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You — or they — "didn’t mean to," but now there’s a big stain on your once-pristine carpet. Whatever you do, don’t wait, even if today’s tough-yet-beautiful carpets are quite stain-resistant. If you allow a stain to set, it may be there for life and cause irreparable damage to carpet fibers.
Try these quick clean-up basics. First, is excess liquid remaining? Blot, don’t scrub, with an absorbent white cloth or towel. Over-zealous rubbing may grind in the stain, making it more difficult to remove. If you own commercial carpet cleaning products, test them first on a less-noticeable area of carpet, perhaps where a large item of rarely-moved furniture covers it. Or, you might have a small sample of your carpet stored away. Carefully blot the offending stain, working in a circle from the outside edge of the stain to the inside, in order to keep the spot from spreading.
Pets
If you have pets in your household — and almost 70 million U.S. homes do — promptly removing pet "oopsies" is critical. Pet waste, especially urine, can stick around long after the cleanup has occurred. If house soiling is a repeated issue with your pet, be sure to check with your veterinarian, as it can be a sign of bladder or kidney problems, particularly common in cats. Once your vet rules out medical causes, you’d be advised to consult an animal behaviorist to get to the root of the problem.
As soon as you notice the pet stain, blot thoroughly with a white towel, followed by an application of dish detergent with lukewarm water. Some pet owners apply a solution of white vinegar and water, then cover the area with white towels weighted down until the spot is dry. Do not use ammonia, which smells like urine and can encourage pets to continue marking the same spot. Veterinarians agree that very effective promicrobial and enzymatic products are best; they actually break down the urine into simpler compounds, like carbon dioxide and water. Find them at your local pet supply store. Use a black light to double-check that all stains are removed. Browse HousekeepingChannel.com for more tips on removing carpet stains.
