How To Clean Up Pet Urine Without Using Harmful Chemicals

All animals occasionally have accidents in the house, but frequent "accidents" can be very upsetting. If cleaned up immediately, the urine may not soak through to the padding and subflooring. Unfortunately, most of us don't discover the urine spot until much later.

If the urine spot is not thoroughly cleaned, the smell of urine can remain. Animals have a very keen sense of smell and can detect these spots even when humans cannot. Dogs and cats will return to the area to "mark" the same spot if the odor remains.

Most enzyme cleaners will sufficiently clean and deodorize carpeting or furniture, and your pet may never mark this spot again. However, instead of buying these expensive products, you can make your own cleaning solution that is as effective as the enzyme cleaners. Mixing equal parts of distilled white vinegar and water will clean the area and take care of the urine smell. It is recommended to use a distilled white vinegar that has an acidity level of at least five percent. If the acidity level is less than that, use more vinegar and less water in your solution. When using any cleaning product on carpeting or furniture, always clean a test spot to make sure the solution won't discolor, fade or bleach the fabric.

The proper way to clean a urine spot is to first blot the wet spot using paper towels, old cloth towels or rags. Try to get the spot as dry as possible. If paper towels are used, be sure to dispose of them in an outside trash can. If old towels or rags are used, be sure to wash them immediately, using 1 cup of vinegar. If unable to wash them right away, store them in a location that is not accessilble by your pet.

Urine can spread under the carpet to an area as much as 6 times the size of the spot visible on top of the carpet, Thoroughly saturate the urine spot and the area around the spot with the vinegar and water solution. Remember, it is better to spray the solution over a larger area to make sure it reaches all of the urine than to have to repeat the process. Let the solution soak for at least an hour. Use a wet vacuum or carpet cleaning machine to remove the excess solution. If you do not have access to either of these, you can place several towels on top of the area and then put a heavy weight on top of the towels. Replace the towels as they soak up the solution and become damp. Repeat this process until the towels no longer accumulate moisture. Be aware that this can take a few days. When the carpet is as dry as possible, remove the towels and the weight and let the area air dry.

By following the above procedures, most pet "accidents" can be thoroughly cleaned without leaving any urine smell behind.