Expert Urine Spot and Odor Removal Guide by Deland Moghimi with our friends at Orlando’s Perfect Pear – Professional Cleaners of Fine Fabrics, Rugs, Carpets, and Floors.
URINE SPOT (YELLOW) REMOVAL
#1. Buy 20% Stabilized Hydrogen Peroxide.
A. The word “stabilized” means it will keep its Hydrogen Peroxide ability for up to one year. So make sure you write down the date you bought the Hydrogen Peroxide on the bottle.
#2. Get any size spray bottle and fill the bottle with 50% water and 50% hydrogen Peroxide.
A. Cautionary Note: If you get the Hydrogen Peroxide on your skin immediately wash your skin with soap and water. If you don't, in about 15 minutes your skin will turn white and have a prickly burning sensation for about 5 minutes or more. You can't rinse it off or wash it off once it is working on your skin. You are in no danger but it is annoying. I get hydrogen peroxide on my skin all the time.
B. Cautionary Note: Do not use Hydrogen Peroxide on any natural fibers such as wool, cotton, silk etc. It will damage these fibers.
#3. To get a yellow urine spot out of your carpet all you have to do is spray the mixed solution liberally on the spot on your carpet. Since Hydrogen Peroxide is a oxidizer it takes time to work. So JUDGE ITS EFFECTIVENESS ONCE IT HAS DRIED.
A. This will safely kill bacteria and safely “bleach” out the yellow from your fabric. Have you heard of color safe bleach? The reason it is color safe is because they use Hydrogen Peroxide in the mixture versus bleach. Hydrogen Peroxide and Bleach are both “Oxidizers”.
#4. Some people like to put a towel over the spot so they know where to check the next day after it is dry and so nobody accidentally steps on the spot.
#5. After the spot has dried and you feel the spot hasn't been removed you can do one or both of the following:
A. Don't be afraid to re-apply the solution again. The reason for this is because Hydrogen Peroxides Elemental Code is: H2O2. After the last oxygen molecule burns off it turns into: H2O which is water. The water will then evaporate. There is no need to rinse the area afterward.
B. You can increase the mixture. Instead of 50/50 water and Hydrogen peroxide you can maybe do a 60/40 mix or even use full strength. And then repeat step #3 and #4.
URINE ODOR REMOVAL GUIDE
Repeat Steps 1 & 2 from above
Important note: Let me quickly explain the principle behind odor removal. If there is a house fire, for example, you can clean the house up but there will still be a smoke smell from the fire. The way our industry has taught us to remove that is to use a fogging machine. The fogging machine with a special cleaner will go where the smoke went. The fog mimics the smoke and DE-natures that smell.
With urine it is not different except we mimic the urine stream from the animal. A jet of urine sprays onto the carpet and fills up the carpet fibers. If enough urine comes out the fibers get filled up and the primary and secondary backing of the carpet does as well. If the primary and secondary backing get filled up it could start to fill up the padding under the carpet. This is where the Urine smell is coming from.
ANOTHER SPECIAL NOTE: Carpet cleaning, either low moisture or steam, is not meant to go below the carpet fibers. There is a specialty tool called a “Water Claw” that allows us to clean the pad and back side of the carpet. Cleaning the carpet doesn't guarantee the smell will be removed. The pad must be treated.
Step #3. Mimic the Urine by pouring the spray bottle (with spray bottle lid off) liquid onto the spot where the urine smell is coming from. (Can't find the urine smell on the carpet but know it is there? Hint: Use a black light/UV light to find it in the dark. It will show up neon green on the carpet)
A. Don't go too crazy by pouring too much into the carpet. You do however need to put enough down to saturate the carpet and pad. If you are upstairs be extra careful it doesn't go through your ceiling.
A word on Enzymes and Oxidizers:
They both get out smells but the Enzymes will want to sit down and have a conversation with the smell, sign a peace treaty and take the smell out for dinner. The Oxidizer (hydrogen Peroxide) kicks down the door, throws handcuffs on them and takes them to jail never to be seen again.
If you decide to use an Enzyme just remember it needs to stay wet and can take days to get the smell out. If you encounter a spot that has been treated with enzymes and it still smells you can put more enzymes down or simply re-wet the area. That will activate the good bacteria again to start eating the bad bacteria.
I hope you have enjoyed learning how to take care of Urine Spots (yellow) and Odor. Please throw away all of your other products and use what we are suggesting.
P.S. Hydrogen Peroxide also gets out other annoying stains that are organic: Urine, vomit, feces, blood and some wines
Many thanks to our friends at Orlando’s Perfect Pear for allowing us to post this great information for our customers.