The Ultimate Guide for Pets and Carpets/Rugs: Cleaning Pet Odors and Stains for a Healthy Home

Have you ever noticed that pet odors coming from carpet, rugs, and upholstery in a home tend to be more noticeable when the home isn’t yours? You may become nose blind to certain odors in your home because you’re around them so often. But once you’re in another environment, it’s almost like those smells double in intensity, right? Well, bottom line is, we don’t want anyone thinking this way about your home, so let’s chat about the best ways to remove different kinds of pet odors. We’ll also cover the proper ways to get out certain pet related stains, the best carpet for pets, and how to prevent future damage.

How to remove dog odor from carpet?

One of the most common questions we get from customers is “How do I get rid of dog smell?” If you’re looking to do this on your own, here’s a quick solution you can try at home:

• Make an odor neutralizing spray that consists of 1 tbs. of white vinegar with two cups of water. It’s best to use a spray bottle that has a fine mist, and make sure to shake well before using. Spritz the air, your carpet, and any water safe upholstery that you have.
• The correct way to treat pet odors is by sanitizing the carpet with an all-natural product. The ingredients used to make professional carpet sanitizing products will lower the bacterial activity so the odor will lessen and become undetectable.

How do you get pet urine stains and odors out of carpet?

Option #1: Enzymatic Cleaner

• Blot up the contaminated spot as much as possible.
• Saturate the spot with an enzymatic stain and odor remover by applying liberally to the area. The enzyme based product will break down bacteria building up and neutralize the odors coming from your carpet.
• Use paper towels soak up about 80% of the enzymatic stain and odor remover leaving the carpet and pad damp but not soaking wet. Let sit for 48 hours and vacuum when dry.
• Sprinkle baking soda over the clean area to absorb any possible leftover moisture.
• If there is still a persistent smell coming from your carpet, repeat steps 2 and 3.

Option #2: Vinegar & Baking Soda

• Blot up the contaminated area as much as possible with a paper towel or white rag.
• Mix together 2 parts white vinegar and 2 parts water.
• Sprinkle baking soda over the spot and spray the solution on top of the area. The area should fizz – this means the solution is actively eating away at the stain/odor.
• Let the solution sit for a few minutes, then blot up the area thoroughly by pressing down on the spot until you get all the moisture out. Do not rub the stain, just press firmly and let dry.

Option #3: Stain blocking Primers

This method is only recommended for homes that are newer and very clean. If you’ve had a stain for years that still smells, your next move would be consulting with a professional.

• Pull up the carpet and padding where the old stain is located to reach the subflooring and make sure it’s free of mold. If there is mold, please consult a professional.
• Vacuum the subflooring to make sure it’s free of any dirt or debris.
• Apply a generous layer of your oil-based stain blocker and let it dry completely.
• Replace the padding under the carpet and apply a new patch of carpet to the area. You can also clean the old stain with an enzymatic cleaner beforehand if you don’t want to replace the affected area with a patch. You just have to make sure it is completely dry before pulling up the carpet to apply the stain blocker.

Option #4: Professional Service

DIY methods or store bought cleaners only reach the surface. Contact a professional like Ayoub Carpet Service® for older stains that go under the surface!

• A neutralizer and an odor counteractant will be poured onto the stain to breakdown the alkaline salts and encapsulate the odor molecules.
• A WATER CLAW Sub Surface Spot Lifter will be placed on top of the stain which will extract as much urine out of your carpet as possible.
• After this step is performed, they should apply a sanitizing and deodorizing treatment which will kill any bacteria and help with the odor.
• Lastly, the carpet is treated for normal cleaning.

How do I get dog poop stain out of carpet?

Solid Poop

• Pick up feces with a bag or paper towel.
• Spray the area with a disinfecting spray and blot dry with paper towel or white rag.
• Run over the area with a vacuum to remove any tiny particles.

Diarrhea

1. Place a large bowl over the contaminated area and wait for it to dry. Once it dries, it will be easier to clean up and won’t smudge around, making it worse. The bowl will help minimize the odor.
2. Remove any excess waste you can by scooping with whatever works better for you. We suggest a paper towel, a shovel, a bag, or by hand with latex gloves on. Try your best not to push the stain deeper into the carpet.
3. Use a fork to scrape up any remaining dried feces. Be careful not to damage any of your carpet fibers by pulling them up.
4. Run over the area with a vacuum to get up the lingering particles left in your carpet.
5. Create a vinegar/water solution and pour it over the area. Blot up the excess liquid with a paper towel.
6. Add more of the vinegar solution to the area if the stain is still noticeable and continue blotting.
7. Sprinkle baking soda over the area to help remove the odor. Let the baking soda sit for at least 2-3 hours.
8. Vacuum the area once again.
9. Lastly, spritz a disinfecting spray. Ex: Lysol (to kill any remaining bacteria)

If all else fails, give us a call. We offer a “Pet Treatment” that we can apply to your carpet while we clean it. It includes a professional grade sanitizing and deodorizing product that will kill any bacteria in your carpet and help control the odor as well.

