How to Eliminate Pet Stains From Carpets

Pet accidents require prompt action in order to prevent staining and discolorations from developing on your carpet. Over time the stain can develop an offensive odor if it is left untreated. Pet urine that dries on carpeting crystallizes over time forming salts that become trapped between the carpet and the padding underneath. These salts attract moisture from the air, causing a strong ammonia-like odor. To eliminate the discoloration and odors that are associated with pet urine, it is important to use a cleaner on your carpet that can breakdown the salts.

Things You'll Need

• Paper towels
• Cold water
• Spray bottle
• White vinegar

Instructions

1. Soak up the pet stain as soon as possible. If you begin to soak up the pet stain as soon as it happens, you may be able to get it before it gets to the floor underneath the carpet. Grab the paper towels and begin dabbing the pet stain.

2. Keep blotting the carpet until no more urine is absorbed by the paper towel. It is important to remove as much pet urine as you can before moving on to the next step. This will help reduce the chances that there will be an odor problem later.

3. Fill a clean spray bottle with cold water. Saturate the stained area with the cold water and blot the area again with paper towels until the spot no longer feels damp.

4. Pour a small amount of white vinegar over the stain. The amount that you will need will depend on the size of the pet stain. Enough should be used to saturate the area--as you did with the cold water. Allow the white vinegar to penetrate the stain for approximately an hour and then blot with paper towels again.

5. Continue blotting with the paper towels until there is no more liquid being absorbed. If your pet urinates on the carpet again, follow the same elimination method.

Tips & Warnings

• If your pet has urinated on your carpet, and the stain has already begun to set, you may want to consider using a wet/dry vacuum to extract the stain, followed by the above instructions.

• If the odor from a set pet stain persists, even after the elimination process has been followed, you may want to consider using an organic enzyme to remove the odor.

• Pet stains that have been present for an extended period of time may require lifting of the carpet, so that the padding can be replaced. This is especially true if the padding has also been saturated by the pet urine. Before laying down a new piece of padding, clean the floor thoroughly with the white vinegar.

• Never scrub a urine stain out of your carpet. The scrubbing action can destroy the carpet fibers and force the stain further down into the padding and the floor resting underneath it.

• Test the hydrogen peroxide on your carpet in a hidden area, prior to using it. Hydrogen peroxide can stain some carpets.

References

• White Vinegar
• Organic Enzyme

Resources

• Bissell