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Best Way to Clean Urine and Pet Stains

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Anyone who has a pet may be faced with the possibility of having a urine stain on their carpet, floor, furniture or clothing. You know exactly how it happens. The minute you turn your back, your pet decides that your new rug is the perfect place to relieve himself. You try every cleaning product, but you can’t get rid of that smell, and in many cases a stain still remains. Traditional cleaners and infomercial “wonder products” are usually disappointing, and can sometimes make the stain worse. Urine stains are also some of the worst smelling messes out there, and they leave gross looking, long lasting stains. When left alone, it can seep through your carpet and down into the padding, then to the floor beneath. Pet urine can de-laminate a carpet, and may even cause the carpet backing to rot. Even after a thorough cleaning, the spot and stink will often remain despite your hard work.

What Makes a Urine Stain So Bad?

Pet urine is an amber-colored liquid waste fluid that is excreted by the kidneys. Basically, it’s composed of waste products of protein metabolism. The exact color and staining ability will differ, depending on the dietary habits, age and sex of your pet. If your dog or cat is in poor health or on medication, it can affect their urine as well. Generally, cat pee has a more harsh odor and produces more stains than that of a dog. This is due to a diet richer in protein. Urine contains various chemicals. Most of them are easily washable, but one in particular adds to the difficulty in removing the stain. Uric acid crystals  make the job harder because it bonds to fabrics if  it’s heated. If this occurs, it can permanently fix the stain in place, making it nearly impossible to remove.

Clean a Pet Urine Stain on Carpet

New Spot:

Fresh stains are the easiest to clean. In fact, the sooner you start, the easier it will be, and the less time it will take. This is because if the stain is fresh you can remove the maximum amount of liquid, before it sets in. The best thing to use to soak up the pee would be a shammy [4]. These cloths hold 25 times their weight in liquid, and will soak up urine all the way to the floor boards. Once you remove as much stinky liquid as possible, the rest of the mess is quick and simple to finish. Because most of the fluid has already been sucked out of your rug, there will be very little stink or stain to clean.

Step By Step Instructions:

  1. To begin cleaning fresh puppy pee on your floor or anywhere else, simply place a shammy over the area and press down. Make sure to avoid rubbing or wiping of the surface. Use a blotting or patting action to collect the liquid in the shammy. This technique will draw it up and out without smearing it around, or making the stain bigger.
  2. Depending upon the bladder size of your pet, you may have to wring out the shammy and repeat the extraction process. We know this sounds kinda gross, but those little critters are so darn cute, their pee can’t be that bad, and if you need to, you can always wear a pair of gloves.
  3. The more you get out, the better. If you do not own any shammys yet, get some, but in the mean time, you could also use a steam cleaner to extract the liquid as well. It’s important when cleaning, to remove the dirt and stains rather than just cover them up, or try to make them disappear.
  4. Once you have removed as much pee as possible , get a cup of clean water to flush the area.
  5. Pour the water over the dirty area , and then use the shammy to lift it back out of the carpet. You could also use the extraction method again here, but quite frankly, the synthetic chamois is the perfect tool. This process rinses the area, leaving very little urine left to clean. If your dog is sick, or if the pee is extra stinky, you may want to flush twice, or use some distilled vinegar to help neutralize it.
  6. To thoroughly clean the area and remove any lingering odor or color, use Quick’n Brite [5]. It’s perfect for this job because it’s an enzyme cleaner. These types of cleaners are the number one recommended type for pet stains because they break down the organic matter in the urine and lift it to the surface so you can remove it. After using Quick’n Brite, your carpet will be odor-free and cleaner than ever. There is no overwhelming chemical smell either, so your pets won’t be tempted to use the same place again.
  7. To use it, add to a steam cleaner and go over the area, or do one of the options below. To shampoo the area, just add 2/3 cup  for every gallon of water and steam clean as usual. It works better than traditional carpet cleaning products at removing spots and neutralizing odors, and it’s concentrated so you can use less. It leaves your carpet soft and clean, with no sticky residue.
  8. If you have the liquid version, simply pour some down, and let it soak in for a few minutes.
  9. If you only have the paste, you can put it on full strength for smaller spots, but you may want to melt it into a liquid so you can use less, and spread it easier.
  10. For small spots a heavy solution of three tablespoons into a quart of water should do the trick.
  11. Once the cleaner sits, come back with a dry terry cloth towel to buff out the stain, and lift up any odor. The yellow and brown coloration will transfer to this towel as it is removed from your carpet.
  12. Once you wipe away most of the problem, get a cup of warm water and poor it over the area to rinse it again. Once again, use a shammy to soak the area dry.
  13. Because some messes will be worse than others, a second application may be required for complete elimination.
  14. To finish, grab a clean, dry shammy and place it over the whole area. Walk on top of it to pull up excess moisture and dry your floor. This will draw the remaining urine out of the carpet, leaving your floor squeaky clean and free of any smell.

