How to Clean a Pet-Stained Carpet? 5 Simple Cleaning Methods

Owning a pet can be the best thing anyone can experience, but it can also be the most frustrating thing. During the carefree days, we can play with our pets at home and have fun with them for hours.

However, during the “unhappy” days, we might need to deal with the messes created by our pets, and thus, as the owner, we have to clean their mess. For many people, it can be a daunting task to do.

When your pets are acting up and start putting their litter all over the place, you might need to spend the extra time during the weekend or even the weekdays to clean them up.

Most often, your pets will pee on your carpet, or they might even poop on the carpet or vomit on it. Other furniture and places around your house are also not immune to their behaviors. So, as a good owner, you need to know what to do when such things happen in your house.

How to Clean a Pet-Stained Carpet with Simple Cleaning Solutions?

Whether your pets are vomiting, pooping, or peeing on the carpet, it will leave dirty stains on the carpet that are often difficult to get rid of.

You need to use the right solutions to clean up your carpet and keep it clean. Here are some simple cleaning solutions you can use to clean a pet-stained carpet:

  1. Clean the Source of the Stains First

First, you need to clean the source of the stains from the carpet as soon as possible, without delay. This is because when you delay the cleaning process, the source (vomit, urine, or feces) can create more and more stains, and thus, it will create stronger smells all over the room. So, take the steps to clean the source of the stains first after finding out your pets are littering on the carpet.

Prepare a plastic bag and get a small shovel ready to remove the source. Do this for your pet’s feces or vomit. If the source of the stain is urine, you need to have some paper towels ready to blot the urine out of the carpet and avoid causing further stains on it.

Remember to do it with a gentle movement and make sure that the stains do not spread further. You need to do this until you leave only the stains on the carpet. If you can’t stand the smell, then you can wear a face mask when you do it.

Things You Need to Pay Attention to:

  • Do not use any cleaning solution on the source of the stain (feces, urine, or any others) as it will make it to smell worse than before.
  • Avoid spreading the stains further by removing the feces or urine in the wrong way. Remember, if you are not careful, you can spread the stains further, which can make it more difficult for you to clean it later.
  • Do not rush when you remove the source of the stain from your carpet, as it will only cause the stains to spread further. Do it in slow movements, and you can also use two mini shovels to help minimize the spread of the stain when you remove the source.
  • Avoid waiting for too long before you remove the source of the stain. You need to remove it as soon as possible the moment you find your pet littering on the carpet. You need to waste no time when you do it.
  • When removing the feces of your pet, you can pour some sand on it to make it easier for you to remove it from the carpet.
  • The sand will also reduce the smell of the feces, which can be more bearable for you when you remove it.

It is important to take this step first because it will help you a lot in removing the stains later. When you delay this process, the source will create deeper stains on the carpet with a worse smell than before.

  1. A mix of Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide

Baking soda can be the best homemade cleaning solution for your carpet to remove the pet stains from it. Mixed with hydrogen peroxide, baking soda can do its magic to bring you the best cleaning solution to remove pet stains as soon as possible and also to remove all the unpleasant odors associated with it.

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First, you need to spread the baking soda on the stained carpet areas and ensure that you cover all areas with baking soda. Then, you need to prepare the 3% hydrogen peroxide mix by putting it in an empty spray bottle.

Add water to the spray bottle by the ratio of 1:4 (1 for the hydrogen peroxide and 4 for water). Once the hydrogen peroxide spray is ready, spray it all over the stained area where you sprinkle and spread the baking soda on the carpet.

After that, you can wait for 2 hours until the cleaning solution becomes dry and leave only the baking soda part. You can clean the baking soda by vacuuming the carpet or cleaning it using a small shovel. With this method, you can remove both the stains and the smell from the carpet.

Things You Need to Pay Attention to:

  • Hydrogen peroxide can sometimes discolor some carpet fabrics, so it is best for you to test this ingredient first before you use it in full.
  • Hydrogen peroxide can also help remove the bacteria surrounding the stains and deodorize the area, allowing you to restore the fresh scent of the carpet when you complete the cleaning procedure.
  • The baking soda can help absorb the remaining stain that you have on the carpet, so you need to sprinkle the baking soda throughout the stained areas.
  • Only use the 3% of hydrogen peroxide when you use it to clean the carpet, as this is the chemical that might become toxic if you use it too much. Buy only the 3% hydrogen peroxide and mix it with water in 1:4 mixture ratio.
  • The smell of hydrogen peroxide might not be pleasant for pets and small children, so you need to get them off the living room before you perform the cleaning procedure with this method.

