No one likes it when their pet has an accident on the carpet, but it happens occasionally. It’s important to take the necessary steps to clean up pet stains on the carpet as soon as possible. If left untreated, pet stains can cause permanent damage to your carpets and even lead to unpleasant odors. Unfortunately, many pet owners make common mistakes when cleaning up pet stains on carpets, which can worsen the situation.
Common Mistakes When Cleaning Pet Stains
Brushing and Scrubbing Too Hard
One of the most common mistakes people make is scrubbing at a stain too hard or using a brush on the carpet fibers.
This can cause damage by matting down or damaging the fibers of your carpet, making it more difficult for cleaning agents and other treatments to penetrate deeply enough into your carpeting. Instead, it would be best if you gently blotted at a stain with a clean cloth or paper towel to absorb as much of the mess as possible without damaging your carpets.
Too Many Liquids
Another mistake some people make when cleaning up pet stains is using too much water or cleaner when treating a spot.
Too much liquid in one spot can saturate your carpets and cause them to become discolored over time since they cannot dry properly. Additionally, large amounts of liquid can seep into your padding, leading to mold growth if not properly dried out within 48 hours.
To avoid this problem, use just enough cleaner or water as necessary and use an appropriate fan/dehumidifier combination to ensure that your carpets and padding dry quickly and completely after cleaning up pet stains on carpets. Learn more about deep cleaning carpets here.
Harsh Chemicals
Another mistake people often make using cleaners that contain harsh chemicals like bleach or ammonia, which could create an unpleasant smell and potentially damage the coloration of your carpets over time with repeated use if not rinsed off completely once you’ve used them for spot treatment purposes.
Instead, look for mild detergents specifically designed for use with pets; these are typically made from natural ingredients that are more gentle on both your flooring materials and fabrics than harsher chemicals would be while still being effective at killing bacteria that could be lingering in spots where pets have had accidents previously (such as urine).
Home Remedies
Furthermore, some people try treating pet stains with vinegar. At the same time, this is often touted online as an effective way of dealing with messes caused by pets (especially cats); vinegar can attract dirt particles into spots where it has been applied, which could create additional staining issues if left untreated over time – even if it does seem like a good idea initially!
It’s best avoided altogether since there are better alternatives available such as specially-formulated cat urine odor removers that won’t attract dirt particles into spots where they have been applied like vinegar does – these should never be used directly onto fabrics, however since they may cause discoloration due to their highly acidic nature so always spot test first before using them anyplace visible!
Finally, another mistake many people make when cleaning up pet stains is assuming that everything must be clean once they have removed all visible traces of the mess from their carpets. Unfortunately, this isn’t always true! Even after all evidence of the mess appears to be removed from view, there may still be lingering bacteria present deep within the fibers, which could eventually start causing odors again unless treated specifically using cleaners designed specifically formulated for dealing with these types of issues (as enzymes designed specifically for breaking down proteins found in both dog/cat urine). Additionally, failing to treat residual odors may also mean accidental marking will occur again in areas previously treated due to cats/dogs returning attracted by their scent!