Help! Backyard smells strongly of urine! : (

[jbfshn33]

Hello All,
Haven't been on the forum in quite some time, but I'm having an issue in my backyard and was wondering if anyone might have some suggestions...

Our backyard is basically a giant dog-run. We built a retaining wall behind which all of our 'living things' survive, but the bottom part of the yard was created with three digging boxers in mind... there's a covered patio, but the remainder is filled with 2-3 inches of pea gravel. The dogs can run, play, and dig without any major damage. (We tried laying sod... twice... at our last house and will never go that route again! Those with diggers will understand!)

We rake and hose the gravel down regularly, but can't seem to get rid of the urine smell. There is no plastic laid under the gravel... just dirt, so there's nothing keeping it at the surface.

Is there anything I should be 'cleaning' the gravel with?? I know that those with the synthetic grass can use a disinfectant spray to clean their yards. I'm wondering if this might be an option? I don't want any harsh chemicals that might be dangerous. If all else fails, maybe I can plant some fragrant bushes behind the retaining wall to cover the smell?

Any suggestions are much appreciated!

 

[Gatorblu]

At our last house there was one tree that Thor used quite frequently just off our deck and the smell was strong when you sitting outside trying to relax on the deck. I found "Yard Odor Killer" at Petsmart. It comes in a green bottle that attaches to the end of your hose. It did eliminate the urine odor, but, to me, it left a strong "sanitizer" smell, that lasted a day or two. I would use it about once a week to keep the urine smell gone.

 

[jbfshn33]

Great suggestion! Thanks! If it attaches to the hose, that would be perfect... I'll give it a try. At this point, I would rather smell sanitizer than pee!

 

[claresmom]

I notice the same thing in our gravel, but only when it gets wet. But thankfully living in the desert, we barely get rain!

 

[calimomma]

We also have three dogs and a litter box for a back yard (no grass, just pea gravel) and were battling the urine smell. We tried the doggy odor remover products and found out the hard way that we'd just wasted quite a bit of money.

If you can find it, Simple Green makes a product that has been awesome for us. We use it 2-3 times a week, depending on how hot it is.

Simple Green d Pro 3® One-Step Germicidal Cleaner and Deodorant

We got an attachment for our hose in which we pour the undiluted solution and the hose water will dilute it as it's coming out. It's worked so far for us!

Good luck!!

 

[jbfshn33]

Success!

I gave the stuff from Petsmart a try. It took the whole bottle ($15) to do our yard, but definitely took care of the smell! I would like to do this every 2 weeks or so, so if the Simple Green option is more cost-effective for the long term, I might go that route in the future...

Either way, it's nice to know there are options out there so that we can enjoy our backyard!!! Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[bayleighmom]

White vinegar may also do the trick of neutralizing the odor. It's cheap, won't harm your babies and no smell when it dries.