Pet Stains on Carpet

Removing urine stains left behind by your dog is always easiest to handle immediately after it’s happened happens, but you’re not always around when your dog makes a puddle, or maybe he did it in a room you don’t often visit. But you can often still remove old dog urine stains from carpet using products commonly found around your house, for e.g. liquid dishwashing soap and that wonder product, baking soda. Even if these methods fail, there’s still a chance you can remove animal urine stains from carpet by using commercial products or, finally, by calling in a professional.

Cosy Abode Australia’s furniture & household cleaning expert, Anne, is here again to share a few tips for how to remove dog & cat stains from carpet. 

The first step to take:

If the pet stain is dry, vacuum the area so as not to rub more dust or dirt into the carpet. If the stain is still wet, start by simply blotting the area (don’t rub!) first with a clean damp absorbent rag or paper towel, to lift off any dirt or dust.

(Please note these are suggestions only. We cannot guarantee the results as we cannot know the origins of stains or the properties of different carpets).

You’ll need the following items and ingredients on hand:

• Liquid dishwashing soap (clear soap is always preferable)
• Paper towels
• Household Ammonia
• Vacuum Cleaner
• White vinegar
• Scrubbing brush
• Baking soda
• Hydrogen peroxide
• A clean, dry rag

As you can see above, most of these cleaning products are probably  already in your home, or can be easy found at your local Woolworths or Coles. A visit to Bunnings will get you the scrubbing brush – just make sure the bristles aren’t too stiff, otherwise you risk damaging the carpet pile. Costly at any time but especially bad if you’re renting!)

So here are some different steps to take, using some or all of the items above.

Method Option 1:

• Mix ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of dish soap with 1 cup (0.24 L) of warm water. Stir the mixture thoroughly until the water becomes sudsy.
• Pour the mixture directly onto the stain. Make sure the entire stain is covered with the mixture. You want the affected area to be soaked with the mixture.
• Blot the stained area dry with a paper towel. Try to soak up as much of the liquid from the soap mixture as you can with the paper towel.
• Repeat the dish soap and blotting steps until the stain is gone. Make sure you rinse the stained area with warm water after you finish so there's no leftover soap. Dry the affected area with paper towel when you're done.

• Mix together 1 part white vinegar with 1 part water. Make enough of the solution that you’ll be able to fully soak the stained area with the mixture.
• Blot the stain with a rag soaked in the vinegar solution. Press firmly as you're blotting with the rag so the solution gets worked deep down into the stain. Don't rub the stain with the rag.
• Pour some of the solution directly onto the stain. Cover the entire stain so it's soaked with the solution. Take care not to get a lot of the solution on unaffected areas of the carpet.
• Scrub the solution into the stain using a scrub brush. Firmly press down on the brush and scrub in back & forth motions across the surface of the stain. If you don’t have a scrubbing brush, get one – using an old tooth brush (especially on stiff carpet) is just a waste of energy, as the bristles of the toothbrush are too short & too soft – not to mention the head size being tiny.
• Blot the stain with a paper towel until the stained area is dry. Use more paper towels as needed.
• Sprinkle baking soda over the stain. Regular ordinary baking soda will work fine. Leave a thin layer of baking soda sitting on the entire surface of the stain.
• Mix ½ cup (0.12 L) of hydrogen peroxide with 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of dish soap. Use 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Stir the mixture thoroughly.
• Pour some of the peroxide solution onto the stain and scrub it in. Use back and forth motions as you scrub. Press firmly down on the scrub brush to help work the solution and baking soda deep into the stain.
• Dry the stained area with a paper towel. Try to leave the stain as dry as possible when you're finished so there's no leftover solution on the carpet. Open a window or point a fan at the stain to speed up the drying process. Don’t let your pet near the area until its completely dry. A wet or damp carpet can be stained very easily.

Method Option 3:

An obvious one, sure, which is to go out and buy some dog-urine stain remover at the supermarket or your local carpet store. Commercial stain fighting products are made with built-in enzymes, which help to eliminate urine stains and odours. Just apply the stain remover to the urine stain and follow the directions on the label. If possible, for best results, look for products that are specifically designed for animal urine stains, or even dog or cat urine stains. The more specific you are, the better. And don’t feel shy to ask the carpet store staff for advice. They hear a lot of stories and also know the latest products.

Anne’s Tip:

I highly recommend that you Scotchgard™ the areas most used (or mostly visited by your pet for a pee) so that stain removal in the future is as easy as it can be.  You can buy pressurised spray cans of Scotchgard at larger supermarkets or at carpet centres.

We hope this has been of help. Feel free to share this article with your friends, and please do let them know about Cosy Abode. Stay cosy!