They say that dog is man’s best friend and across America, there are plenty of best friends kicking around. In fact, more than 69 million households in the US are home to canine buddies.
A pet can be a lovely addition to any home, however, these creatures can be a nightmare when it comes to cleaning. As well as shedding hair, dogs and cats, in particular, can do serious damage to your carpets if they aren’t toilet-trained.
Knowing how to clean pet stains from a carpet is an absolute must for any homeowner or renter with a pet. Knowing this simple fix could save you thousands in carpet repairs and replacements in the future. So what are you waiting for?
Read on to find out exactly how to clean pet stains from a carpet.
How to Clean Pet Stains From a Carpet: What You Need
Before you start cleaning your carpet, there are a couple of things you will need. These are natural cleaning products that you will probably already have in your home.
You will need:
- A dish or measuring jug
- Water
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- A vacuum cleaner
- Paper towels
- An old toothbrush (if you have one)
You may have already come across carpet cleaning products in your local store. However, if you have a pet it is always a good idea to opt for natural products, as these will use pet-friendly chemicals.
Using this recommended natural remedy can also work better if you have a pet in the house as it doesn’t leave behind a chemical smell. Other cleaning products may encourage your pet to ‘mark their territory’ again with another mess, which is the last thing you want!
Prepping the Carpet
When it comes to how to clean carpet in your home, the first thing you need to do is remove as much of the stain as possible.
You can do this by blotting the carpet with a paper towel. Once your paper towel is soaked either ring it out or get a fresh one. Try not to rub the stain as this can push it further into the carpet.
Getting the stain as dry as possible before cleaning it will help you to remove more of it. However, you shouldn’t leave your carpet to dry out before cleaning it, as this will give the stain chance to bed in.
Mix Together Your Water and Vinegar
To begin with, you need to mix together your water and white vinegar solution. This should be a 50-50 mix of the two. Once you have mixed these together, soak the stain thoroughly in the mix.
This will help to loosen the stain off your carpet. White vinegar is also a key part of how to disinfect pet stains. This neutralizes the ammonia in urine, which contributes to its smell, so it will get rid of odors for you.
If you have a particularly smelly stain in your home, you can use a more concentrated white vinegar solution on it.
Once you have soaked your carpet, it’s time to start scrubbing. Work the solution into your carpet’s fibers to ensure it removes any lingering stains.
Apply the Baking Soda
While your carpet is wet from your scrubbing, apply a little more of your water-vinegar solution and then pour over the baking soda. This should start to fizz when it makes contact with the pet patch.
The baking soda works to lift the stain out of the carpet and removes any lingering smells. For a thorough job, work this into the stain as much as you can. You might want to do this using an old toothbrush to really get into the fibers of your carpet.
Then you need to leave this patch of your carpet until it has dried completely. You might have to wait overnight or even a few days. This depends a lot on how much water-vinegar solution you apply to the patch.
Ideally, try to keep your pet away from this patch while the baking soda is working its magic.
Once the patch has dried out, give the area a good vacuuming. This will clear away any dried baking soda and will leave your carpet looking as good as new!
Top Carpet Cleaning Tips to Improve Your Results
For the most successful clean, keep these home cleaning tips for removing pet stains from carpets in mind.
Act quickly! The longer you leave a stain on your carpet, the more chance it has of soaking into the fibers. Getting on top of a stain quickly really improves your chances of removing it completely.
Don’t use steam cleaners on pet stains. The heat from these devices actually helps to bond pet stains to the fibers of your carpet. This makes it almost impossible to remove the stain (and smell) in the future.
Opt for natural remedies over chemicals. As we’ve mentioned before, natural remedies are better for your pets and reduce the chances of them making another mess.
Always test out this technique on an out-of-sight patch of the carpet first to check it doesn’t discolor it.
Baking soda also works to remove pet odors! Even if you don’t have a stain, you can sprinkle baking soda over carpets, furniture, or your dog’s bedding. Then leave this for at least 15 minutes and vacuum it up to eliminate pet odors from your home!
Keep Your Carpets Stain Free With Natural Remedies Today
Now you know how to clean pet stains from a carpet and, as you can see, it’s easy as anything! The most important thing is to act quickly if your pet makes a mess to minimize damage to your carpet.
For more support staying on top of your home’s cleaning, get in touch today. Our registered professionals are happy to help.
