Will Carpet Cleaning Remove Urine Smell?

Will Carpet Cleaning Remove Urine Smell? Accidents happen! But once it’s over, the smell can linger on the carpet for an extended period of time without proper carpet cleaning. Follow these steps to remove the urine smell from any carpet once and for all!

When It Happens

If you notice the accident happening, try to clean it up right away! Soak up any liquid with a paper towel and throw it away immediately. Once the majority of the liquid has been soaked up, proceed to wash the area with cold water.

Do not wash the area with warm water! 

Warm water can rapidly set the stain, and the smell, making it much harder to remove. Heat causes the proteins in urine to bond with carpet fibers, making the smell an unpleasant, permanent addition to your home.

Once you’ve thoroughly washed the area, blot dry with a paper towel.

The Most Important Rule – Flush the Urine Out

No mater how you choose to clean up a urine stain, the first step is to always make sure that the urine is completely flushed out. Whether the stain is fresh and wet or very old and completely dried, it is important to thoroughly rinse the area before applying any cleaners.

Once you have thoroughly rinsed the area with cold water, and you are absolutely positive that there is no remaining urine, then you can move on to using cleaners.

Lingering Smells and Stains

If the stain is old, or the smell lingers even after the first cleaning, then it’s time to break out the big guns. For severe stains, consider spending the extra money to rent a carpet cleaning machine.

Make sure to use a heavy-duty cleaner that is made specifically to combat pet odors. Just like with initial cleaning, avoid using high temperatures or steam cleaners, as they may further set the stain and smell into your carpet.

Although there are many sources on the internet that recommend using vinegar and ammonia, the practical application shows that these cleaners do very little to eliminate urine odors.

Enzyme cleaners have found to be some of the best combatants against urine odors. Enzyme cleaners work by introducing “good” bacteria that can digest and break down odors, stains, and heavy-duty messes.

There are many different pet-urine-specific enzyme cleaners on the market and are safe for use around animals.

Professional Cleaning Services

When it comes to urine, professional cleaning services can be a bit of a hit or a miss. In reality, a simple accident doesn’t require a full, heavy-duty cleaning of the entire carpet. Many professional carpet cleaning services use steam cleaning to push hot water and steam into carpet fibers, flushing out dirt and grime.

However, this is the last thing you want to do to a urine stain. Furthermore, you may not know exactly what type of cleaner is being used to wash your carpet. Certain chemicals may actually make the smell worse instead of removing it.

If you are getting your carpet professionally cleaned, and have an issue with urine smells, make sure to talk to your carpet cleaning technician before they start. Let them know where the problem area is, so that they can properly create a plan of action. Let them know that you do not want that area treated with hot water or steam, and instead request that they use a cold-water alternative.

Will Carpet Cleaning Remove Urine Smell? –
How Do I Keep it From Happening Again?

In order to prevent new stains, consider the reason why your pet had an accident in the first place. It could be due to age, lack of access to the outside, or other underlying health conditions. To make sure that your pet doesn’t have any more accidents in the house, consider:

• Buying puppy pads if the dog is very old or very young
  
• Make sure you frequently give your dog a chance to go outside and do their business
  
• Consider spraying your carpets with a scent that will deter them from doing their business, such as specialty sprays, lemon juice, or rubbing alcohol. Again, do not use vinegar, as this may encourage your animal to continue to have accidents on the carpet!
  
• If the offending animal is a cat, make sure that their litter box is clean and easily accessible. It may also be because your cat doesn’t like the litter that you’re using; consider trying a different brand
  
• Keep a close eye on your animals; a lot of times, they will tell you when they need to go!
  
• If nothing else works, consider taking your animal to the vet, as frequent accidents may be a sign of an underlying health issue