A Personal Touch, serving the Denver metro are for over 30 years, is an expert in pet damage. Here are things homeowners can do with pet ‘accidents’ and tips on when to call in the professionals.
DENVER, CO – Carpeting and fine upholstered furniture are among the most valuable assets in any home, but the care of them sometimes collides directly with another of any family’s most prized assets, the family pet. People love their dogs and cats and consider them a part of the family, but sometimes – as puppies or kittens, during illnesses, in response to territorial or breeding instincts, or simply when accidents happen – carpeting and upholstery is soiled or sprayed, resulting in both staining and odors that can disrupt lifestyles and have serious consequences on the costly fabrics.
The key to dealing with pet stains and odors is quick action, as the longer they go unattended and continue to soak through, the harder they are to eradicate. A Personal Touch, carpet and home cleaning experts serving the Denver metro area for over 30 years, has learned through experience the best methods of addressing pet damage in homes, and offers this primer on what homeowners can do and when to seek professional help. The good news, says A Personal Touch founder Phil Dreessen, is that nearly every pet damage situation can be handled without any lasting effects.
“Pet stains and odors rank right up there with the most frequent reasons people call us,” he says,” and we have seen it all. The important thing to remember is that with quick action even the most valuable carpets, rugs and upholstery can be restored to their intended beauty and value, with stains and odors removed.”
The issue of pet damage in the home is a large one because Americans are so enamored with pets. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), there are about 77 million dogs and 73 million cats in American homes, with 24% of dog owners and 51% of cat owners having two or more of their favorite furry friends. Including all pets, but of course led by dogs and cats, 62% of American households have animals.
To eliminate pet odors in your carpet, stains must be removed or neutralized from the layers affected, including, in severe cases, the underside of the carpet, the carpet padding or the sub-floor. Left untreated, pet odor can become absorbed into word floors, baseboards and walls.
Brand-new “accidents” can for the most part be dealt with successfully with pet odor products available at retail and rental cleaning equipment for steam cleaning. Homeowners are advised, however, to test products on an out-of-the-way portion of the carpet or furniture to make sure the cleaning product itself won’t stain or mar the fabric.
A Personal Touch has discovered that most pet stains and odors, if caught early, can be addressed very successfully with white vinegar and baking soda, common household products that will in most cases outperform any retail product on the market. Mix the white vinegar and baking soda into a paste, work it into the stain with an old toothbrush, cleaning as deeply as possible, and when it dries simply vacuum it up. Pesky stains make take more than one treatment. White vinegar is also a natural odor neutralizer and will handle almost all cases of pet odor.
The biggest problem is pet urine odor that can be particularly pungent and long-lasting. Once the urine dries it crystalizes and can be deeply seated in upholstery, carpets, carpet pads, sub-flooring and even walls and woodwork, and these crystals must be removed to do away with the odor. To locate the site of such problems, use a black light in a darkened room as urine and urine crystals will glow in that light.
Long-term pet odor, however, almost always has to be dealt with by a professional. Regular consumer products and even home-market rental equipment for treating pet odor problems are really only meant for minor issues, and often just mask odor and clean only the surface of carpets and sofas.
Pernicious pet odor problems, where the carpet backing has been stained, the sub floor inundated and where even walls and trims have been soaked, can only be addressed by a professional.
Here at A Personal Touch we use deep-cleaning steam cleaners and enzyme-based odor eliminator products, and we know from vast experience which ones work best. We are also experts at pulling up carpeting, replacing the pad, and repairing and restoring stained fabric. If the pet odor problem is long-standing, a full remediation may also require replacing the sub flooring (wood or concrete), removing and replacing tainted wall trim, and perhaps cutting and replacing wall boards and repainting, all services we perform. In some extreme cases the carpeting may need to be replaced, however the area still needs professional treatment because once the odor-causing crystals have soaked into the area around the carpet, simply replacing the carpet will do nothing to permanently eliminating pet odors.
Carpets and fine upholstered furniture are much too valuable in any home to be left uncared for. They should be regularly vacuumed and periodically steamed cleaned to maintain their comfort and luster, and in some cases the manufacturer’s warranty will require period professional cleaning to uphold a guarantee. Prompt action on pet stains and odors will go a long way to ensuring they last the 20 to 25 years they were intended for.
We all love our pets, of course, a d sometimes it is just impossible to prevent accidents. At A Personal Touch we have discovered over the years that the occasional pet damage in most homes will be in an out-of-the-way location because, usually, grown dogs and cats understand that such behavior is misbehavior and will try and hide it.
So be diligent cleaning up after your pets, and when the need arises, call A Personal Touch for expert professional care of your carpets and upholstery.
For more information please call 720-344-2870. A Personal Touch offers of full range of carpet cleaning and restoration services, and we also clean air ducts, tile and grout, and we have mastered the art of bedbug eradication as well.
