Using Vinegar is one method to Remove Pet Stains
Successfully removing pet stains from carpeting is easy if you have the right knowledge. This article will teach you “How to” remove pet stains including the two most common complaints:
- Dog Urine and Feces – the most common pet stain complaint
- Cat Urine and Feces
These stains can be extremely damaging to carpet fibers. Once the stain is removed training your pet where to go is essential to avoid further problems. Cat and Dog urine can be expensive problems if care is not taken to correct the disruptive behavior.
With the ever increasing number of household pets in American homes, pet owners are having a hard time keeping up with their cats and dogs. There are a few tips you must know when cleaning up these stains to keep from causing permanent damage to your carpet.
Removing Pet Stains – Pet Urine Removal Instructions
Blot urine with a very absorbent towel, pressing the towel with your heal, while standing on one foot. This allows you to soak up the urine from the pad and the carpet. Do this 3 or 4 times with new places on the towel.
After the urine has been removed, spray a solution of white vinegar and water (50/50 mixture.) Leave in the carpet. This neutralizes the acid in the urine that could discolor and distort the carpet fibers.
Never rub or scrub the carpet, while cleaning up pet urine or any other stain. This only pushes the stain into the carpet fibers and padding.
Removing Pet Stains – Cleaning Pet Feces from Carpet Professional Advice
Wait for feces to dry!!! Do not even think about any type of clean up until the poop has dried completely. If you do, the feces will absorb into the fibers and cause permanent discoloration.
Once feces has dried (about 24 hours) pick up and discard. What you see left on the carpet needs to be cleaned up by a professional (Unless you own a carpet spotter like the Bissel Little Green Machine which can be used to extract the feces from the carpet fibers).
Once the professional arrives at your house, make sure he doesn’t apply any soap or other chemicals to the remaining feces. They first need to extract the stain with clean hot water. If some of the stain remains after going over it 4 to 5 times, some detergent can be applied and extracted.
After feces has been completely cleaned up, a sanitizer needs to be applied to kill any remaining bacteria. Applying these steps when cleaning up pet stains will save you costly replacement and extend the life of your carpet.
Remove Cat and Dog Urine From Carpet Do-it-Yourself Method
First the bad news: Not all urine stains are removable. Removing pet stains caused by urine is not always successful. The types of damage caused vary according to the urine content. This is determined by the pet’s diet, age, sex, and any medications being taken. If it is removable, the following steps may get it out.
- Blot up the urine as soon as you discover it. Use plain white paper towels to avoid dye transfer.
- Mix 1/4 teaspoon liquid dish-washing detergent (non-bleach and non-lanolin) in a cup of warm water. Apply this to the spot.
- Blot up the moisture, rinse with warm water, and apply more of the detergent mixture. Rinse, and continue the process until you don’t see any urine transfer to the paper towels.
- Mix two tablespoons of ammonia in a cup of water. Apply this to the spot, blot it up, rinse with warm water, and repeat. Blot the area dry.
- Mix one cup of white vinegar with two cups of water. Apply this to the spot, blot it up, rinse, and repeat. Rinse well when you are done, and blot the area to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Put a stack of plain white paper towels on the spot and weigh them down with something flat and heavy (something that won’t lose its color if it gets wet). Change the paper towels occasionally, until the spot is dry.
The faster you get to the spot, the more likely it is that it can be removed. When urine spots develop over time, and are not noticed right away, the dyes and carpet fibers may be permanently damaged. In beige carpet, the stains will appear red, yellow or orange. Color can sometimes be restored by treating with a solution of two tablespoons of clear, non-sudsy ammonia in a cup of water.
Removing Pet Stains – Getting Urine Odor Out Of Carpet
To get urine odor out, it’s often necessary to remove virtually all the urine – especially in the case of cat urine. Many products simply mask the odor, and fail even at that during times of high humidity. Some pet stores and veterinary offices now have enzyme treatments that work better, and professional carpet cleaners can apply these for you if you aren’t sure how to do it.
If odor persists, you may have to remove that section of carpet. You can replace it with scraps if you have saved them, or cut a piece from an area that isn’t visible. Unfortunately, sometimes the padding and even a section of flooring has to be removed to totally eliminate odor from old urine stains.