There’s nothing more frustrating than coming home from your pet’s first outing to find that their urine has ruined your favorite rug or that it smells so bad in the car you can’t bear to use it again. Not only is the smell of your pet’s urine unpleasant, but it can also cause carpets and rugs to lose their fluffiness, which can make them appear duller and look older over time. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to get rid of the odor and get the carpet back to its optimal condition as soon as possible. From neutralizing the urine odor with commercial products to removing dirt and stains with homemade alternatives, we’ll walk you through how to clean a pet's pee-soaked carpet and keep odors at bay for good.
How To Neutralize The Urine Odor
It’s important to quickly neutralize a pet's urine. The longer the urine sits on your carpet, the more likely it will smell and damage your carpet. You can use several methods to do this, but one of the easiest is to place a wet towel or rag over each spot that smells like pee and leave it there for about 20 minutes. If you live with multiple pets, you can also place these rags in different areas of the house while they're still damp. Another option is to mix hydrogen peroxide with water and spray both the stain and surrounding area with it. This will help break down the chemical structure of the urine so that it doesn't smell as strong. While these two methods are effective for neutralizing pet urine, they aren't guaranteed to reset your carpet back to its original state. Instead, try using vinegar as a quick fix for dog or cat accidents on carpets and rugs. Vinegar will act as an odor absorber because it has a pungent acidity that settles into any lingering odor from pet accidents. Just make sure you dilute vinegar in water before applying it so that there isn't too much of a vaporization effect when dryer sheets are used after treatment.
Clean Sticky Residue
Cleaning sticky residue from a pet's urine can be tricky, but it's also very important. There are many commercial products that claim to remove the sticky residue from your carpet, but you need to know how to remove this gross-looking substance without harming your carpet in any way. If you use detergent, be sure to follow the label directions carefully; if you need help with this step, call in a professional.
Remove Dirt And Stains
The first step in getting rid of the smell of a pet's urine is removing any excess dirt or stains that may have come from the accident. For this, you can use a commercial product like an enzyme-based cleaner. These cleaners are made with natural ingredients and neutralize the urine odor by breaking down proteins and enzymatic compounds. To use these products, simply pour them onto the carpet, give it a quick scrub and let it sit for five minutes before vacuuming it up. Another method for cleaning your pet's pee-soaked carpet is using a homemade solution like vinegar, salt and lemon juice. The three ingredients work to remove stains and odor on carpets when mixed together and applied as a paste on the stained area, letting it sit for at least 30 minutes before rinsing with clean water. This solution also works well if you want to keep your pet out of an area where they've soiled the floor in order to prevent further pee accidents. For tougher cases that don’t respond well to commercial cleaners or homemade solutions, try using an enzyme-based cleaner made specifically for pets like SpotShot Pet Urine Remover. It helps get rid of stubborn odors from old stains from pets who frequent your home often.
Deep-Clean For Odor Protection
Before you start tearing up your carpet to clean it, make sure you've taken steps to protect your investment. If the damaged area is accessible, use a commercial enzyme cleaner on the urine-soaked area for odor and stain protection. Alternatively, if the urine stain is too deep and not easily accessible, spray a baking soda and vinegar solution directly onto the urine spot in an attempt to neutralize the smell.
Use a commercial enzymatic cleaner to remove stains
Commercial enzymatic cleaners are a great option for getting rid of the odor and urine stains on carpets. These products work by breaking down and digesting the proteins in animal urine so that it doesn’t have time to give off its odor. You can buy enzymatic cleaners at most big box stores, or you can make your own with ingredients you may already have around the house. Check out this easy recipe for making your own enzymy cleaner! The best part about using enzymatic cleaners is that they really don’t take much time. In fact, commercial enzymatic cleaners take just 60 seconds on average to cleanse a carpet. With these products, you’ll be able to get your pet’s mess out of sight and smell right away, but we recommend testing them out first before cleaning rugs with them in case they stain your rug.
Wrapping it Up
1. Cleaning the Carpet
Before you attempt to clean the carpet, make sure to remove any loose rugs or throw them away. Next, get down on your hands and knees and scrub the area with an odor neutralizer in a circular motion. Make sure to completely cover the area of the carpet that has been soaked by using a brush or sponge with warm water.
2, Deodorizing
Once the odor has been neutralized, spray some room-safe deodorizer onto your vacuum cleaner bag and let it sit for 15 minutes to release any remaining urine odors before vacuuming up any excess liquid. This should also be done immediately after your pet goes outside so as not to attract more pets into peeing on your carpet again.
3, Removing Pee Stains
If you notice stains from your pet's last visit, use a solution of dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and white vinegar in equal parts to clean those stains off of your rug or rug pad and then lay it out to dry over night before vacuuming up the mess again. It may take several rounds of cleaning for all the stains gone but you should end up with a fresh smelling bathroom rug!