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What Every Pet Owner Should Know About Stains and Odor Treatment

By Fred Terlaak

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 10Jul2009 Word count: 681 Viewed: 291 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Most home owners have a difficult time removing pet urine stains and odors from their carpet. However, cleaning pet urine, pet feces, and pet dander are all part of a day's work for professional carpet cleaners.

To the professionals, pet urine is a common occurrence. Without delving into all its causes, and preventions, let's discuss how pet urine can be treated.

The first and by far the most difficult step of dealing with pet urine, is to identify its location(s). There are several methods to locate where a pet has urinated. Black lights are effective, as well as special sensors that can detect moist or even crystallized (old) urine.

It is sometimes possible to look at the back of the carpet where the urine stains are easy to see. You can also use your nose to locate the urine. It's disgusting, but getting on your hands and knees and putting your nose to the carpet is actually very effective at detecting the urine.

The next step is to treat the urine. If a pet has urinated small quantities in many locations it is sometimes impractical to try to identify each and every location. In these instances it may make sense to treat the entire suspected area with a general topical pet treatment. Professional carpet cleaners typically will use enzyme deodorants or powerful oxidizing agents that digest or destroy odor-causing protein and/or bacteria that are the source of urine odor.

In the event a large dog has - over time - deposited gallons of urine in the same area, more drastic steps may be required. In these severe instances, the carpet and pad may need to be replaced and the floor may need to be cleaned and sealed with a special odor barrier sealer.

It is not unusual for the excessive urine to cause the carpet backing to delaminate requiring the replacement of the carpet. Fortunate it is more common that the carpet and sometimes even the pad can be saved by a professional cleaner.

After applying any number of odor and/or stain specific products that soak the affected area to counteract the urine, a professional cleaner can use a commercial extraction machine that is able to flush suspended and/or dissolved residues from the carpet to leave it residue and odor-free.

Because pet urine and pet dander react with water, the odor may be worse after the carpet has been cleaned. It is therefore important to let your carpet cleaner know that a pet was present - otherwise you may be in for a rude surprise after the cleaner leaves your home.

Renters frequently attempt to withhold the presence of a pet from their landlords to avoid having to pay an extra cleaning deposit. What they don't realize is that even if the pet has not urinated or defecated on the carpet, the pet dander and sometimes the pet hair will expose the presence of the pet. In that instance, it is a good practice to treat the carpet with a general topical pet treatment.

Over the last several years, a few new industrial products have been developed that work on contact to neutralize pet odors. These products have taken much of the guesswork out of dealing with pet odor problems. Unlike enzymes, which may take several days to "digest" bacteria, with these newer products, odors disappear on contact with odor causing proteins or bacteria.

Once the urine odor causing residue has been treated, what remains is the chemical after effects or the urine stain. These stains have to be removed through chemical action - a process that may require several hours to allow the original color to return your carpet.

So what can you do if your pet has an accident?

- Blot up the urine and remove any feces as soon as possible.

- Do not apply anything beyond water on the carpet. Applying any other product may change the chemical composition and may make it more difficult for a professional cleaner to restore the affected area.

- Call a professional cleaner who performs pet treatments.

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