URINE-OFF

How Urine-Off Works

To have a good understanding of how Urine-Off works, you must first know how urine is formed. It has three main components: Urea, a slightly sticky substance; Urochrome, gives urine its yellow colour; Uric Acid a mild acid, rich in nitrogen.

Uric acid contains non-soluble salt crystals, which present the biggest challenge to removing urine from surfaces and fabrics. Urea and Urochrome can be washed away with ordinary cleaning and commercially-available urine odour products, but the uric acid crystals are extremely insoluble and will remain tightly bonded to the surface. After initial cleaning and drying with ordinary products, it may appear that the problem is solved. However, any type of moisture will reactivate those remaining crystals and the smell returns, as strong as ever.

Many urine cleaning products are composed of detergents and a masking agent. Others employ enzymes and some use alcohol as a solvent. The other products use chemicals, whose molecules coat the urine molecules and “seal in” the odour. The results of these approaches are that the odour is gone briefly, and rairly treat the stain. None appear to have success with old, dried urine deposits.

Pets enhance the problem because of their territorial behaviour and their very acute sense of smell. Even when the urine odour has been rendered imperceptible to humans, animals detect it and are compelled to re-apply their own scent. So once an animal has “gone” in one spot, they frequently return to it again and again, no matter what we do.

Urine-Off contains bacteria and enzymes that are isolated and specifically selected for eating the urine salt crystals in addition to removing the other components of urine. Urine-Off uses a seven step manufacturing process. This process ensures that it is concentrated enough to effectively irradicate the urine salt crystals which are at the heart of the problem. This ensures that the problem is gone for good. It also has a pleasant citrus fragrance.

Urine-Off works so well that even long-neglected problem areas with the highest concentrations of urine residue are quickly taken care of. It also ensures that dogs and cats can't detect the urine odor, which airds in breaking their marking habits. Public Works departments, nursing homes, and flooring installers worldwide use Urine-Off to clean their facilities.

The crystalline structure of dried urine causes it to fluoresce a dull yellow color under ultraviolet (UV or "black") light. A Black Light becomes a valuable tool for locating the exact areas that need Urine-Off.

A few notes on Black Lights:

• Incandescent bulbs that screw in to a regular lamp socket do not work. A fluorescent tube-type light is required.
• "UV" refers to a specific band of light wavelength. Generally, urine will fluoresce under any UV light, but some exact wavelengths do a better job of fluorescing urine. The Urine-Off product line of black lights employ custom circuitry to produce the optimal light wavelength for urine fluorescence, and so work better - meaning that you don't have to have the room perfectly dark, or hold the light source so close to the surface. Hardware-store black lights work okay, but are harder to use effectively for these reasons.
  
• Urine is not the only substance that will fluoresce. Some soaps and detergents have components that fluoresce, even after rinsing thoroughly, as well as some fabrics and lint. These will usually fluoresce a bright white or even blue-ish hue, not the dull yellow of urine.

How to use Urine-Off

Urine-Off is used primarily the same on all surfaces, but there are some variation depending on permiability for the urine to soak into the surface or the type of location.

Things to remember:

• Urine-Off must be in contact with all urine deposits of the surface. Some Surfaces will have the urine soaked more deeply than others.
• Urine-Off must remain wet and in contact with the urine deposits long enough for the bio-enzymes in Urine-Off to complete their work on the urine crystals.
• In certain cases where deposits are heavy, very old, or other urine odour or stain products have been used, more than one treatment of Urine-Off may be needed.

• Soak the material in Urine-Off, and allow to air-dry.
• Repeat as necessary
• The more absorbent the material, the more Urine-Off will be required.
• NEVER spray on pets or people. Urine-Off is mild and safe to use around pets and people but is not designed for topical use.
• ALWAYS check fabrics for colourfastness in an inconspicuous area. Urine-Off is mild and safe to use but it is best to be safe as other chimicals that may have been applied on the fabrics or materials may react.
• Do NOT use directly on pet litter – this is ineffective. If the litter has a urine odour, change it. Urine-Off is best used on the litter pan itself.
• NEVER use other cleaners or chemicals of any kind at the same time as Urine-Off as this will reduce its effectiveness. Use Urine-Off first. If other chemicals have been applied, be sure to rinse repeatedly to remove all traces. Allow time to dry completely before using Urine-Off.

