Ewwww -- That Smell

When Matt and I were shopping for our first house, we went into what seemed like thousands of homes. Two actually left an impression on me. Obviously the one we purchased. The other memorable home was the one that I refused to go in. It was a lovely place, at least on the outside. We opened the front door and this horrendous smell greeted us. What was it? According to the realtor, it was pet urine.

The humanesociety.org states that approximately 78.2 million homes in the U. S. owned dogs in 2011-12. That’s a whole lot of homes with potential accidents on carpet and rugs that require immediate attention. Clearly the homeowners mentioned above didn’t believe in immediate attention.

Here’s a picture of what can happen if pet urine is left untreated on a rug.

Here’s the same rug after Greg spent an afternoon cleaning it.

If your pet urinates on your carpet or rug, don’t let it go untreated. Dried, untreated pet urine leads to permanent stains and bacterial growth. If your pet urinates on your carpet or rug and you discover it while it is still wet, blot the area to remove the excess. Then dilute the area with water and blot (don’t rub) until no more color is visible on your clean, white towel. Ideally, next you’d have your carpeting or rug professionally cleaned. If you can’t immediately have the rug professionally cleaned, consider using an enzymatic cleaner to remove the stain and scent. And while we realize it isn’t feasible to have your rug professionally cleaned after every single accident, the standard 12 – 18 months may not apply in your home if you have pets.

If you have carpet or rug questions, contact us. Call Greg at 336-992-0700, leave a message on our Facebook page, or Tweet us, and we can help.