Kennel Smell/Cleaning - Page 2

BLEACH!  But, the mats I use in the kennel are fatigue mats that are perforated.   Nice a cushiony, but not a lot of 'stuff" gets trapped under them to breed whatever.  They are not heavy like horse mats, so taking them out for a good hosing every now and then is not a problem,either.  For far, the neighbors and I are happy.  

I replaced my pea gravel with lime in my dog run and it isn't as good and DOES hold odor. Now I have to go back to pea gravel.

For cleaning I use good old bleach and water.

The trick with odors is to understand their genesis. Odor occurs because bacteria are present. In my kennel, in the inside, all floors are sealed concrete, including the drains. I am very careful about removing all fur and sand that builds up in those drains periodically and thus there is NO odor in this facility. NONE.

When I see evidence of bacterial growth, such as a dark spot in the drain, that area then is bleached. All areas of the kennel concrete both indoors (and outdoors in the runs) are disinfected regularly with EPA approved disinfectants. Kennel regulations in my state require the use of EPA APPROVED disinfectants (there is a list), and vinegar and some of the other things suggested above are not approved. But if you are not regulated because it is your own home situation, then do as you like if you think it works. For kicks and grins, go to a high school or college microbiology class and volunteer to allow students to come and sample your surfaces for pathogens and you will be VERY surprised. Weak vinegar solutions might kill some pathogens, but not all. Same is true of many other substances suggested. The thing with bleach is to dilute it properly, don't use it on metal surfaces and be certain you do not mix other chemicals with it and rinse well. The best common disinfectant would be such a mixture.

The disinfectants I use are quaternary ammonium compounds. If used properly and at the proper dilution, they are safe. These kinds of disinfectants kill parvo, distemper, bordetella, you name it. They might not work on certain organisms, so it is important to know what you are trying to kill.

I use pea gravel in all areas except the large exercise areas. Because the soil here is hard packed sand, the drainage is typically very good and there is also no odor issue. In one small area, there appears to be more clay and periodically I will treat that area with a bleach/water dilution to kill bacteria.

I have never sent a dog home ill in five years of boarding hundreds and hundreds of dogs. In part, this is due to rigorous disinfection. Mats absolutely are a perfect surface to harbor bacteria and I personally would not use them, but if you do, be sure you regularly disinfect them and keep them dry. Otherwise, you just provide a nice surface for the critters to adhere to.

Critters = odor

Funny thing is, I was worried about fecal smell. I have none after I pick up the poop, but even after I spray everything down it smells like urin (no doubt the heat isn't helping) and I only have one dog on sealed concrete. The other 2 are on shavings and dirt and that has no smell after I pick up the solids in that area. My little female swims and drinks ALLOT of water and I guess pees quite a bit daily. I can't do lime because my kids would come in contact with it. I didn't put in a drain system as I only plan on having 2 kennels side by side and will be moving in the next 5 years and didn't want to make much of an investment in this tiny backyard that someone else may use as a "reason" not to buy. Take the kennels off the pad and you have a nice patio for a table and chairs/hot tub/bbq.

Has the matt absorbed the smell or is there dirt on the matt that smells.

Well, if there is dirt the best thing is to do use a pressure hose like the type used to wash cars and horse it down. Very effective and fast.

If the mat had absorbed smell then you must air dry it in a cool windy place, do not put it in the sun as it could get damaged. Chemicals too can damage it.

Alternatively i suggest you get at least 2 mats per kennel so that they can be used alternatively (changed once a week) to prevent smells

Borax and Vinegar will also help to keep fleas away, an added perk

We have 3 10x15 kennels outside and just recently poured cement floors.  Although I really like the convenenience for clean up I too was kickin' ideas around on how to cut down on the odor even when the kennels are clean. 

Once a week- sometimes twice I pressure wash with bleach mixture.  It seems to do the trick and the chemicals are cheap enough you can do it as often as necessary as long as you have the time to keep pulling out the pressure washer. 

I have used borax, but outside.  

EM (effective microbes) might be a good solution. http://www.scdworld.net/category_s/10.htm

There are other sources for EM just run a search.