No matter how well trained your dog is, and how diligently you keep to your potty-break schedule, sometimes pee happens. Whether on the carpet, hardwood floor, or anywhere else, prompt action is the best way to make sure that dog urine won’t leave a lasting impression (and smell). And even if you come upon a dried urine puddle or stain, there are still things you can do to remove the smell.
If left unattended/untreated pet urine spots can cause permanent damage to your carpeted floors and upholstery fabrics. It can also create an unhealthy indoor environment. When urine is first deposited onto the carpet or fabric, it has a pH of about 5 or 6, which is on the acid side of the pH scale. It is easier to remove right away when it is fresh. Once it sets in and it dries, it turns “alkaline” or to a high pH between 10 to12 on the scale; then it becomes more difficult to remove. That warm acid state of the urine offers a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which begin to flourish almost immediately.
In this original acid state the urine begins to oxidize and react with the carpet to create a color change, which will become permanent if not removed immediately.
Some of this color change can be attributed to the strong ammonia that forms as the urine passes through bacterial and chemical change. If left for days or weeks, depending on the floor or fabric type, it will change the dye structure, therefore causing permanent staining. Even if the soluble deposits are removed, the damage to the dye structure may already be done.
As for the smell, there are two sources of odors associated with urine. The first comes from bacteria that grow abundantly in dark warm places with a never-ending food source; this bacteria growth and breakdown of the urine creates amino acids. These complex organic compounds will often work deep into the fibers to a point of becoming part of the fiber. Then this can present a very challenging situation. Those waste materials and gases from the decomposing urine create an unpleasant odor. When dried urine is re-moistened, it gives off an ammonia gas. If smelled once it is seldom forgotten.
Urine also presents additional odor problems when the relative humidity is high. The salts and crystals that are left behind as the urine dries are hydrophilic and draw water to them. Dried urine is often easy to smell in the humid months because the salts attract the moisture, the moisture evaporates putting out a greater proportion of odorous ammonia gas. You must get rid of the urine salts in and under the carpet to get rid of the odor. That’s why cleaning existing urine spots WILL NOT remove any associated odor. In fact, it could INCREASE the odor in the air space for a temporary period of time.
The second source of odor is chemical odor that is present even when the bacteria have been killed. This explains the reason that more than sanitizing is necessary to neutralize odors from urine.
Products to Avoid
Try to stay away from products with high pH such as ammonia, Resolve and Oxygen bleaches. These products will leave the carpet with a residue and in a high pH state, which will enable the carpet to attract dirt like a magnet. In some instances the use of the wrong product can cause the urine stain to be permanent. Please call Wiz Team, Inc. first if you are not sure about a product you may want to try.
How Professionals Remove Odor
Remember, in order to remove the odor, all of the alkaline salt deposits the urine leaves behind must be completely removed. This can be quite extensive and time consuming. In worse cases, all of the following steps will be done. When damage is not severe a few steps can be left out.
- Pull up carpet
- Remove affected pad
- Clean back of carpet
- Treat floor with an enzyme treatment
- Seal floor if needed with an odor barrier
- Treat back of carpet with enzyme treatment
- Install new tack strip
- Install new pad
- Re-install carpet
- Clean carpet
- Topically apply enzyme.
The Best Cleaning Agents For Urine
To all of our clients and pet owners, we recommend to purchase The Bissell Little Green Machine and have it handy.
It isn’t designed to clean an entire room (or house, for that matter) of wall-to-wall carpet, but it can be an effective tool for spot-cleaning spills, and pet messes such as urine spots and muddy paw prints. The Little Green Machine has a neat compact design easy to store and spray and suction function.
Note: In our opinion, do not purchase Spotbot Carpet Cleaner. It is more expensive, yet it is heavier, has a smaller tank, the automatic cleaning function doesn’t do a good job, it can leave the carpet very wet, it can make it look matted, and leaves a round discoloration where the carpet has been cleaned in the automatic mode. The Little Green Machine will do the trick.
As soon as pet accident happens, grab your “little green machine” and utilize it by assembling it, fill the tank with clean water and place it back on the unit, release the flex hose plug it in and turn it on. You’re ready. Main concern is to not allow it to soak into the fabric, so extract it with suction function as much as possible and as fast as possible.
As for the cleaning agents, enzymes are the best cleaning agent for urine, vomit and feces. An enzyme is the only cleaning agent that actually eats up the bad bacteria. For the best results use an enzyme spotter after you have extracted and rinsed the carpet. We recommend Home Pro Spotter. If you run-out please call our office, it can be picked up at our Lake Zurich office. If you are not local – we can ship it to you. You can try Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover, which can be purchased at any of your local pet stores.
Disclaimer: Use any of the recommended products or techniques at your own risk. Always read directions on any spotter before using. Pre-test each spotter in an inconspicuous area before using. Use these techniques at your own risk. Always read directions on any spotter before using.
If the stain or odor persists, call professional expert to help – contact our friendly office today for your free in-home consultation at 847-526-6060!
We Provide Safe Professional Urine Treatment.
