I have hardwood floors.... The person that lived here before me had cats that would have *more than the occasional* accident and it eventually destroyed the wood. It turned black and rotted. We had to completely tear it up and lay a whole new floor. No amount of sanding & refinishing was going to take care of it. The smell was just HORRIBLE. But I think that was years of abuse. A spot or two that's wiped up right away shouldn't do that.... I wish we had taken pictures. It was absolutely aweful...
Those of you that have hardwood... Do the blacklight test! Turn off all the lights in the room, make sure it's dark, and then shine a blacklight on the floor. Any urine spots will glow a bright yellow/green color. (This works on carpeting too!) Just because you can't see or smell it, it doesn't mean the stain isn't there... When I have a chance I'll see if I can get a good picture of a couple of the spots in my house that glow.....
If you're using any kind of pet stain/odor remover, be sure to test it on the floor first. If you use it according to the directions (the one I have says to just put it on the stain and let it air dry, don't wipe up or anything) it may leave a stain... It's similar to a water mark you may get on a coffee table from a sweaty glass. (I did a decent size patch test in the back of one of the closets and it left a stain anyway). |