There are several reasons your pets may urinate on your carpet. Whether a puppy or older dog have weak bladders, or if a dog feels his position in the home is threatened, or if a pet has claimed an area as belonging to it, a pet may find itself returning to the same spot repeatedly. This is because an animal’s urine is comprised of ammonia, and the smell attracts them to repeat the offence in the same spot. This is why it is crucial to avoid using ammonia to clean pet urine from carpet. The smell of any ammonia-based cleaning agent will encourage your pet to use the same area as a potty again.
There are many pet urine stain removers on the market, but most are not effective, or do not neutralize pet urine odours. They are also costly. Steam cleaning the affected area also proves ineffective most times. Hiring a professional carpet cleaning service may be too costly. So what does a pet owner do to cheaply and effectively get rid of pet urine odours and stains in their carpet?
Since pet urine is ammonia-based, the best way to neutralize the odour is to use baking soda on the affected area. Because pet urine can stain, however, it is also important to clean the affected area, not just treat it for the bad odour. Always clean up pet urine as soon as possible to avoid bacterial growth, and possible mould spores. To remove stains and odours, the best bet is to neutralize the ammonia. To do this, simply follow these simple steps.
– Always treat a spot larger than the actual stain, because the urine may soak into the carpet pad n a wider perimeter than what actually stains the top carpet.
– Mix equal parts of water and white vinegar.
– Use a soft bristled brush or your fingers (being sure to wear gloves) to make sure that all of the carpet fibres are saturated.
– Use a wet vacuum or paper towels to dry out most of the moistness in your carpet.
– Sprinkle the damp carpet with baking soda.
– Pour half a cup of three percent hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle.
– Make sure not to use anything stronger than 3%, as this is the highest strength that will not bleach your carpet.
– Add one teaspoon of a dish soap that you use in the sink.
– Do not use detergent that you use in the dishwasher, as the chemicals may be too harsh and may damage your carpet.
– Mix the peroxide and dish soap together, and spray over the affected area generously. Do not use oxygenating products on wool or silk carpets, however, as it can damage them.
– Work the baking soda into the carpet with the peroxide and soap mixture using a soft bristled brush or your fingers (make sure to wear gloves). Use absorbent paper towels to soak up the moisture. A hard bristled brush may be needed to remove the dried baking soda. Vacuum up the debris.
– This process may need to be repeated several times for stubborn stains. Add a sprinkle of salt to the mixture. The abrasiveness of the salt may cause the stain to release from the carpet fibres.
– If the above process did not completely rid your carpet of pet urine odours, buy an enzyme cleaner to help break up the bacteria that cause the odours. Make sure to follow all instructions precisely, and always test on a well-hidden area of carpet first.
Your carpet should now be free of pet urine stains and odours.
Please keep in mind that pet urine is largely comprised of ammonia, so there are some carpet dyes that will become bleached, discoloured, or runny. The above method for removing pet urine smells and stains will not reverse these effects of the chemical reaction between the ammonia in the urine and the carpet dye.
Since pet urine is ammonia-based, avoid using ammonia-based cleansers on the carpet for any reason, as the scent of the ammonia may give your pet the idea that this is where it is supposed to urinate.
As with any other situation, prevention usually beats a cure. To keep your pet from urinating in the house or in areas it should not, try placing a towel moistened with ammonia in areas that your pet is allowed to urinate, such as a litter box or outside the house. This should reduce the number of incidents your pet has on your carpet.