Directions for:

Bathrooms - Litter Boxes - Clothing, Bed Linens, and Towels - Furniture and Mattress - Carpet and Upholstery - Concrete Floors - Hardwood Floors
Plywood and Sub-Floors - Marble and Non-Glazed Tile - Glazed Porcelain Tile
Using the Black Light

For Bathrooms:

Urine odors are common to bathrooms. Due to heavy deposits of uric acid crystals build-up over time urine odours can become severe. With Urine-Off and the Urine-Off Black Light, these odors and buildups can be effectively removed.

• Use the Urine-Off Black Light to inspect the bathroom. Pay particular attention to the base and bottom curves of the toilet, floors ( grout and tiles ), and lower walls surrounding the toilet.
• Under a black light, urine will fluoresce yellow
• Observe where urine has been deposited
• Using a heavy spray treat urine with Urine-Off
• Allow Urine-Off time to air-dry.
• Use the black light again to see that all areas are being treated.
• For areas that have heavy concentrations of urine, a second and third application may be necessary. If a second treatment is required, wait until all surfaces are dry, and repeat steps above.  Urinals, especially in public facilities often take a 3 step approach. The once on a regular basis to maintain it.

Other Surface Cleaning Directions

For Litter Boxes:

Plastic litter boxes can absorb urine and produce urine odours no matter how often you wash them. Replacing them whenever they start to smell unpleasant can get expensive. To remove the odour, follow these steps:

• Empty the litter box
• Wash and dry as usual, being careful to rinse away all traces of soap.
• Liberally coat the entire box, inside and out, with Urine-Off.
• Initially it may take more than one treatment to remove built-up urine.

Once box is odor-free, wipe with a paper towel and use it normally.

Other Surface Cleaning Directions

For Clothing, Bed Linens, and Towels:

When you have a pet, they often mark their area and continue to return to it no matter how often you wash the fabric. To save your pet's favorite blanket or towel, Urine-Off can remove the heart of the problem and help house train them at the same time. Urine-Off also works to help clean your baby's or incontenient loved one's clothing and sheets from being thrown out. It not only removes the stain, but the smell as well. Follow these steps for cleaning:

• Saturate the entire affected area where urine may have come into contact on the laundry with Urine-Off. Use the Urine-Off Black Light to locate the difficult to find odors and treat it.
  
• Allow Urine-Off to sit for 15-30 minutes before washing.
  
• If the odors and stains are hard to remove, saturate and place in a plastic bag overnight.  This will keep Urine-Off moist longer, allowing the bio-enzymatic action to completely break down the odor and stain.

Other Surface Cleaning Directions

For Furniture and Mattresses:

Remember to always check for colorfastness before applying Urine-Off.  It is best to consult with the manufactuer of your product for sensitive items, such as leather, before cleaning it. Generally, Urine-Off will do no more harm to your product than water would, and espeically not as much harm as the acidic properties of urine.

For fresh urine deposits

• Do not use other cleaners or chemicals, nor shampoo on the affected area. If you plan to have the piece of furniture cleaned, do so after you have removed all of the urine odor and stain with Urine-Off.
• Soak up as much urine as possible by blotting the area with paper towels. 
• Choose the "stream" setting of the nozzle, then saturate the urine stain and the underlying padding with Urine-Off. (Urine-Off must contact all of the urine-soaked material to remove the odor and stain.  For mattresses and heavily padded furniture, ensure that Urine-Off soaks through to the pad as much as the urine would have originally soaked through.  Use your Urine-Off Black Light to specifically identify surface areas of contamination.)    
• Allow to air dry 
• After the urine odor and stain are removed, remove residue by applying a small amount of water to the area and blotting it up with a paper towel. It is important to remove the residue or the area may attract dirt.

