The composition of urine is complicated. Think of any possible combination of substances previously ingested: water, fish heads, mice, bones, etc, all of which contain many elements. Some of the parts are transformed by the body into yet other identifiable compounds before a watery elimination. For our discussion we will address the parts of urine referred to here as “organic wastes”; those portions of urine that decay.

The process of decay results in bacteria consuming the waste while converting it into gases. It is nature’s way of getting rid of it. Organic wastes are a natural source of food for bacteria. Feeding on the wastes the bacteria produce obnoxious vapors, releasing primarily ammonia sulfur and methane gases in various combinations which we perceive as a bad odor. Put yet another way, what our noses discern as an obnoxious odor is in reality bacteria excrement.

Ammonia is the principle gas produced from urine decay. Chemically alkaline, the increasing presence of ammonia causes the pH to rise steadily, which in turn inhibits bacterial growth and the natural process of decay. While preferring a balanced, neutral pH, bacterial growth slowly continues nevertheless, gradually producing ever more inhibiting ammonia and other malodorous gases. In this loop, it can take Mother Nature several years to remove the odor’s source. Simply stated, when it comes to urine naturally occurring bacteria eat very slowly, but other than that have