Dealing with Pet Odors
November 16, 2009 by Kathy Zengolewicz
Filed under Cleaning, General Housekeeping and Homemaking, Pets and Animals
Keeping your home and carpets fresh when you have a pet is a big job. I have had a cat and a dog for many years who are house trained, but there are times when one or both of them will have an accident on the floor. Of course, it is usually on the floor that is carpeted, not the tiled floor. Here are a few tips for getting and keeping your home free from pet odors and stains.
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It is not a good idea to use a commercial cleaner since most of them contain chemicals that can be harmful to pets and humans. Some of those chemicals contain ammonia or vinegar and those odors will probably encourage your pet to return to the same spot. Use a regular carpet soap on the area. Bissell makes a carpet shampoo especially for pet stained or soiled carpets. Whatever you do, do not use a steam cleaner. The heat from a steam cleaner will set the odor and stain into any carpet that has man made fibers.
Animals have an excellent sense of smell and since pets mark their spots they may seek out the same area again and again. If your pet has an accident here is what you can do. The best way to soak up the urine is with newspaper. After soaking up any excess urine, clean the area thoroughly. You will have to neutralize the odor with baking soda. Let the carpet dry for about an hour and sprinkle the stain with baking soda, let it sit overnight and vacuum it up.
Once the area is clean, you may want to check out any pet odor neutralizing products available in your local pet supply store and treat the area with a neutralizer. If you get the scent out of the carpet, chances are your pet won’t be attracted to that area.
Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!
