Animal smell in barn

[Number2]

Hello,

I have been a short-term lurker who has enjoyed the information and resources that your site provides. Now I hope to help out and continue to learn.

I just purchased a 30x40 barn (with house lol) in Michigan that previously was being used as shelter by 2.5 horses (.5 being a pony). There were 3 stalls.

My plan is to turn the barn into my workshop and I am looking for any advice on switching over from animal pen to a garage.

How to get the smell out? is the number one question.
But also any other suggestions that anyone would have. I did search and didn't find much on the conversion. This is my second barn with my first being a 24x30 that we built last spring in Central Michigan. That one was easy, built the way that I wanted it. This is more of a challenge.

I have included a picture for reference. Thanks!

 

[383 240z]

Lots of fresh air, lots of scrubbing, if that is a concrete floor, a LOT of scrubbing. Having grown up around barns and owning a few, we have never really had much of a smell problem. but they were always kept pretty clean. However none of them had concrete floors. Always dirt floors covered with stall mat and crush run in the aisles. Good luck. Keith

 

[Number2]

Lots of fresh air, lots of scrubbing, if that is a concrete floor, a LOT of scrubbing. Having grown up around barns and owning a few, we have never really had much of a smell problem. but they were always kept pretty clean. However none of them had concrete floors. Always dirt floors covered with stall mat and crush run in the aisles. Good luck. Keith

Thanks for the reply.

And yes it is concrete.

They had rubber mats in the stalls and I do plan on power washing the floors. I am just wondering if I should put some solvent down first?

Someone suggested go to Costco and get 5-10 lbs of baking soda and spread it and let it sit for a week. Just wondering if anyone had tackled something along these lines.

Eventually I hope to store a couple muscle cars inside this barn. Thanks

 

[Zrexxer]

Eventually I hope to store a couple muscle cars inside this barn. Thanks

If they're Mustangs, they'll feel right at home.

Seriously though, the smell of horses has always been kind of a comforting thing to me so I guess I wouldn't mind it as much. But it will surely fade with time after the animals are gone.

 

[Number2]

If they're Mustangs, they'll feel right at home.

Seriously though, the smell of horses has always been kind of a comforting thing to me so I guess I wouldn't mind it as much. But it will surely fade with time after the animals are gone.

Thanks for the laugh Zrexxer, and yes currently it a 66' convertible with a 289 and pony interior.

And good point, people have been storing animal and cars together for as long as cars have existed. Thanks

 

[Chevy-SS]

Nothing wrong with a little old fashioned barn smell.
It's kinda like that highly-desired patina on a classic car.

-

 

[billp603]

Welcome to GJ, I note the irony in your user name and 1st question.

Baking soda and white vinegar are the two common things that neutralize the ammonia in animal urine, mix either one with water and let it soak in. Then rinse with clean water a couple of times. Looks like an awesome place to equip as a shop!

 

[DekeT]

Hello,

I have been a short-term lurker who has enjoyed the information and resources that your site provides. Now I hope to help out and continue to learn.

I just purchased a 30x40 barn (with house lol) in Michigan that previously was being used as shelter by 2.5 horses (.5 being a pony). There were 3 stalls.

My plan is to turn the barn into my workshop and I am looking for any advice on switching over from animal pen to a garage.

How to get the smell out? is the number one question.
But also any other suggestions that anyone would have. I did search and didn't find much on the conversion. This is my second barn with my first being a 24x30 that we built last spring in Central Michigan. That one was easy, built the way that I wanted it. This is more of a challenge.

I have included a picture for reference. Thanks!

That is fresh air man. Rural natives prefer it to the city smell where you came from.

 

[pancho400cid]

Your cars will quickly smell like pony whizz.... that's not good even for Mustangs. I say this as a former owner of a 69 fastback/390/4 speed and a 70 Mach 1/351C/FMX.

I don't have first hand experience with Equine Urine, but I would try Purple Power cleaner/de-greaser or their Driveway and Concrete Cleaner and a power washer. I have used it for lots of cleaning tasks and it is biodegradeable so hopefully no harm done when it washes out into the dirt. Available in spray bottles and gallons from big-box stores.

http://www.clean-rite.com/purplepower_industrial_strength_cleaner_degreaser.html

http://www.clean-rite.com/purplepower_driveway_and_concrete_cleaner.html

 

[koditten]

I wanna know where the Costco is in Central Michigan?

 

[jwh]

You could try a pet store. "Natures Miracle" has worked well for me for dog and cat odors.

 

[cowboy73]

We used to use a pressure washer on the hog barns once a year. I know we used some bleach and iodine in the hopper on the pressure washer.

