Pet Urine Odor Removal: Chemistry or Biology?

There are several approaches to eliminating pet urine odors in carpet, but which method is most effective?

100% pet urine odor removal is achievable if a customer chooses to replace the carpet, pad and wood or concrete sub-floor beneath. This approach is obviously too extensive when professional carpet cleaners have the capability to eliminate most dog and cat urine odors permanently. So which pet urine odor remover works best?

I don’t know the exact figures, but with my experience as a formulator working within the professional cleaning industry, I estimate peroxide-based cleaners are the most widely used among professional carpet cleaners. Peroxide destroys odor-causing bacteria immediately; however, peroxide has a negative consequence many do not realize.

Chemistry versus Biology

Chemistry is the study of how chemicals interact with each other; biology is the study of how living organisms process chemicals. There are several chemistry-based pet odor removers, but we will focus on peroxide as it is incorrectly assumed as the best choice among many professional cleaners.

Peroxide eliminates the odor-causing bacteria instantly, but does not effectively remove the uric salt, and this is important. As peroxide (H2O2) releases an extra oxygen, it converts to water (H2O), which allows the uric salt to absorb the moisture. This restarts the bacterial growth all over again.

Because peroxide does not effectively remove uric salt, it will continue to attract moisture and regrow bacteria. Using peroxide as a pet odor remover is not an effective choice as it does not break the Uric Salt Cycle. Therefore biology, not chemistry, is the correct method. Enzymes not only eliminate the odor-causing bacteria, but the main culprit behind the bacterial growth: uric salt.

Why Uric Salt Matters

The following information is crucial to understanding why uric salt is so important when removing pet urine odor. Uric salt (uric acid) is a desiccant, meaning it attracts water, the life-source of all living organisms. Uric salt also contains nitrogen, which is a key nutrient for bacterial growth.

When hydrogen peroxide is applied to pet urine, the oxygen within peroxide does not affect the uric salt (C5H4N4O3). Notice uric salt contains four atoms of nitrogen. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for bacterial growth. As peroxide loses an oxygen and coverts to water (H2O), both the water and nutritious uric salt create the perfect environment for more bacterial growth, and eventually more pet urine odors.

Spore-from Ur-OUT contains billions of non-harmful bacterial spores that create the enzymes on contact. These incredibly potent enzymes not only break down the odor-causing bacteria, but also remove the key nutrients within uric salt making it ineffective and unable to support bacterial regrowth.

If you are a cleaning professional currently using a chemistry-based pet odor treatment for urine odor removal, we encourage you rethink cleaning as being not only chemistry but biology as well. If you’ve never tried the amazing power and value found in Spore-form Ur-OUT, we encourage you to buy a bottle right now. And as a free gift, we will include our one page Pet Odor 101 Guide as well as Free Shipping.