Removing Pet Accidents From Your Floor by Hal Storm

If you decide to add a pet to your home, you are inevitably going to have to deal with an "accident." Here is some practical advice on applying CPR to your flooring.
Dogs and cats can be wonderful companions, but the first time your sock lands in a wet spot on the carpet, you may doubt your decision to bring Fluffy into your home. Even the best housebroken animals can sometimes have accidents. Pet urine, particularly that of cats, can be quite difficult to get off your carpet and furniture. Here are some tips you can try.
If a dog or cat urinates on your carpet, you should assume that the urine has seeped down to the carpet pad unless you were able to catch the animal in the act and clean it up right away. It is important that you treat both the carpet and the pad underneath or you will never get rid of the smell. In order to make sure you get all the urine up, first place a towel over the spot and put a weight on top. Let that sit for about fifteen minutes. Take up the towel and pour a little bit of water on the spot. Place a fresh towel on the spot and set the weight on top. Let this sit for about half an hour. Finally, use white vinegar and water on the spot and place a fresh towel and the weight back on top. Let that sit until the morning. This process should pull up the urine from the carpet and the carpet pad.
The important thing to remember about your pet's accident is that you need to get all of the smell out. Not only is it more sanitary, but if your pet can smell the urine, they will continue to mark in the same spot over and over again. You can use several different products to break down the urine smell. There are several commercial products that you could try such as Nature's Miracle, Pet Stop, No-Go or Febreeze. Shampooing your carpets frequently is a good idea as well. Many carpet cleaners have a brand of shampoo that is made especially for pet odors.
There are several home remedies as well. Pour baking soda on the spot to absorb much of the urine and the associated odor. Let it sit for about twenty-four hours and then vacuum up. You can try using scoopable kitty litter as well. Listerine in a spray bottle works often works for cat odors. Vinegar and water is also a good, inexpensive choice. You can also try Windex or rubbing alcohol. Remember to test any product on a hidden area of your carpet to make sure that it won't damage your carpet in any way.
When all else fails, call in a professional carpet cleaner. Their machines can usually draw up dirt and odors better than the home machines. The important thing to remember is to clean up spots thoroughly and as quickly as possible so your pet does not try to mark their territory over and over again and compound your problem.
About the Author
Hal Storm is with PetStoreYeti.com - your free resource for pet related services.