Carpet Tips for Pets

Pet odors and stains are more complex than your typical stain. There are a few factors that go into assessing and properly treating urine and other odors that are in the carpet. I begin with the size of the pet or pets, how many areas that have been affected. How many times has the carpet been urinated on, dwell time, and any furniture that has been marked.

There are several ways to treat affected areas as well. Smaller deposits are saturated with a special chemical called odorcide that goes down into the pad and eliminates the odors. I use a special tool that is designed suck up all the urine and chemical from the pad. On more serious areas, I recommend replacing the pad underneath and cleaning and deodorizing both sides of the carpet. In any case, I recommend that full black light inspection and written estimate to properly evaluate and treat the urine deposits.

Oops, the dog had an accident and the stain and smell refuse all attempts at removal. First try an enzyme product. Pour on enough to saturate to the pad and treat an area twice as large as the stain. Urine hits the pad and spreads. Let it set a couple of hours. You'll find enzyme products at pet stores, RV or marine stores. They are used in the holding tanks to dissolve solid material.

Should that not remove all the stain or odor, baking soda and peroxide remain your best hope. Mix a 30/70 solution of peroxide to water adding 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per cup of mixture. Yes, it bubbles and fizzles, but not before removing the stain and smell. Always test a spot first for colorfastness. Peroxide is bleach and may discolor the carpet. Blot up what you can with an old towel and rinse well with 1/3 cup vinegar per quart of water.

If you see red spots on your carpet where your pet just lost its lunch, switch food to a neutral colored food. The red dye in pet food is the culprit behind those spots. Dogs and cats are colorblind, so they can't tell the difference. Again, use the 30/70 peroxide and water combination for removal.