For old, dried urine stains

• Long-term urine exposure can actually burn leather, the dyes in the fabric of the furniture, or the mattress. Such damage is not common, but even the most complete urine removal cannot reverse it.
• Do not use any other cleaners or chemicals before or with Urine-Off. If you plan to have the item professionally cleaned, do so after you have removed all urine odor and stain with Urine-Off.
• It is strongly recommended to use a Urine-Off Black Light to locate all of the affected areas.
• Use the "stream" setting on the nozzle, then saturate the stained material and underlying padding with Urine-Off.
• Urine-Off must contact all of the urine soaked material to remove the odor and stain. For mattresses and heavily padded furniture, ensure that Urine-Off soaks through to the pad as much as the urine would have originally soaked through.  Use your Urine-Off Black Light to specifically identify surface areas of contamination. 
• For particularly old or difficult stains, saturate the area and cover with plastic wrap for 24-48 hours, allowing Urine-Off to stay moist longer. 
• The urine smell will get stronger as the first application of Urine-Off begins to work. This is normal with old or heavy urine deposits. This indicates that the urine is being broken loose and is rising to the surface. The plastic will also help to draw the urine to the surface.
• Allow to air dry.
• Repeat application on subsequent days until stain is no longer visible (may take 3-4 applications) and the odor is removed. 
• After the urine odor and stain are removed, remove residue by applying a small amount of water to the area and blotting it up with paper towel. It is important to remove residue or the area may attract dir

Other Surface Cleaning Directions

For Carpet and Upholstery:

For fresh urine deposits

• Do not use any other cleaners or chemicals before or with Urine-Off. Do not shampoo carpet or upholstery before using Urine-Off. If you plan to have the carpet or upholstery shampooed, do so after you have removed all the urine odor and stain with Urine-Off.
• Soak up as much urine as possible by blotting the area with paper towels. Do not use your shoe to press down the paper towels. The urine residue on your shoe will track urine scent for several steps. Use your hand and then wash, or use a protective glove. 
• Use the "stream" setting on the nozzle, then saturate the urine stain and the underlying padding with Urine-Off.
• Allow to air dry 
• After the urine odor and stain are removed, remove the residue by applying a small amount of water to the area and blotting it up with a paper towel. It is important to remove the residue or the area may attract dirt.

For old dried urine stains

• Be aware that long-term urine exposure can burn the dyes in the carpet. This damage is not common, but even the most complete urine removal cannot reverse it.
• Do not use any other cleaners or chemicals before or with Urine-Off. Do not shampoo the carpet before using Urine-Off. If you plan to have the carpet shampooed, do so after you have removed all of the urine odor and stain with Urine-Off.
• It is recommended that you use a Black Light to locate all of the affected area.
• Use the "stream" setting on the nozzle, then saturate the stained material and underlying padding with Urine-Off.
• For old or difficult stains, saturate the area and cover with plastic wrap, allowing Urine-Off to stay moist longer.
• The urine smell will get stronger as the first application of Urine-Off begins to work. This is normal with old or heavy urine deposits. This indicates that the urine is being broken loose and is rising to the surface. The plastic will also help to draw the urine to the surface.
  
• After a few hours, remove the plastic and blot the area dry with paper towels.
  
• Repeat application on subsequent days until stain is no longer visible (may take 3-4 applications) and odor is removed.
  
• After the urine odor and stain are removed, remove the residue by applying a small amount of water to the area and blotting it up with a paper towel. It is important to remove the residue or the area may attract dirt.

Other Surface Cleaning Directions

For Hardwood Floors:

Urine stains in hardwood flooring are some of the toughest stains to remove, especially if repeated soiling has turned the area black. The black staining indicates that there is a heavy build-up of dried uric salt crystals, and also that actual wood damage has taken place. The acidic urine has burned the tannins in the wood.

