Did Fido or Kitty leave you a present again? Or did you find an old surprise when moving furniture? Regardless of when the job was done, you can restore your carpet to its former freshness. All you need is quality cleaning and a little effort.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Cleaning fresh stains
Step 1. Put on the lotion
Damp or paper towels placed and covered with a heavy weight can quickly absorb fresh puddles. Soak a towel with cold water, place them over the stain, covering it completely, and place something heavy on top. The moisture will help absorb the urine while the weight pushes the towels into the mat. Leave them on for at least 10 minutes.
- If you want to use books for soaking, cover the towels with cellophane or aluminum foil first to prevent the paper from getting wet and absorbing the smell of urine.
- If the area is damp for more than 10 minutes, the opposite will be absorbed into the carpet backing. The wash should be 50% wider than the stain, so use more towels, more water, and heavier weight.
Step 2. Re-moisturize the area
After you have removed the lotion, pour cold water over the area again. Start watering around the perimeter of the spot, slowly moving towards the center. (This will prevent the urine from spreading into an even larger stain.) Let the water soak in the stain for a minute.
Step 3. Spray an enzymatic cleanser on the area
An enzymatic detergent will help break down the proteins left behind from the urine, thereby eliminating odor and discouraging any urge from the animal to urinate in the same area.
- Most enzymatic cleaners should be left in a damp area for several hours.
- If you are cleaning a woolen rug, make sure the cleaner is safe for the woolen.
Step 4. Put on one more lotion
Repeat the same procedure with the lotion and spray with an enzymatic detergent.
Step 5. Put on the lotion overnight
When you remove it in the morning, the stain and odor will be completely gone.
Step 6. Wash or determine the fate of the towels
Since the towels have absorbed the animal urine, it is important that your pet does not "do" it again.
- If you've used paper towels, tie them up in trash bags and dispose of them as soon as possible. And the animal won't get to them.
- If you've used regular towels, quickly put them in the washing machine and wash in hot water.
Step 7. Set up steam cleaning (optional)
If an enzymatic cleaner hasn't completely removed the stain, rent a steam cleaner or hire a professional; ask if there is a substance in the rental that needs to be added to eliminate animal urine. Fresh stains are much easier to remove, so make your decision quickly.
There are several reasons why you might need a professional for severe blemishes. First, there is a large amount of concentrated alkaline salts in the urine. Secondly, bacteria that feed on the waste contained in urine give off a pungent odor. Third, if you have a regular home rug with a primary nylon pile backing and a secondary latex backing, then cleaning will be a little more difficult. If the carpet is woolen, silk or viscose, then the problem is in its color instability. Alkaline salts can create very high pH levels (10 - 10, 4) and destabilize the colorant by forming drips. Professional cleaning by someone who knows how to prevent and correct paint drips will do the job best
Method 2 of 3: Removing Old Stains
Step 1. Buy a decent size UV or "fluorescent black" lamp
Look for a long lamp (preferably longer than 30 cm) that you can use to illuminate a large area at once. You can find cheap bulbs in a case at most hardware stores. Although pet stores also have these, they are often small in size, and they are more expensive. In addition, these lamps can be purchased online for a reasonable price depending on how long you have to wait, living with an eerie smell.
Step 2. Search at night or in pitch darkness
Animal urine is very difficult to find, especially if it is old, so use your search skills to the fullest by taking advantage of the dark. Either wait until nightfall, or darken the room as much as possible.
Step 3. Use sweeping movements and gradually move away from the place that usually stinks
The animal urine you are looking for should be yellow or greenish in color. You might be surprised if you find spots in other places than the one you thought you were. Check not only the gender, because cats are very resourceful! Check out these sites:
- Bookshelves
- Furniture
- Textile decorations
- Ventilation holes
- Objects with "holes" such as portable heaters
- Clothes the cat may have access to
- Other places the cat can squeeze into
- Any other areas that you suspect - if you see them, they may be the source of the odor.
Step 4. Take a look at these examples to see what to look for
The first image shows what a stained carpet looks like in normal lighting. In the second picture, you can see what the fresh spots look like under a fluorescent black lamp. The third image shows that old urine stains are less noticeable than fresh ones under a fluorescent black lamp.
Step 5. Clean the carpet when you find stains
If possible, clean the carpet as soon as you find stains. You can mark the dirty areas using duct tape and then wash them off.
Step 6. Try a poultice
This method will not completely remove the stain, but it will work for a start.
- Moisten the area with cold distilled water. Water in small batches, working from the outside towards the center of the spot.
- Spray an enzymatic cleaner on a damp area. Leave the substance on for a few hours following the instructions until the problem is resolved. If you have a woolen rug, use a product that is designed for wool.
- Dampen plain or paper towels with cold water and cover the area with them.
- Place something heavy on top.
- Leave the poultice on overnight. By removing it in the morning, you can assess whether even more drastic cleaning measures are needed.
Step 7. Rent a steam cleaner or hire a professional (optional)
This appliance produces steam that is hot enough to disinfect the carpet, after which the carpet can be vacuumed again. On the other hand, if the area is large or heavily soiled, hire a professional to deal with the problem.
- First, try cleaning your carpet without detergent. If you are unable to remove the stain, ask the rental shop for their advice and try to use a minimum of detergent.
- Steam cleaners can ruin the wool, such as shrinking a wool sweater due to hot water. If you don't want to ruin your wool rug, hire a professional.
Step 8. Use oxidation (optional)
Instead of using a steam cleaner, oxidation can be used to remove old stains. Oxygen-releasing substances are very effective in eliminating odor. You can make this solution yourself at home.
- Never use oxidizing agents on woolen or silk carpets. This treatment is only suitable for synthetic fabrics.
- Do some trial testing on the part of the carpet that is out of sight, and make sure that the solution will not spoil its color.
- Mix ½ teaspoon with 950 ml of distilled water.
- Blot the area and let the solution soak into the carpet for 10 minutes.
- Use a professional vacuum cleaner or steam cleaner (as described above) to remove the solution.
- You may need to use oxidation several times to remove the stain. Let the carpet dry completely between treatments.
- Do not use Oxygen Cleaners. They form hydrogen peroxide, which contains more oxygen, which makes them last longer than chlorine, which can damage your carpet.
Method 3 of 3: Using a dry or washing vacuum cleaner
Step 1. Pour some cold water over the stain. 2 Immediately clean it up with a conventional vacuum cleaner or a cleaning vacuum cleaner. 3 Repeat twice or for old stains as many times as necessary to remove the stain
- For stubborn stains, add a little salt to the water.
- Never add soap - residues on the carpet will attract dirt.
- Use plenty of water.
Step 4. Don't wait for the water to settle; after each use, immediately (within a couple of seconds) suck it up with a vacuum cleaner
This technique works much faster and better than any other, even better than calling a professional.
Advice
- Patience is gold. It is better to do something several times, letting the carpet dry in between, than to try to do everything at once.
- Clean an area that is slightly wider than the stain itself. As you can see in the diagram below, urine can stick into the carpet at a wider diameter.
- Household chemicals will not help get rid of stains and odors. Purchase an enzymatic cleaner made specifically for this purpose.
- Follow the directions on the package labels of the enzyme products. Test carpet for color fastness before using any oxidation and deodorization.
- Buy an aerosol repellent if your pet continues to urinate in the same area. There are many remedies for different breeds of dogs and cats. Find one that suits your daily needs (for example, is it safe for children in the house) and won't ruin your carpet.
- Some animals hate the smell of vinegar, even when it's dry. The vinegar masks the smell, so add a few drops to the affected area and it will scare the animal away the next time.