How to Remove Pet Urine Stains and Odors in Carpet

How to Remove Pet Urine Odor from Carpets and Rugs

Pets pee on carpets and rugs and leave stains

The image above is of cat or dog urine that has seeped down to the backing of a carpet. Simple cleaning of the carpet fibers alone will not remove the resulting severe urine odor.

When left alone, pet pee can seep through carpet, into the backing of the carpet, into the carpet pad and even down to the floor beneath. Pet urine can delaminate a carpet and can cause rotting of jute backing. Even after a thorough cleaning, pet urine stains and odors often remain.

Pet urine is an amber-colored liquid waste fluid excreted by the kidneys and is composed of waste products of protein metabolism. The color of pet urine and its staining potential will often depend on dietary habits, age and sex of the pet, whether the pet is on medication and the health of the pet. Typically, because cat diets are richer in protein than dog diets, their urine will produce harsher odors and are more likely to cause stains.

Male cats spray urine primarily on vertical surfaces to mark their territory. Although spraying is typically done on a vertical surface (such as furniture, drapery and the walls), it could also conceivably come in contact with a carpet.

The older the pet, the poorer the kidneys do their job, thus producing urine that contains more proteins. As a result, pet pee will produce an even stronger odor than urine from younger pets. In almost all cases, cat urine is the worst perpetrator for pet urine stains and pet urine odors.

Finding the exact source of a pet urine odor can be very difficult. Black lights can sometimes help to find the exact spots. Pet urine stains, under a black UV light, glow very distinctly. However, because these lights are very weak, it is best to turn off all lights and close the curtains when using black lights.

Pet urine stains under black light

In order to assure the removal of pet urine stains & odors from carpet, these are the factors you must be aware of and understand:

  • The level of severity will dictate the method of treatment and chemicals you will use.
  • Most failures to successfully and totally remove pet urine odor are due to using ineffective chemicals and/or not following the proper treatment steps. Failure also occurs when you underestimate the quantity of contamination.
  • There are pockets and porous areas within the carpet backing that, once wet, will not absorb or accept additional solution. This is a very important factor in successful odor removal treatment and is almost always a factor when treatment failures occur. Because of this you will find our recommended treatment procedure always requires that chemicals be applied only when the carpet is completely dry.
  • It is imperative that you locate and treat all contamination or your success cannot be assured.
  • If the carpet is delaminated, it should be replaced.
  • Pre-vacuum to remove pet hair.
  • Keeping these factors in mind, choose a level of contamination below.
  • NOTE: Even if the carpet and pad are to be replaced, any urine in the sub-floor must also be removed or covered over (blocked) with Odor Barrier.

HOW TO REMOVE LIGHT TO MODERATE PET URINE ODORS AND STAINS:

  1. This situation is where the pet urinated on the carpet only once in each location (did not repeatedly return to the same spot).
  2. Urine will not have permeated heavily into carpet pad and sub floor structure. In this situation with the carpet completely dry.
  3. Saturate each pet urine contaminated spot liberally with Molecular Modifier.
  4. Allow 24 hours dwell time.
  5. Extraction-clean the area.
  6. Note: When it is not possible to allow dwell time and cleaning must be done at the time of the treatment, treat the pet urine spots first and allow the treatment to work while you set up for your job, pre-spray traffic areas, etc. During your extraction process, only lightly clean contaminated spots in order to leave sufficient active product in the carpet to complete the pet odor removal work for you.
  7. REMEMBER! If you clean before you apply the Molecular Modifier, the moisture from the cleaning solution will prevent the Molecular Modifier from reaching into all odorous areas. ALWAYS apply your active treatment product (in this case Molecular Modifier) to the carpet when it is dry for best results.

REMOVING MODERATE TO HEAVY PET URINE CONTAMINATION:

  1. This is a contamination where the pet has repeatedly used the same spot. The carpet backing, pad and floor have been saturated by urine.
    2. .
  2. With the carpet completely dry, when you rub the area, your hand does not feel sticky or oily. This indicates that even though the odor is bad there isn't a build-up of lipids (fats) that will prevent successful treatment.
  3. Disengage the carpet from the area.
  4. Remove the contaminated pad.
  5. Liberally apply Odor Barrier
  6. DO NOT apply Odor Barrier to face fibers. Do NOT use Odor Barrier in a sprayer - apply with a paintbrush, roller, or lamb wool wax applicator.
  7. Install new pad.
  8. Reinstall carpet over new pad.
  9. Apply Molecular Modifier to face fibers.
  10. Allow a minimum of 24 hours dwell time.
  11. Clean via hot water extraction.
  12. If dog or cat urine stains remain, treat with Stain Magic® or Urine Stain Remover to eliminate the visible pet urine stain.

