Rug And Carpet Cleaning Tips For Pet Lovers

There’s no denying that we love our pets. For many people, a home just isn’t a home without at least one cat or dog living in it alongside humans. However, as much as we love our pets, we probably don’t love the mess that they inevitably make inside our homes and on our carpets. Even cats, who are supposed to be very clean animals, manage to make mistakes and leave a mess on the carpet.

Pets are especially messy during the house training period. Of course, techniques for teaching your pet not to go to the lavatory on the carpet would make a whole article, if not a whole book, in itself. All we can say here is that it’s important to be persistent and patient, and to use rewards for the right behaviour frequently. It’s not just cats and dogs that can be housetrained successfully. A very wide range of pets can be housetrained so you can give them the run of the house without fearing for the appearance (and smell) of your carpets – even chickens, parrots and rats. The only pets you can’t housetrain adequately are mice. Mice have no sphincter muscles controlling their bladders, meaning that as soon as urine hits their bladders, out it comes. So maybe keep the mice in their cage (and clean it frequently), and wash your hands very well indeed after playing with your pet mice.

All the same, even when you have managed to teach your pet not to pee in the living room, accidents happen. Somebody will have to clean the resulting mess up, and that somebody is probably you. It certainly won’t be your pet!

Prevention Is Better Than a Cleaning Bill

In an ideal world, you will never find a pile or a puddle left by your pet on the rug or in the corner of the living room carpet. However, the world is not ideal. Furthermore, it’s not just pee or poop that animals can get on the carpet – they can bleed and throw up as well.

The less that you have to clean up after your pet, the better. A few simple steps may help reduce the number of times that you have to get busy with the rubber gloves on:

• If you use a litter box for your cat or dog, make sure that you change it frequently. If it’s full up, a cat won’t use it. Also make sure that it’s easy to access.
• Let your cat or dog outside for a reasonable amount of time during the day if possible. This means that your cat or dog can do their business outside where it’s easier to clean.
• Make sure that your pet is not stressed – cats pee in self-defence if they feel threatened. So do dogs, to a certain extent.
• If your pet is suddenly peeing more often in the house after getting it right for years, this may be a sign of a medical problem so see the vet.
• If possible, ensure that your pet sleeps outside overnight.
• Install a cat door so your cat can get into the garden to relieve him/herself.
• Some puppies show submission by peeing when scolded. Take steps to boost your pet’s confidence – you achieve a lot more by praising good behaviour than by punishing bad behaviour.
• If you notice your pet retching and coughing as though about to vomit, quickly move him/her to an area that’s easy to clean.
• Unspayed bitches will produce a small amount bloody discharge when they come into season. If possible, confine her to an easy to clean area. It’s also possible to buy “hygiene pads” for dogs, which are a canine equivalent of sanitary napkins.

However, the worst can still happen. Somebody will close the door and shut Fluffy or Fido away from the litter box. What are you going to do about the resulting pile or puddle?

Cleaning Up Puddles

Puddles are usually urine, but can also be vomit. Act quickly to prevent staining. As always, wear rubber gloves and use cleaning tools that are kept for “yucky” jobs rather than the ones that you use for cleaning the kitchen.

• First, blot up as much of the puddle as possible with an old towel or newspaper, and dispose of this.
• Spray the area generously with a disinfectant spray and leave it to kill bacteria.
• Scrub the area well with a gentle scrubbing brush (a harsh one will damage your carpet).
• Blot with a second towel to remove any excess disinfectant and wet mess.
• Sprinkle the area with baking soda to help absorb any smells. Sweep or vacuum up this after 10–24 hours.

Cleaning Up Piles

Never, ever use the vacuum cleaner for removing solid pet mess. Tiny traces will linger in your vacuum cleaner, no matter how you try to clean it afterward. This will mean that every time you vacuum other rooms in the house, you will be blowing eau de dog poop all through your living areas. Not pleasant. Avoid the vacuum cleaner – it’s a hands-on job.

• Scrape up as much mess as you can – a big fat paint scraper or a dustpan is ideal. Dispose of the mess in the toilet.
• Wipe as much of the residual traces (there will be some) as you can using toilet paper.
• Spray a very generous amount of disinfectant onto the area. You should use enough to flood any particles of poop out of the carpet. Leave it on the carpet for some time to kill bacteria.
• Scrub the carpet using a soft scrubbing brush to get the particles out of the carpet fibres.
• Blot the area dry with an old towel or wad of newspaper.
• Sprinkle baking soda on the area to absorb smells. Vacuum or sweep this up after 10–24 hours.

Cleaning Other Mess Your Pet Gets On The Carpet

• Muddy pawmarks: Treat the same way as puddles, although you can use warm soapy water rather than disinfectant.
• Bloodstains: Treat the same way as puddles. Be very careful to use cold water, as heat will set the stain into your carpet.
• Hairs: A regular vacuum cleaner with a good brush head will remove the worst. However, during the moult, you may need something more. Numerous methods can be tried, ranging from a damp towel tied around a broom head (the moisture catches the hairs) to lint rollers and lengths of Velcro.

Why You Still Need To Call In A Professional Carpet Cleaner

Even if you have got onto that puddle or pile as quickly as possible, you may still need to call in a professional cleaner. Obviously, if there are still lingering traces on a light rug that just won’t go no matter what you do, get a pro in to spot-remove the stain.

Pet owners should also make sure they get a professional in to clean the carpets annually to avoid the home getting a doggy or catty smell. No matter how thoroughly you clean your carpets after your pet has made a mess, there will be a little bit of residue remaining. You might not be able to smell this but your pet will. Over time, you will be able to smell it, too! Annual cleaning is a real must – and maybe a session after the house training period is completed wouldn’t go amiss either!