If you have a toddler, a kitten or a puppy sooner or later you will face the question of how to get pee out of the carpet. Undoubtedly, you know well how difficult it is to keep the house clean, if one of the family members has not yet learned to hold their natural needs.
The Challenges of Cleaning Pet Urine from Carpets
Pet owners' worst nightmares come true when they return home to see a damp puddle created by their pets and they have to clean pee from the carpet. Carpets and rugs, unlike hard flooring like wood and vinyl, can absorb the urine problem, resulting in additional problems, such as odours and stains. The sooner you learn how to remove urine from carpet, the better your chances of avoiding a disaster like this.
Professional Carpet Cleaning vs DIY Methods
Deep cleaning your carpet or area rug is the most effective and least time-consuming way to remove pee from carpet. There will be no trace of the stain or its odour after the work is done by experts. However, due to the relatively high cost of this alternative compared to store-bought cleaning products, few people opt for it.
How to get urine smell out of carpet?
Step 1: Blot the Stain
First, you need to take care of the puddle on your carpet. Blot the stain with a rag or paper towel, but make sure to not apply too much pressure and to not scrub the stain! In other words, do your best to remove the moisture completely. If you did not manage to notice the issue on time and if it has already fully dried, moisten the area with warm water and thoroughly blot to reduce the concentration of the liquid.
Household Remedies for Removing Urine Smell
You must be wondering: how do I get rid of the urine smell and especially how to clean cat pee from carpet, or how to clean carpet from dog pee and poop? Below, we have compiled a list of household remedies on how to successfully do that yourself.
Baking soda
Applying baking soda to the afflicted area of the carpet is one of the most effective ways to remove urine odours and pee on carpet. It is extremely beneficial when it comes to the eradication of odours in particular, since it completely neutralizes them and removes pollution from the environment. Prepare the mixture by combining soda and water. Brush it into the pile, and vacuum it after 10-15 minutes to remove any remaining dust (it is advisable to wash the vacuum cleaner after).
Vinegar
Another way to cope with urine stains is with a mixture of white vinegar and detergent. In a litre of water, add a teaspoon of each component. Treat the area with the solution obtained, and then go over it once more with a sponge only dabbed in clean water. If necessary, repeat several times. This mixture is quite effective and will always be helpful when you wonder: ‘’how do I get pee out of carpet?’’
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Iodine
If you are curious to learn how to clean urine out of dark-coloured carpet, the right way is with a solution of potassium permanganate or iodine. Into a litre of water, add 15-20 drops of iodine or a pinch (on the tip of a teaspoon) of potassium permanganate.
Procedure
- Test the Solution: First, treat an inconspicuous area of the carpet and see if the colour has changed. If everything is normal, proceed to the next step.
- Apply the Solution: Carefully wipe the stain with the solution.
- Rinse: After 10 minutes, wash the area with warm water.
The chemical elements in the composition of the prepared solution do not simply mask the odour but disengage the salts of uric acid with water-soluble compounds. Only after that can they be easily removed with the help of water.
Shampoo
Still wondering how to clean up cat pee from carpet? You can use sophisticated carpet shampoos to clean your carpets. They eliminate offensive odours as well as different contaminants. Most of the time, the shampoo is blended with water before being applied to the carpeting.
Procedure
- Prepare the Shampoo: Blend the shampoo with water according to the product’s instructions.
- Apply and Dry: Apply the solution to the affected area and allow it to absorb and then completely dry.
- Vacuum and Ventilate: Hoover the area thoroughly. If you opt to utilize this strategy to combat urine odours, make sure to ventilate the area well afterward.
The best way to clean urine out of carpet
You can use the following way to get rid of the offensive odour from your carpet. Vinegar should be sprinkled on areas of the carpet that have a strong urine odour to eliminate it. It will dissolve the uric acid crystals that have formed.
Allow the vinegar to dry completely. After that, apply baking soda to the spot on the carpet. Adding soda before the vinegar has had time to dry will result in a quench reaction, which will render all of your efforts worthless.
The following step in removing the pee stain from the carpet is, perhaps, the most critical one to do. Spraying hydrogen peroxide on top of the baking soda, which has been previously diluted with water, is necessary to complete the process (100 ml of peroxide and water). Due to the oxidation reaction that takes place, the thiols that are responsible for the carpet's bad odor will be released together with oxygen and disappear completely.
You should allow the baking soda to remain on the carpet for a few hours before vacuuming the substance up with your machine. There will be no sign of the urine odor left! It is possible to use this approach on all types of carpets.
Check also: The Most Popular Carpet Cleaning Products
How to get dog pee out of carpet
If the smell of dog urine is highly concentrated, first apply baking soda on the carpet, and then treat it with carpet stain remover. If it's a rug, you can simply wash the carpet in the garden using washing powder or other detergents. However, many rugs should not be wet cleaned, so be very mindful on if to use this carpet cleaning method or not.
It is also possible to get special means for removing the smell of urine from local shops for household cleaning products. They can contain harsh chemicals which can cause allergies and skin irritations. Therefore, it is better to fight the unpleasant odour with improvised means that will not harm neither the carpet fibres, nor yourself or your family.
The following tips will help not only to get rid of surprises, but also possibly help to prevent them:
If you have a kitten or a puppy, then be prepared for accidents on the carpet from time to time.
If you think that the smell is chasing you around the flat, contact professional cleaners.
If the cat has left an unpleasant trail, then be prepared for it to return to this place. Handle it carefully. It is possible to get rid of the repeated invasion of the pet with the help of an enzymatic agent.
Do not be discouraged if a four-legged friend goes to the bathroom on the carpet. Unlike cats, dogs are unlikely to urinate at the same spots unless they have no other choice.
A recipe on how to clean carpet from dog pee and poop
In order to remove urine from carpet or even poop, prepare a solution consisting of 12 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon dish detergent, and 1 tablespoon salt. Make use of a sponge or wash cloth to apply this solution to the staining region. Using a dry cloth, blot the area and repeat the process if necessary.
How to clean up cat pee from carpet
Cat urine may have been absorbed into the carpet padding or possibly the subfloor beneath the carpet and padding, if you can still smell it even though the carpet appears to be clean. To become expert on how to clean old cat pee from carpet, start with using a black light to pinpoint the spots on the carpet. You can use an enzyme cleaner to fully soak the affected area and then vacuum it up with a hoover. Call a professional carpet cleaning service if this doesn't work.
If you want to prevent cats from marking around your house, then make the litter box a pleasurable place to eliminate waste. A cat's litter box should provide three things: privacy, cleanliness, and plenty of space.
Privacy: Cats prefer to have privacy when doing their business. Your cat's box should be kept in a quiet, low-traffic place away from noisy fans or washing machines.
Cleanliness: Because a cat's sense of smell is considerably stronger than a human's, it is important to scoop the litter box every day and totally remove the litter and wash the box out with unscented dish soap at least once a week.
Space: Many litter boxes are inadequately sized. Purchase larger litter boxes with flat lids rather than domed ones. Only half of the litter should be used; no more.
In addition, learning how to clean pee out of the carpet is not an easy task to do. Essentially, it's akin to doing a scientific experiment. When it comes to cleaning anything else, you'd intuitively use warm or hot water; however, using hot water on cat urine will simply serve to set and intensify the smell. If you were previously wondering how to clean urine from carpet and neutralize the scent of cat urine in an emergency situation, we hope our tips have been of assistance, and will help you next time when you have to clean pee from carpet.