Why Use Quick N Brite?

When you apply the paste full strength, or use the liquid concentrate for an easier application, it will do most of the tough work for you. Just work the cleaner into the stain and then let it sit there for a few minutes. This time gives it an opportunity to work. It  immediately begins to break apart the stain causing particles and neutralize the odor at the same time. This results in less work you have to do to get the area clean. It is also non-toxic so it is safe to touch with your hands, and it will leave the area safe for children and pets afterward too.

Old Spot:

Urine stains that go unnoticed, and are allowed so set in are a bit harder to clean, and require a slightly different tactic. You will basically use the same process, but because you are unable to remove any of the liquid, the stain will be more stubborn. In cases of old spots, a steam cleaner is often the best method to use. It’s possible to do it by hand, but because the urine has attached itself to the fibers, it will take a little more effort to get it all the way out. Whether it is by hand or you use a carpet cleaner, it is in your best interest to use Quick n Brite.

Step By Step Instructions:

  1. Rinse the area with clean water and extract it with a shammy.
  2. Repeat this a couple of times to rinse away anything that isn’t stuck. Use cool water because hot or warm water may increase the bond.
  3.  Apply Quick’n Brite as directed above, repeating the process as necessary. With a dried in stain you should let the cleaner sit for a longer period of time. Wait 20-30 minutes before rinsing the area, or buffing  with your dry towel.
  4. Because set it staining can be nearly impossible in some cases, you can also super charge your effort by using the paste full strength, and in larger amounts. The liquid version will be slightly less effective, and a heavy solution mixture probably won’t be powerful enough in most cases.  Pee on carpet that is ignored, or spots that inferior products have been used on can further cement the problem, and make it harder to take out.
  5. Increased concentration results in more breakdown of the stain in a shorter amount of time. It also becomes powerful enough to release bonds that normally would hold tight. This results in you having the ability to remove the most stubborn messes easily.
  6. Ensure the Quick’n Brite sits long enough to work. Necessary time will vary, but anywhere from ten minutes to one hour is within reason. The rule of thumb is tough job, longer wait.
  7. It doesn’t matter how long the stain has been there, or what you have tried to use on it in the past. Quick n Brite will remove any urine stain in your home.

Urine Stains on Hard Flooring:

This is the easiest place to clean. As with any other though, the sooner you get on it, the easier it will be. The increased moisture can ruin wood flooring, and the longer it soaks in, the more potential there is for a lingering odor.

Step By Step Instructions:

  1. This technique will be equally effective on linoleum, tile, hardwood, marble or any other kind of hard flooring.
  2. Step one is to once again soak up all of the liquid until the area is dry. You do not need to use your hands, simply lay it out flat over the wet spot, and then step on it with your foot. A blotting action works better than wiping, and also helps to minimize spreading.
  3. As another option to dry the floor, you can stick a shammy on the end of a broom [6], or opt for a mop [7] that is absorbent enough to handle the task.
  4. Once dry, and most pee has been removed, get rid of any staining or smell by using Quick N Brite.
  5. For hard floors, all you should need is a spray bottle of heavy solution(3 Tbs./ quart of water) to use on the area.
  6.  If you are concerned about adding moisture to an expensive wood floor, use paste instead by dampening a cloth, dipping it in the tub, and then rubbing it over the spot.
  7. For most hard floors, just spray it on, let it sit for a minute, and then wipe clean with a dry towel. You could also use an affordable microfiber mop [8] to clean the floor after the bulk of the urine has been removed.
  8. Any remaining moisture can be eliminated with a clean, dry shammy if necessary. All smell and coloration should go away as you wipe away the cleaner.

Will This Method Take Away The Stink and The Stain?

