The catch: It's a concentrate: mix it in the bucket and one bottle goes a long way.
In this guide
Sealed or not decides everything
Drip a little water on a hidden spot. If it beads up, your floor is sealed and pee mostly sits on top: blot, treat with an enzyme cleaner, then dry it completely. If the water soaks in and darkens the wood, the floor is unsealed or worn, and pee is already in the grain. That's a slower, more careful job, and sometimes a refinisher's job.
Whatever the floor: no steam mop, and no puddles of plain water left sitting. Water is hardwood's other enemy.
Fresh accident on sealed wood
Blot right away. Paper towels, press, don't rub. Rubbing pushes pee into the seams between boards.
Apply an enzyme cleaner and follow its directions for wood. With Rocco & Roxie, pour it on and leave it on hard floors; on wood, let the first round dry fully before adding more.
Then dry it all the way. Once it has sat its full time, blot anything that spread past the spot, then airflow. Check the seams, where liquid hides.
Wash the area with a floor cleaner made for sealed wood once the spot is done. Naturally It's Clean's hardwood cleaner is a plant-based concentrate you dilute first. It's for sealed hardwood and laminate, not unsealed wood.
Old smell, no visible stain
If the room smells but the floor looks fine, the pee is probably in the seams or under the boards. Get low and sniff along the seams, or use a UV flashlight in a dark room.
In the seams: work enzyme cleaner into the gap with a small applicator, give it its full sit time, then dry it well. Repeat with full drying in between.
Under the boards: if it keeps coming back, the subfloor needs treating from below or with boards lifted. Call a flooring pro unless you've done this before.
Black stains
A dark gray or black stain means pee has reacted with the wood itself. Enzyme cleaner can take out the smell, but not the color.
Hydrogen peroxide (3%) on a cloth over the stain can lighten it. Test a hidden spot first, since it can lighten the surrounding wood too.
Wood bleach (oxalic acid) from a hardware store is the other option. Follow the package exactly.
Sanding and refinishing is the real fix for deep black stains. A floor refinisher can tell you whether a board needs replacing.
Skip these on wood
Skip these
Steam mops and steam cleaners. Heat plus moisture is bad for wood, and high heat can knock out Rocco & Roxie's enzymes.
Vinegar. Over time, acid can dull a finish.
Ammonia and bleach. Both can damage the finish.
Scrub pads. They scratch.
Mopping with lots of water. Standing water is how boards cup and warp.
Stop the next one
Washable rugs on the dog's usual routes, with rug pads that don't trap moisture.
A waterproof mat under the water bowl and at the back door.
Gates to keep pets off the most expensive floor in the house.
More frequent potty trips for seniors and puppies. And a vet visit if a house-trained dog suddenly has accidents.
