Urine Damage Treatment

Pet urine can cause permanent damage to your floors and fabrics. It can also create an unhealthy indoor environment. When urine is first deposited onto a floor or fabric, it has a pH of about 5 or 6, which is on the acid side of the pH Scale.

It is easier to remove right then when it is fresh. Once it dries it turns “alkaline” or to a high pH between 10 to12 on the scale and becomes more difficult to remove. The warm acid state of the urine offers a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which begin to flourish almost immediately. In this original acid state the urine begins to oxidize and react with the carpet to create a color change, which will become permanent if the urine is not removed immediately. Some of this color change can be attributed to the strong ammonia that forms as the urine passes through bacterial and chemical change. If left for days or weeks, depending on the fabric or floor type, it will change the dye structure, therefore causing permanent staining. Even if the soluble deposits are removed, the damage to the dye structure may already be done.

There are two sources of odors associated with urine. The first comes from bacteria that grow abundantly in dark warm places with a never-ending food source. A pet can feed the bacteria daily! This bacteria growth and breakdown of the urine creates amino acids. These complex organic compounds will often work deep into the fibers to a point of becoming part of the fiber. This can present a challenging situation. The waste materials and gases from the decomposing urine create an unpleasant odor. When dried urine is remoistened, it gives off an ammonia gas. If smelled once it is seldom forgotten.

The second source of odor is chemical odor that is present even when the bacteria have been killed. This explains the reason that more than sanitizing is necessary to neutralize odors from urine. Urine also presents additional odor problems when the relative humidity is high. The salts and crystals that are left behind as the urine dries are hydrophilic and draw water to them. Dried urine is often easy to smell in the humid months because the salts attract the moisture, the moisture evaporates putting out a greater proportion of odorous ammonia gas. You must get rid of the urine salts in and under the carpet to get rid of the odor. That’s why cleaning existing urine spots WILL NOT remove any associated odor. In fact, it could INCREASE the odor in the air space for a temporary period of time.

The Best Cleaning Agents For Urine

Enzymes are the best cleaning agent for urine, vomit and feces. An enzyme is the only cleaning agent that actually eats up the bad bacteria. For the best results use an enzyme spotter after you have rinsed the carpet, especially if the spot is not a fresh one. We recommend Nature’s Miracle, which can be purchased at any local pet store. Always read the directions before use!

Products to Avoid

Try to stay away from products with high pH such as ammonia, Resolve and oxygen bleaches. These products will leave the carpet with a residue and in a high pH state, which will enable the carpet to attract dirt like a magnet. In some instances the use of the wrong product can cause the urine stain to be permanent.

How Professionals Remove Odor

Remember, in order to remove the odor, all of the alkaline salt deposits the urine leaves behind must be completely removed. This can be quite extensive and time consuming. In worse cases, all of the following steps will be done. When damage is not so bad a few steps are left out.

  • Step 1: Pull up carpet.
  • Step 2: Remove affected pad.
  • Step 3: Clean back of carpet.
  • Step 4: Treat floor with an enzyme treatment.
  • Step 5: Seal floor if needed with an odor barrier.
  • Step 6: Treat back of carpet with enzyme treatment.
  • Step 7: Install new tack strip.
  • Step 8: Install new pad.
  • Step 9: Re-install carpet.
  • Step 10: Clean carpet.
  • Step 11: Topically apply enzyme.

Disclaimer: Use these techniques at your own risk. Always read directions on any spotter before using. Pre-test each spotter in an inconspicuous area before using. If the stain or odor persists, call Advantage Steam.

 

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Joel has been cleaning our carpets and tile in multiple houses for the last 15 years. I'm always amazed at how new everything looks when he's done. He also knows his products inside and out and has always been a great value. I would highly recommend Advantage Steam Way!

Todd L.

This is BY FAR the BEST carpet cleaning place around. We have been using them for our office and we get a lot of heavy traffic on our carpets. Joel never ceases to amaze, he always leaves the place looking brand new again and is very courteous and friendly as well. Thank you so much for everything you do!!!

Chris G.

Joel is great! We have used other carpet cleaning companies in the past. We will use Advantage Steam from now on. Far more thorough and complete. The results speak for themselves

Michael D.

We were referred to Joel and Advantage Steam by a good friend to get our carpets cleaned. It was an easy process to set up, he was on time, professional and did a fantastic job. Everything looks, feels and smells great! We've had our carpets cleaned in the past and Joel was top notch well above the others. Will definitely use again. Highly recommend!

Chris W.

Joel is top notch. Our carpets look fantastic and the tile clean was better than expected. Will definitely use Advantage Steam again. Great service and fair price.

Vanessa W.

Joel has been cleaning our carpet for about 7 years. We have 6 indoor animals. He makes our carpet look brand new every time.

Lisa Michelle V.

Had Joel come into my house that I bought in October as my carpets were filthy. They were so bad that I thought I would have to replace them. However, once he got done, I was so impressed with how clean they were...and still are! So many other places, the dirt comes back to the surface, but with his service, the dirt is gone!

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