Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Clean new stains
• Method 2 of 3: Clean old stains
• Method 3 of 3: Using other means
• Tips

Has your dog or cat left you another surprise? Or have you perhaps found an old surprise while rearranging your furniture? Regardless of when the stain has been made, you can happily restore your carpet or surface back to its former glory. You just need some knowledge about cleaning and you have to roll up your sleeves. Just because you have a pet doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your beautiful home. In this article, you can learn how to clean new and old stains and use home remedies to keep your home clean.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Clean new stains

1. Absorb the moisture. Use several layers of wet towels or paper towels to quickly soak up new puddles of urine. Place heavy objects on the cloths. Run the cloths under cold water and then wring them out so that they are damp but not dripping. Place the cloths completely over the stain and place heavy objects on top, such as tins of food, shoes, or a book. The moisture will help absorb the urine into the cloths, while the weight presses the cloths into the carpet. Leave the cloths like that for at least 10 minutes.
   • If you plan to place heavy books on top of the towels, put a layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil on top of the wet towels first. This way you prevent the books from getting wet and stains on the paper.
   • Fold a bath towel twice and cover the urine stripe. Sit on the towel and dab the urine in the towel by walking over the dirty area. Repeat as needed to soak up all of the liquid. While the urine is pulling up from the carpet, use your folded towels or fold it only once.
   • If the area has been wet for more than 10 minutes, the urine has probably been absorbed into the carpet underlay. Place the cloths on an area of ​​the carpet that is 50% larger than the visible stain. Also use more cloths, more water and heavier objects.
2. Wet the area again with water. After lifting the towel, pour a small amount of cold water back onto the area. Start pouring just outside the stain outline and then slowly move towards the center of the stain. This will prevent the water from spreading the urine stain even further over the carpet. Let the water soak into the stain for about a minute.
3. Spray an enzymatic cleaner on the area. These effective cleaners are non-toxic and break down stains down to the basics, removing the chemical compounds that cause odors and stains. Using an enzymatic cleaner is the best way to break down the proteins that come from the urine. This will remove the urine smell and your pet will no longer have the urge to urinate in the same place again.
   • You can buy an enzymatic cleaner at most pet stores, or you can make your own using clean water, brown sugar, and orange peel.
   • Most enzymatic cleaners should be left in a wet area for several hours. Some resources may need to be used differently. So make sure you read the directions on the packaging. If you want to clean a wool carpet, first see if you can safely use the cleaner on it.
4. Lay out another towel and soak up the detergent. After soaking the area with an enzymatic cleaner, use the same method as before to soak up the cleaner. Place a clean towel over the area to absorb the enzymatic cleaner and thoroughly clean the area. Place a heavy object on top of the towel and leave it there.
5. Leave the towel on overnight. When you remove the towel in the morning, the visible stain and urine odor should be gone.
6. Clean or dispose of the towels. Since the towels you used to soak up the urine smell faintly like your pet, it is important to prevent your pet from re-marking them. "Help your pet resist the temptation by throwing the towel away."
   • If you used paper towels to clean, put them in a trash bag and seal it. Dispose of the garbage bag as soon as possible so your pet doesn't try to pee over it or take the paper towels out of the bin.
   • If you used cloth cloths, put them in the washing machine right away and wash them at a high temperature to clean them thoroughly. Do this if you don't want to throw them away. Wash the towels twice to make sure the odor is gone.
   • Large amounts of concentrated alkaline salts and strong odors from bacteria that feed on the waste products from urine can require professional cleaning. Alkaline salts can create an environment with a very high pH (10 - 10.4) and make normally stable dyes unstable, causing the colors to bleed. This is very difficult to tackle without steam cleaning and a special cleaning agent.

