Interesting Facts about Pet Urine
We all love our pets, some as much as our kids. Accidents can happen but when it does, it’s important to act quickly.
Professional carpet technicians are trained for these sorts of incidents. Following the right procedure can be very effective.
Hide And Seek!
Unfortunately, urine stains are not always obvious, especially on dark carpets, and you can’t remove what you can’t find…right?
But by using ultraviolet light, dried urine crystals are easy to see. Look below, amazing right!
Urine crystals are dull in colour and will appear as pea-soup green or brownish-yellow.
We were recently called out by an estate agent to carry out a report on a tenant’s carpets. As shown in the picture, the UV light was showing up moderate pet urine.
Upside Down Mushroom
Keep in mind that if the urine stain looks to be rather small, it’s likely 10 times bigger underneath, it’s what I call pooling.
If not treated, pet urine can seep through into the backing and down to the floor beneath and it can delaminate a carpet and can cause rotting of jute backing.
First aid treatment – The answer?
It’s extremely important to clean up pet urine as soon as it happens. Why? Pet urine, whilst drying, turn high alkaline thus dying the carpet fibres.
Bleach, for example, is highly alkaline, so a quick response can mean stain-free carpets.
Be prepared
Using Supermarket bought stain removal products are literally NO GOOD, they simply do not work. Any skilled carpet technician will tell you that.
Using these branded stain removal products can set a stain and may potentially damage your carpet fibres.
There is an alternative first aid treatment that is gentler on your carpet fibres and very effective on pet urine.
It’s recommended by the National Carpet Cleaners Association to have the following items and solutions to hand for dealing with urine as soon as possible:
Clean white absorbent cloth or towel.
Detergent solution – One teaspoonful of gentle detergent for washing woollens, to half a pint (0.3 litres) of warm water.
Detergent vinegar solution – Add one teaspoonful of white (not malt) vinegar to the Detergent Solution.
Follow the procedure below can be a great benefit to pet owners.
Blot up surplus using the white cloth or towel.
Use Detergent Vinegar Solution, a little at a time.
Work from the outer edge of the stain inwards.
Frequently blot with dry cloths. See below for final rinse procedure.
Final Rinse Procedure
Mix one part white vinegar and four parts water.
Pour mixture into a spray bottle and spray over the stained area.
Blot dampened area (do not rub) to remove excess moisture.
Spread white kitchen towel (stacked 6-8 sheets deep) or absorbent cloth over the affected area and place a weight, such as a telephone directory, on top.
Leave overnight and repeat if necessary.
Following all the above is key, however, first aid treatment isn’t enough. Specialised treatment solution, rinse and extraction are required. A professional carpet cleaner will offer the perfect solution to your pet problem.
Choose Carefully
It’s important to choose the right carpet cleaning company you can trust.
Ask as many questions as you can about their training and background. There are many untrained carpet cleaners around.
A highly skilled carpet cleaner will treat the pet urine using a unique professional pet safe cleaning solution.
It’s an amazing method that kills the bacteria and deodorises the ammonia smell.
The great thing about this cleaning solution is, it continues working for 24hrs afterwards ensuring an effective and lasting result.
So, is the problem cured?
On occasions, a second treatment may be required, usually, if the carpet has moderate staining.
In the unlikely event, that a carpet has been heavily stained with pet urine, having them professionally cleaned is unlikely to cure the problem.
Reason being, the urine would have seeped down to the backing and to the floor beneath.
In this case, replacing the underlay and cleaning the floor beneath is the best option.
If you may not know the severity of your pet problem, call out a professional carpet cleaner and they will pre-inspect the carpets and advise you on the best option.
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