How to Remove Pet Urine and Other Stains

Pet urine is possibly one of the world's most disgusting things likely to end up on your favourite rug. It is yellow in colour, watery in consistency, and when as little as a few hours old, smells worse than anything as readily available on the planet.

But bear in mind, humans are afraid of cat wee. From the days of early man recognising the smell of tiger urine frightening them, we all have a fear of cat urine. So be brave! It is not a substance to be meddled with.

Aside from our lovely pets leaving unwanted spillages, day to day life doesnt always go without accidents. It is common for you, your family members or friends to spill drinks, food or god forbid - vomit on your pristine carpet. When these events occur, you'd benefit from understanding the immediate and most effective course of action.

Prevention, Realisation and Purification are the three main objectives when it comes to attacking this problem. Your first step it to do everything in your power to make sure that this situation doesn't happen. On the rare occasion it does, you need to quickly identify it - so it has no lasting damages or smells. Following this, you need to understand the best way to get rid of any stains and smells quickly and effectively!

Armed with a bucket of suds and a mop, travel your house and thoroughly clean any hotspots for cats to use as their toilet. These include corners, toilets, rugs, and anything which you think might (to the cat) smell like urine.

Keep their litter tray spotlessly clean! Kitty's stop using their litter tray when it gets all too much for them, and transfer to a new toilet spot. Telling them "NO!" isnt going to help, but as long as the litter tray is clean, and so is the rest of the house, they should select the tray to do their business in.

Make sure they know not to wee around the house! Train them as you would a dog - worked for me!

It is amazing just how many people I speak to about this do not discover their cat urine until AFTER the ideal window of opportunity for cleaning it. Typically, pet urine is at its most cleanable any time up to about three hours after its deposit. After that, you have a big job on your hands. In fact, if the urine is hunted down when fresh, it can be cleaned up (with the knowledge in step three) with the greatest of ease. Any later, and it will linger there for a very long while, and cleaning it efficiently is not a task for the faint hearted.

So, every day when coming home from work, or in the morning, or after the time your cat is most likely to wee in your house, take a walk around. Sniff. Look for any tell-tale damp patches - the sooner you hunt for these stains, the better.

Now, this is tricky bit, and cannot rely on simply man-power alone. Cat urine is a vicious substance. You will need chemicals, and depening on the cat's diet, bleach will simply not be enough. I used to concoct my own mixture, however now use this pet stain remover which works wonders with wee washing.

The basic SI principle of purifying cat-weed areas is 'use the strongest chemicals you can, but not strong enough to wreck the surface'. So, if you have a deep blue carpet, hydrogen peroxide probably is not the best thing to use. Sure, it will work wonders with your wee stain, but will probably turn your prized carpet white. I learnt that one the hard way.

Also, do not be afraid of scrubbing. It will help to remove pet stains, as well as any molecular traces of the urine from tiny fibres and niches.

Before calling an expensive cleaning service or buying a premium stain remover, check your cupboards for these common household products to help wipe out stains - from pet urine to red wine!

Beer

Believe it or not, Beer can get stains out of your carpet. Rub lightly a small amount of beer on the stain and it will disappear. Depending on the stain type, you should apply the process a couple of times and follow with some gentle soap and water to remove any beer smell.

Ammonia

If you've got this lying about the house, give it a go. Sponging the stain with one cup of clear ammonia combined with two litres of warm water will have your stain out in no time. Apply the process a few times and let it dry out thoroughly.

Shaving Cream

Oh no, a little spillage of juice! Go get your shaving cream - and while you're at it, tidy up that facial hair of yours. Blot the stain with water, squirt a little shaving cream on and wipe it with a damp sponge. This is also an excellent solution for greasy spillages!

Baking Soda

Especially effective when dealing with vomit and urine, banking soda is normally in the house and easily accessible. Wipe up what you can with a damp cloth, then pour some baking soda across the affected area and pat it with a paper towel. Let it dry into the carpet, as it is undergoing a sanitizing process. When it is fully dry, vacuum clean the area! It should be a hundred times better.

Some of the worst things to see in your lovely carpet are foods, coffee and alcohol. These are some specific instructions for these spillages to ensure your carpet is not affected long term.

• Identify the stain type and attack it as soon as possible.
• Blot up any surplus spillages and confine the area to as small as you can.
• Use a detergent vinegar solution a little bit at a time.
• Start at the outer edges of the stain and work your way in.
• Frequently blot the area with dry cloths that can absorb spillage.
• Final rinse through with a small amount of vinegar and warm water, followed by a drying out period with a towel. Leave it overnight and ensure its bone dry before vacuum cleaning over it.

These are some of the hardest things to get out of your carpet. The key is to attack it early, while it hasn't dried into the carpet.

• Gather the substance, affecting the smallest area possible.
• Scrape the excess up with a blunt knife.
• Use a detergent solution and begin at the outer edges.
• Blot dry the area with a dry cloth.
• Place a towel over the area and apply something to weight it down, ensuring maximum soaking up into the towel.
• Vacuum clean the area when it has become completely dry,

So, now you're fully equipped with all of the knowledge to prevent - and attack any unwanted stains that come into your life. If you've just uncovered a stain that you don't know how to deal with, I hope that you've learnt what to do... quickly...GO CLEAN!

If you happen to have just stumbled across this hub, I hope the information I've compiled is useful for you. I'm sure you'll consider the things I've explained when the next unwanted stain crops up. I'd appreciate any comments on what you recommend for attacking all sorts of stains, so please feel free to offer your advice!