Do you have a dog who sometimes has accidents in the house? That's certainly a frustrating problem. While you may love your dog dearly, you also don't want your house to smell like dog urine. The problem is easier to deal with on hard-surface floors, like vinyl, tile, and hardwood. You can clean up the mess with paper towels and water, with little risk that the urine will soak in and cause a long-term odor problem. However, it's a different story with carpet. Urine can get to the deepest fibers of the carpet and reside there permanently. Here are four ways you can stop that from happening and get the urine smell out of your house:
1. Act quickly. When your dog has an accident on carpet, time is of the essence. When the urine is wet, you still have time to soak it up. However, once it's dried, it will be deeply ingrained into your carpet's deep fibers. As soon as you notice the accident, place multiple paper towels over the stain and then step on them. Repeat this process as many times as necessary to remove the urine. The more urine you can soak up, the less likely it is that there will be a lingering odor.
2. Use vinegar and water. Vinegar is a great carpet cleaning solution because it removes odor without fading the carpet fibers. Mix a solution of half vinegar and half water. Then apply the solution to the stain and let it soak in. It's important that you give the solution time to soak so it can reach the deepest fibers of your carpet. If you dry the carpet too soon, you could leave urine residue in your carpet. Once you've let the solution soak in, dry it up as much as possible with paper towels. It's likely that your carpet will still be somewhat moist. Come back a few hours later to see if it's totally dry. If so, sprinkle a layer of baking powder over the stain.
3. Use commercial solutions. There is a wide variety of carpet cleaning solutions targeted at pet stains and odor. You can likely find many at your local pet store or hardware store. If vinegar and water doesn't work, you may want to go this route. Just be sure to check that the solution is right for your carpet. Some are better for natural fibers, while others are more effective with synthetic carpets. Find the one that's best for you.
4. Hire a carpet cleaner. If none of the above work, you may need to hire professional carpet cleaning services. They can use intense solutions and equipment to remove the stain and odor. In fact, it's probably not a bad idea to get regular carpet cleanings, just to make sure all deep residue fibers are removed.
Contact a carpet cleaning service in your area like Go Green Carpet Cleaning. They can take a look at the stains and recommend solutions to remove them.
Share4 February 2015
Apartment living can be a trial sometimes. Even the best apartment complexes can have problems, such as noisy neighbors. I experienced this firsthand with my newest neighbors. Between their partying and trashy existence, I was ready to go crazy. Late one night when they were being particularly noisy, I started researching my rights as a tenant. I found out I did not have to live with their inconsiderate behavior. As a public service, I decided to help others through this blog with their neighbor problems. Whether you are dealing with a landlord that will not do any repairs or bad neighbors, I can help.