If you are a pet owner, chances are you are already aware of basic measures that help reduce pet odors in the home, such as regularly bathing dogs or changing cat litter, cleaning up accidents right away, as well as sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming. Perhaps your home still smells like animals, so you’ve turned to sprays and air fresheners to cover up odors. Now, your house smells like pets and flowers, and you’ve resigned yourself to the idea that the only way to remove the smell is to get rid of your pet. We understand that this isn’t an option, and that’s why we want to suggest a few ideas you may not have tried.
Use a black light to locate the source of pet odors.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, “A black light will usually show even old urine stains. Turn out all of the lights in the room; use the black light to identify soiled areas, and lightly outline the areas with chalk.” Pets have an excellent sense of smell, and consequently, they tend to return to the same location for their mistakes. When you locate the source of pet odors, and clean and neutralize the area, it is no longer “marked” as a preferred place for accidents. You can purchase a black light at your local home supply store.
Unfortunately, in some instances, your carpet may look and feel clean and dry, but the odor remains. This is because the urine has soaked through to the carpet backing and has crystallized. In humid conditions, these crystals dissolve and the odor comes back. The only real way to eliminate this urine odor completely is to have a professional clean the front and back of the carpet. You may also need to replace the affected pad.
It is also possible that the urine has penetrated even deeper, and the odor is actually coming from the substrate or under the floor. In this case, cleaning the carpet and pad will not eliminate the problem. It may be necessary to sand, clean and seal the sub-floor or, in some cases, even replace the affected area of flooring completely.
Is your pet stinky?
If you have been unable to identify and eliminate pet odors in your home, it may be that the source of the odor is not urine; it is actually your pet. According to an article by Pet Meds, healthy pets typically do not have an offensive odor. The article explains, “Yeast and bacteria are present on the skin of all pets, even healthy pets, but the number of these organisms is kept to a minimum when skin is healthy. With infirm, diseased, or aged pets, the skin is less healthy and the number of yeast and bacteria increase. As the numbers increase, malodor increases.” In addition, unhealthy pets itch, and then scratch, which produces inflammation and heat, causing the odor to increase. Proper medical care can help resolve these problems, not only improving the smell of your home, but also improving the health and happiness of your pet.
Hire a professional.
As a professional cleaning company, we help customers on a daily basis with all sorts of stain and odor issues. Our technicians are expertly trained to identify the sources of stains and odors and to utilize the appropriate cleaning products and enzymes to resolve them. We take pride in leaving your home clean and fresh smelling. We want to help you get rid of the odor and keep the pet.