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Carpet Cleaning: Don't Banish Your Pets
by Norman Grinkler
http://www.flcarpet.com
There are always messes where pets are involved, as anyone
who's ever had a pet knows. First of all, you will have the
cleanup problems inherent with training a new puppy or
kitten, and even after that, big pets still have accidents.
Sometimes your pet may have a vomiting episode or you may
just have to deal with the general dirt, fur and dander
come with owning a pet. If your carpet has been taking a
beating because of your animal, you may want some hints on
how to deal with this problem.
Odor is the first problem you will notice with pets. Even
if you don't notice it, because you have become immune to
it, your guests will. Bathing and brushing your pets on a
regular basis is one way to avoid pet odors.This eliminates
fur and dander on the carpet and upholstery. Whenever your
pet comes in contact with your furniture, use a lint brush
or damp sponge on your furniture to further reduce buildup.
If you've been using a regular vacuum on your carpet, you
don't have equipment that's sufficient for picking up the
loose fur that can coat the floor's surface. Always use a
vacuum that has a beater brush or brush roll in order to
grab the fur and lift it; this will assist the suction
process. Otherwise, you might get some of it, but the
majority will stick to the carpet and get ground in by
carpet traffic.
Many people recommend using a pet rake to get a lot of the
fur off of the carpet. This will also help speed up your
vacuuming process. Use smooth, even strokes across the
surface of the carpet, using a tool with nylon bristles. If
you don't have one of these, a velour brush or tape roller
will do a fairly comparable job. Another option is to wrap
tape around the middle of your hand, sticky side out, and
rub it along the carpet or chair. These tricks work
especially well in corner areas where vacuums don't pick up
the fur well. These are also a great help in picking up fur
off the trimwork.
You can make the job easier when you have the common but
annoying problem of your pet urinating on the carpet, by
doing some preparation on the stain. Go over the area with
a damp sponge, then, mix a quart of water with a teaspoon
of white vinegar and scrub the stain out. This method not
only removes the stain, but also eliminates the odor from
the accident. You have to make sure you get rid of all the
odor. Just because you can no longer smell it, don't
think your pet can't. He will still be able to and will be
tempted to return to that spot and make another mess. Use
a pet bacteria/enzyme digester to completely eliminate the
odor. You can find these in most pet stores. You must
saturate the carpet with the digester so that both the
carpeting and the padding underneath are soaked. Be
patient and leave this product on for the full amount of
time the directions say. The efficacy of the product won't
be guaranteed if you don't do this.
Stomach fluids are thicker in nature, so you're going to
need a professional carpet cleaner if your pet should vomit
on the carpet. Once you have treated the stain with
industrial strength detergent, rinse well with clean hot
water and continue to soak up the liquid from the carpet
until all of the stain is removed.
Carpet maintenance may be inconvenient, but if you perform
general upkeep on a routine basis and keep the necessary
tools on hand in case of an accident, you'll save your
carpet and enjoy a fur-free and odor-free house without
having to banish your pets to the great outdoors.
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