Follow our tips to make wee stains and smells disappear like magic
We love our pets dearly.
They’re part of the family.
But the truth is if you’re the nominated pet urine cleaner in your home, you might start to question exactly how unconditional your love for your pup, kitten, dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, or ferret might be.
When you stare into those puppy dog eyes and decide to take a puppy or an older dog home, you don’t think these adorable faces have another side. And that side is a weeing and poohing machine.
And if you’ve got a tom cat, you know there’s no word to describe the foul smell their urine gives off.
Even the most innocent of creatures, the bashful bunny, can urinate on your floors, lounges, and soft furnishings.
The stains and aroma that any pet bestows on your household are not welcome.
They probably clash with your décor choices.
And you need to burn 101 candles or diffuse copious amounts of essential oils (some of which can be harmful to the little fur balls) to make breathing bearable.
But never fear. We’re here to bring back the love and make getting rid of stinky poop and wee as tolerable as possible.
There’s hope
If you’ve tried endless off-the-shelf products to get rid of all traces of your pets’ nastier side, you know that a lot of them don’t work.
Professional carpet cleaners can often eliminate pet stains and odours. But let’s face it. It gets expensive to call in the pros every time your pet decides to use your floor as its personal toilet.
Sure, there’s training. With patience and the proper methods, you can teach your animals to go outside and leave their little gifts for nature to look after. But that takes time. In some cases, it can feel like eternal damnation to the pits of pet defecation.
So, what do you do in the meantime?
You follow our step-by-step process for cleaning up after your animals’ little accidents.
Step 1 – Act quickly
How swiftly your act when your darling pet wees on the carpet in your home will determine how successful you’ll be in eliminating damage.
Yes, damage.
Be aware that when a pet wees on the top of your carpet, the carpet’s fibres act as wicks, pulling the wee to the bottom of the flooring where it spreads out and can be impossible to remove. What you’re seeing is only the tip of the iceberg.
So, get your ninja skills on and take action straight away.
You’ll need some paper towels or other types of absorbent cloth.
Place the towels over the affected area and apply pressure. You don’t have to use your bare hands to do this. We’d suggest putting on some gloves or using your foot if you have shoes on.
Repeat this step, swapping out the swabbing materials until you’ve soaked up as much as possible.
Note: Be careful. If you use coloured serviettes or other coloured materials, that colour may transfer onto your carpet – especially if your carpet is a light shade like cream or beige.
Step 2 Option A – Use a proven cleaner
If you use the wrong cleaning agent, for example, a cleaner with hydrogen peroxide, you can set off a chemical reaction that makes the problem worse. This is because your pet’s urine is made up of chemicals that can fizz and foam if treated with the wrong cleaning product.
We recommend speaking to a professional carpet cleaner or your flooring supplier about what products will work on your carpet.
In our experience, enzymatic cleaners work best.
Why?
Because the enzymes in these cleaners break down the chemicals causing putrid smells and nasty stains.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions precisely. Generally, you will need to spray the cleaner onto the affected area, leave it to sit for a certain amount of time, blot away the moisture and vacuum to finish off.
Step 2 Option B – Use a natural, homemade cleaning agent
Many homeowners prefer to use all-natural products as an alternative to products that might have harsh chemicals in them.
If this is you, the good news is that you can make an effective pet urine cleaner with products you already have in the pantry.
If you search online, there are a lot of different recipes and procedures.
Spoiler alert, most of them involve water, vinegar, and baking soda.
It would be wise to patch test the natural cleaning solution on an inconspicuous area of your carpet in case it strips the colour from your flooring or causes any damage. We’d also suggest asking your flooring expert about the cleaner you intend to use.
Here’s one we found on YouTube that not only tells you how to clean up pet wee naturally but also tells you what not to do. Because doing the wrong thing can make the problem worse:
Natural pet urine procedures and what you should never do.
What about old stains?
We always suggest cleaning up messes immediately, but if you come across the crime scene later, there are still steps you can take.
And they’re remarkably similar to the ones we’ve already discussed. In fact, they’re exactly the same.
But, be prepared to repeat the process several times if the urine has been left for a long time.
If you have no success, it might be time to call in a professional carpet cleaner.
You could even invest in a domestic carpet cleaning machine if you have a repeat offender.
Worst case scenario, you may have to replace a patch or section of your carpet.
Everybody wees so be kind
It can be infuriating when our precious pets wee on our carpets or furniture.
Just remember, if they’re doing this, it’s probably because they don’t know any better.
Instead of getting angry and punishing them, toilet training them is a good idea. And if you can’t get your adorable fur-baby to see sense, there are many trainers out there who would be happy to help you.
Explore our blog page for more handy cleaning tips and tales.