Pet Stain Removers Compared
I have two Chihuahuas. One is housebroken, the other is sporadic in his bathroom habits. I can take him out and when he comes in he’ll go n the carpet. Why? Who knows. He’s 7 years old and has had this problem from the day we adopted him. He also likes to pee on couch corners, any packages you leave on the floor, my husbands shoes . On the upside it’s gotten hubby to hang up his clothing and put his shoes in his closet. We have a dog door and he will walk up to it and pee right in front of it.
I’ve probably tried every product on the market. Nothing chases him away from areas and if it does it only leads to his peeing or pooping on new areas. I’ve used Carbona Carpet Wizard, Resolve Carpet Cleaners, machines rented from Pathmark, Petzyme stain and odor remover, Rug doctor odor remover, Crystal All purpose cleaner,GG Bean Urine Clean, Turbo Carpet Shampoo and now Bissell pet and Stain Remover.
Carbona Carpet Wizard comes with an attached bristle/sponge head. According to the label it’s the toughesst carpet and upholstery celaner available. It creates a foam that you leave on for 3 minutes. Carbona uses a formula with Oxygen to remove pet odors , bacteria & stains from your carpet . THey suggest that the Oxygen and removal of the bacteria will discourage repeated pet accidents. My dog isn’t easily discouraged.
Resolve High Traffic Carpet Cleanng Granules eliminates the soggy carpet aspect and lets you walk on the carpet in less than an hour. You brush the granules into the carpet with the bruah that is attached to the dispender bottle. Wait 30 minutes and vacuum.
Turbo Shampoo by Electrolux is designed to be used with a carpet cleaning machine. For my needs I have to have someting I can bring out daily that doesn’t involve a large machine.
Most of the cleaners have done a temporary job. At this point I’m more concerned about odor than about stain. I’ve pretty much given up on stain removal. I do find that a cleaner with an enzymatic ingredient works better on odor control. Most likely I should be crating this dog but he was raised living in a car with two people and a dog and I don’t have the heart to do this to him at this late date.
Bissel overrides the odor even on a really hot day if I leave any windows open . That musty smell seems to have dissapated. I use a lot of air fresheners and I am constantly re treating any areas I find. And, again there are those lovely pee pee pads. Sometimes I get lucky and he uses those. Bissell seems to be doing a very nice job so far.
Bissell is easy to use. I don’t bother with the vacuuming step. I’m not worried about damage to my carpet it’s already damaged thanks to the dog so I don’t pre test .When trying to clean older spots, it sometimes takes two applications a day or two apart but still
Directions:
Vacuum first and test a small, hidden spot, before trying to see if color is affected. THey suggest you check your upholstery for any cleaning tag, (do not use on code “X” or “S”.). Bissell also warns againsst using cleaner on silk, velvet, vinyl, leather or 100% cotton upholstery. Bissell may be used on any material with the cleaning code “WS” or “W”.
Warnings:
Keep out of reach of children. May cause irritation to your eyes. In the event of eye contact with this solution, flush completely for 15 minutes. If the irritation persists, contact your physician.
www.bissell.com or call 1-800-237-7691
I actually got most of my product at garage sales but I know that you can purchase the Bissell product for $14.99 for a 48 oz size.
Fresh urine does not actually have an unpleasant odor, but old urine smells much stroner because of bacterial decomposition of the urea in the urine, as well as the bacterial excrement itself. The bacteria continues to feed as long as there is a food source and moisture so the ammonia odor becomes stronger on humid days, or soon after the carpet has been wet cleaned. So using genetically engineered bacteria or cleaners with enzymes are needed. Enzyme bsed celaners break down the odor based bacteria.
For wet stains, use a deep cleaner to thoroughly clean the carpet fibers. I use a vinegar rinse first. For a vinegar rinse, mix one part white vinegar to three parts water. I apply the rinse to the freshly cleaned area. I try not to soak the area. Soaking will only ruin the underpad. If you have a cleaning machine you could use this next. Fresh urine does not actually have an unpleasant odor, but old urine smells much stronger because of bacterial decomposition of the urea in the urine, as well as the bacterial excrement itself. The bacteria continues to feed as long as there is a food source and moisture so the ammonia odor becomes stronger on humid days, or soon after the carpet has been wet cleaned. So using genetically engineered bacteria or cleaners with enzymes are best. Enzyme based cleaners break down the odor and bacteria. We have an older dog. An older pet’s kidneys don’t filter as well, and the odor becomes more pronounced. If you can’t find older spots use a black light. We don’t have to do that our other dog points out the spots for us.
Whatever product you choose be sure to read the warnings regarding anything hazardous to pets or children.
I also recommend eliminating carpeted areas if you have incontinent dogs or dogs with bad bathroom habbits. There are also dog doggy diapers in either a diaper shape or a wrap shape. We haven’t resorted to this yet.
Recently we gave up the battle in our other home. We istalled tile floors and removed the carpet. I don’t suggest the wooden floors because the pee can seep through the cracks between the boards.
