Common Pet Stains & How to Remove Them

We love our furry family members and they love us! But it is hard to deny that they do not leave behind their unflattering stains and odors throughout their lives in our homes. Being able to quickly remove messes and stains from our surfaces is important to keep happy and healthy homes.

Here is how you remove any mess from different surfaces:

You don’t ever want to approach any mess on polyester type surfaces by scrubbing the surface because all you’re doing is rubbing the mess deeper into the fabric and creating a lasting odor. With a sponge, lightly stroke the surface starting at the center of the stain, if its large enough. Always be sure to use warm water and a scented detergent or carpet cleaner. Once you have spent some minutes lighting rubbing the surface, the stain should be lightening, at this point put some force into it. Occasionally blot the surface with a towel to start drying the area until the stain is gone.

Quickly remove solid materials because the longer you allow accidents to sit on a porous surface the more likely it is that the smells will stay. Use a wet cloth that has been dipped in warm soapy water wipe and dry the cloth repeatedly until the mess is gone.

Just like before, always remove the entire solid waste found when an accident occurs. Wipe and rinse with cool water and a wood approved cleaner. After cleaning, you can wax or polish the area to be sure the area looks and feels like before.

Clean up different types of pet messes:

Most pets like to cuddle with you on the furniture, and they will leave their odors behind. Sprinkle some baking soda on the area where your pet was getting cozy and let the soda bake into the area for about 15 minutes and then vacuum. Sometimes some simple odor sprays can eliminate the underlying smells.

Urine, other than the smell, can go quickly unnoticed and left to continue to soak into any surface. Use a cup of warm water with a teaspoon of dish soap, blot the area but do not scrub. Once the stain has been removed, rinse the soapy area with a new cloth dipped in one tablespoon of vinegar and a cup of water. For hard surfaces, you can use baking soda and water.

Pet hair creates a big mess! It accumulates in corners and creates incredible messes that seem to grow with every passing hour. The best thing to do in this situation is to vacuum the home daily!

This is by far one of the hardest stains to clean but if it is caught right away it isn’t so bad! Make a solution of one tablespoon of dish detergent and one tablespoon of white vinegar mixed with two cups of warm water. Follow these steps and then blot the area with a clean cloth that has been dipped into the mixture and continue dabbing/lightly scrubbing until the mess is completely cleaned.

Our instinct when we see large amounts of dirt or mud stains is to scrub as hard as we can as quickly as we can to remove any mess; however, don’t do that! You can vacuum the area with the dirt/mud and then clean the remaining stain with dish soap and warm water.

Our cuddly babies own our hearts, as they should, but in doing so they also leave behind messes that we need to be prepared to clean. Don’t feel obligated to move around all of your rugs and furniture to ensure that messes do not happen, simply, prepare yourself to clean and properly remove stains that do occur. If the above DIY tips and tricks simply aren’t enough for your pets new mess, consider calling a professional cleaning service! These professionals are trained in removing pet stains and odors, not just covering them up.