Sulphur Powder and Urine stains

As you walk around Barcelona you may have noticed the yellow powder that is sprinkled outside some shops or buildings.  This yellow powder is Sulphur and is supposed to repel dogs from peeing in that particular spot.  

In Malaga according to Sur.es, the Ayuntamiento have imposed a fine of between 75 and 500 euros if shops or residences sprinkle it outside their buildings.  This new law comes into effect this month - April 2017.  

At the moment there seems to be no definite evidence that Sulphur is effective in repelling dogs from peeing in certain areas. I cannot comment on whether this tactic works or not, but I do think that the sulphur makes the outside of buildings look very ugly!

Sulphur can harm your dog if ingested in large quantities, inhaled in large quatities, or if the dog's skin is exposed to it directly.

​In my travels around Barcelona i have not heard of any dog being affected by the sulphur powder.  It is not tasty enough! 

Sulphur is a product used in horticulture to prevent plants from insect damage.
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Wouldn't Sulphur cause more irritation to humans if picked up by the wind and inhaled?

Pee-mails
Once a dog has urinated in one spot, the urine acts as a 'peemail' to other dogs, informing them of their breeding status, health and a wealth of other very useful information. These spots then attract other dogs who also want to broadcast their status.
If a dog has weed indoors then they will return to the same spot to reinforce the message that the previous smell already contains.  

Do we use bleach to clean up urine stains? 
Animal urine contains ammonia amongst other ingredients. 
Bleach contains an ingredient that reacts with the ammonia in the urine breaking up the molecules and creating toxic gases, but, in the process this chemical reaction also strengthens the smell of the stained spot which broadcasts a stronger and more insistent message to other dogs, to come and wee in the same spot.
The same thing happens if the dog urinates indoors.  It will return to the same spot to reinforce any diluting messages.

What is the best way to clean up urine stains?

Here are some suggestions

• If the dog urine is still nice and wet (if your stain is old, see the next step), start with old towels or kitchen roll and absorb as much of the urine as possible. 
• Soak the dog urine stain with a solution of plain white vinegar and warm water. half a cup of the white vinegar and mix it with one and half cups of the warm water. Stir it together and then drizzle the mixture over the entire stain and let it soak for about five minutes. Vinegar is a good ingredient for cleaning dog urine due to its properties as a solvent and for being antibacterial.
• Blot up the vinegar and water using the same method found in step one.
• Use 3% hydrogen peroxide and some organic dish soap. Mix well about a cup of the peroxide with a little over a teaspoon of a good organic dish soap.
• Pour dish soap and peroxide mixture slowly be careful not to splatter, all over the stain. Don’t over due it though. Peroxide has a habit of sometimes discoloring fabrics. (For this reason, I strongly advise that you first try this in an inconspicuous area of carpeting). Once the spot is good and saturated you may want to grab yourself a pair rubber gloves. Using your fingertips or a scrub brush, rub that baking soda down into the carpet. The better you work it in, the better it’s gonna be at removing dog urine.
• Now let the ingredients do their magic and wait for it all to dry. Once completely dry run the vacuum over it the area thoroughly. Sometimes the baking soda gets a little crunchy and it takes some time for the vacuum to get it all.

For cleaning the outside of buildings, a mixture of vinegar and water in a bucket with a good brush will suffice.

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