Carpet Experts? Anyone?

[Fierce Critter]

My husband and I have done major work to clean up the horrible mess our house became due to my depression-related problems.

I've got a carpet with some cat urine "issues". I have my own carpet cleaner, a good model. Thusfar, I've gone over the entire carpet - twice in some places - with a commercial cleaner made for these.

Then I went over it again with a dilute mixture of OxyClean.

I'm thinking about going over everything with a vinegar/water mixture, too. Figure that might help neutralize any odor left behind.

Any advice on good products to use besides what I've already done? I hear enzyme-based products work best for this sort of thing, but the folks on my yahoo "cat issues & behavior" group can't seem to agree on what's best to use.

Thanks for any advice.

[Steven]

Go the pet store and get that de-stanker stuff Critter...doesent matter what Brand, it all works very well. spray it heavy - and let it soak for a long time.

[pomba gira]

I have four kitties and until recently the five of us lived in a 2 BR apartment. The enzyme stuff saved a featherbed and down comforter during the period when the oldest cat was expressing her displeasure at becoming an inside kitty. I'm pretty obsessive about cat smells in my living space- most visitors are grilled on entry as to whether they can smell cat or not. So I'm a huge fan of the enzyme products. My personal favorite is Petastic Especially for Cats (available at Pet Supplies Plus). I've also had good results with Kids & Pets (available at Meijer & I think Target).

Things to remember about these products:

1. The solution MUST actually TOUCH every surface the urine has touched. If we're talking carpet, that usually means it has to soak through the carpet and the pad, down to the actual floorboards. Don't try to be frugal with the stuff... accept that for a large area of carpet, we're talking several gallons of solution.

2. Liquid soaks into carpet in a pyramid pattern, meaning the soak area is wider beneath the surface. You need to soak at least 3" beyond the edges of the visible stain.

3. What visible stain? They are there, you just can't see 'em without help. Get one of those blacklights to find the specific areas you need to treat. "blacklight" party bulbs don't work. There is a brand of pet odor remover called Stink-Free which I don't think much of, but their Stink Finder blacklight is available at Pet Supplies Plus for under $15.00. You can also get them from the Drs Foster & Smith website. For the blacklight to work the room needs to be VERY dark. If you have streetlights, etc. outside the windows you'll need to cover them with blankets. This will let you target the areas that need treatment the most. Tip: These lights show the residue of all types of organic matter i.e. body fluids. DON'T take one with you to the next motel you stay at. You really, really don't want to know.

4. It's important for the treated area to air-dry naturally. You may keep smelling urine during the drying time, but the odor will fade as the solution dries.

I've heard that using detergents or other chemical/soap products first can "set" the urine so that even the enzyme stuff can't completely remove it. But I've also heard that even if this happens, you can gett decent results by just repeating the treatment a few times. I can't confirm either claim as I always used the enzyme stuff from the start.

Good luck! This stuff really does work but you MUST use it correctly to get the results you want.

and I'm glad you're feeling well enough to want to deal w/your space again... I've definitely been there.

[Onyx]

Nature's Miracle has always worked better for me than any of the others I've tried. It's good on any type of stains also, not just pet stains.

[Saephyr]

Honey, get new carpet and the baseboards/floor underneath HAS to be cleaned with vinegar then dried and do not ever use any kind of amonia on cat urine.

My best bud Vic works for a cheap carpet company.

If you'd like to get and estimate he can help you.

Plus he may do it solo so it's cheaper for you

[paradox]

too much/too many chemicals will delaminate the carpet. (ie, thats when the carpet starts falling apart).

dont do it.

a little goes a long way.

for pet stains, an enzyme is probably best. if the problem is persistant or keeps coming back, you need at least new padding, and possibly new carpet. the subflooring might also be contamintaed. you could be screwed there.

no matter what you do, the staining may remain, depending on the spot and how long its been there, if its been used more than once etc. a true stain cannot be removed.

OXY-CLEAN IS THE WORST THING YOU CAN POSSIBLY USE ON ANYTHING!

dont do it.

oxyclean and like products are oxidizers. they can change the color of fabrics by oxidation, but THEY DO NOT REMOVE STAINS! they also stay in the carpet and cause future problems.

the BIGGEST problem isnt what to put on, however, its how to get it back OUT. extraction is the signle biggest issue that homeowners omit from home spot cleaning. i know. i see it all the time. all that stuff you put on, where do you think it is?

in your carpet (and padding, and possibly subfloor). dont overdo it. home cleaning tools are ok for maintinence cleans. for serious issues, call a professional. they can do the job right and remove any possible harmful contaminates.

yes, you will have to pay. but its better to pay a little now rather than alot later when the carpet/padding is falling apart and needs replacing or patching.

yes, i am a professional.

http://www.unsmoke.com/odor-unduzitretail.htm

that is a product we make availible to customers for use on recent spots. we also use it.

http://www.certifiedcleaners.org/

you can find IICRC certified companies here.

[Lilith]

I just wanted to second natures miracle, the smell will be there untill it is entrially dry but boy has it saved the funk from being in my house. Also if the urine has soaked through to the wood sub floor, you can carefully pull back the carpet and pad PAINT THE STAIN does nat matter what type of paint and it will help seal the scent from getting back in to the carpet and stuff.

[Homicidalheathen]

Hee hee hee!

