When our dog Lucy was a puppy, we kept a solution of white vinegar (2 parts water, 1 part vinegar) in the cupboard for emergencies. Any urine was blotted up followed by pouring the vinegar solution over the residue until saturated. The solution was then blotted with folded bath towels. Our kids loved to jump up and down on the towel while Lucy looked on with no clue she had caused a problem.. A dry towel was weighted down over the damp area and left for the solution to dry and wick into the towel. We were careful not to rub the carpet as this might fray the carpet strands.
Urine on area rugs or carpet is one of our customers’ biggest headaches. Many ask. “Can you get urine out of my carpet”?
The answer is yes and no.
Are we talking about a stain or an odor? Is this an area rug or wall-to-wall carpet? Does the carpet or area rug have synthetic or natural yarn and backing?
If the carpet or area rug is made of synthetic yarn, there is a 50% chance we can remove the stain. A crucial factor is how long the urine has been in the carpet. If the urine has been in the carpet for several months, it can pull color from the synthetic yarn. Often, dyes can be used to correct the color.
Wool carpet is a different story. Urine can actually burn the wool and strip color. Once again, time is a factor. The longer urine stays in the yarn, the more damage it can do. Once the damage has occurred, it is irreversible. Even if dyes can be replaced the wool could be permanently damaged.
Appleby is very successful removing odor from area rugs. As long as the area rugs are treated in our plant, WE GUARANTEE ODOR REMOVAL!
First, the rug is soaked for several hours until the urine crystals are liquefied. The rug is then rinsed with water numerous times until all the urine is removed. This process is labor intensive. Appleby does not use any deodorizers or chemicals. Many cleaners will mask or replace the urine odor with other fragrances. You’ve smelled the cherry odor in public restrooms. FRAGRANCES ONLY MASK ODORS. A sweet, artificial aroma is a clear indicator that the urine is probably still in the rug. Appleby will leave your rug smelling the way you purchased it.
Naturally clean and urine free.
Wall-to-wall carpet makes it impractical to clean in our plant. The carpet must be treated in your home. This presents challenges. Besides the part of the carpet you see, most carpet has two backings. Under the carpet is your pad and floor—sometimes up to four porous surfaces are contaminated with urine. It’s impossible to wash and rinse all four surfaces free of the urine without dismantling each of these components. So what do we do?
We can use one of two weapons: enzymes or a quaternary disinfectant. If the installation is over a concrete slab, we saturate the contaminated area with the appropriate solution. This can’t be done with a hardwood sub-floor or the floorboards will warp. The solution is given dwell time (time for the solution to do its work) and then vacuumed out. By no means does this remove all the urine or guarantee the odor removal. Though we can improve the odor by this method, URINE CONTAMINATION CAN ONLY TRULY BE REMOVED IN OUR PLANT.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Fragrances and false promises won’t remove the urine. In some extreme cases the contaminated pad must be replaced and the sub-floor cleaned or sanded and sealed. Again, time is a major factor in the depth of the problem.
The best prevention for urine problems is contacting Appleby as soon as possible after an accident.. Lucy is a potty-trained now. We hope your puppy learns too!
Joe Appleby