If you are a pet owner, you may have often come across this unwanted “gift” your dog or cat has left for you on the carpet.
So naturally you are aware, rather painfully, of the odour it has left.
And the problem with pee is, the longer it stays on the carpet, the more it seeps into it, leaving a yellow stain (and that smell!), that won’t go away.
The easiest way to tackle this is to get rid of the stain and the smell as soon as you discover it, but it would not be possible if you stay away for longer periods from home.
Thankfully, there are many ways to remove both the smell and the stain after it has been discovered without using any materials which could be harmful to your carpet.
And relax, there is hope yet for older stains. One interesting thing to note here is that if you are a dog owner, it is easier to remove the pee stains because dog pee is water-based, whereas cat urine stains (and the smell) are oil based.
Also, cat urine has a high content of ammonia, and cause respiratory issues in some people among a host of other things, so I recommend cleaning it as quickly as possible.
Contents
Getting On With It (Method #1)
This particular method is for removing a pee stain that is rather fresh.
For this purpose, you will need to absorb as much pee out of the carpet first. Use a white terry towel, fold it over twice and put it across the pee stain.
You can now walk all over this “mini-carpet”, or put a heavy book on top of it so that the towel can soak as much urine as it can.
If you are placing a book, I would recommend putting a thin sheet of plastic between the book and the towel so as to not spoil the book forever.
You Will Need
- Dish soap
- Warm water
- Paper towels
- Vacuum cleaner (if needed)
Method
- In a cup of water, mix a small teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Stir this liquid well until you can see the foam. Now pour this liquid concoction directly onto the pee stain.
- Cover the pee stain entirely with this mixture until it is completely soaked in it, and let it sit on it for 5 minutes.
- Use the paper towels to soak up the liquid in the carpet. This may take many tries. Soak up all the excess liquid.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the stain is completely gone. You may need to take off all the soapy liquid off the carpet with warm water. Use as many paper towels as you need to dry off the carpet. Leave it for air drying. Alternatively, you can also vacuum it out.
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Getting On With It (Method #2)
This particular method is for removing a pee stain that is rather old but still smells somewhat funky.
For this, you may want to get a product known as pet urine detector, which is readily available on a lot of online portals.
It is also otherwise known as the black light. Once you have located the source, it is time to clean it.
You Will Need
- Baking soda
- Paper towels
- Peroxide
- White vinegar
- Rubber gloves (optional)
- Dishwashing soap
- Used toothbrush
- Vacuum cleaner
Method
- Assuming that the stain is old and dried up completely, put some warm water on the stain and sprinkle baking soda powder all over it and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Vacuum it away thereafter.
- Now repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 from the previous method and vacuum it to make it completely dry. In between, you can take small whiffs of the area to determine whether the smell is gone completely. If the smell has weakened, move on to the next step.
- Mix equal parts of white vinegar and room temperature water. Soak the affected area with the mixture and soak away the extra liquid using paper towels. Do not rub this area. This is to avoid the urine to spread into new areas. Let it sit for up to 10 minutes.
- Now with the used toothbrush, rub the affected area to free up the particles. Do not scrub too hard (it may damage your carpet).
- Use paper towels to soak up this area, and sprinkle some more baking soda over it. Let this powder sit on the area for another 30 minutes.
- Vacuum it after 30 minutes. Your carpet is now stain and odour free.
Getting On With It (Method #3)
This is not an entirely different technique, but more like an add-on to method #2. This method is for tough-to-remove stains. Read on to get a better understanding of the process.
You Will Need
- Baking soda
- Paper towels
- White vinegar
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Dish soap
- Used brush
Method
- Repeat steps 1, 2 and 3 from method #2.
- Sprinkle baking soda over the stain thoroughly.
- Mix a teaspoon of dishwashing soap in half a cup of hydrogen peroxide. Now pour this solution over the area where you have sprinkled the baking soda. Make sure that the hydrogen peroxide you use is of not more than 3% strength. Use the toothbrush to work this solution into the carpet. Alternatively, you can also wear safety gloves and rub your fingers for mixing it thoroughly.
- Leave this area for drying and vacuum it out thoroughly.
- Enjoy a stain-free carpet.
Some Quick Tips And Precautions
- If you have a lingering pet smell, you can make your own pet-smell diffuser quickly. In a spray bottle, mix about 4 shots of vodka, and essential oils (tea tree, eucalyptus and lavender) and water and shake it well. Your own purifying air spray is ready.
- Do you have wooden flooring? Then remove the carpet before you go about soaking in the different solutions I discussed here.
Conclusion
Yes, cleaning pet pee from a carpet is as disgusting as it sounds, but not impossible.
You can remove most of these stains quite easily while using the methods I have discussed here.
However, if you find stains and odours that refuse to go no matter what you do, call for a professional.
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