HOW TO REMOVE HEAVY TO EXTREME PET URINE ODORS AND STAINS ON CARPET:

  1. In this situation, the pet has made the carpet a virtual toilet. When the carpet is dry you can feel the sticky, oily residue left in the carpet. This residue is from the (fats) accumulated from many re-contaminations.
  2. To successfully treat this you must:
  3. Disengage the carpet.
  4. Remove pet urine contaminated pad and tackless strip.
  5. Saturate the carpet front and back with UPT+ Pet Urine Pre-Treatment. Apply it as well to the sub floor surface.
  6. Allow 30 minutes dwell time.
  7. Very thoroughly extraction-clean the carpets front and back and clean the sub floor surface as well.
  8. Allow the carpet and floor to dry completely (carpet dryers will help speed this process).
  9. When the carpet is completely and thoroughly dry, apply 2 coats of Odor Barrier pet urine contaminated sub floor surface.
  10. Apply Odor Barrier to the carpet backing in sufficient quantity to saturate both primary and secondary backings. DO NOT apply to face fibers.
  11. Reinstall carpet over new pad.
  12. Apply Molecular Modifier to carpet face fibers.
  13. Allow 48-hour dwell time.
  14. Extraction clean.

WHAT IS THE VERY BEST WAY TO REMOVE EXTREME PET URINE STAINS AND ODORS? WITH OSR!

OSR is the best pet urine stain and odor contamination eliminator
  1. Introducing new generation chemistry: OSR Cat and Dog Urine Odor and Stain Remover permanently removes pet urine contamination with the added benefits of no lingering fragrances, one-call treatment, complete cat & dog stain removal, non-allergenic, and works in 30 minutes using the power of oxidation to remove both dog & cat urine odors and stains.
  2. Disengage the contaminated carpet and lay it back to fully expose the contaminated area.
  3. Cut the replacement pad to the exact shape you want by laying it over the contaminated pad and cut through both at the same time.
  4. Remove the new pad insert and set it aside until you need it later.
  5. Remove the old pet urine contaminated pad and discard it.
  6. Remove all dust and debris from the pet urine contaminated sub-floor to be treated.
  7. Liberally apply Odor Barrier to the sub floor, gully area and the tackless strip.
  8. Be sure to cover evenly at about 2 ounces per square foot. If the tackless strip is not in good structural condition, replace it. If baseboards are contaminated, either seal or replace them. Do not use Odor Barrier on carpet face fibers!
  9. Cover sealed floor with 2 mil plastic sheeting. The sheeting should extend about 2 feet over the uncontaminated pad to prevent the OSR from wetting the good pad. Tuck the sheeting into the gully behind the tackless strip and force it to follow the contour of the floor and up the wall 4-6 inches so it forms a tray which will contain the OSR solution.
  10. Use masking tape to hold the plastic sheet in place while you are treating the carpet with the OSR solution.
  11. Prepare a bucket of the HOTTEST water possible (the hotter, the better). Add 1 rounded cup (8 ounces) of OSR to the hot water and mix until dissolved. Pour about 1 gallon of the OSR solution per 4 - 5 square feet of contaminated carpet and squeegee the solution around to saturate all the fibers.
  12. Allow at least 30 minutes dwell time.
  13. Extract the solution from the carpet only—dry extract only (vacuum only with no solution) to leave the carpet as dry as possible. Carpet may be stiff once it dries—customer can simply vacuum up the next day
  14. Check carpet for odor and repeat if needed.
  15. Pull back the treated carpet (do not remove the plastic sheeting).
  16. Install the new pad you earlier prepared over the sheeting.
  17. Trim away the excess plastic that it overlays the original carpet cushion. Tape the new pad into place.
  18. Reinstall and stretch into place the carpet. Take care when using the power stretcher or knee kicker—carpet backing is weaker when it’s wet.
  19. Trim the sheeting along the wall, taking care not to cut into the dry-wall or the baseboards.
  20. Allow carpet to dry (at least 24 hours).
  21. NOTE: For light to moderate contamination, only 1 application is needed. For heavy to extreme situations, 2 applications are recommended.
  22. Do not use OSR on natural fibers, such as sisal, wool or silk.
  23. Dispose of unused solution - solution loses its strength 15 minutes after mixing.
  24. Do not place solution in closed container as pressure from released oxygen may cause the container to leak or burst.

SUB-SURFACE EXTRACTION TECHNIQUE FOR REMOVING PET URINE:

Water Claw Subsurface Spot Lifter
  1. If you do not want to pull carpet and are confident that the sub floor is NOT heavily contaminated with pet urine, you can use the Water Claw® Sub-Surface Spot Lifter in conjunction with OSR to remove the pet urine from the carpet and the pad.
  2. This procedure is only for use on areas that have concrete sub-floors. If the sub-floor is wood, Molecular Modifier will need to be used. This procedure is not for use on wool or other natural fibers.
  3. More detailed information can be found in the manual written by Bane-Clene’s chemist, "Chemistry of Making and Maintaining Rugs and Carpets" and in the "Chemicals and Their Relation to Carpet Cleaning and Construction" videos.

Related Pet Odor and Stain Control Deodorizer Information:

Products to Remove Pet Urine Odors from Carpets and Rugs:

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