How to Remove Pet Urine from Carpet
Absorb the mess., Re-wet the spot with water., Spray enzyme cleaner over the area., Apply another towel and absorb the cleaner., Allow the towel to sit overnight., Clean or dispose of the towels., Consider steam-cleaning the carpet.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Absorb the mess.
Use wet towels or paper towels, layered and topped by some kind of weight, to quickly absorb fresh puddles.
Run the towels under cool water, then wring them out so they're damp but not dripping.
Place them over the stain completely and put something heavy on top, like cans of food, a pair of shoes, or a book.
The moisture helps soak up the urine, while the weight presses the towels down into the carpet.
Leave it on for at least 10 minutes.
If you use heavy books, put a layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil on top of the wet towels first, to avoid wetting and staining the book.
Fold a bath towel two times and cover the urine spot.
Stand on towel and dab the urine into the towel by walking In place.
When urine is seen on the towel under your shoes pick up the towel and cover the urine with an unsoiled section of the folded towel.
Repeat as necessary to get the liquid up.
As urine comes up from the carpet use unfolded towels or only fold once.
If the spot has been wet longer than 10 minutes, it's probably soaked into the carpet pad.
Make the towel 50% wider than the area of visible stain and use more damp towels and a heavier weight. -
Step 2: Re-wet the spot with water.
After you've lifted the towel, pour a small amount of cold water over the spot again.
Start pouring just outside the perimeter of the stain, slowly moving toward the center.
This will prevent the water from spreading the urine out into an even wider circle.
Allow the water to work through the stain for about a minute., Non-toxic and effective, enzymatic cleaners work by breaking down stains into their basic elements, eliminating the compounds that create smells and stains.
Using an enzymatic cleaner is the best way to help break down the proteins left over from the urine, removing the smell as well as the impulse for the pet to urinate in the same spot again.
You can buy enzymatic cleaner at most pet stores, or you can make your own with clean water, brown sugar, and orange peels.
Most enzymatic cleaners need to be kept on a wet area for several hours.
However, some might use a different process, so be sure to read the instructions on the label.
If you're cleaning wool carpet, make sure the cleaner is wool-safe. , After soaking the spot with cleaning, follow the same procedure as with the first absorbing, and put a fresh towel over the enzymatic cleaner to absorb it and thoroughly cleanse the area.
Weight the towel with a heavy object and leave it alone. , When you pull it up in the morning, the visible stain should be gone, as well as the smell. , Because the towels you used for absorbing the urine will have faint traces of your pet's scent, it's important to keep your pet from marking them again.
Help your pet avoid the temptation by discarding the towel.
If you used paper towels in your poultices, be sure to seal them in a garbage bag and get rid of them as soon as possible, so that your pet doesn't try urinating on them, or digging them out of the garbage.
If you used cloth towels, put them into the washer immediately and run with hot water to clean them thoroughly, if you don't want to discard them completely.
Wash the towels twice to be sure. , If the enzymatic cleaner didn't remove the stain completely, consider renting a steam cleaner or hiring a professional to do the job for you.
Make sure to ask if they have a product to add into their solution designed for pet stains.
Stains are a lot easier to remove when they're fresh, so try to decide quickly if this is what you need to do.
Large volumes of concentrated alkaline salts and strong odors that come from bacteria feeding on the waste products contained in the urine can make professional cleaning necessary.
The alkaline salts can create a very high pH environment (10
-
10.4) and destabilize normally stable dyes that cause bleeding.
This is very difficult to address without steam cleaning and specialized cleaner. -
Step 3: Spray enzyme cleaner over the area.
-
Step 4: Apply another towel and absorb the cleaner.
-
Step 5: Allow the towel to sit overnight.
-
Step 6: Clean or dispose of the towels.
-
Step 7: Consider steam-cleaning the carpet.
Detailed Guide
Use wet towels or paper towels, layered and topped by some kind of weight, to quickly absorb fresh puddles.
Run the towels under cool water, then wring them out so they're damp but not dripping.
Place them over the stain completely and put something heavy on top, like cans of food, a pair of shoes, or a book.
The moisture helps soak up the urine, while the weight presses the towels down into the carpet.
Leave it on for at least 10 minutes.
If you use heavy books, put a layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil on top of the wet towels first, to avoid wetting and staining the book.
Fold a bath towel two times and cover the urine spot.
Stand on towel and dab the urine into the towel by walking In place.
When urine is seen on the towel under your shoes pick up the towel and cover the urine with an unsoiled section of the folded towel.
Repeat as necessary to get the liquid up.
As urine comes up from the carpet use unfolded towels or only fold once.
If the spot has been wet longer than 10 minutes, it's probably soaked into the carpet pad.
Make the towel 50% wider than the area of visible stain and use more damp towels and a heavier weight.
After you've lifted the towel, pour a small amount of cold water over the spot again.
Start pouring just outside the perimeter of the stain, slowly moving toward the center.
This will prevent the water from spreading the urine out into an even wider circle.
Allow the water to work through the stain for about a minute., Non-toxic and effective, enzymatic cleaners work by breaking down stains into their basic elements, eliminating the compounds that create smells and stains.
Using an enzymatic cleaner is the best way to help break down the proteins left over from the urine, removing the smell as well as the impulse for the pet to urinate in the same spot again.
You can buy enzymatic cleaner at most pet stores, or you can make your own with clean water, brown sugar, and orange peels.
Most enzymatic cleaners need to be kept on a wet area for several hours.
However, some might use a different process, so be sure to read the instructions on the label.
If you're cleaning wool carpet, make sure the cleaner is wool-safe. , After soaking the spot with cleaning, follow the same procedure as with the first absorbing, and put a fresh towel over the enzymatic cleaner to absorb it and thoroughly cleanse the area.
Weight the towel with a heavy object and leave it alone. , When you pull it up in the morning, the visible stain should be gone, as well as the smell. , Because the towels you used for absorbing the urine will have faint traces of your pet's scent, it's important to keep your pet from marking them again.
Help your pet avoid the temptation by discarding the towel.
If you used paper towels in your poultices, be sure to seal them in a garbage bag and get rid of them as soon as possible, so that your pet doesn't try urinating on them, or digging them out of the garbage.
If you used cloth towels, put them into the washer immediately and run with hot water to clean them thoroughly, if you don't want to discard them completely.
Wash the towels twice to be sure. , If the enzymatic cleaner didn't remove the stain completely, consider renting a steam cleaner or hiring a professional to do the job for you.
Make sure to ask if they have a product to add into their solution designed for pet stains.
Stains are a lot easier to remove when they're fresh, so try to decide quickly if this is what you need to do.
Large volumes of concentrated alkaline salts and strong odors that come from bacteria feeding on the waste products contained in the urine can make professional cleaning necessary.
The alkaline salts can create a very high pH environment (10
-
10.4) and destabilize normally stable dyes that cause bleeding.
This is very difficult to address without steam cleaning and specialized cleaner.
About the Author
Jose Campbell
A passionate writer with expertise in practical skills topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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