Pets and carpets - they rhyme, but do they get along well in the same home? With some growing pains and lots of potty training, the answer is yes. Learn all about how to handle your fabric flooring when you have fuzzy friends.

What are the key tips for protecting our carpets from pet stains?

When you have pets, and wall-to-wall carpets, prepare for accidents for the first few weeks or so. The most important thing is to be patient with your animal of choice, it will eventually learn. Having pets can prepare you in some ways for having children, and vice versa.

As for the stains, it's more a matter of response time than anything else. Even if you don't have a bottle of enzyme cleaner in your cupboard, do not panic and try your best anyway. You would be surprised how easy it is to remove any stain if you simply start right away when it happens.

Leaving a pet stain to set in can have potentially disastrous consequences. The longer the stains stay on your carpet fibres, the harder it will be to get rid of them when you get to it. If you wait too long, even professional carpet cleaners with expensive cleaning solutions will be powerless.

Speaking of stains and accidents, trust us, we completely agree that bodily fluid stains are disgusting. If it is your first time encountering this type of issue, you may feel like dry heaving. But you should know that leaving the stain and odour to set is even worse, as they may become permanent. So take a deep breath (in another room), clench your teeth and begin treating the stain.

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How to clean up the mess on the carpet after pets

How do I remove pet stains and odour from the carpet?

Now, how to proceed actually depends on the type of spillage in front of you. There are three types of pet accidents: wet accidents, solid messes, and combined issues. Let's take a look at a list of stuff you should have lying around anyway:

  • paper towels / clean towels or rags which are colour fast
  • refillable spray bottle
  • baking soda
  • white vinegar
  • 3% hydrogen peroxide

For wet messes, such as urine or blood, you will need to blot the accident before you do anything else. Though if it's the latter, you will first need to mend the animal's wounds. Primarily because you care about and love your pet, but also so it doesn't bleed anywhere else.

For solid accidents, such as poop, you need to get rid of the chunks first. Grab a pair of gloves, and either antibacterial wipes or a hard brush and dustpan, and get them out of the fibres. Be very careful while doing so, or you may accidentally push it in deeper, which you should avoid at all costs.

And for mixed issues, like sick, you need to do what we instructed you to do for both solids and liquid ones. Start by removing the firm pieces first, and be gentle while doing so with the tool of your choice. Afterwards, begin blotting the liquids, and once done, apply a stain and odour remover.

Spot cleaning

What is the best way to clean blood out of carpet?

As we have told you in our dedicated article, blood stains are one of the top 5 most difficult to remove from fabric. Therefore, you need to act as soon as possible, before the stain manages to dry out. When it is dry, the hardened blood sticks to the fibres and is very difficult to remove.

The best home remedy to deal with animal blood stains on your carpets is actually very simple. Grab a bunch of paper towels and begin gently blotting the stains, provided they are still damp. Then, sink the edge of a clean cloth into a solution of one part white vinegar and two parts cold water. Dab the stain, let the mixture sit for a few minutes, then blot and rinse it out with cool water, and repeat if needed.

If they happened a few minutes ago, take the necessary measures to keep them damp so you can clean them. You can do this by filling a spray bottle with cold water and lightly spraying the area. Blood, aside from all other issues it causes, has the added penalty of also being quick to dry. Therefore, you need to keep the stain damp, but try not to over wet your carpet in the process.

If the stain was left to dry, don't panic, as not all is lost if you only let it sit for a few hours. To clean it off, you will first need to remoisten it before applying solutions to it. You can use slightly warmer water, but not higher than normal body temperature, to wet the stain. If you use hot water on blood, it will coagulate (harden) and become a permanent stain.

Then, the best way to deal with it is to use a carpet shampoo solution, in spray or foam form. These products are very efficient, as they agitate themselves, meaning you do not need to use a soft brush. For the best results, a handheld extractor or a wet vacuum cleaner should be used to remove the residue.

Removing drink stains from carpet

How do I remove urine out of a carpet?

Urine accidents happen, and you need to be ready for a lot of them when potty training your pets. It's a bit easier with cats, as they more or less realise they need to do it in the litter box. Dogs can be a bit more difficult, but they will get it eventually, just be patient with them.

But being patient alone won't cut it - you also need to be prepared to deal with the stains when they occur. Urine does not dry as quickly as blood, which is a significant upside for cleaning it. However, its own significant downside is the incredibly unpleasant odour, which everyone is quick to notice. Therefore, you need to get rid of it just as hastily as you would a blood stain, or it will annoy you for months.

To clean your carpets from urine stains, you will need a product known as a bio enzymatic cleaner. The enzymes neutralise the ammonia contained in the urine, which greatly helps with removing the stain and smell. If you have one of these products, use it as per label, then blot and rinse away.

A good example of a cleaning solution that deals with urine stains is Prochem's Urine Neutraliser. Our highly trained experts use this product on a daily basis to great effect on pet and human urine stains. Apart from eliminating the smell, if the accident is fresh, it may prevent it from staining the carpet altogether.

What's the best way to clean dog poop off the carpet?

Pet poop stains sometimes happen, more often than not to no fault of the animal itself. Either it's too young and hasn't been properly trained, or it hasn't been taken out for too long. Whatever the case, prepare your nose clamps and thick gloves before you dig into this one.

First, you need to assess whether you're dealing with a solid poo alone, or the stain is diarrhoea. If it's the former, it's definitely somewhat easier to clean off after you scoop the main bits out. If it's the latter, prepare for a gruelling battle of wills with a tough stain.

Start removing the stain by scooping up all the firmer bits, then apply an oxy cleaner to the surface. The oxygen will push the poop out of the fibres, where it can be easier collected. Remember, you want to remove it from the depths, so you don't have to live with the unpleasant smell later.

How do I remove vomit stain and smell from the carpet?

Carpet cleaning

The last pet-related accident is by far the nastiest to have to deal with, in my humble opinion. Occasionally, pets may throw up on your soft textile flooring and leave you in charge of removing it. Now I don't fault the animals, as they either were fed too much, or had a medical problem. If it's the latter, you need to ask someone to take it to the vet while you clean the stain and odour on your fabric floor.

To remove vomit stains, you need to prepare a solution of one part dish soap and four parts water in a spray bottle. Apply it to the stained area, then use a wet hoover to collect it after a few minutes. Afterwards, reapply the solution, and begin using a soft brush on the stain. Once that has been done, rinse it out with cool or lukewarm water and let it air dry.

Can carpet cleaning remove pet stains?

If you cannot bear to clean these issues, or you have too much of a busy day to deal with them, fret not. You can always rely on your local carpet cleaning service providers to remove them for you. Our certified and insured technicians are well equipped to deal with pet stains and smells of any kind. Contact us today to receive a free quote and availability for your carpet cleaning needs!

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