“For Stress-Free Healthy Living”
“For Stress-Free Healthy Living”
Our pets don’t understand why we make such a big deal of a little urine on the carpet. To animals, urine is an important social signal used as a calling card, a mate attractant, or a territorial warning. Urine signals to other members of the species important information about their gender, age, and health, and is often triggered by new pets, visitors, or unfamiliar smells.
With the holidays just getting over, you might have noticed an increase in pet accidents. This is usually due to increased stress or anxiety your pets experience from more visitors in the home, loud noises, changes in their daily routine, and even the amount of attention their humans give them.
Animal urine in itself is a rather benign substance. When it leaves a healthy animal, it is sterile. At low levels, the odor and appearance may be undetectable. That said, any urine deposit on carpet should be treated promptly and appropriately.
If you are lucky enough to catch the animal in the act, you can pour salt liberally onto the urine while it is still wet. Use enough salt to completely cover the spot. The salt will absorb and neutralize the urine. Let it dry for 8-12 hours, then vacuum it up.
In most cases, the urine is already dry by the time we find it. Applying a neutral carpet cleaning agent, gentle agitation (no rubbing), and a thorough rinse may be enough to treat light urine deposits. Finish the job by placing a folded white towel on the area. Set a weight, such as a phone book, on the towel and leave it overnight. The remaining moisture and residue will wick into the towel.
You can find hidden urine spots with a blacklight if you smell an odor but can’t seem to find it. Note that this often indicates the urine is deeper and more extensive than expected. Once urine contamination has penetrated the carpet and cushion, removing the odor becomes more difficult. Heavy urine deposits are much more challenging to treat, and you will need the help of Daystar Cleaning & Restoration. Why? Because urine undergoes a dramatic chemical change as it ages, and DIY cleaning only treats the surface. The water in the urine evaporates, leaving behind organic compounds that become increasingly concentrated. Additionally, residual odor encourages pets to urinate there again. Professional treatment removes scent markers completely.
Bacteria begin to consume the urine and break down the proteins, sugars, and other organics. During bacterial digestion, bacteria release ammonia, and a strong, pungent odor becomes apparent. The urine shifts from mildly acidic to strongly alkaline. This strong alkaline deposit can damage dyes in certain carpets. Over time, the dyes can fade or be removed, causing permanent color loss.
The adhesives used in the carpet backing can be dissolved, and the carpet can literally fall apart. Permanent damage to wood subfloors will also result from deep penetration of concentrated urine deposits, requiring additional expensive repairs. The most critical action to prevent permanent damage is to act quickly when you notice a urine spot.
Daystar Cleaning & Restoration has several techniques available to clean and deodorize pet contamination. In addition, we have a range of cleaning and deodorizing agents in our arsenal. The decision of which methods and agents to use will depend on several factors. The level of contamination, the depth of penetration, the carpet construction, the fiber content, the installation method, the subfloor type, and the size of the affected area must all be considered.
There are times when the damage is too severe, and the best option is to replace the carpet. In such situations, we can assist by sealing the subfloor and adjacent materials with a specialized odor-counteracting sealer so the new carpet does not inherit the old odor.
If you have a pet odor problem, the best action is to call Daystar Cleaning & Restoration for a professional assessment of the situation. We are experts at handling difficult odor problems and can help you to choose the solution that is right for you.
