We love our pets, but we don’t love their messes! Whether it’s due to an illness, old age, or just because, when your cat or dog leaves stains on your carpet, it’s important to clean up after them as quickly as possible. As professional carpet cleaners, we know a thing or two about getting pet stains out of the carpet. Here’s our expert advice on what you need to know.
Take Immediate Action
The first step when it comes to pet stains is to act swiftly. This gives you the best possible chances of getting the stain out of your carpet. (Dealing with an older stain? Skip to the bottom of the post for instructions.)
For solid messes, use a plastic bag to pick them up. With pet feces, there may not be much of a mess left behind after you pick it up. In this case, you can move onto the next step. If you’re dealing with pet vomit, after you’ve picked up everything you can, place a thick layer of paper towels over the stain and blot it. Repeat until the paper towels come up dry, then put another layer of paper towels on the stain and step on it (with shoes on) to soak up any deeply set-in liquid.
Cleaning up urine is a similar process, but you’ll need many more paper towels—or, if you have some rags or old towels you don’t mind tossing in the garbage, use those instead. Wearing disposable gloves, press the towels into the stain to absorb as much of the liquid as possible and when they come up dry, put down another layer of towels and step on it.
Remove the Odor and Stain
Once you’ve removed the mess, it’s time to take care of the stain and odor. If you have pets, we recommend keeping an enzyme cleaner on hand, which breaks down the substances that cause odor and prevent your pet from returning to the area and eliminating there again.
Aside from an enzyme cleaner, you can also use a solution of half white vinegar to half water in an empty spray bottle. Vinegar disinfects, neutralizes the stain, and eliminates most of the odor. No matter what kind of solution you use for the stain, you’ll need to apply a lot of it to ensure it reaches the pad of your carpet. Use a soft-bristled brush to scrub the carpet, then blot it dry.
Get Rid of Stubborn Stains with Professional Cleaning
If you still have a stain after taking these steps, or if you’re dealing with an older mess that has already soaked into the carpet before you had a chance to clean it up, the best course of action is to call a professional carpet cleaner.
At First Class Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning, we specialize in dealing with pet stains. We use professional-grade products and techniques to remove stubborn stains and odors. Deodorizing after a pet stain is critical to keep it from happening again, particularly if you have a cat. Any trace of odor in the spot is a signal to them that they can continue to eliminate in that area; cat urine is extremely destructive to a home, but our skilled technicians can handle even the toughest jobs.
Learn More About Carpet Cleaning in Hudson Valley
To learn more about our pet stain and deodorizing services, contact us today at 845-224-5651 for an estimate.