Oh... I'm a carpet expert alright...

[Fierce Critter]

Thanks all for the advice.

Jon had cleaned up the area I'm talking about on Sunday, and used our carpet cleaner with the commercial detergent. Monday, it still smelled pretty bad, so I knew more work was needed. So I moved all the furniture back out of there yesterday, and did all the stuff I mentioned above. This time, I put on the hand tool and really dug into the corners & the edges by the baseboard. Then went over everything the regular way.

Today, after some drying, it's definitely better. However, I want it to be to the point where people can walk in the place and only be able to tell I've got cats by sight, NOT smell. I'll have to bring in non-residents to check that. We're not exactly "used to it" but I know our ability to distinguish "normal" from "stinky" is compromised. Ick.

I'm prepared to have to replace the carpet if necessary. And Harmony - your tip about painting the subflooring underneath the stains is brilliant, and I'll definitely do that if necessary. Probably a few coats of a latex gloss would do the trick.

Note that there are no visible signs of stain. The carpet is an ugly, woven thing that the landlords called "berber" but I just looked up what berber actually is and I seriously don't think that's what this is.

(The inset on the bottom right is a sorta side-view. The rest is from the top)

Since I have the kind of landlords who I can GUARANTEE wouldn't return a security deposit unless they were sued, I really don't care if I have to replace part of the carpet with something that doesn't match. I'm only concerned about being able to live in a non-stinky home that I can bring guests into knowing all of us will be comfortable.

Paradox - Thank you very much for your professional input. Financially, I have to try to combat this fiasco without professional cost. But I'll definitely pick up an enzyme-based cleaner and try that, and if it just doesn't work, I'll replace the carpet & padding. PG, Onyx & Harmony - thanks for your suggestions on products. I'll see what places around here charge and get what I can.

Saephyr, on that note, I'll PM you about your friend.

[torn asunder]

one note with the enzyme treatment - make absolutely sure you don't walk on the area while it's still wet. true, the odor will still come out, but what i found was that the pressure of footsteps would draw discoloration back into the carpet. i've got spots all over mine from when i had my puppies...

also, believe it or not, i had really good luck with febreeze, when my pup decided to piss on my couch! took the cushion out, sprayed it, and the couch down, let it sit for a couple days - no problems, and that was several years ago!

good luck with it!

[Der Nister]

Oh... I'm a carpet expert alright...

Hey - I'm also an expert in thaqt field.

*Sorry FC* :fear

[paradox]

the smell will be there untill it is entrially dry

urine + H2O = smell. if there is no moisture in that area, it will not smell.

even if teh carpet feels dry, the padding or floor might be retaining low levels of moisture, even for prolonged periods.

[Lilith]

urine + H2O = smell. if there is no moisture in that area, it will not smell.

even if teh carpet feels dry, the padding or floor might be retaining low levels of moisture, even for prolonged periods.

what i ment was with nature miracle the smell may not dissappear and may actually appear worse untill the natures miracle is dry after it is dry it should have no scent what so ever.

Oh and the tip on pianting the wood i actually got from DYI many many years ago and has proven to be one of the best tip i have ever seen used, you get people in rental houses with pets that dotn care for the spot ever then we replace the carpet and the house is still funky casue the scent is in the wood so painting the floor really seemed the only thing to help eliminate that.

Also instead of replacing the whole carpet, you might look in to just replacing the pieces of padding underneath that have stains and then doing a good cleaning on the carpet spots while it is up in those areas this wya you can clean both the top and bottom of the carpet and leave it flipped up untill boht sides feel 100% dry and clean.

[Fierce Critter]

Also instead of replacing the whole carpet, you might look in to just replacing the pieces of padding underneath that have stains and then doing a good cleaning on the carpet spots while it is up in those areas this wya you can clean both the top and bottom of the carpet and leave it flipped up untill boht sides feel 100% dry and clean.

Damn. That's another really good tip.

Honestly, you can't see anything on the carpet itself, so it's not a matter of visual stains.

I'm thinking about just pulling up the carpet, removing the padding, painting the underlying wood if necessary, then putting the carpet back down, cleaning it with an enzyme cleaner, then put new padding down and restoring the carpet.

The reason I'm thinking about going this route is because they say that when a cat urinates on a surface like upholstery or carpeting, it'll be a small spot on the surface of the carpet - but a pyramid of spread underneath. So I'm thinking that in this case, the padding might be much worse than the carpeting itself.

I dunno. Maybe I won't go to all that trouble, but will just use the enzyme cleaner and then, if necessary, Febreze. Thanks for the tip on that, Shade. Someone on my Cats Yahoo group said after a dozen different things, the Febreze worked for her mother. I know it's more of a masker than a remover, but I hear it works.

[torn asunder]

I dunno. Maybe I won't go to all that trouble, but will just use the enzyme cleaner and then, if necessary, Febreze. Thanks for the tip on that, Shade.

umm, i know we're both damn sexy & all, but i never really thought we looked *that* much alike...

[Fierce Critter]

umm, i know we're both damn sexy & all, but i never really thought we looked *that* much alike...

Oh, cripes. I'm sorry. :D You both give off that gloomy, brooding Goth vibe, you know?

Thank you, TA :D

[Lilith]

Damn. That's another really good tip.

NP

Thats why i'm a handyman er lady