Will Professional Carpet Cleaning Remove Pet Odors?

If you’re a homeowner asking, will professional carpet cleaning remove pet odors, you’re certainly not alone! Many families don’t feel complete without their four-legged companions, but owning a pet isn’t without challenges. Keeping carpets and upholstery clean and odor-free is often one such issue faced by many pet owners.

DIY carpet shampooing and steam cleaning are not always effective at removing pet odors; in some cases, they can actually reactivate the enzymes in pet waste that create odors, making the smell worse! Odor neutralizers and proper professional extraction techniques are needed to ensure proper pet odor removal.

Along with making pet odors worse, improper carpet cleaning techniques can mean wet carpet backing that eventually creates a musty, mildewed smell. Poor-quality cleaning can also leave behind lots of dust, air pollution residues, cigarette smoke and ash, and other irritants with unpleasant odors.

To ensure you’re keeping your home’s carpets in good condition and smelling their best, check out some added information about cleaning needed to remove pet odors, and some other vital details about carpet shampooing overall. These tips will help you decide the right cleaning method for your home so you can enjoy your four-legged friends without the worry about unpleasant messes, stains, and smells!

Professional Carpet Cleaning is Effective at Removing Pet Odors; DIY is Not!

Professional carpet cleaning does remove some odors as well as dirt, dust, mud, and other such debris, but don’t count on your DIY shampooing to remove all pet smells. First, note that hot water activates the bacteria in the urine that gives it that unpleasant smell, as said, so using steam or shampooing can actually release pet odors, not eliminate them!

This problem is aggravated by pet stains that have soaked into the carpet pad. Over time, you might not notice any urine odors but once steam or hot water reaches that carpet backing or its underlying padding, you might then notice unpleasant pet odors coming from your carpets.

A homeowner should also note that sprays and other such treatments used during or after carpet shampooing often just mask pet odors rather than eliminate them. Once the chemicals in those sprays wear off, you might notice unpleasant pet odors that you thought were long gone. Not removing rinse water completely can also allow mold and mildew to develop along the carpet backing or underlying padding. This, too, will increase the risk of unpleasant smells long after that shampooing or steam cleaning.

This is why it's important to hire a professional for carpet cleaning to remove pet odors or dog pee. They have the experience and expertise to use the correct odor neutralizers and cleaning methods that homeowners don't have access to!

Cleaning a Carpet to Get Rid of Dog Smells

While hot water might activate the bacteria in urine and other such waste materials, this doesn’t mean that carpet shampooing or steam cleaning is ineffective at removing all dog and cat smells. Remember that animals might get into household trash or be around dead animals, bringing those unpleasant smells into the home with them.

Professional carpet shampooing can often remove those animal smells and the smell of a dog that’s gone too long without a bath or proper grooming. Carpet shampooing or steam cleaning can also pull up the fresh waste that a dog or cat might have tracked over the carpet recently, removing those unpleasant odors as well.

Getting Pet Odors Out of Carpets Permanently

There are a few tricks for getting pet odors out of carpets permanently. The first is to tell a carpet cleaning professional that you’re hiring them to address pet stains and odors, rather than for a standard cleaning! This will alert them to the need to bring specialty odor neutralizers, and to be prepared to tackle tough stains and odors.

A cleaning contractor will also typically pull up the carpet and clean its underside, to remove soaked-in urine and ground-in waste that’s made its way along that backing. They will also use a UV light, to spot pet stains that are no longer visible. This ensures that he or she won’t overlook any such stains and will get carpets completely cleaned.

A carpet cleaning contractor can also clean the carpet padding underneath the carpet backing as needed. If pet urine has soaked into the padding, it might have crumbled or otherwise degraded. If this is the case, it’s best to simply replace that damaged and stained section or all the carpet padding completely.

What Do Professional Carpet Cleaners Use for Pet Urine?

Professional carpet cleaners will pull up carpet sections, as said, and clean the underside of carpets rather than just the top. This helps remove stains and ground-in materials and the odors that go along with them.

Professionals also apply odor neutralizers. These neutralizers don’t mask or cover up bad smells or create competing scents to “drown out” those unpleasant odors. Instead, they actually change or absorb the chemicals that create smells. Neutralizing those chemicals removes smells completely.

When cleaning a carpet, note that professionals also know how to manage the job properly so that no extra rinse water or detergent is left behind. In turn, you’re less likely to experience mold and mildew growth and their accompanying unpleasant smells when you invest in the services of a professional carpet cleaner.