Method 2 of 3: Clean old stains

1. Look for old stains. By relying on the scent, you may have a rough idea of ​​where old stains might be. If you think there may be old stains in a particular area, examine the area using sweeping movements and gradually moving away from the generally smelly area. The urine you are looking for should be yellow or greenish in color. Try to search in the following places:
   • Bookshelves
   • Furniture
   • Fabric decorations
   • Indoor ventilation openings
   • Objects that appear to have "holes", such as portable indoor electric heaters.
   • Clothing that your cat or dog can access
   • Other small areas your cat can squeeze into
2. Consider using UV light for a more thorough search. If you want to be thorough, buy a portable UV lamp or black light lamp. Look for an elongated lamp so that you can examine a larger area at a time. Preferably choose a lamp that is longer than 30 centimeters. You can buy cheap lamps including housing at most hardware stores. Pet stores also sell these lamps, but they are usually smaller and more expensive. You can also buy the lamps for a reasonable price on the internet, depending on how long you have to wait and can live with the scent in the house.
3. Search at night or when it is completely dark. Pet urine can be difficult to see, especially when it is old urine. So get the most out of your search by making use of the dark. Wait until evening or make the room as dark as possible.
4. Mark any stain you find. If you are on the warpath to find all the spots, make sure you don't get carried away and forget where all the spots are. Bring a roll of blue painter's tape with you as you search and mark each area that needs cleaning with a small strip of blue tape. When you've found all the stains you want to clean, come back with your cleaning supplies and find the stains easily.
5. To start, try an enzymatic cleaner. Wet the area with cold distilled water by pouring a small amount around the stain. First pour just outside the outline of the stain and then slowly move towards the center of the stain. Spray an enzymatic cleaner on the wet area and let it soak overnight. If your carpeting is made of wool, first see if you can safely use the cleaner on it.
6. Wet paper towels or cloths with cold water and place them over the stain. Place or place a heavy object on top of the wet cloths and leave it overnight. When you remove the cloths in the morning, you can determine whether you need to take further far-reaching measures.
7. Clean old stains with a steam cleaner. A rented steam cleaner can produce steam that is hot enough to disinfect the carpet, after which you can soak up the water again. If the stain is particularly large or the carpet is discolored, you can hire a professional cleaning company.
8. Try cleaning the stain without detergent first. If you find that this is not enough to remove the stain, ask the rental company employees what they recommend. Also use as little cleaning agent as possible.
   • Wool can be damaged by a steam cleaner, just as a wool sweater shrinks when you wash it in hot water. If the stain is on a wool rug that you don't want to damage, seriously consider hiring a professional cleaning company.
9. Use an oxidizing agent if necessary. An alternative to using a steam cleaner to clean an old stain is to use an oxidizing agent. Oxygen-releasing products are effective at removing odors and you can make your own at home.
   • Mix 1/2 teaspoon of bleach with 950 milliliters of distilled water. Test the mixture on a small, inconspicuous area of ​​the carpet. Make sure the color is not affected. Then soak the stain and let the mixture soak into the carpet for at least 10 minutes.
   • Use a wet vacuum or a towel (as described above) to soak up the mixture. You may have to treat the floor covering with the oxidant several times to remove a stain. Let the carpet dry completely between treatments.
   • Use this method never with wool or silk floor coverings. This treatment is only suitable for synthetic fibers.

Method 3 of 3: Using other means

1. Try the vacuum cleaner method. Pour some cold water on the stain and immediately vacuum it up with a wet and dry vacuum cleaner. Repeat this at least twice or as needed to remove the discoloration. Do not let the water soak into the carpet. Soak it up immediately (within seconds) after pouring it onto the carpet.
   • Add a little salt to the water for stubborn stains, but never use soap. The soap scum that remains in the carpet will attract dirt.
2. Use baking soda and vinegar. Spray the area with vinegar, then sprinkle enough baking soda over it to cover the stain with a thin layer. Cover the stain with a towel for 24 hours, then rinse thoroughly with cold water. This mixture should soak up the urine and clean the area thoroughly and inexpensively.
3. Use hydrogen peroxide and dish soap. Start by covering the stain with a thin layer of baking soda. Then mix about a cup of hydrogen peroxide with a tablespoon of dish soap in a spray bottle. Shake the spray bottle gently to mix the substances. Then soak the baking soda and stain completely with the mixture. Use an old toothbrush or your fingers to gently massage the mixture into the carpet, then let the mixture sit until it dries. Vacuum the mess and rinse the area again with cold water.
   • Hydrogen peroxide can damage some types of floor covering. It is therefore important that you test this mixture in an inconspicuous place to be sure that it will not cause irreparable damage to the floor covering.
4. Avoid ammonia. Ammonia is a very alkaline substance and should never be used to clean pet urine stains. It will leave a sticky residue in the carpet and damage the fibers of the carpet, attracting dirt and grime. Since ammonia contains the same uric acids and salts as urine, pets will be attracted to the same spot. These substances make it very tempting for your pet to mark the spot again. So never use ammonia on pet urine stains.
5. Replace the padding underneath. For stubborn stains that you suspect have penetrated the carpet into the padding, replacing the padding itself will help. Pull up the carpet, cut a piece of the padding and take it to a hardware store to find padding of equal thickness. Cut out the dirty padding and replace it with a piece of the new padding.

Tips

• It is important to remain patient. It is better to perform your chosen cleaning method a few times and let the carpet dry in between than trying to do everything at once.
• Some pets dislike the smell of vinegar even after it has dried. Vinegar can also help mask odors so you don't smell them yourself. Pouring a few drops onto the affected area can prevent your pet from re-marking the area.
• Buy repellant if your pet continues to urinate in the same area. A variety of sprays are available for different types of pets, such as dogs and cats. Find one that suits your household needs (such as one that's safe to use in households with children) and won't damage the type of floor covering you have.
• Follow the directions on the enzymatic cleaning product packaging. Always test for color fastness before using an oxidant.
• Avoid products such as Vanish Oxi Action. These products create hydrogen peroxide, contain more oxygen and remain in your carpet longer than chlorine, which can cause damage.
• Household cleaning products generally cannot remove urine stains and odors. Purchase an enzymatic cleaner specially formulated for this task.
• Clean an area slightly larger than the actual stain. As you can see from the diagram below, the urine can move into a larger area in the carpet underlay.