Pet stains happen, it’s a fact of life for many of us. Did you know that 62% of American homes have pets in them. We all love our pets! Unfortunately, they can have accidents but the right carpet cleaner should have no problem cleaning pet stains up for you.
The first thing you should know is that pet stains, especially urine, do not come out with carpet cleaning alone. Professional carpet cleaning is designed to remove soil, dust and dander from your carpet.
If you’re just dealing with an accident or two, try this DIY trick for cleaning pet stains. First, cover the spot with a clean, dry, white cotton towel. Stand on it. The pressure of your body will help absorb most of the urine. Next, remove the towel and spray the area with a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water. Again, cover the spot with a clean, dry, white cotton towel and stand on it. Repeat until you’ve removed as much of the spot as possible. Try this link for more at-home spot removers.
If you have an at-home carpet cleaner try using the mixture of white vinegar and water rather than the over the counter cleaning solutions. The vinegar helps fight odor and it doesn’t leave a sticky residue like over the counter products.
To professionally remove pet urine, specific cleaning products are recommended. If you have your carpet cleaned without treating the pets stains, the problem areas may smell even worse following the cleaning. Here’s why – over time, the urine deposits dry up and the odor subsides. BUT the urine is still there. When the pet stained areas are hit with high-temperature steam the odor can come back significantly stronger. Basically, the moisture and heat from the steam cleaning is re-activating all the urine at once. If you’re having issues with pet stains or pet odors, be cautious of a carpet cleaner who does not specialize in cleaning pet stains. Pet odor removal – when done properly – can be very effective in removing urine and odor.
Not so long ago, the best way to remove pet odor was to pull up the carpet, replace the pad, seal the sub-floor and then clean the carpet! Thankfully, technology has come a long way in the cleaning industry. Much of the time, surface treatments can now give you amazing results when cleaning pet stains. Look for a carpet cleaner who stays on top of the latest cleaning advances in pet odor removal and can offer you a variety of treatment options. The Better Business Bureau is always a good resource for a quality carpet cleaning company.