How to remove pet hair from carpet?

Baking Soda

1. Dust a thin layer of baking soda over your carpet and let it sit for a couple of minutes. This will allow the hairs to loosen up from the carpet.
2. Vacuum your carpet as you normally would. The baking soda will also act as a deodorizer for your carpet.

Rubber Gloves

The glove method is ideal for smaller patches of carpet or rugs and are great for getting into corners and hard to reach areas.

• Put on a rubber glove. You want to make sure it’s a thicker and sturdy glove used for cleaning. The ones with more texture are best for picking up pet hair.
• Scrape your rug or carpet using your hand and start collecting the fur.
• Dispose of the hair and go over the area with a vacuum for any lingering hairs.

Fabric Softener

• Mix 3 parts water to 1 part fabric softener into a spray bottle.
• Lightly mist the area you want to clean. Make sure not to overspray your carpet.
• Let the softener solution sit on the carpet for a few minutes.
• Vacuum the hair off the carpet. The fabric softener solution should help loosen up the hairs in the carpet, making it easier for you to vacuum.

Squeegee

• Scrape your carpet with the squeegee until you’ve gathered all the pet hair into a pile.
• Easily remove the pile of hair with your hand and vacuum any leftover hairs. This is a very simple method, but can time some time cleaning your carpet if you live in a bigger home.

Rubber Broom

1. Pull the broom toward you in a sweeping motion. Your goal is to get the bristles deep into the carpet by using short & firm strokes. The rubber bristles create a magnetic pull that gets hairs out of hard to reach areas. Repeat this step until you’ve gone through the entire carpet. You want to sweep toward one direction as the fur begins to pile.
2. Collect the fur with a dustpan and throw away in the trash.
3. Rinse away any excess fur on the rubber broom and store for next use. This method is very simple, easy and you won’t run the risk damaging your carpets or your pet’s health with toxic chemicals.

The following procedure is what you can expect from a professional carpet cleaning company:

Because cat urine contains more ammonia than dog urine, enzymatic cleaners are necessary in order to break down the uric acid in their urine.

• First, they’ll groom and vacuum the carpet to make sure as much animal hair is removed from the carpet as possible. A vigorous back and forth motion should be used to ensure effective vacuuming.
• Then, a sanitizing product will be sprayed and groomed in to your carpet to kill the germs and bacteria that’s causing the hair to decay upon contact.
• After the sanitizer has had time to dwell, a traffic lane cleaner, also known as pre-conditioner, is sprayed to break up general dirt and soils.
• Next, the carpet should be cleaned using hot water extraction in order to remove the dirt within the carpet fibers as well. During this process, the carpet is also thoroughly rinsed out, removing all factors that caused the pet odor.

What are the best carpets and rugs for pet owners?

PetProtect by StainMaster –

• Built-in stain resistance that won’t wash off and permanent color that won’t fade.
• The fibers are engineered to permanently resist potential spills from absorbing if cleaned up quickly.
• The manufacturer recommends that you install the carpet with the same brand of carpet cushion. This is because if an accident or stain isn’t discovered until later on, the cushion offers a breathable moisture barrier which helps prevent the spill from penetrating your padding and subfloor. (This allows for a much more thorough cleaning of your carpet and reduces lingering odors too.)
• PetProtect is designed to reduce the attraction between pet hair and carpet which allows it to be easily removed with a normal vacuum.

Smartstrand Forever Clean by Mohawk –

• Offers an All Pet Protection warranty which covers all domestic pets and all types of stains and accidents for a lifetime.
• Built in spill and soil shield for quick and easy cleanups and advertises as having 0% moisture absorption fibers.
• The stain shield works by ultra-fine nanoparticles bonding together on a molecular level to encapsulate the fibers to create a complete spill and soil shield.

Ayoub Carpet Service® offers these two types of carpets, along with a bunch more! We have two beautiful flooring showrooms in Chantilly and Falls Church, VA. Come stop by, we’d be happy to help you out.

How to prevent and fix pet damage to carpets and rugs?

Since Oriental rugs are often an investment and highly valued by their owners, most rug repairs should be handled by a professional. We understand that pets sometimes mistake your rugs for chew toys and can create rip, tears, and chew marks on them. Ayoub Carpet Service® has an incredible repair department which can assess your damaged rugs and provide you with options in how we can fix them. We offer new fringing, over-rounding/overcasting, surging, new backing, binding, reweaving, and a whole lot more! Give us a call, we’d be happy to help you out.