Published: 01/08/2016
What quality differentiates humans from animals? As humans, we have the ability to rationalise. Although some evidence may prove the contrary, rationale allows us to differentiate between right and wrong. Animals, on the other hand, are instinctive. Their activity is a consequence of “need”. Animals do not rationalise but function on intuition.
Thus, it is no wonder some humans love their pets more than other humans. While humans, whether friends or family, will one day grow out of love or cease affection, pets will love you unconditionally. Treat your pet well, and they will love you forever!
Your pet will seek affection and give you love when you most need it. Dogs can sense if the human is depressed and needs company. A cat will approach you if it wants to be scratched or hugged. Oftentimes, your pet will leave you a souvenir. Dogs are known to leave chewed-up bones at their master’s feet. Cats are great “thieves,” often stealing things from other houses as a “gift”.
However, sometimes pets leave an “offering” which has an indelible mark on your carpet and senses.
If there is one thing that humans have in common with their pets is the genuine comfort they have in treading over carpets. Its fibres are lush, feel like grass on our feet and give warmth. A carpet can feel so natural that oftentimes, it will invite the pet to urinate on it, or worse, as if he were outdoors.
Animals also love marking their territory. And because animals are intuitive, if they associate the home with their master, your pet will leave its dreadful scent behind. The usual recipient of this urine scent mark is the carpet.
Pet urine and other animal discharges cause heavy stains and odours and carry deadly bacteria. When you suspect your carpet has pet stains, it would be best to remove it right away.
Here are a few steps to eliminate pet stains from your carpet:
1. First of all, let us assume you have not found them. You own a pet, and he loves to stay indoors. Your pet has likely left discharges that have caused stains and odours.
There are some online references that will advise you to locate the discharges by going down on all fours and “smelling them out”. I will not advise that because discharges may still carry bacteria, no matter how old.
- Identify the rooms or areas in the house your pet frequents. If you can’t smell it, ask a friend who hardly goes to your house to enter the affected area and tell you if it smells “funky”.
- Use “black light” technology to find stains on carpets.
- Observe the behaviour of your pet whenever he is inside your home.
- Check where he always goes and stays for the longest time. Chances are his scent is there.
2. If the urine stain is fresh, soak up as much of it by using paper towels. An effective technique is to place a newspaper under the stained area, a layer of paper towel on it and another sheet of newspaper on top of the paper towels. Then, stand on top of the newspaper sheet for one minute. Remove the damp paper towels and newspapers and repeat the process until it is completely dry.
Spray the area with an enzymatic cleanser, which helps break down the stain and remove odours. Blot dry the area with paper towels until it is dry. You can purchase an enzymatic cleanser from any pet store.
Once the carpet is dry, sprinkle baking soda and leave on for 30 minutes before vacuuming.
3. Use a wet vac or an extractor if the urine stain is old and has set onto the carpet. A wet vac works like a vacuum cleaner, forcing clean water into the carpet’s fibres and forcing out the dirty water for extraction. There are companies that rent these wet vacs.
Once the area is dry, spray it with an enzymatic cleanser to remove the remaining stains and odours.
There have been cases where unattended pet urine stains have soaked deep into the carpet’s fibres that cleaning pet stains was no longer sufficient. A complete removal of the stained area was the only cleaning solution.
Pets are best kept outdoors. Not only will they stain your carpets and other areas in your home, but they will track in mites, fleas, ticks and other unwanted pests.
But if the thought of leaving your pet out in the cold is too much for you, leave the used, soaked-up paper towels in the litter box. This sends the message to your pet that he should relieve himself on the litter box, not the carpet.
If you want your home to be 100% free of pet odours and unwanted stains and carpet repairs expertly conducted, hire the services of a professional carpet cleaning company. You only need to contract a professional carpet cleaner every three to six months. But their service will ensure the life and quality of your carpet.
Do you need help cleaning up your cleaning up your carpet? Looking for professional carpet cleaning in Gold Coast? Contact us and get your free quote today.