Yes. The reason why many other cleaners do not get rid of the smell is due to ineffectiveness. They either just cover up the stain, or they attempt to remove it, but don’t do a good job. If you have any urine left in the fibers of your carpet, then you are going to have a foul smell too. The technique outlined above will enable you to remove as much as possible before you even start with the actual cleaning. Because Quick N Brite works so well to break down the urine and free any bond it has with your carpet, any residual pee pee will be eliminated with that step. It also has the ability to neutralize the scent right at the surface as well, so even if you do have minute areas of urine left over, they won’t smell like it. Quick N Brite itself has a surprisingly fresh scent that is not at all overwhelming, so the sharp smell will be replaced with something far more pleasant. If you follow the steps above, everything about the mess will be eliminated, and you will not see or smell any trace of it after you finish.

Re-Train Your Pet to Prevent Further Accidents

The best method is prevention. In conjunction with cleaning, be sure to teach your pet where you want him/her to go to the bathroom. To do this, make the accident prone areas unattractive and the appropriate bathroom area appealing. There are several methods you can use to teach your pet where you want him to eliminate. Find a method that works for you and your pet, then stick with it. The re-training period may take a week or more, but be patient. Remember, it took time to build the bad habit, and it will also take time to rehabilitate. Treat your pet with patience and give him lots of encouragement.

Products Mentioned

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8 Comments (Open | Close)

8 Comments To "Best Way to Clean Urine and Pet Stains"

#1 Comment By Val On 08/24/2006 @ 4:55 PM

I have a client who has had a leaky toilet gasket which has left unpleasant urine and I assume feces stains on tile. I cannot get the rough and stinky stuff up. Any suggestions? I have found many recipes for carpet furniture and wood, but none that are appropriate for tile. HELP!!!

#2 Comment By SimplyGoodStuff On 06/22/2011 @ 3:35 PM

Quick n Brite would work just as well, or even better on this type of surface. Usually smooth flooring is easier to clean. Just take a heavy solution mixed into a spray bottle, and spray all over the affected area. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then come back and wipe clean with a rag or mop. Depending on how gross it is, you may want to go over the area again.

#3 Comment By SimplyGoodStuff On 08/24/2006 @ 5:10 PM

YIKES! What a mess. Quick’n Brite would work great on this type of stain. Because urine and feces are organic, an enzyme cleaner is the perfect thing to use on it. Quick’n Brite would break apart the organic matter so it is easy to remove. Just appyly some of the paste, full strength, using a damp non-abrasive scrub sponge, and then let it sit there for ten to fifteen minutes. This will allow the cleaner time to work, so that there will be very little scrubbing needed to wipe the area clean. Quick’n Brite will completely remove any urine or feces stain from tile with no problem. If the stain has built up over time, you may have to repeat the cleaning process for best results. Quick’n Brite is completely safe to use on any surface you can get wet, and can be used for many other tough cleaning jobs all around the home. I hope this helps. Good Luck!

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#4 Comment By lovely On 06/16/2007 @ 8:58 AM

thanks for the..umm..clean information 🙂

#5 Comment By Taylormommie03 On 07/25/2011 @ 6:58 PM

here you go mom hopes it helps

#6 Comment By Pam On 08/15/2013 @ 6:11 PM

My up satires neighbor has four dogs and every day she is washing clothes in the washing machine we share, the wash room smells like dog and she is washing dog pee and poo or feces in the machine we share, I don’t no how to deal with this and I am wondering am I safe in this regard, or should I be worried ??? I don’t like it at all and i don’t think it’s fare to have to go behind dog droppings and wash your clothes. And she is washing every day doing this thing.

#7 Comment By SimplyGoodStuff On 08/15/2013 @ 11:57 PM

eewwww… That sounds pretty gross. You would think that people would have more respect in a shared situation like that. Feces and urine are certainly a health hazard, but washing a load of clothes should neutralize most of the harmful stuff. In this way, it is one of the better spots, but when you take a whiff of your clothes, the lingering dog stench may change your mind. The undesirable smell, and fur contamination are probably the worst things you need to worry about. Adding a bit of Quick n Brite to each load you wash will eliminate odor and break down any bodily fluids or droppings that may have entered the machine. If you really want to avoid your clothes touching your neighbor’s doggy yuckiness, then run an in-between load of super hot water and vinegar or Quick n Brite.

#8 Comment By Morrow On 09/14/2020 @ 2:54 AM

Thanks for this guide about removing urine smell from the carpet.