subject: Pet Stains-Do They Ruin Carpet For Good? [print this page] As a carpet and rug cleaning business professional,a great percentage of the jobs my company does are initiated by a nasty pet stain, and/or pet odor. Although it often turns out that the entire house was due for a cleaning, it's the occurrence of pet stain or stains that really gets the customer to call us.
They can be vomit, urine or feces, and sometimes blood. Invariably, clients obviously hope that our professional services can remove these stains and odors. I have some tips on what to do if your wall-to wall carpet gets a pet stain, and also some information on professional services to correct this.
It is important to understand what happens when a dog pees on the carpet. It has three layers: the face, which is the soft fabric that you walk on, and your family comes into direct contact with (this is why regular hot-water carpet cleaning is important, to keep the face of the carpet sanitary). The face can be nylon, polyester, polypropylene (Olefin), or wool.
On the other side is the backing, which is really two layers, the primary and secondary backing. This is usually a mesh construction of polypropylenes. Soft-back carpets have a soft layer of polypropylene fabric placed over the back of the carpet.
Under the carpet is your padding, and under the pad is the subflooring, either wood or concrete.
All of this gets soaked when a pet pees on the floor, depending on the amount of liquid involved in the accident. Carpet cleaning equipment does not access the areas under the face. Therefore, normal professional services may not get rid of pet stains and odors. Further repairs and restoration services may be needed from your professional.
First, some tips about what to initially do in case of a pet stain:
You need to blot spills with a white cotton terry towel. However, if the spot is already dry, first gently scrape the spot with a spoon, then vacuum it.
Mix one cup of warm water with a few drops of liquid dish detergent (not the automatic kind). Get a white, cotton terry towel and moisten a corner with the detergent mixture. Next, blot the stain with the towel, then use a dry towel to blot again. Repeat if necessary. If cleaning wool, use Woolite instead of dish detergent. Do not use "Oxyclean" or bleach.
If it is a pet stain, you should mix the detergent mixture 50/50 with an enzyme-based pet deodorizer from a pet store. I recommend "Nature's Miracle." If this doesn't get it, you might try your "Cadillac" vacuum cleaner with the hot water carpet cleaning feature, but don't over-wet your carpet and if it isn't workinggive up. And, don't over-mix your carpet detergent!
If you see discoloration or smell odors after 24 hours, call a professional. I recommend the iicrc referral website. As stated above, ordinary professional cleaning services may not solve the problems associated with these kinds of damage. A good carpet cleaner will test the carpet backing and pad to determine if the urine, vomit, or whatever, had penetrated through the different layers, into your pad and subflooring. There are ways to correct the problem. However, sometimes the problem can only be improved, and replacement is then necessary.
