How to Remove Pet Odors from Carpet

Pet owners know that living with an animal means occasionally living with unpleasant smells. But lingering odors in your carpet from pet accidents are not something you have to live with. The best way to eliminate odors is to clean up messes as soon as they happen but that isn't always possible. Odor-eliminating enzyme spot cleaners are helpful but they don't always do a thorough job and can be expensive if you are cleaning a large space.

Be prepared for pet accidents by having the following items on hand:

Paper towels

Baking soda

Vacuum

Vinegar

Liquid dish washing soap

Bucket

Sponge

Soft-bristled brush

Fan

Carpet steam cleaner

Spot Cleaning

Pick up any solid debris and blot the area with paper towels until the bulk of the mess has been removed.

Sprinkle baking soda over the affected area and let it sit for 30 minutes, then vacuum it up.

Mix 1/4 cup of white vinegar, 1/2 tsp. of liquid dish washing detergent and 2 cups of warm water in a small bucket.

Dab the cleaning solution into the area with a sponge then gently scrub the area with a soft-bristled brush. Blot up the excess moisture with paper towels.

Apply clean water by first dabbing, then gently scrubbing and blotting.

Place a fan nearby to dry the carpet as quickly as possible.

Overall Carpet Freshening

Sprinkle a liberal amount of baking soda over the entire carpet.

Brush the baking powder into the fibers of the carpet with a large soft-bristled scrub brush and allow it to stand for least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Vacuum the carpet thoroughly. Go slowly and change the bag if you are vacuuming a large area.

Overall Carpet Cleaning

Always start by vacuuming the carpet.

Fill the cleaning fluid dispenser of your steam cleaner with the recommended amount of pet odor-neutralizing carpet shampoo.

Clean the carpet, working in small areas approximately 5 feet wide by 5 feet tall. Push and pull the cleaner over the carpet like a vacuum, alternately spraying the cleaning mixture and suctioning it up.

Continue cleaning sections until the entire carpet has been shampooed and you have extracted as much fluid as possible.

Ref: associatedcontent.com