Pet stain removal is not as easy as you might think. If you are getting ready to sell your home and have unsightly carpet stains, you may be tempted to rent a carpet cleaner to get rid of them quickly. While there are a lot of small fix it jobs you can do yourself to save time and money, this is not one of them. If you use the wrong cleaning solution or try home remedies to get stains out you could end up making the problem worse instead of better.
Stains Appear Over Time
The reason that pet urine is hard to remove from carpets is because often the stain is not noticeable immediately. If it is just a one-time accident, it is not too bad. But most animals will relieve themselves in the same area each time, so if your pet is urinating behind your couch the stain could remain hidden until the furniture is moved. The longer a stain sits the harder it is to remove. Another problem is that some stains are harder to remove than others and you don’t want to ruin your carpet through trial and error.
Pet Odor is Hard to Cover Up
Your pet’s urine, especially from male cats or dogs, is highly acidic and has an odor similar to ammonia. This is a very difficult smell to cover up. Room deodorizers and carpet sprays and powders cannot effectively remove these odors.
Some Home Remedies are Not Effective
One mistake that many pet owners make is using natural cleaners like vinegar/water solutions which are safe for animals, but does nothing to remove the odor from your carpet. Likewise, hydrogen peroxide solutions can discolor carpets due to the fact that it has a slight bleaching effect on fabrics. Instead of a pet stain you could end up with a discolored or bleached spot that still smells like urine despite your best efforts.
Why Professional Carpet Cleaners are Recommended
In situations like these, when dealing with odors and carpet stains, professional carpet cleaning is preferable because certain types of stains require special treatment to remove. Most attempts at diy carpet cleaning actually push stains further into carpets by using too much water and not extracting enough out. Carpet cleaners use an enzyme treatment to break down the components of pet urine which is a more effective way to remove stains and odors. The enzymes neutralize the acidity in urine which helps eliminate the odor as well.
It is much more effective to remove pet odors than try to cover them up with perfume sprays. Anyone who walks into your home will be able to detect that odor no matter how much spray you use. For an estimate of carpet cleaning costs, contact us at Carpet Care Specialists. We provide expert cleaning services to restore your carpets to their former beauty and restore the fresh smell to your home.