the urine. This is why you should apply several layers of sealants to protect your hardwood floor from dog urine.
Polyurethane is a commonly applied floor finishing so you can use it on your hardwood floor. Apply at least two layers of it. Remember to give sufficient time to the first layer to harden before you apply another coat.
2. Apply Penetrating Oil
Hardwood floors are very elegant and can bring new life to an otherwise boring room. However, when you apply too many layers of a sealant like polyurethane, your elegant floor may lose some of its shine and would start appearing less natural. If this is an issue for you, considering using penetrating oil instead of a sealant.
Penetrating oil doesn’t cover the surface of the hardwood floor; instead, it seeps right through the grain and strengthens the individual wood fiber. This helps fortify the hardwood floor, enabling it to take the brunt of your dog’s urine. It also gives your hardwood floor a natural look so your floor would be able to maintain its elegance.
3. Use Area Flooring Materials
Applying a sealant or penetrating oil can help minimize the damage to your hardwood floor by preventing dog urine from seeping into the deep layers of the floor. However, you should still use flooring materials for further protection, especially in areas where your canine friend frequently has ‘accidents’.
For example, if your pooch frequently pees on one corner of the house, you can put a flooring material there so that your floor stays protected from urine. An area rug or a hardwood-friendly mat can be placed on the sections of your home where your dog often pees. If you don’t want to use an area rug, then consider a specialty carpet – one that can be easily cleaned.
How to Protect Wood Floors from Dog Urine – FAQs
Q.1) How to remove dog urine from hardwood floors?
As soon as you spot the dog urine on a hardwood floor, wipe the wet spot or puddle using an absorbent cloth. Soak up the moisture with pressure and use as many cloth pieces as required to suck the liquid from the floor. Use a chemical cleaner to remove the urine stain and odor from the hardwood floor.
Commercial urine cleaners are available in the market that you can use to remove dog urine stain and odor from your hardwood floor. Some options include:
- BEST PROFESSIONAL GRADE CLEANING SOLUTION: Scientifically formulated to be more potent than other pet odor enzyme cleaners for your flooring, upholstery, area rugs and carpets, yet safe to use around kids and pets. Permanently destroys pet enzyme odors and stains
- PET STAIN AND ODOR MIRACLE: Bubba's uses natural dormant bacteria that become active upon hitting that strong smelling cat pee, billions of enzymes destroy stains down to the carpet pad. Competitors use active bacteria that die off and lose effect
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- CARPET & RUG INSTITUTE CERTIFIED: Our Pet Pee Cleaner and Enzymatic Odor Remover is a Top Rated pet stain & odor miracle. Don't be disappointed by other brands pet cleaner sprays. Try Bubbas pet enzyme treatment cleaner instead
- MANY USES: Our enzyme based stain remover and cleaning solution can be used in all areas of your house, auto, kitchen, bathroom, laundry room and more. Use to remove shoe odor, clean auto carpeting stains, use as clothes pretreat for removal of tough set in grass stains. litter box cleaner, or on furniture to remove odor causing bacteria
- ELIMINATES STAINS, ODORS AND RESIDUE If it’s gross, it’s gone. Not just the stain, but the stink. From stinky yellow pet urine and feces to vomit and other organic spills, our professional strength formula tackles them all.
- ENZYME ACTIVATED The key is getting to the problem deep-down. This spray contains natural enzymatic bacteria that are activated on contact with odors and stains, feeding on ammonia crystals and organic matter until they are completely eliminated.
- CERTIFIED GENTLE AND SAFE Chlorine free and color safe. Safe to use around pets and children. No hazardous propellants, no residue left behind. So gentle it’s been Certified Safe for all carpets, earning the Seal of Approval by the trusted Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI)
- EVERY SURFACE, EVERY TIME For use on carpets, floors, furniture, clothing, litter boxes, kennels, carriers, all pet living and sleeping areas -- anywhere stains happen.
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- REMOVES PET STAINS- Simple Solution Stain & Odor Remover is formulated to eliminate and neutralize tough dog and cat stains and odors like urine, feces, and vomit
- UNIQUE PRO-BACTERIA FORMULA - This stain and odor remover has a unique Pro-Bacteria and enzyme formula that eliminates stains and odors, and helps prevent repeat marking
- MULTIPLE USES - Safely removes dog and cat stains and odors from carpet, upholstery, bedding, fabric toys, clothing, and other water-safe surfaces in your home
- VERSATILE CLEANING - Our patented 3-in-1 nozzle sprayer gives you more options to tackle stains and odor: stream, foam, or mist
Last update on 2020-05-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Make sure to check the cleaner on a small portion before using it to remove dog urine to ensure that it doesn’t cause any adverse effects.
A solution of hydrogen peroxide and water is often effective in removing urine stain from hardwood. Simply dip a rag into this solution and apply it to the spot. Allow the rag to sit for a few hours to remove the dog urine stain from your hardwood floor. Then wipe the area with a clean cloth and allow it to dry.
Q.2) How to remove dog urine smell from hardwood floors?
There are several commercial cleaners available in the market that can be used for removing dog urine odors from hardwood flooring. Before trying any of these cleaners on your floor, test them on a small area to ensure that they don’t cause any damage.
You can also use a safe homemade solution to remove dog urine from a hardwood floor. Combine ¼ mild dish soap, ¼ cup baking soda, 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar, and 1 cup water in a spray bottle and shake the solution vigorously. Then spray it on the stain. Rub it with a clean cloth and then allow the solution to stand for about 20 minutes. Rinse it away with a soft cloth and allow it to dry.
Final Thoughts
We have shown you how to protect hardwood floors from dog urine. So follow our instructions to protect your elegant hardwood flooring from dog urine. We have answered some common questions related to dog urine and hardwood floors, but if you have any other query, feel free to shoot it our way. We’ll be more than happy to help you out.
The post How to Protect Hardwood Floors from Dog Urine appeared first on Great Cleaning Gear.