Urine-Off can remove the urine odor entirely, and can also remove the buildup of dried uric salt crystals with repeated applications. The damage to the wood tannins cannot be reversed. After the black stains are removed with Urine-Off, the wood may retain a stained gray to black consistency. This is due to the permanent burning by the uric acid. If the degree of the discoloration is unacceptable, refinish the hardwood. In many cases, sanding can remove the damaged wood to a level that is acceptable.

Always treat the hardwood with Urine-Off before refinishing. The heat of sanding and refinishing can bake the urine crystals into the wood and make odor and stain removal much more difficult to remove. Use Urine-Off to remove as much of the staining as possible first, using multiple applications, and less wood will need to be removed during the finishing process.

This application is for removal of urine odor and stain from a severely stained floor. If your floor is less stained then less applications are necessary.

• Start by treating the perimeter.
  
• Next, spray the entire floor until it is completely saturated.
  
• Cover the wet floor with plastic sheeting - this slows the evaporation and allows the product to work longer. As Urine-Off breaks loose the uric crystals from the wood, the plastic will also help to draw the urine to the surface.
  It is normal for the urine odor to actually become stronger at this point.
  
• After 30 minutes, remove the plastic and blot the floor dry with paper towels.
  
• Re-apply Urine-Off, without the plastic. The urine will continue to be drawn to the surface. After 30 minutes, blot the floor dry with paper towels.
  
• Continue to apply Urine-Off and blot it up after 30 minutes until all of the odor is removed. Each treatment will improve the condition of the surface. The stains should become lighter and smaller in diameter until all urine residue is removed.
• Spot-treat the stained areas as needed until the stains are gone, or have ceased to grow lighte - indicating that all of the urine has been removed.
• Allow to air dry
• After the final treatment, rinse with water and wipe or mop dry.

Using Urine-Off will remove the odor, reduce the staining, and provide a better starting point for refinishing or covering with new flooring. In some cases, the results can be so good that the floor can be used as is!

Other Surface Cleaning Directions

For Concrete Floors:

Unsealed concrete are like a hard sponge, with many tiny pores. This can allow urine to soak deeply into it. Removing the urine can be challenging. Carefully follow the steps below for best results:

• Do not use any other cleaners or chemicals before or with Urine-Off. Make sure the floor is dry. If there is carpet adhesive or other residue on the floor, use a scraper to remove it.
• Sweep the surface thoroughly to remove all of the loose debris and dirt. Dispose of all loose material in the garbage
• It is recommended to use a Urine-Off Black Light to locate all the affected areas.
• Spray the affected surface liberally with Urine-Off using a pump sprayer
• Cover the surface with plastic sheeting for 1-2 hours. This slows the evaporation of Urine-Off and allows time for the first application to soak deeply into the concrete.
• The urine smell will get stronger as the first application of Urine-Off beginsto work. This is normal with old or heavy urine deposits. This indicates that the urine is being broken loose and is rising to the surface. The plastic will also help to draw the urine to the surface.
• Remove the plastic and blot the floor dry with paper towels. Upon inspecting your toweling, you will find it to be colored yellow and smell heavily of urine. Dispose of the soiled towels.
• Reapply Urine-Off. Allow the floor to dry 1-2 hours. (In humid climates lacking heat/AC, drying may take longer.)
• Reapply as needed, with 1-2 hours drying time between applications, until the odor is removed.
• Once the odor is removed, use a sponge mop and a minimal amount of water to remove residue from the surface.

Other Surface Cleaning Directions

For Marble and Non-Glazed Tile:

Because marble and non-glazed tile are porous, these materials asorb urine much like concrete. For this reason, please refer to the section above for removing the urine. Be sure to pay special attention to the grout around the marble and tile, which is quite absorbent.

Other Surface Cleaning Directions

For Glazed Tile, Porcelain, and other Hard Surfaces:

While these surfaces are smooth, they have a certain amount of porosity which allows urine crystals to accumulate. The grout can be quite porous as well Follow these steps for hard surfaces:

For fresh urine deposits

• Wipe up the urine with a paper towel.
• Spray the surface with Urine-Off and allow it to air-dry.
• Rinse the surface with clean water and dry.