 

[RPH]

My old barn had dairy cows in it 50 years ago. New concrete, walls insulated and finished. Old carpenter did it before I bought. On those certain day's, yes the cows are back! The ammonia and cow smell will most definitely be their. Good luck but it's in the wood and ground. There will be those days.

 

[Streetbu]

Would lime help? Farmers buy it by the pallet around here but I was never sure why.

 

[Number2]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I think I will start with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. Put it down with a five gallon bucket and move it around with a push broom and then powerwash it off. And repeat. Hopefully that will help with the smell.

I have a few months before the mustang needs to be moved from the current location.

Also regarding costco in Central Michigan. My 1st barn is in clare county but this one is in SW oakland county (SE michigan). The closest Costco that I am aware of, is actually a Sam's club (lol) which is off of 27 just north of 96. I believe there is also one in Mt pleasant.

Thanks again for all the responses and if anyone else has any input or experience, just let me know.

 

[Train]

I'd suggest visiting some of the horse forums on the net. If anyone would know it would be them. The only thing I can add is that a solution using hydrogen peroxide is the only remedy for skunk smell. Maybe it would work here too.

 

[In2toys]

Visit a farm store & try to find some horse stall refresher. it absorbs the ammonia smell. works for dogs too.

 

[cdestuck]

Call a fire restoration company. They usually have sprays that encapsulate odors

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

Get an Ozone generator or rent one, they work really well.

You will need to be able to seal up the space for it to work properly.

Ozone will oxidize any organic compound and kill anything in there.

I over cooked some eggs in a pot once, came back into the house to discover black smoke filling the entire house, tried the baking soda, vinegar etc, nothing got rid of the smell until I finally bit the bullet and spent the money to buy a commercial grade Ozone generator. The one I bought was around $500 and worth every penny.

Plug it in, seal the doors up, and come back 8 hours later, and turn off machine, let it air out and you should be OK, may need a 2nd application from time to time and till it's completely odour free.

I also used it to get rid of the smell from a dead rodent that died in the basement wall of my mechanical room, removed the rodent and it only took two 1 hour applications and the smell was gone completely.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J2GNW2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[RoscoTom]

Keep in mind,

Whatever effort and expense you go to, you will never completely get rid of the smell.

You may lessen it, it may only be noticed at certain times, but don't knock yourself out trying to destroy it.


Kinda like obliterating a skunk with a new truck (car).

Every garage( and car) has it's own smell.

Tom

 

[Lippyp]

Our property used to be a pig farm, it hasn't been used as one for a couple of decades and yet when it rains the yard still has a faint smell of pig ****. You'll never get rid of the smell completely if its in the wood. I swear by an old old disinfectant called Jeyes Fluid, it also stinks but stinks of a tarry clean smell but it does get rid of animal smell and disinfect the surfaces.

 

[Number2]

I agree that the smell will always be there on humid days. Starting this afternoon with baking soda and letting it sit for a few days.

I guess I am going old fashion or cheap by using basic products rather then a pre-mix animal urine product. Also with the amount of space, I wont worry about skimping or cutting corners.

I am only worried about the concrete floors as the only wood is the wall studs and I can always paint those with Kilz. The siding is all metal the power washer to get that clean.

I will let everyone know how it goes after a few good cleanings. Thanks!!

 

[Mattlt]

Would lime help? Farmers buy it by the pallet around here but I was never sure why.

This would be my suggestion. A cheap place to start. Buy a couple bags at a farm supply store and spread them around, leave sit for a few days, sweep up and repeat. It should neutralize the ammonia in the urine.

 

[crazytrain]

I'd get a 2 gallon pump sprayer add a gallon of bleach and a gallon of water, spray the floor and walls. Then pressure wash everything, may have to do it a second time but that should knock the smell out of it.

 

[RegeSullivan]

jwh is on the right track. Pet stores sell a product that is an enzyme cleaner. It will get rid of most bio caused odors. Make sure the area is dry then wet the area with the enzyme allow it to dry and let go to work for a couple of days. repeat if there is still an odor. A good janitorial supply might have it cheaper than pet stores.

Bleach and ammonia will not be a lasting solution. If you already used bleach allow a couple of weeks before using the enzyme.

 

[NUTTSGT]

One other thing you want to do is to treat the place with some kind of insecticide. After years of that place being wet and covered with feces, you're bound to have something trying to live there. Whether it's ants, silverfish or earwigs, try to kill them now before you start closing the place up.

 

[My Old Tools]

Tractor Supply has Natures Miracle in gallon jugs. That is the cheapest I found. I had to kill cat piss odor in a concrete floor. I wet (really wet) mopped it with Nature's Miracle and water, 50-50, and let it dry. It killed almost all of it. Probably needs it one more time. Baking soda on top of it and let it dry would probably have finished the job.

