We love our pets. They are our joy, our friends and our companions. We accept their faults because of their extensive virtues and we wouldn’t want to live on this planet without them.
Unfortunately, one of their faults affects our overall comfort and happiness in our homes in a negative way. Sometimes pets have accidents indoors. Sometimes they get sick on the carpet. Often, their hair gets everywhere. Removing pet odor from carpet can be challenging, but it’s a challenge we are willing to accept and endure.
Pet messes can result in our homes smelling not-so-nice. That can be detrimental to our happiness – even though it certainly won’t affect the love we have for our pets. Learning how to get their odors out of our carpets will help us to return our homes to the sanctuary we want it to be, while still letting our pets be pets.
Removing Pet Urine
If you catch your pet in the act of peeing on your carpet or come upon a wet spot soon afterward, there are steps you can take to get it cleaned up before the odor begins to set. Move fast and you will have much success.
Dried pet urine will require a different approach, but don’t worry – not all is lost. You can still rescue carpets that have been dirty for a long time if you practice the right methods.
1. Removing Wet Pet Urine
Wet spots need to be cleaned up right away. First, use paper towels to cover the spot and then put a towel or rag on top of it. If the accident is on a small area carpet or throw rug, lift it up and put a towel under it, too. Blot, don’t rub.
After you have dried the spot to the best of your ability, use cool water to rinse and then use fresh, clean towels to dry the spot. Once dry, vacuum the spot. Sprinkle baking soda on the spot and let it sit for twenty minutes, and then vacuum it again.
2. Cleaning Up Dried Pet Urine
If your house smells like pet urine but you can’t seem to find a puddle anywhere, chances are that there are some old stains in your carpet you may have missed and cannot see. These have dried up over time and now are almost invisible to the eye, but not to the nose. Follow your nose to locate them.
To clean dry accidents properly, you will need a wet vacuum. As a pet owner, you will want to purchase one of these, but if you cannot, you can also rent them from grocery stores, hardware stores, and other locations.
Once you have found the source location of the odor, use your wet vacuum to saturate the area. Use the suction function to suck up the dirty water that remains. Then, use a store-bought pet-odor neutralizer and follow the product instructions. There are many of these products on the market, so read reviews to find one that will be most effective.
3. If All Else Fails, Call a Professional
If you have tried both of the above to remove pet urine odors from your carpet but you can still smell them, it may be time to call a professional cleaner to come to your home. These people are experts in pet odor removal and have machines and skills that you do not possess.
Professional carpet cleaners are wonderful at evaluating a situation and at knowing how to proceed. These people clean carpets every day and they know all the tricks and solutions.
Other Pet Odor Removal
In addition to urine smells, your dog or cat may produce other stinky aromas that you also wish to remove from your carpets. Urine is not the only offender. Dirt, sweat, and pet hair can also leave odors that make your home uncomfortable for you and any guests that stop by.
4. Vacuum Frequently
The best way to keep these odors at bay is to vacuum on a regular basis. Vacuuming more than once a week can make an already unpleasant chore even more of a pain, but it will make all the difference in the world when it comes to pet odors.
5. Baking Soda is Your New Best Friend
Of course, your dog or cat will always be your very best friend, but baking soda will always be there for you, too. Removing dog or cat odor from carpet, furniture, and bedding will be much easier with a box of this all-natural substance in your hand.
Before you vacuum, sprinkle baking soda on your carpet and let it sit and do its magic for about twenty minutes or so, just as you would when attempting to clean up dog urine. Then, vacuum as normal. Your home will smell fresh and clean.
Depending on how much your pet sheds, for best results, plan to vacuum at least two or more times per week, and apply the baking soda treatment weekly. This will result in a gigantic improvement when it comes to unpleasant smells in your home.
Removing Pet Odor from Carpet is Possible
When you walk in the door of your home and everything smells bad, you may feel defeated and may even consider turning around and going back to work. No one wants to feel that way in their own home, especially when a happy pet is there to greet you.
However, now that you know removing pet odor from carpet is possible, you can return each day to a happy, fresh and clean home instead. Getting rid of pet odor can be challenging, but it is not impossible. Apply these methods to your home and you can get back to being comfortable there.
If you are looking for a professional carpet cleaner in the Greensboro or Winston Salem area, we are here to help. Our cleaners are well trained in stain and odor removal and will use hypoallergenic, chemical-free, non-toxic, eco-friendly products on your carpets to help you remove tough stains.
