Pet Odor-Eliminating Tips You Need to Know

Pet Odor-Eliminating Tips You Need to Know by National Carpet Care

Are Your Carpets Clean?

Did you know that your carpet could be 4,000 times dirtier than your toilet? A carpet can hold up to four times its weight in dirt, and if you have kids or pets, you know that carpets get dirty pretty quickly. Especially for pet owners, the odors trapped in the carpet can get pretty extreme if you don’t professionally clean your carpets at least every year or year and a half. But what about the time in between professional cleanings?

Tips for Eliminating Pet Odor in the House

1. Keep your pets clean. Wipe your dogs’ feet after they’ve been outside, to keep those muddy little paws from bringing dirt and bacteria into your home. Bathe your pets regularly, too, to keep their natural odors from becoming too pungent, and keep dirt and dander out of your carpets and furnishings. Wash their beds and personal items, too, getting rid of the dander, saliva, dirt, hair, and whatever else is making your pet’s bedding smell, well, like your pet. If something can’t be washed by hand or in your washer, try mixing baking soda and white vinegar and spraying this mixture onto the non-machine washable items to remove odors.
2. Clean your house consistently. Vacuum regularly, using a vacuum with a HEPA-certified filter. These vacuums will remove up to 99.97 percent of bacteria and allergens from your home, and they do a great job of getting rid of pet dander, dirt, and hair in your carpets and rugs. You can vacuum your hard floors, too, but you may find it more effective to sweep them with a broom, to pick up all the dust, dirt, pet hair, and unwanted particles your family and pets leave behind. Mop them after sweeping, to sanitize them, mopping high-traffic areas at least once weekly.
3. Steam cleans the carpets. We know, we said to have them professionally cleaned every 12 to 18 months. However, in between that professional deep cleans, it doesn’t hurt to use a steam cleaner every few months to freshen your carpets. When you steam clean, you pull out dirt, debris, pet stains, and even pet urine you might not have known was in your carpet from some past misadventure.
4. Tackle pet stains with an enzymatic cleaner. Urine smells are nearly impossible to eliminate, but enzymatic cleaners do a pretty good job of eliminating pet odor and stains. These cleaners use non-pathogenic bacteria to create enzymes that break down the molecules that cause odor. Once you have blotted up excess urine, spray the enzymatic cleaner over the area, allowing it to soak in for several minutes before blotting it up. If the stain has been there a while, you may need to do this several times. Once you’ve cleaned the stain, put down a towel and stand on it, to absorb all of the moisture and prevent the stain from setting. If the enzymatic cleaner doesn’t work, you have two options- call for professional cleaning or replace the carpet and padding.
5. Embrace DIY cleaners, too. Baking soda makes a great carpet refresher if you sprinkle it over the carpet and vacuum. Mix it with vinegar, and you have a solution ideal for scrubbing out tough stains. You can also spray vinegar, mixed with water, directly onto the carpet and let it sit before blotting it up, this can help with odors. Mixing hydrogen peroxide with water and lemon juice is another way to make an effective cleaner. In fact, citrus and hydrogen peroxide creates an enzymatic cleaner.
6. Invest in an air purifier. Air purifiers work by pulling dust, dirt, and debris from the air in your home, so they really help with pet odors. If you don’t have pets, a regular air purifier may be sufficient, but if you are a pet owner, look for one that’s designed to get rid of odor-causing pet matter, and equipped with a HEPA filter.
7. Believe in the power of fresh air and sunshine. Sometimes, sunlight and fresh air can work wonders. If your house is feeling stuffy and smelly, opening the windows can bring in a cleansing breeze. If you have an area rug that won’t come clean, despite repeated attempts at pet odor removal, taking it outside for some sunlight and fresh air can often remove the odors trapped within its fibers.

Professional Cleaners Are the Most Effective Option

Of course, all of these tips are great, but we have to circle back to our original point: hire a professional carpet cleaner. Even if you use the very best cleaning techniques, if you don’t get to a pet stain in the first few moments after it happened, your attempts at eliminating pet odor from the carpet are likely to be futile. That is because the urine will have soaked all the way into the carpet’s padding, and no among of scrubbing is going to result in pet odor removal. Fortunately, professional pet odor removal services have tools and cleaning products not available to the general public.

Trust the Leaders in Carpet Care

If you are looking for someone to provide pet odor removal from the carpet in your home, look no further. Orlando’s leading carpet, upholstery, tile, and grout cleaning company, National Carpet Care Inc enjoys a reputation that is second to none. Having served Orlando and the Central Florida Area since 1984, we have cleaned more than 1.5 million homes and are committed to providing the most outstanding service experience possible. Our trained technicians are ready to handle any job, large or small, in a courteous, professional manner. Licensed, bonded, and insured, we provide same-day service, specializing in carpet cleaning, furniture cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, carpet repair, area rug cleaning, and pet urine, stain, and odor removal. We even provide emergency service, 24 hours a day, so you are not stuck with a catastrophe, trying to manage it on your own. For more information about our services or to schedule an appointment, call (512) 461-4836 or contact us through our website.