This method can give you the best result if you use it for fresh stains. It might be used to remove old stains as well, but you might need to repeat the process a few times when you use this method for removing the old stains.

  1. A mix of Baking Soda and Vinegar

Another method is to apply the mix of baking soda and vinegar on your carpet to remove the pet stains. For this method to work, you only need to buy a bottle of vinegar and a pack of baking soda from the nearest supermarket or local department store. With only these two products, you can clean your carpet stains and leave no smell behind.

For this to work, you need to use vinegar first. You need to spread the vinegar all over the stains on the carpet and leave no stained area left.

After covering the stains with the vinegar, you can sprinkle the baking soda and spread it around the stains, and cover the vinegar. You need to wait for a night before you can expect any results.

After waiting a night, you can remove the excess baking soda left on the carpet in the morning. Also, you can dry the carpet for a while under the sun before you can use it again. With this method, you will have a carpet with no stains left, which you can use again in your room.

Things You Need to Pay Attention to:

  • Baking soda and vinegar will work best to remove the stains and odor from the carpet because the two ingredients will cause a certain reaction that helps dissolve the stain from the carpet and thus eliminating the odor.
  • Aside from sprinkling the baking soda after you spray the vinegar, you can also sprinkle the baking soda before you spray the vinegar. It will produce the same effect as long as you cover all the stains on the carpet with both ingredients.
  • This mixture is also effective to help clean old stains from the carpet, which are the stains that have been lingering around the carpet for weeks or months. You can now reclaim the freshness of the carpet using these ingredients.
  • Vinegar and baking soda are not dangerous for your pets and family members, so you don’t need to worry about them producing toxins in the living room. Pets won’t mind the smell caused by the vinegar and baking soda, so you can allow them to be around when you clean the carpet with it.
  • Remember, if you have the floor made from stone, such as marble, then vinegar might damage the surface floor in your living room. Just be sure to use vinegar in careful movements if you have this type of surface floor. Also, keep in mind to only spread the ingredients on the carpet and avoid spilling them on the floor as well.
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This is perhaps one of the most common methods that you can use to clean the carpet from pet stains and remove the odor from it. It is an affordable cleaning solution you can get for a few dollars, or you can just grab it in the kitchen if you already have it.

  1. Wet Vac Carpet Cleaner

The wet vac carpet cleaner is a kind of vacuum cleaner product you can use to clean the pet stains on the carpet. The only difference with the conventional vacuum cleaner is that this tool uses water during the vacuuming process.

So, it will help you remove stains from the pets and also other stains caused by other things, such as ketchup, foods, and so on.

The disadvantage of this method is that this tool might be expensive to buy. But you have to think about the long-term benefits when you have this tool. It can help you remove stains from your carpet without having to do much work.

You don’t need to prepare the cleaning solutions by yourself, and you can use this tool just like any regular vacuum cleaner. It is available in most department stores and also online stores like Amazon.

Things You Need to Pay Attention:

  • You can use a natural cleaning solution you can buy from the market with your wet vacuum cleaner machine. You need to mix the cleaning solution with water to ensure that it does the job in the best way possible.
  • Please note that you can use a cleaning solution for your wet vacuum cleaner. However, make sure that the label says you can use it with the wet vac cleaner. You can get the best result when you choose the cleaning solution suitable for this type of machine.
  • Some vacuum cleaner models can also have a wet option that you can turn on. Check the vacuum cleaner that you have right now. You might not need to buy a separate wet vac cleaner to remove the stains as the feature is already available in your current vacuum cleaner.
  • After wet vacuuming the carpet, you also need to scrub the pet-stained carpet with a brush or sponge to ensure that you can remove all the lingering stains.
  • Sometimes, using the wet vac cleaner can still give you some lingering stains you need to work on removing with the brush.
  • You might need to perform this step a few times to ensure that your carpet is as good as new when you finish cleaning it. Don’t forget to dry the carpet afterward under direct sunlight when possible.

The wet vac cleaner machine can help you with the cleaning procedure by making it easier for you to work on removing all the stains and odor and also minimize the amount of your manual work.

