How to Deodorize and Clean Dog Urine in Carpet
“Seventy percent of U.S. households have a pet in their home, while only 40% have a child. According to recent data shared by the National Association of Realtors®, the share of households with children dropped from 48% to 40% over the last two decades.” We at Colorado Carpet Masters have noticed a huge increase in homes with pets over the last 30 years. Puppies and dog urine accidents are probably the number one reason we are called out for carpet cleaning. In this post we will explain how to deodorize and clean Dog Urine in carpet and differentiate on how to clean new and old dog urine stains. This post may contain affiliate links through Amazon which means I may receive a commission from purchases made through these links. I will only recommend products that I have personally used and tested with my clients over the last 30 years.
Cleaning New Dog Odor and Urine Stains from Carpet:
The first step in cleaning and deodorizing pet urine is to determine where the urine is and to have a better understanding of how much urine is in your carpet. The easiest way to do this is with a blacklight. Our carpet cleaning technicians prefer the UV Beast. This particular black light has rechargeable batteries and does a fantastic job finding the pet urine stains. Any UV light will work if you look at night when the room is completely dark. You will probably be shocked and a bit overwhelmed when you see all the urine deposits. In many cases the UV light will show dozens of pet urine stains that were not visible to the naked eye. Now that we know where the urine is, it is time to treat the spots with enzymes.
I teach my clients two different methods of treating the dog urine in their carpet. If the urine is new, simply follow the directions on the bottle. This is usually something like:
- Blot with paper towel
- Spray stain with enzyme and let it dwell for 20-40 minutes.
- Blot with damp wet towel.
- Repeat as necessary.
Unfortunately, most of our pets are sneaky and we don’t see them urinate on the carpet. Typically, they will go just out of eyesight and pee. We highly recommend going through all the carpeted rooms and throw rugs in your home and inspect them with a blacklight. The next method for cleaning and deodorizing dog urine is meant for old urine that has dwelled in your carpet and is dry to the touch.
How to Remove Old Dog Urine and Odor from the Carpet:
Understanding how enzymes work will significantly increase your ability of removing the urine stains and odor from your carpets. According to Veterinarian Dr. Paula Simons, “Enzymatic cleaners work by using specifically targeted enzymes to treat specific types of pet messes, such as vomiting or diarrhea. These cleaners get at the source of the mess, breaking down organic molecules and eliminating them entirely from surfaces like furniture and carpets.” Since urine enzymes are so effective in destroying odor at the source, we highly recommend using them to treat old Urine odor and stains.
Our Guideline for Treating Old Odor from Dog Urine in Carpet:
1) Use an enzymatic formula that does not use surfactants. We recommend Natures Miracle without Oxy.
2) Place enzyme in a pump up or battery-operated sprayer. Lightly coat the affected area and let it dry for 48 hours. If you want a small 32 oz. smaller spray bottle of enzyme.
3) Repeat as necessary.
4) You can rinse with a portable cleaner. We recommend using two cups of vinegar per gallon of water in the freshwater tank. No soap, most soaps are alkaline, and they will spread and possibly set the urine stain. Vinegar has the added benefit of breaking down the urine salts.
5) Lightly rinse the carpet.
6) If the urine stain remains after several attempts, you will need to purchase Pros Choice Urine Stain Remover. This product contains a self-neutralizing peroxide that will turn the urine stain clear.
7) Repeat as necessary.
Tips and Tricks:
1) Less is more. We want to treat the urine in the carpet yarns without washing it down into the pad and subfloor. A portable cleaner will not pull urine from the pad and subfloor.
2) If urine is saturated in the carpet pad; the pad will need to be replaced or a flood extraction of the pad will be needed. A flood extraction is when enzymes are flooded into the pad and then extracted back out of the pad and carpet.
3) When using a portable carpet cleaning machine to rinse the enzymes, use fans to expediate the drying process. Urine stains in the carpet backing can wick to the surface. The faster the carpe dries, the less immediate wicking will occur.
4) Helpful blog post on dog pee training – train your dog to pee outside.
Many companies will recommend products which contain oxy or soap. In many cases, we have found that Oxy can damage the carpets color. We have also found many homes that have carpets saturated with foamy soap residue that will not extract easily and possibly leave a crunchy residue once the carpet has dried. In most cases, using enzymes to deodorize and clean dog urine from carpets will yield the best results.
