Pet owners always need to learn best practices when it comes to carpet cleaning. After all, we love our fur babies but don’t want our carpets destroyed either.
The good news is you can protect and clean your carpets and keep them safe from pet odors too. Below, you’ll discover some carpet cleaning tips for those of us pet owners who want to keep our carpeting in top condition.
Essential Carpet Cleaning Tips For Pet Owners
At some point in our lives, we always owned a pet and, more specifically, a dog. To add to that, we always owned a home filled with carpeting and area rugs. As you know, that spells a disaster for our carpeting and pet odors as well.
About two years ago, we rescued a poodle named Ollie, and with his non-conditional love came accidents and stomach aches. I knew it was time to dig into some useful carpeting cleaning tips I could trust and work.
More so, it seems everyone seems to know the best way to keep carpeting clean and odor-free, but that’s not always the case. Some tips either didn’t work too well or didn’t provide any useful information.
With that said, I decided to do some investigating to see which carpet cleaning tips did the trick and which didn’t. Below, you’ll discover some useful information for us pet owners so you can try them for yourself.
1 Are Vacuum Cleaners Effective For Cleaning Pet Odors & Stains
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Let’s start with the most obvious tool for cleaning pet odors and stains – the vacuum cleaner. Of course, vacuum cleaners come to mind first for dealing with dirty carpeting.
Obviously, because a vacuum uses suction to clean carpeting, they make the best tools for removing dirt and debris. But let’s also consider we must also remove the stains and odors from our carpeting as well.
Because we own a pet, we made sure to purchase a top of the line vacuum cleaner because they do work. Pet owners know how important it is to own a reliable and top-rated vacuum.
For example, the Shark Rocket Deluxe Pro has excellent top-rated features and does a great job as well. It’s always important to research and make sure you read the reviews from other customers as well. Also, make sure you benchmark features from one vacuum to another before purchasing. This way, you will always know you made the right choice for your home’s needs.
2 – Are Handheld Extractor Effective For Cleaning Pet Stains?
Typically, handheld extractors work great for cleaning carpeting. Many pet owners do get great results cleaning with them. In short, a handheld extractor uses water, pressure, and suction to clean and extract dirt. Mainly dirt that embeds directly into your carpets.
For our home, we do use a handheld extractor vacuum because they work great for spot cleaning and quickly remove stains and odors. The Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose tackles tough spots and stains with strong spray and powerful suction. It’s the perfect solution for removing stubborn pet odors and stains as well.
When it comes time for you to decide on a handheld extractor, make sure you research them thoroughly. Always look to ensure the extractor receives at least a 4-5 star rating too. Plus, handhelds fit the bill perfectly for cleaning any mess on your carpets and not only pet stains.
3 – Carpet Cleaning Practices You Should Avoid
As most pet owners can attest, when it comes to cleaning your carpets, there are dos and don’ts. It’s always a good idea to make sure you know what to do and what not to do when cleaning your carpets.
First, avoid using paper towels to clean up wet spots on your carpeting. More so, when it comes to cleaning pet urine. Blotting wet stains pushes the odor and stains into the carpet and padding. Doing so can also damage the underlying floor as well.
Also, make sure you don’t use steam cleaners on these stains as well. The heat from the steam will set the stain and make it impossible to remove. Even though the stain or wet spot might look better, it’s not. That’s why it’s essential to extract the wet spot from the carpeting beforehand.
You should also avoid using homemade cleaning products as well. The internet has a lot of DIY ideas and recipes floating around you should avoid. These home recipes can damage your carpet and push the odor and stains deeper into the padding. Homemade cleaning products work great for cleaning your home but not your carpeting!
Additionally, try not to let the stain sit for too long without attendance. Doing so will give the stain time to set deep into the fibers of your carpeting. Regardless of what you heard, rubbing your dog’s nose into the mess doesn’t prevent them from doing it again. It’s best to enroll your pet to a training school to break them of unwanted habits.
4 – Carpet Cleaning Best Practices To Follow
As someone who has dealt with pet stains and odors for years on my carpeting, I have a good handle on best practices. First, if you don’t own a product like Bissell Little Green Multi-Purpose, there are alternatives.
When I don’t feel like pulling out the heavy equipment, I always resort to a good Citrus Pet Odor Eliminator Pet Spray. If I catch the stain right away, I can use this spray to remove the stain and odor quickly and effectively. This pet spray works as a super-powerful cat and dog stain deodorizer.
Moreover, you can also try Rocco & Roxie Supply Professional Strength Stain and Odor Eliminator, which is a bio-enzymatic remover. The key is reaching the problem deep-down into the carpeting. This spray contains natural enzymatic bacteria.
In short, these enzymes work on contact with odors and stains feeding on ammonia crystals and organic matter. These bio-enzymatic pet stain removers work great until the stains and odors disappear!
If you have a puppy undergoing training, make sure you invest in some Four Paws Wee-Wee training pads. You can also use them for pets of any age as well. They work great and prevent nasty stains and odors from seeping deep into the carpeting.
In Closing
In truth, you can own pets and have a clean home and carpets at the same time. The key is practicing these tips and properly training your pet at the same time. Once your pet learns the ins and outs of your home routine, they will get the message.
Keep your carpeting clean and hygienic always takes top priority, mainly to keep our families safe from harmful germs and bacteria. Owning a pet comes with lots of responsibility. More importantly, it takes work, but as you know, well worth it for you, your pets, and your loved ones.
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