Getting rid of pet stains from my Carpet

In the UK, it’s fair to say that we’re a nation of pet lovers, with more than half of us owning a pet. There are many positives to pet ownership, but one of the downsides is the more frequent cleaning you might need to carry out, particularly on your carpets. The porous and fibrous nature of carpets means that pet dirt can quickly and easily stain a carpet, and removing this isn’t as simple as cleaning hardwood flooring. However, you don’t have to give up having carpets or owning pets, because our handy pet stain removal from carpet tips and ideas can provide you with all of the solutions you need.

1. How pets can soil your carpets

Pets can make your carpets dirty in numerous ways, even if they are clean pets and never stray outdoors. Loose hairs from a pet are particularly notorious for getting stuck in carpet fibres, whilst dead skin cells, or dander, can shed onto a carpet, potentially being a source of allergens for anyone suffering from conditions like hay fever or eczema.

For those pets that spend time outdoors, they can bring all sorts in with them, including mud and dirt on their paws, bacteria and germs on their fur and skin, and, worse still, pest problems, all of which can be transferred onto your carpets.

One of the biggest problems for any new pet owner is toilet training your new furry friend. It’s common for a new puppy or kitten to have a few accidents at the start, with your carpets often in the firing line. Even once pets have got used to using a litter tray, the dust from the tray can end up being spilled or walked into a carpet.

As time goes by, it’s easy to see how a carpet used by pets can start to look dirty, discoloured, stained and even smelly, and it might not have the hygiene levels you might wish for your home.

The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to keep your carpets clean, no matter how many pets you own, or however your beloved pets have made your carpets dirty.

2. Prevention is better than cure

Whilst keeping your carpets completely free of pet dirt and stains is an impossible task, there are things that you can do to at least reduce the amount of muck that ends up in a carpet, and, therefore, needs dealing with.

For starters, if you get a new pet, provide effective toilet training methods so your pet learns good habits right away. Puppies will need regular toilet trips outdoors, and kittens will need directing to the litter tray after every meal or snack.

Regularly groom your pets to prevent loose hair from ending up on the carpet, and every time your pet comes in from outdoors, clean their paws and wipe their coat down if they’re wet.

It might be an idea to put mats down on a carpet where a pet spends a lot of time, to prevent dirt build up in one place.

Like for any carpet, regular vacuuming is essential. Choose a high-filtration machine, which will be more effective at picking up pet dirt and loose fur.

3. When stains occur

No matter how careful you are, at some point, pet stains will end up in your carpets. So how do you go about removing these stains successfully?

The first thing is to identify whether the stain is from a liquid, such as pet urine, or from a solid, like vomit or faeces.

For liquid stains, blot as much of the excess liquid as possible from the carpet using a clean, absorbent cloth or kitchen paper. You can also do this for the solid matter, but you’ll need to scoop up the solid remains off the carpet first.

Always gently blot the stain in an inward, circular motion, rather than scrubbing at it, which might spread the stain or set it deeper into the carpet, and never apply excess water onto the carpet, as this could widen the stained area.

4. Household solutions

Many pet stains in carpets can be easily tackled with household products or kitchen cupboard staples, without you necessarily needing to spend any money. A popular remedy involves adding half and half of white vinegar and lukewarm water to a spray bottle, and applying onto the stain for around 15 minutes.

So that any odours and moisture from the stain can be drawn out of the carpet, a small amount of baking soda should then be sprinkled onto the stained area. Leave this to dry for up to 48 hours, after which you can vacuum the carpet. This process may need repeating a few times if the stain or any odours are especially stubborn.

5. Cleaning products

You can also find products sold in shops or online specifically aimed at carpet cleaning for dog urine stains and odours or other pet dirt in carpets, but it’s worth taking a glance to see what’s in the bottle, and always making sure that it’s pet-friendly.

Avoid using products containing strong bleaches, detergents and chemicals as these can be damaging to the fibres in the carpet, and may even cause unpleasant reactions in your pets and other household members. Products containing natural enzymes tend to be the most effective at breaking down proteins in pet urine and removing odours, so stick to using these.

At the very least, do a test patch on your carpet first in a hidden area, and make sure any products you use are compatible with the type of carpet you own.

6. Deal with stains immediately

It’s really important to tackle any pet stains in a carpet as soon as they occur, because the pet stain removal from carpet success rate will be much higher the quicker you act, so the stain doesn’t set into the carpet.

Moreover, as bacteria start to feed off the stain, your carpet could start to smell, and odours can be especially hard to remove.

Pet urine, for example, has a strong pungent odour that can really linger if it’s not dealt with quickly and effectively, and a pet could keep urinating in the same spot on the carpet if the smell isn’t completely removed. A pet’s sense of smell is much more sensitive than a human’s, so even if you can’t smell it, your pet might still be able to!

7. Contact the professionals

Even if you manage to tackle carpet pet stains yourself, this is never a substitution for getting it professionally cleaned. Whether you’ve got pets or not, all carpets need cleaning by professionals at least once per year, and maybe more if you’ve got pets and they frequently stain the carpet.

Professionals use equipment and cleaning solutions that are much more effective at deep cleaning, sanitising and deodorising a carpet, and treating stains, than you could ever do at home. Certainly, if you need expert carpet cleaning for dog urine odours that are very stubborn or for tackling flea, worm or any other pest infestations in carpets, professional cleaning is the only answer.

Bear in mind, also, that many shop-sold deodorisers just cover up pet odours with a strong fragrance, which is only a short-term solution. A professional will use deep cleaning methods that get rid of the source of the odour, not just temporarily cover it up, so you can be confident that it’s well and truly gone.

Plus, when you attempt to get rid of stains in carpets yourself, you might not fully eliminate all of the stain residues, which could make a carpet sticky, thus allowing new dirt to stick to it. This won’t happen with the professionals, because experts understand how to get rid of stain residues, and have the powerful equipment that’s capable of doing it, ensuring the results are long-lasting.

What’s more, getting your carpets cleaned regularly by professionals, such as our carpet, rug and upholstery cleaning London business can help to prolong the life of your carpets, so you and your pets get to enjoy them for as long as possible! Contact Carpet Bright UK today.