Recently, I leased a rental property to tenants from hell. By the time I realized the property was not being treated well, significant damage was already done. Unbeknownst to me they had brought in four dogs, four ferrets, and miscellaneous birds and cats.
When I finally got my property back I found not only bug infestation but a more serious immediate problem: a horrible odor from animal urine and feces. The stench was overpowering. It took a determined soul to make it through the front door, and through a couple of rooms to exit the back door. Visual evidence of animal misdeeds was everywhere.
Beginning the cleanup process, I recalled that my company had used one of our products in restaurants and in homes to deal with grease, and clogged drains, but also on a few occasions we used it on odors. I initially had forgotten about the odor fighting capabilities of this product.
I called our distributor for Bio-Clean, an enzyme powder that gets activated by water. This product is a ‘good guy’ enzyme similar in results to the oil eating enzymes that are used in fuel tanker oil spills. Bio-Clean, once activated, eats anything organic. Organic matter is anything that once was part of a living organism. Animal fats, hair, vegetables or anything that we typically find in a drain is something that this stuff will eat. It grows a culture which then goes to town happily eating and eliminating the unwanted substance. What’s left is a fine powder that can be flushed away if it’s inside a pipe. It can be swept or vacuumed away if placed on a floor or carpeting.
Conferring with the folks from Bio-Clean (see the product picture below), they said “OMG, this stuff is perfect for what you need, and it will eliminate the odors better than anything else could.” They were so right!
In this case, rather than mixing the product with water as we usually do, I spread the powder liberally on the floor as if I was sowing grass seed. Then I misted the powder with water to gently activate it. Within a few days I noticed the powder changed color and the odors became less severe.
I felt pretty good about my progress at this point but I went a step further. I removed the furnace filter and replaced it with a new one by Pristine Air. This same sized filter fit in the furnace with no changes other than running two tiny wires from the filter into the furnace. This provides a low voltage to activate the integral carbon element to scrub the air as it passes over the filter. Then I set my thermostat to ‘fan on’ rather than automatic. Most all thermostats have this feature and it means the fan runs 24/7.
The results were dramatic! Within about a week from the first effort I could detect little, if any, residual offensive smell. I was elated since the house was unlivable seven days prior to treatment. When asked if they can smell pet odors once inside the house, people emphatically reply in the negative. I’m leaving the carbon filter installed since it’s a health aid in general and costs so little for the benefits it provides. Seemingly disastrous at first, this solution cost very little and solved a giant problem.