However, sometimes you still need to follow this procedure by doing some scrubbing on the carpet to ensure that the stains are no longer there.

  1. Paper Towels and Water

You can also use paper towels and water to remove the pet stains from the carpet. However, it might not help remove the odor later. You can use this method when you need to clean the stains from the carpet as soon as possible while waiting for the cleaning solution to come to your house (in case you order it online).

To use this method, you just need to prepare some paper towels and water. After cleaning the source of the pet stains, you can use a paper towel to remove the stains further.

You just need to sprinkle some water around the stained area on the carpet and then blot the liquid using the paper towel. You might need to do this many times, but once you are sure that there are no stains left, you can end the process.

This is a simple method to clean the stains from your carpet while you prepare a more thorough cleaning solution to eliminate the odor. However, using just water and paper towels can sometimes help you minimize the unpleasant smell from the carpet. So, it is worth trying if you are in a hurry.

Things You Need to Pay Attention:

  • Use this method only if you are in a hurry. It can help minimize the smell of the pet urine or stain on the carpet when you follow this cleaning procedure a few times.
  • You shouldn’t use this as the cleaning solution to deal with a large stain on the carpet, even more so when the stain is already entering the deep layers of the carpet. However, you can use this method before you apply a cleaning solution to it.
  • It is perfect to clean the stain by following this method if it is not too much and if the amount of the stain is not too large. Please ensure that you use a good amount of water to wipe clean the stain from the carpet.
  • You should not follow this method for old stain except if you use it to make it fresh again for further cleaning procedures.
  • For the best result, rubbing the paper towels on the carpet when the carpet is wet with water can help you wipe the stain clean. However, the smell might still linger on the carpet, which you need to remove afterward.
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This is perhaps the weakest cleaning method you can learn on this page, but it is the quickest one you can use. For instance, if you need to get the cleaning solution first from the local department store, using this method can give you a head start in cleaning the carpet. Thus, you can minimize the stain and the smell when you are waiting for the cleaning solution to arrive.

Using Essential Oils on Your Carpet

While it is optional, you can use some essential oils to add a more pleasant smell to your carpet when you finish cleaning it. Apply some essential oils after you dry the carpet to freshen the carpet and add a more pleasant smell in the living room.

Also, using essential oils will discourage your pets from littering on the carpet again. Choose the one scent you like the most and mix a few drops of essential oils with water to create a spray. Then, spray the carpet areas with it to freshen the smell.

Once the smell of the pee or stain disappears, you can use the essential oils to keep the carpet smelling fresh. You can also add some drops of essential oils to your cleaning mixtures, such as when you use vinegar or the hydrogen peroxide mixture.

You can also add it to the water you put on the wet vac cleaner to give the fresh scent while you wet vacuuming the carpet.

Preventing Further Stains on Your Carpet

To prevent further stains on your carpet, you need to teach your pets the proper behaviors regarding how they pee or poop around the house. Always have a litter box ready for your pets to relieve themselves when they need to go pee or poop at home. You shouldn’t even let your pets poop or pee in the backyard, although it is better for them to do that than on the carpet.

Teach your pets to pee or poop on the litter box, and just like small children, praise them when they do the right thing. You need to give the praises and treats to encourage them to do the right behaviors and avoid littering your house with their pee, vomit, or poop.

Give your pets enough playtime with you so that they don’t feel stressed at home. Sometimes, stressful pets can litter all around the place to seek your attention. So, keep in mind to treat your pets well and avoid punishing them when they do something wrong.

You need to guide them to do the right thing after doing things like littering your carpet with their urine, feces, or vomit. You can also take them to the vet if the problem persists.

Remember, changing the behaviors of your pets will require your patience and some time to work on. It becomes more important if your pets are still new, or if they are still babies.

Conclusion

These are some simple cleaning solutions you can follow to clean your carpet from pet stains. Sometimes, it can frustrate or irritate you to no end when your pets are littering your carpet and creating an unpleasant smell for your room.

It can also take some time for you to clean their mess. But with these cleaning solutions, you can clean the pet stains from your carpet without having to put too much effort to do that.

You can find most of the required cleaning materials from online stores like Amazon or from the nearest supermarket in your area.

You can even find them in your kitchen already, and you can use them right away whenever you need them. So, find the best method that suits your needs.