Cleaning under stall mats

[cyanskies]

We moved into our new barn last fall, but the facility sat empty for about 2 years before we got here. God only knows how long all the pee and wet shavings had been soaking between the asphalt floor and the mats before then.

We’re in the process of pulling all the mats out and cleaning underneath them. We’ve been shoveling out the biggest chunks of coalified pee/shavings, then pressure washing the floors/walls to try to release the remaining yuck off the floor.

No matter what we do, there’s a gross, smelly sludge that is coating the floors. Is there some kind of chemical that can dissolve this nastiness? I just tried bleach today, I’m hoping that will work. But I’m looking for more ideas.

[MzCarol]

Lime will balance the Ph. Lots and lots of it

[clanter]

well I sure would not use bleach on urine since bleach will react with ammonia to form a host of potentially toxic compounds called disinfection byproducts

PDZ or a stall fresh product sold under the Standlee product name will naturalize the urine

Horse Stall Refresher & Pet Deodorizer | Odor Removal for Your Horse’s...

https://www.standleeforage.com/products/horse-fresh/

notice the coupon link on the Standlee site

[carman_liz]

Got any pics of it? I wonder if it is driedish old urine? Sounds gross but I had a cat pee on something we had outside and when I found it, it was almost gelled like and I had to scrub with dawn to get it off the varnished wood. Ugh I was soooo mad! Goo gone makes a paint/sludge/ anything gross remover in large gallon type sizes. You could put some down or as weird as it sounds, concrete SAFE paint remover. Brush it in with a stiff brush, cover it with a tarp so it does not dry out and after a couple hours scrub it and then pressure wash.

You can also get an attachment for your pressure washer for driveways, its a circular thingy, we got ours for about 50 bucks from Lowes and it worked much better than the pressure washer alone.

Bleach may ruin the concrete, how long before horses are going to be there n how many stalls do you have? Just thinking chemicals vs smells and ventilation, safety etc. Really think pics would help us help you out more!

[Simkie]

Since you’re talking about asphalt, and not concrete, are you sure it’s not the sealant that’s used over asphalt?

[carman_liz]

I missed that part lol. Wouldn’t the sealer have worn off or been deteriorated by now from the urine and just age of it all though?

[Simkie]

@carman_liz

Wouldn’t the sealer have worn off or been deteriorated by now from the urine and just age of it all though?

From under mats? I dunno

[sascha]

Feed store bags of baking soda. Sprinkle HEAVILY. Let sit for a couple of days. Sweep. Pressure wash again. Repeat. It won’t be super cheap, but it’s going to be a little more gentle on your and your horses’ lungs than ground up rocks (lime, sweet pdz, stall dry, etc.) and bonus, it dissolves so after washing you shouldn’t be left with residue.

FWIW, I changed to baking soda in an attempt to further reduce dust in my horse’s stall. For ammonia amelioration it works about as well as the other products and it’s not nasty to breathe - maybe a little salty if you get a snoutful on a breezy day before it settles and you’ve covered it with bedding, but not make you hack up a lung dusty!

[cyanskies]

How much baking soda do you tend to use per stall? And for what size stall?

[BrendaJane]

@clanter

well I sure would not use bleach on urine since bleach will react with ammonia

double ditto on that.

[sascha]

Plenty. I use it just in wet spots, but you’ll need a fair bit to do entire stalls.

[Ambitious_Kate]

I would talk to some dog kennel people. They have ways to super clean cement kennels and use a neutralizer to get up the urine and smell. They can also tell you if their technique and materials will work on asphalt, but I think it will.