June 22, 2004

Idaho Statesman

Fifi's accidents call for quick cleaning

By Dr. Marty Becker

Kerplop, plop, wiz, fizz oh what a mess it is. Yes, the pet has pooped or urinated on the floor again and you’re probably on your knees trying to clean up the mess the same old way. But what is the right way to clean up a pet accident? This week I’m going to concentrate on urine stains, and next week my colleague Dr. Janice Willard is going to tackle “Number Two,” or Part Doo (puns intended!)

It’s not just our imagination, professional cleaners will tell you pet odors and stains are all too common and particularly troublesome. Greg Miller, manager of Coit Carpet Cleaners a national carpet cleaning chain headquartered in Burlingame, California, explains. “Urine (both cat and dog) is a very unique challenge. It is what is called a variable stain. That is because it actually changes its chemical make-up after about 24 hours of being exposed to oxygen. The warm acid state of the urine offers a perfect breeding area for bacteria to grow. This causes the urine to begin to oxidize and react with the carpet fiber. This can create color changes in the carpet that can become permanent.”

Experts agree that getting the spot out that Spot left requires a three pronged attack. Clean it up quickly, don’t just mask the odor, and clean deeply and widely enough to get rid of hidden problems.

The first issue in preventing a permanent stain is to act quickly to clean it up before it has time to set, or worse, discolor the rug or carpet. The challenge you face depends on the kind of carpet you have. Nylon carpets will stain easily if not treated with a stain blocker.

Carpets made with the synthetic fiber Olefin will clean easily, whereas berber carpets are particularly hard to clean since their fibers are tightly woven. Miller suggests you blot the urine stain with a white terry cloth towel until no moisture can be transferred to the towel. Then, Miller says apply a mixture of two tablespoons household ammonia to one cup of water. Work from the outside of the stain inward to prevent spreading.

“Make sure to blot the area repeatedly and most importantly, don’t do any type of rubbing or scrubbing action,” Miller advises. “Rubbing and scrubbing harshly just damages the material you are trying to clean.”

An alternative to ammonia water is to apply a liberal amount of dilute household detergent solution to the urine with a white cloth, work it in gently, and allow it to remain for 10 to 15 minutes. Don't forget to blot rather than rub. Rinse carefully with water, and blot until dry.

PetPlace.com recommends using machines like the Hoover Steamvac Jr. or the Dirt Devil Easy Steamer to shoot water deep into the fibers of the rug to get the stain out. Afterwards, use the same machine to suck the liquid back up out of the rug to prevent mildew.

Sometimes untreated urine can affect the resin coating of “stain resistant” carpeting. As urine dries it becomes increasingly alkaline, reversing the polarity of the ionic charge and binds the resin to the fiber. When so loosened, stain-resistant resins deposited topically on the fibers appear as a yellowish/beige color to blemish the face yarn. The good news is that this condition can be reversed with the application of a citric acid solution once decay has been enzymatically removed.

Then you must eradicate not just the odors that you can smell, but eliminate the odors that pets can smell that draw them back to “the spot,” time and time again. Remember that their powers of olfaction significantly trump ours.

There are some amazing new products on the market engineered specifically for pet odors and stains. Petrotech Odor Eliminator is a handy product to have around for pet owners. It’s an all-natural, non-toxic spray that eliminates every kind of pet odor you can imagine, from skunk spray to those ‘indoor accidents.

’ Voted a “best product" by the editors of both Cat Fancy and Dog Fancy magazines, Petrotech Odor Eliminator doesn’t mask odors by introducing another scent. It uses a patented encapsulation process to actually eat away pet odors once and for all. This keeps your pet from repeat accidents; one of the keys to avoiding pet stains all together. Available nationwide at Petsmart or www.sea-yu.com.

Lastly, your cleanup must not only include the obvious stain on the carpet, but include the obnoxious materials that seep down into the carpet pad and flooring where it will continue to generate odors out of sight, but not out of the pet’s smelling ability or mind. A mere 1⁄2 cup of urine from a 40 lb. dog can penetrate to the flooring where it will spread into a circular area nearly a foot in diameter. Further accidents in the same sport spread the urine plume even further.

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