Pet Urine Odour and Stain Removal.

Pets are a wonderful addition to any family.  They add so much love and joy to your life, however they can also add some pretty strange smells and mess!  The hair, the foot prints, the puppy training accidents, are all part and parcel of pet ownership.  It can be quite challenging to own a pet and keep your home clean and fresh.  We have designed this guide to help our customers with pet urine odour and stain removal.  We hope that it helps keep  your homes clean, hygienic and pet friendly.

When stains first occur

• Blot up liquid with a paper towel and remove as much moisture as possible.  You could even try a wet/dry Vacuum cleaner if you have one. Only blot – do not rub the carpet as this will damage the carpet fibres.  Do not apply pressure (such as standing on a cloth placed over the stain) as this will push the moisture down into the underlay.  The idea is to draw the moisture up, not push in further down into the backing. Pet urine odour issues are less likely if the urine is only on the carpet surface and not in the carpet backing or underlay
• For solids such as vomit or faeces, remove as much as the solid material as you can.  Gently scrape it off the carpet with a butter knife or spatula.
• Once the urine or other matter has been removed, we recommend calling a professional carpet cleaner for advice on stain and odour removal.  What you do next is important – usually the best results are obtained, when the customer has not tried to remove the stain themselves. Also when we have been called to attend the stain in the first few days.  Acid from urine and vomit can cause carpet bleaching if left in contact with the fibres for an extended period of time. Bleaching is not reversible by carpet cleaning, as the acid strips the dye from the fibres leaving light coloured patches.  The only way to remedy bleaching is to either replace the carpet or re dye the damaged area.

Professional Pet Urine Odour and Stain Treatment

Our pet urine odour and stain removal treatment process, begins when you call us for help.  We will usually ask you about the type of stain, how long it has been there, what (if anything) you have applied to the stain to try and remove it and what type of animal caused the stain.  We may even ask you to send us a photo so we can determine the severity of the stain and if there has been any bleaching.

What you can do before we arrive

• remove as much liquid or solid matter as you can
• ensure the area around the stain is clear and small or breakable items of furniture or  rugs have been moved away
• Vacuum the area, especially if you have put Bi Carb Soda over the stain
• Make arrangements for your pet to spend the day in the back yard or elsewhere if they are scared by loud noise and/or strangers
• Make sure there is parking for our van either in the driveway or on the street

Pre Inspection

Once we arrive on site, we will inspect the stains and discuss treatment, cost and best outcome expectations with you.  Sometimes stains are not always visible, so we do carry a black light to pin point areas which are causing odour, but not necessarily showing a stain.

Essential Oil Pre Treatment

Essential oils are the first step in our pet urine odour and stain treatment process.  We use 100% natural essential oils known for their anti bacterial and anti viral qualities.  These essential oils neutralise the bacteria which cause odour.  The oils break down the bacteria’s molecular structure, allowing it to be easily flushed out and extracted.  The best part is that these natural essential oils leave your home smelling amazingly clean and fresh with no nasty chemicals!  We recommend opening windows to maximise airflow, this will also speed up drying times.  Please let us know if you have any concerns or sensitivity to essential oils, in which case we can use an enzyme cleaner instead.

Hot Water Extraction – Deep Cleaning

Next we allow the essential oils some dwell time to work their magic on the stains and odour.  Then, we will use either a portable machine or our truck mounted system to flush out the contaminants and bacteria with hot water.  Then we extract them along with the essential oils and water, leaving behind clean carpet and a fresh scent.

Post Spray

Once we finish extracting the stain, we spray the essential oils over the area again. Sometimes small amounts of bacteria are under the carpet, in the backing and underlay.  They can make their way to the surface by a process called “wicking”.  Wicking occurs when carpet is wet and the evapouration process, draws dirt and bacteria up from underneath the carpet.  A post cleaning spray of essential oils will keep working on any small amounts of odour causing bacteria that wick up.

Important after cleaning information

Pet urine odour and stains can be tricky to remove and every situation is different.  There is often no “one method suits all” when it comes to pet stain removal.  Usually we can give you a fair indication of what to expect, once we inspect the carpet. However sometimes you may need more than one visit to get the best results. Below is some post cleaning information and common issues we have come across when cleaning pet stains.

Common Issues

• The most successful pet urine odour and stain removal jobs are those where the stains are reasonably fresh and from a small animal (less out put than a larger animal).  Also when the stains have not been “treated” by over the counter products or home remedies.
• Cat urine often leaves a stronger odour than dog urine due to the amount of ammonia in cat urine. Cats have a highly developed sense of smell. If you do not completely eliminate the odour the first time, they will continue to urinate in the same spot.
• Pet urine which seeps through the carpet surface to the backing and underlay, will dry over time into crystals.  These crystals hold in the odour until they come into contact with moisture. Even air humidity can be enough to release odour from the dried crystals.   Often the odour can become more intense after cleaning.  This is because the moisture reactivates the crystals under the carpet. Please allow 48 hours after cleaning for odour neutralisation. Contact us after this time, if the odour is still present.
• The process outlined above is the first step. In many cases, it will be enough to remove pet stains and odour.  However if the staining is from large animals or several pets, we may need to follow up with more drastic measures.  This usually involves pulling up the carpet, removing the underlay and cleaning the sub floor and carpet backing, installing new underlay, relaying the carpet and steam cleaning.  There are additional costs involved for this process.
• Carpet cleaning cannot remove bleaching. If pet urine has caused bleaching (colour loss) from your carpet, you will need to replace the carpet or have it re dyed.
• Not all pet stains can be removed by one method, it really depends on many factors.  Some of these are; the type of carpet, how long it has been there, they type of stain, the size of the animal, previous treatments, etc.

Contact us on 0403 254 080 for all pet stain related inquiries and bookings.