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Fire & Water - Cleanup & Restoration

Carpets and Pets

5/30/2018 (Permalink)

When you own pets and have carpet in your home, it can be difficult to keep the carpet looking clean all of the time. Cats are generally cleaner than dogs since most cats are indoor animals. They do still shed and spread pet dander, so vacuuming twice per week is suggested. It is also ideal to have a carpet with a medium tone and that has a few colors woven in to help hide some pet dirt from showing. Regardless of which pet you have, it's never easy getting the pet smell out of your carpet. Let's explore a few tips that just might help.

Purchase Stain Resistant Carpet

If you are able, stain-resistant carpet is always the way to go. Consider this option if you are replacing the carpeting or wish to carpet a wood or tile floor. This type of carpet is often more costly but also lasts for an extended period of time. Stain-resistant carpet already has a protective layer applied to the fibers. There is no need for scotch guarding practices as it can withstand being steam-cleaned, vacuumed and spills without losing too much of its integrity.

Scotch Guard Non-Stain Resistant Options

If you have carpet that is a few years old it is best to scotch-guard the carpets. This will put a protective guard on the carpet. It will need to be repeated after a period of time to help the fibers maintain their structure and help protect additional stains from being possible. You should have this done professionally to ensure that every fiber is treated. Missing a spot by doing it yourself can cause stains to get under fibers that are treated. This can cause stains that do get past the scotch guarding to be harder to get out.

How to Care for Your Carpet if You Have Pets at Home

Cleaning Pet Urine

Pet urine is one of the toughest things to battle when it comes to carpet care. In order to get accidental urine spots out of the carpet, you need to catch it rather quickly. Get several paper towels first and step on them, a few at a time, with shoes on. This will help you to pull up the urine without spreading it. Continue to do this until the paper towels come up nearly dry. Make a mixture of 1-teaspoon of ammonia and 1-cup of water. Spray this on the area and let it sit for 5-minutes. Use a stiff brush and make small circular motions from the inside of the spot outward. Use a wet/dry vacuum to pull up the rest of the area. This should prevent the urine from staining and should pull all of it up from the carpet.

Keep your Pet’s Nails Trimmed

The length of your pet’s nails can cause damage to a carpet. When a pet gets excited and runs around or scoots across the carpet, it can snag the strands of material. This can cause an unraveling effect that would eventually leave spots that are bare, disheveled looking or less fluffy than the rest of the carpet. When trimming your pet’s nails it is also ideal to use a pet nail file on them. This removes the rigidity left to make the nails feel smooth again. This also helps to protect carpet and hardwood floors as well.

Use a Hardwood or Tile Entrance

After taking the dog for a walk when it has been raining or snowing, a hardwood or tile floor entrance with a rug that they can walk over first is ideal. This prevents wet and muddy feet from making prints on the floor and prevents the mud from getting on the carpet. Some dogs will play in mud or splash a little due to their size. Keep a towel handy, next to the entry door, to wipe them off. Some types of mud can be more difficult to remove from carpet than others.

Vacuum Twice Per Week

Even if your pet does not shed a lot, dander is still created. This can cause a carpet to get weighed down and have a pet odor to it. To prevent this from being an issue, you should vacuum twice per week. One of these times you should move furniture and thoroughly vacuum. Pet dander and hair can travel, causing it to get on carpet that is underneath furniture. If the pet eats on the carpet or plays with toys on carpeted areas, it is also ideal to vacuum their play areas. Drool and particles from toys can get into the carpet as well. Pet saliva can leave an unpleasant odor over time.

If you’ve got problem stains from pets that are too big for you to handle call the professionals at SERVPRO of The Saint Croix Valley at 715-381-2266.

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