How to Handle Pet Stains and Odors on Your Carpets and Furniture

The challenge of removing pet urine stains and odor from your carpeting and furniture upholstery is one of the most important tasks for many of our clients. Whether you’ve just moved into a home where pet odors and stains are already present, or if you are a pet owner who has to deal with these challenges daily, this article is for you. We discuss what you can do as a first-aid measure for new "accidents", and when to call us for professional help.

Set-in Stains

As professionals, we understand pet stains and odors. It's a very common problem many of our clients face. When your guests come to visit, the first thing they may notice when they walk in the door is the smell from years of pet accidents that may make the smell of your house not-so-welcoming. Pet urine stains can make a carpet and furniture smell funky after years of buildup.

Pet urine doesn’t just stay at the top of carpet — it soaks into carpet padding and backing and it can even soak into and damage the sub-floor. Sometimes DIY spot-removal isn’t enough. If you’re faced with set-in stains or smells that you can’t get rid of, it may be time to call in a professional.

With state-of-the-art professional equipment, One Of A Kind Pros uses certified urine & odor removal tools and techniques as well as professional-grade solutions that can remove up to 95% of urine and odors from your carpets and upholstery.

Spot cleaning can only get the urine on the surface. In order to truly remove the bacteria and the odors before they cause permanent damage, you will need to call us for some professional help.

What Should You Do When You Discover A Fresh Pet Accident?

As soon as possible, clean up any pet urine that's still wet. If the urine dries, it stains the carpet and increases bacteria growth. Immediately removing wet urine will reduce the lingering urine smells.

• Place a layer of several paper towels over the wet area. Then place several layers of newspaper on the paper towels.
• If possible (like on a rug), place newspaper or paper towels UNDER the affected area, too.
• Apply pressure by gently and firmly pressing on the paper towels so that they absorb as much of the pet pee as possible.
• Repeat if necessary with fresh towels and newspaper.
• Once the stain is soaked up, rinse the area with plain, cool water, and soak up with paper towels (or a wet vac).
• Allow to completely dry, and then vacuum the area thoroughly.

• Mix one part white vinegar with one-part water. (Vinegar will neutralize the ammonia smell, and won’t damage your carpets.)
• Pour the vinegar solution — slowly — on the urine stained part of the carpet. Let the solution reach the lower fibers to neutralize the odor beneath the surface.
• Let the carpet absorb the solution for about 10 minutes.
• Use a layer of paper towels to soak up as much of the liquid as possible.
• Wait until the carpet is almost completely dry.
• Sprinkle a little baking soda on the area to absorb the odor.
• Wait about 15 minutes to allow the baking soda to settle into the carpet fibers.
• Vacuum the area completely.

Following these steps should remove the pet or dog pee smell from the carpet. If not, please call us for professional help.

Blot! — Never rub or scrub your carpet!

Scrubbing can cause urine to submerge deeper in carpet, and the scrubbing action can actually cause permanent damage to carpet fibers.

Important Tip: With any spill, always blot; never rub or scrub abrasively, as a fuzzy area may result. When blotting, work from the outer edge in toward the center of the spot to avoid spreading the spill.

Tips to be prepared for future accidents

• Paper Towels
• Newspaper
• Vinegar
• Baking Soda

We Also Recommend A Couple Other Useful Products:

Wet vac: You can get a 2-1/2 gallon wet vac on Amazon. This small vacuum is easy to store in a closet, and it’s powerful enough to suck up the dirty water. It’s even powerful enough to suck up a lot of solid materials, like pet vomit.

UV Flashlight: This type of black light can actually help you spot hard-to-see pet urine stains on carpets, furniture, rugs, or any type of fabric. You can order it on Amazon for about $15.

Other Useful Ideas:

Obviously, the best way to stop your dog from peeing on your carpet is to train it to urinate outdoors. But even well-trained pets make "mistakes". Be sure to have your "first-aid kit" ready for such accidents.

Tip: Test for colorfastness. Make sure that you test any product or solution that you choose to use on a small, out-of-the-way area of your carpet before applying to visible areas. Some chemicals, even natural ones, can cause some discoloration to carpet fibers.

If you have any concerns about colorfastness or any other possible damage to your carpet, please give us a call at One Of A Kind Pros Carpet Cleaning, and our professionals will be happy to help guide you.

There are commercial repellents and home remedies that can deter your dog from peeing indoors.

These items are available in spray form and contain chemicals or natural compounds that discourage dogs from peeing in a spot. Dogs have extremely sensitive noses.

Mix a few drops of cinnamon, eucalyptus or sour apple essential oil with water and apply near the stain.

Soak cotton balls in vinegar and place near the area you’d like your dog to avoid. If that smell is too powerful for you, mix with lemon or lime juice and spray it on.

Conclusion

At One Of A Kind Pros Carpet Cleaning, we're dedicated to helping you keep your carpets and furniture upholstery in the optimal condition. We will work with you to recommend professional cleanings in order to meet your standards.