Your furry friends certainly add a lot of joy to your life, but they can be a nightmare for your vinyl plank flooring. If they pee on your floors, it can be tricky to remove the stain and smell.
If you get too rough, you might end up harming your floors, and if you’re too gentle, the stain and smell will linger on.
If you want to know how to clean pet urine from vinyl plank flooring, this article provides you with the best expert tips.
What Is Vinyl Plank Flooring?
Vinyl plank is a popular flooring material. They come in long narrow strips and are designed to mimic hardwood floors. They feature four layers and are available in a variety of wood styles, such as cherry, mahogany, and oak.
They are also available in various color options like black, dark wood finishes, light, gray, and white. Due to their easy installation and low cost, vinyl plank flooring is a fantastic option to hardwood floors.
Vinyl planks are water-resistant, pet friendly, and can last up to 20 years. However, they are softer than laminates or hardwood making them susceptible to damages.
How To Clean Pet Urine From Vinyl Plank Floors: (Best Methods)
If you have pets, it’s unavoidable that you’ll have to deal with the occasional pee and stain. Don’t worry, here are our expert tips for dealing with any pet mess situation on your vinyl plank flooring.
How To Remove Pet Pee Smell From Vinyl Plank Flooring?
In this part we’re going to show you 2 highly effective methods of removing pet urine odor from vinyl plank floor.
Method 1: Remove Pet Urine Smell From Vinyl Flooring ( With Commercial Cleaner)
The smell from pet urine can be very pungent, and they’ll linger on for a long time if you don’t treat them promptly. Additionally, your pet might smell the urine and pee in the same spot again.
To remove pet smell, you can invest in a pet enzyme cleaner, particularly for your pet.
Why? Because, they’re incredibly effective for removing pets and kids urine smell from multiple surface including vinyl flooring. On top of that, enzyme cleaner is safer and more environment friendly than other types of cleaners available in the market.
You can use any quality enzyme cleaner from your favorite brands. However, if you don’t have any choice then, we recommend to use the Rocco & Roxie pet odor & stain remover. It’s a professional pet stains and smell removar which is safe for pets and kids.
The best thing is that, it will not left any residue after cleanup is completed. It’s available on Amazon with surprisingly low price range. Click here to but it now from Amazon.
Take the following steps to apply this professional grade cleaning solution:
Step 1: Remove anything from the surface that you try to clean.
Step 2: Next, use a paper towel and blot up as much pet urine or vomit from the floor as you can.
Step 3: After that, apply the solution directly onto the affected area. And Let it seat for 5-10 minutes.
Step 4: Blot it with a rag.
However, sometimes no matter what you do, a small amount of film can still linger. This is because the urine at times tends to seep underneath the planks, and as such, you should take out the planks and underlayment and discard the old ones.
After that, clean the entire area with the enzyme cleaner and let it dry out. You must also clean the planks and let them sundry. Afterward, install the new underlayment and put back the planks.
Pro Tips:
If you’re unable to remove pet urine smell from the surface, your pet will identify that spot for peeing again. In this circumastance, you can lay a potty training pads on there untill your dog is fully trained. Click here to buy a quality potty training pads from Amazon.
Method 2: Remove Pet Urine Smell From Vinyl Flooring Naturally
If you want to try a DIY remedy, white vinegar is a great option. We recommend using this one for the best result.
Thing You’ll Need:
- White vinegar
- Paper towels
- A spray bottle
- Baking soda
Steps To Follow:
Step 1: If its fresh urine, soak it up with some paper towels and throw them immediately after use so that the smell doesn’t linger on.
Step 2: Fill up a spray bottle with white vinegar and saturate the entire area with it.
Step 3: Let the solution sit for about 10 minutes and use damp paper towels to wipe clean the area.
Step 4: After that, you can use clean paper towels to dry clean the floor.
Step 5: Finally, you can sprinkle some baking soda over the area and let it sit for about 10 minutes before vacuuming or sweeping it up with the best mop for vinyl floors.