Making Carpets Smell Better Naturally

There are several tips you might consider for avoiding carpet odors and then eliminating them naturally. Check out a few suggestions and then discuss these with a carpet cleaning professional near you as needed:

Damp carpets will create musty, mildewed odors. Clean up spills quickly and use a dehumidifier in the home if needed, to prevent an overly humid environment.
Ensure proper air circulation inside the home, to keep carpets dry and help eliminate odor-causing agents such as air pollution residues and cigarette smoke. Remember that your home’s HVAC systems help circulate the air so don’t hesitate to switch on the AC or furnace as needed throughout the year.
Even if you only walk from your house to the car on a daily basis, your shoes can still hold lots of mud, bird-dropping residues, traces of animal waste, and the like. Be vigilant about removing shoes at the door to avoid dragging those residues into the home and over carpeting.
Sprinkle baking soda over the carpet once a week and give it a few minutes to sink into the carpet before vacuuming. Baking soda will help absorb lingering moisture and other residues that can create odors, neutralizing those smells.
Vacuum often, even every day, to remove dirt and residues that can lead to odors. Ensure you change the vacuum filter and empty its canister or change the bag often so it’s always working at maximum efficiency.
Invest in a high-quality air filter for the home or at least for the most trafficked rooms. Air filters trap and lock dirt, smoke, and other irritants that might otherwise settle onto the carpet and lead to odors, so carpets smell better naturally.

Homeowners should also budget to replace their home’s carpet every 10 years at most, as carpet fibers will lock and hold dirt, dust, and odors over time no matter how well you maintain and clean them. Padding will also degrade over time and need replacing. Swapping out old carpets for new ones after so many years is an excellent choice for ensuring your home always smells clean and fresh.

How to Get Dog Pee Out of Carpet

Because you don’t want to activate the enzymes in dried urine and release those accompanying smells, it’s typically recommended that you call a carpet cleaning professional for dry cleaning services. As with dry cleaning clothes, carpet dry cleaning uses specialty chemicals and very little if any water to break up and remove old stains and bothersome odors.

A professional carpet cleaning contractor will also be able to pull up the carpet so he or she can clean underneath the backing, as said, and remove dried urine from the padding underneath. This will ensure a thorough clean without reactivating those enzymes and making any unpleasant odors even worse!

The Best Natural Pet Urine Carpet Cleaner

If you don’t want to use chemicals to remove dried dog urine or other bothersome stains from your home’s carpeting, consider mixing white vinegar and water in a 50-50 ratio and adding this mixture to a spray bottle. Spray the affected area generously and then use a sponge to push it into the carpet itself gently.

Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes so it has time to work, and then blot it up with a clean, dry paper towel. Repeat this process as needed to remove any stains and odors. Vacuum the carpet afterward, to ensure you’ve extracted as many irritants as possible.

Avoiding Pet Urine on Carpets

Allowing your pets needed access to the outdoors or a clean litter box to relieve themselves is the best way to avoid urine stains on carpets! Never assume that a pet “should” be able to hold their bladder a certain amount of time, and remember that cats need a clean litter box or they simply won’t use it. Pets also need to feel safe when relieving themselves, so ensure you keep noisy and energetic children away from them and their litter box.

If you’re busy training your pets on where to relieve themselves, try using orange and vinegar scents around the home, as these are very unpleasant for animals and they are likely to avoid such smells when they need to relieve themselves.

If a pet has repeated accidents or consistently relieves themselves inside the home when they have full access to the outdoors or a clean litter box, it’s probably time for a trip to the vet. Your pet might have health concerns that affect their bladder and needs medication or a change in their diet.

Why Does My Carpet Look Dirtier After Shampooing?

Traditional carpet shampooing is often not recommended for removing pet odors, and is not a job homeowners should attempt on their own. If you don’t extract shampoo or detergent properly and thoroughly, this can result in a sticky residue getting left; that residue then attracts more dirt and dust than before!

Shampoo residues can also tamp down or flatten carpet fibers, creating a worn and dull look. In turn, your home’s rugs might look worse after shampooing than before. To avoid this risk, always rely on the services of a professional for any carpet cleaning you need to have done.

The Best Carpet Cleaning Method

Your carpet cleaning contractor should recommend the best carpet cleaning method for your home, but note some vital details about various cleaning options so you know what to expect or ask about when you schedule your next rug cleaning service.

While standard shampooing isn’t best for removing pet odors, it is often needed for very filthy carpets and especially those coated with thick grease or mud that isn’t likely to come out with other cleaning methods.
Steam cleaning is an excellent choice for anyone sensitive to carpet shampoo smells. Steam also helps kill mold and mildew growing along carpet fibers or their backing.
Bonnet cleaning is very lightweight, applying a cleanser with a special towel or “bonnet” attached to a cleaning hose, and then a clean bonnet to remove that shampoo. Bonnet cleaning won’t offer a deep clean but is an affordable choice for when only surface cleaning is needed.
Dry cleaning is recommended for removing pet odors and for carpet cleaning in very humid areas, where damp carpets might not dry so quickly and easily.
Encapsulation or foam cleaning helps remove ground-in dirt from thick, plush carpeting. Applied as a powder, this cleanser begins to bubble and foam, lifting dirt as it does.

Note that odor neutralizers are not always included in these carpet shampooing methods, so it’s good to discuss those needs with your contractor. He or she can apply such neutralizer as needed, to ensure your carpets smell as clean as they look!