 

[RegeSullivan]

Natures Miracle is a brand of enzyme cleaner, Amazon has it about 5 bucks less than most retail stores but still check for a local janitorial supplier for a better price.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003I5ZR16/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Number2]

Great thanks everyone. I will have to send over some pictures once I get everything setup and the mustang over.

 

[Number2]

First of all thanks to everyone for the suggestions and advice. I wanted to follow-up and maybe provide a little information for anyone who tackles the job of converting an animal barn into a workshop.

I started by powerwashing the inside and I found the following power washer attachment, which is highly recommended.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_106124-348-6288_0__?productId=50214727&Ntt=

Next, I spread out about 200 lbs of crushed lime and worked it in. Let it sit for 4-5 days and cleaned it up

Finally I spread 20lb of baking soda and let it sit for a few days.

My observations are that the power washing (obviously) helped cleaning it up.

The lime didn't seem to do all that much and the baking soda, only temporarily made it smell better.

More then anything, time and airing it out has made the biggest difference. Now you can walk in there without your eyes watering. However, on a humid day when you walk it, you know large animals were once living in there.

Thanks again and time to talk shop tools, Gantry Cranes anyone?

 

[SALIV8]

thanks for the follow up. unfortunately im a city slicker but when we get to mich our neighbor has horses and a calf.

My wife and I love the smell of those animals mixed with the fresh air. however, in a barn it may be a bit too much.

glad you got it knocked down.

 

[reader2580]

I wonder if a steam cleaner would have helped? I worked at a fairgrounds in my youth and one of the jobs was to use a steam cleaner to clean the barns. We were doing it to sanitize them not to remove smells.

I will say a steam cleaner is dangerous as all get out. I only did this job for one summer before moving to the mowing crew, but we had a number of hose breaks in that year. I had heard that someone was killed by a steam leak years earlier, but nobody ever confirmed it. The fairgrounds switched to a hot water pressure washer a while after that.

 

[SteveCh]

Lime is a soil amendment used to adjust the pH of soil...whether it would help in this task, I don't know. I can't figure anything will be needed other than a good floor washing; won't completely remove the odor (or I doubt it) but time and fresh air will help. Then again, that sort of odor doesn't really bother me.

 

[LXCam]

If you really want to get crazy use caustic flake and go rent a power floor scrubber and wire buffer pad. Caustic is a emulsifier which will draw oil and grease including most of that urine smell out of the concrete. But be very careful, this stuff is insanely dangerous to work with. If you decide to go down that road there's a host of safety equipment and technic you need to be aware of.

 

[ADSR]

Industrial strength enzyme cleaner. Call the local crime scene clean up and ask what they suggest.

This is what the pro's use to rid a house of a rotten body/fluids.

 

[Number2]

I appreciate all the suggestions. At this point I think I am going to wait a few months and see how it smells before I bring in my horse (mustang).

I was thinking the ultimate solution was using concrete stain to seal the floor and oil based paint or primer to seal the wood beams.

Back in high school, I worked for sherwin williams. We sold a H&C concrete stain that was acetone based that the industrial guys swore by. Would anyone have experience with the following approach.

1. Power wash again and let dry
2. Etch with muriatic acid
3. Apply acetone based concrete stain

Probably the hardest things that it will need to stand up to is hot tires, bucket and forks of my tractor. my hammer when I get angry, lol

I have seen too many DIY garage floors gone wrong to cheap out. Thanks

 

[brownbagg]

be careful with vinegar. vinegar will eat concrete like murtic acid will, it a little weaker than murtic but you will end of with nothing but gravel and sand.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Since you have power washed everything, it should be clean. I know oil-based Kilz is used to cover up after fire damage in homes. I wonder if it would be worth putting a coat on all the wood framing inside the structure up to the four foot level or so ?

 

[James-W]

I am not exactly sure how to get rid of the smell, there have been lots of suggestions and maybe the suggestions will work. But one thing for sure, I would not put a car in the shop until the horse smell was completely gone. If you get that horse smell imbedded in the car you will not be a happy camper.

 

[boo coo tracks]

Man you have a lot of good answers, I will take a shot. First try limestone, you can get tons of cheap, the kind farmers spread on fields. PH factor is what were dealing with. You can spread on the floor & when you are done with spread on your lawn. Years ago when barns had dirt floor, they used lime on top of bedding material. Some time quick fixes are just that & odors will come back. I use vinegar on a lot of projecks. I don't like chemicals, having been exposed to Agent Orange.
HTH
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