Facts about urine and your carpet
Part of learning about how to get rid of urine odor is learning about urine and your carpet.
- Urine can reach carpet fibers, backing, padding, or subfloor; surface appearance may not reveal the contamination depth.
- Persistent odor needs assessment of its source, affected materials, and previous treatments. Humidity and new accidents can affect what you notice.
- Discuss suitable treatment and possible follow-up. Some contamination or materials may need additional work; cleaning does not establish permanent odor removal.
The sooner you get at it, the better
Left untreated over a period of time, pet odor becomes absorbed into the porous materials in your home like draperies, sheet rock, upholstered furniture, baseboards, and even the concrete foundation. Unfortunately, pet urine can off-gas (stink!) for years. And you can become “nose blind” to it.
Find out how much urine is in the carpet
Determining the amount of urine will help you figure out the right amount of treatment to use. First, understanding the animal will help.
- What type of animal?
- How large? Male or female?
- More than one pet
Use tools to locate the specific spots:
- **Nose**: The first tool is old fashioned, but it works. Literally get down on the carpet and sniff.
- **Black Light: **Urine deposits glow under the black light.
**Moisture Meter: **This tool can detect the moisture that the salts and crystals from urine will absorb and hold in the form of humidity.
It can also penetrate the backing of the carpet to give you a reading in the pad.
Make sure to check each room. Pets can be sneaky!
Rinse and extract
Before applying a treatment, it’s best to get as much urine out of the carpet as you can with a rinse. But be careful–using too much water without extracting can cause the urine to spread, making it harder to treat.
Neutralize the urine, don't mask it
Chem-Dry’s P.U.R.T.® traps odor and destroys the odor molecule, so you don’t just cover it up with a fragrance. The spots should be kept moist so that the treatment will continue to work over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Need help with your pet urine odor issue? We’re here to help.