For old dried stains

• It is recommended to use a Urine-Off Black Light to locate all of the affected areas.
• Spray the surface with Urine-Off until it is saturated.
• Allow to air dry.
• Repeat the application on subsequent days until the odor is gone (may take 3-4 applications).
• Rinse surface with clean water and dry.

Other Surface Cleaning Directions

For Plywood and OSB Sub-Floor:

When replacing carpet that has been soiled with urine, it's almost certain that urine-soaked sub-flooring will be found underneath. Because the sub-floor will eventually be covered with new flooring, a perfect finish is not required. The main goal is the complete removal of urine odor. To remove the urine crystals from the sub-floor prior to installing new flooring material, follow these steps:

• Do not use any other cleaners or chemicals before or with Urine-Off. Make sure the floor is dry.
• Sweep the surface thoroughly to remove all loose debris and dirt. Dispose of debris and dirt in the garbage, as frequently much of this will be contaminated with urine and can pose a lingering odor issue if not removed.
  Vacuuming the area can actually introduce urine into your vacuum and create an unintended problem.
• It is recommeneded to use a Urine-Off Black Light to locate all of the affected areas with urine.
• The first treatment with Urine-Off will make the stain darker as dried urine is broken loose and rises to the surface. The odor may also become stronger at first, but will dissipate as Urine-Off continues to break down the urine salt crystals.
• After the first treatment dries, you will notice the stain has gotten smaller. Light stains will be removed completely with the first treatment. Even the heavy stains will appear smaller.
• A second treatment will first darken the stain again, which will then become even smaller. Each consecutive treatment will continue to reduce the stain until it is completely removed, thus restoring the structural flooring to a urine-free condition.

Other Surface Cleaning Directions

Urine-Off Black Light Clean

Before you begin using your Black Light, make sure you are familiar with it and have all the necessary equipment to ensure that you are adequatly prepaired and safe.

Before you begin using your Black Light, make sure you are familiar with it and have all the necessary equipment to ensure that you are adequatly prepaired and safe.

• Use protective eyewear: Prolonged and direct exposure to UV light can be harmful to your eyes. The ideal type of protective eyewear is safety goggles that can be purchased from any local hardware store. These glasses, like most eyewear made today, filter UV rays.
• Take the black light into the bathroom and darken the room. Inspect the toilet, especially around the seat hinges and the outside front of the toilet bowl. This will allow you to see exactly what urine looks like under a black light. Even the cleanest bathroom will show glowing yellow urine crystals, because ordinary cleaners do not dissolve them.

Now you're ready to inspect the rest of the facility. Close the curtains/blinds if necessary to make your work area easy to see under the black light.

How do you tell what's urine and what's not? The color is the first clue. After that, you'll use your judgement and your sense of smell. You probably have a good idea where the cat or dog has "gone," or the baby or elderly family member has had an "accident." The black light will confirm it - and indicate some spots you never guessed about! Fluorescence 5 feet high on the wall is probably not urine! A puddle-shaped area on the floor near a cat's litter box, beneath the crib mattress, or an incontinent family member's favorite chair, probably IS urine.

Once you've located all the affected areas, you should mark them with a piece of masking tape or marker so you can find them when the house lights are on.

Once all of the areas have been found, use the associated steps in the "How to use Urine-Off" to remove the urine odor and stain.

Urine-Off's bio-enzymatic composition and behavior is capable of breaking down the uric crystals completely so that their fluorescence is eliminated, especially on hard surfaces like porcelain and glazed tile. The initial buildup will likely take 2-3 treatments, but light buildup will need only one treatment. Porous surfaces like fabrics, carpet, and even concrete, can retain so much residue that complete elimination of all fluorescence may require diligent extraction efforts with commercial equipment. This is simply too costly - once the urine stain and odor is removed, the goal has been reached.