How To Remove Pet Urine Stains From Vinyl Floor?
Other than the smell, the stains from your pet’s urine can be harder to deal with. However, with the following method, you can eliminate the pet urine stains permanently.
For this, you’ll require:
- Baking soda
- Rubbing alcohol
- Multiple washcloths
- Abrasive sponge
- Brush
- Long spoon
- Water
- Dishwashing detergent ( make sure it doesn’t contain any bleach )
- Vinegar
- Broom
- Paper towel
- Rubber gloves
Step By Step Guide:
1. Wear the rubber gloves and using the paper towels, pick up the feces, and soak up the excess urine. The gloves offer protection against germs and bacteria.
2. With the broom, sweep the area to eliminate any excess dust and dirt. This provides you with direct access to the stain
3. Pour the dishwashing detergent, a gallon of warm water, and 1 cup of vinegar into the bucket and mix it well using the long spoon. In this step, ensure that no studs are produced.
4. Now, dip the brush into the bucket and gently scrub the stain with the mixture. Afterward, you can rinse with water. If this doesn’t remove the stain, you can try a more aggressive method mentioned below.
5. Make a paste by mixing equal parts of water and baking soda. After that, apply the paste over the area and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Scrub the floor with the abrasive brush and use the dry cloth to wipe clean the area. As the last step, soak a clean cloth with alcohol and scrub the area.
Homemade Solution For Dealing With Pet Stains On Hard floors: (Very Easy & Effective)
If you have very dark pet stains on your vinyl plank floors, you can try hydrogen peroxide as a homemade solution. Firstly, put some paper towels over the affected area.
This ensures that the hydrogen peroxide stays wet for a longer time, and you’ll also have control over where it goes. After that, pour some hydrogen peroxide over the wet towels.
You can repeat the process as needed for the stain to disappear. After some days, you’ll notice an improvement with the stain. If there are still a few stains left, you can apply the hydrogen peroxide with a q tip so that the unstained floor doesn’t lighten too much.
Some Precautions For Cleaning Vinyl Plank Floors:
Here are some important precautions to prevent damages and make the most out of your vinyl plank floors:
- As soon your pets urinate, or you spill some liquid over your vinyl plank floors, clean them immediately to prevent damages
- Never mix vinegar and bleach to clean your vinyl plank floors as it can produce a chlorine gas
- If you want to use chemical cleaners, its best to buy one specifically made for vinyl plank floors
- Refrain from using steam mops on your vinyl plank flooring, as it can be too harsh. Its recommended to dust, sweep or vacuum your floors regularly. Read more about the best vacuum for vinyl floors.
- It’s also important to check your manufacturer’s instructions. Read it thoroughly and don’t do anything that would void the warranty. If you have any queries, you can call customer support.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q1: What cleaner can be used on vinyl plank flooring?
You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar with a bucket of water to use the solution onto the vinyl plank floor. This is one of the most effective DIY method of removing buildup, and tough stains from your vinyl plank floor.
Q2: Can I use vinegar on vinyl plank flooring?
Definitely, you can use vinegar on vinyl plank flooring. It’s one of the most effective and safest disinfectant. However, we recommened to use white vinegar for best result. It won’t leave any residue behind after cleaning.
Q3: Does dog urine hurt vinyl?
Vinyl flooring is one of the most scratch resistent floor surface. It’s also very thick and quiet durable. Therefore, dog urine or pet urnie won’t causes any damage of it. However, we recommened to remove dog urnine from the vinyl floor as soon as possible to be in the safe side.
Final Verdict:
Vinyl planks are stunning, but they can be challenging to manage. With the right care and maintenance, vinyl planks will adorn your home for a very long time.
The above-mentioned tips for removing pet stains and odor from vinyl plank floors are not just effective but safe as well. Make sure you follow them to a T and don’t overclean your floors.