As a pet owner you undoubtedly love your furry friend/s to the end of the Earth and back, right? And, if you’ve ever visited us at Brightaire’s headquarters you’ll have met our hairy office companions. Just like yours, our pets are important members of the family and we can’t imagine life without them underfoot. But life with pets doesn’t always go smoothly, and when there’s an accident left on the floor it’s important to deal with it promptly. It’s well known that dog or cat wee can leave stubborn stains and lingering odours that will require effort to remove from your carpets, so best tackled as soon as you can.
Pet urine stains pose unique challenges due to their complex chemical composition, and it’s this which makes them deep-penetrating. Unlike regular food and drink spills, dog urine contains strong chemicals and proteins that can permanently bond with carpet fibres if not treated properly.
That awfully sharp and distinct smell comes from uric acid crystals that form as the urine dries. These crystals then remain dormant in your carpet until they’re reactivated by moisture, which explains why old pet urine stains can suddenly smell worse on humid days.
When your pet has an accident and their urine seeps into the carpeting, it doesn’t just affect the surface fibres. The liquid (and therefore the nasty smell) can penetrate multiple layers:
– Carpet fibers
– Carpet padding
– Subfloor materials
This is what makes dog urine particularly challenging to eliminate completely, as standard surface cleaning often fails to reach the lower layers where the stain has probably well and truly settled in.
Beyond the (very) unpleasant odour, untreated pet urine stains can
– Attract bacteria growth
– Trigger allergic reactions
– Create an unhealthy indoor environment
– Lead to respiratory issues in sensitive individuals
Even if you are looking to clean up the area yourself, it’s important to remember that pet urine stains require specialised treatment.
When you discover a fresh pet wee on your carpet, jumping into immediate action is crucial. The sooner you address the issue, the better chance you have of preventing permanent stains and lingering odours.
You’ll want to remove as much of the moisture as possible before applying any cleaning solutions.
Creating your own cleaning solutions is a cost-effective and efficient way tackling dog urine stains, especially if you are toilet training a puppy and expecting a few accidents. The following DIY methods use common household items that are safe for both your pets and carpets.
Want to use something with a bit more grunt? Choose an enzymatic cleaner as these are specifically designed to break down the proteins in pet urine that cause stubborn stains and lingering odours. The natural enzymes in these cleaners set them aside from more generic solutions in that they digest and eliminate organic matter at a molecular level and destroy the odour-causing bacteria instead of merely masking the smell temporarily.
When you’re out shopping for an enzymatic cleaner, choose one specifically formulated for pet stains as it will be a specialised formula that’s effective and safe for your carpets and pets.
If you’ve found an older, set-in dog urine stain it’s going to require a more aggressive approach than fresh stains. Having been there longer, it’s most likely had time to penetrate deep into carpet fibres and padding, making it particularly challenging to remove.
Locating sneaky, smelly pet stains can be tricky, especially when they’ve dried and become invisible to the naked eye. A UV flashlight is your secret weapon here, making urine stains glow in the dark, revealing every spot you need to treat. You’ll need to wait until night or make the room dark to reveal the urine spots which will appear as bright fluorescent patches. You might even want to do this after cleaning up a fresh mess as it would reveal any spots you may have missed.
We have specialised expertise and industrial-grade equipment to tackle stubborn pet urine stains and odours effectively. Our technicians use advanced extraction methods and professional-grade cleaning solutions that will penetrate deep into your carpet fibres to draw out the mess (and smell).
And after deodorising the area, we’ll do a final inspection to ensure your carpets are clean and fresh!
Ultimately, the key to removing pesky dog urine stains and odours from carpet likes in lies in using the right cleaning techniques and products. And whether you’re dealing with a fresh accident or have spotted a hidden one that’s now set-in, there’s likely to be a solution that can take care of it.
If you’ve been bothered by pet smells or stains, call us and we’ll ensure that the job is done thoroughly and effectively, giving you peace of mind and a fresher home!
