Tips on How to Keep Your Carpet Clean If You Have Pets

3/20/2019 (Permalink)

Pets are adorable, but let’s face it, a lot can happen to your carpet over a short period of time if you have a pet or two.

Perhaps you have a playful puppy or kitten that hasn’t quite figured out that your carpet is not the same thing as your lawn. Or, if you are lucky enough to have a pet that knows the difference between carpet and grass, you’re likely still dealing with shedding, dander, and the all-too-common mud tracks coming in from outside.

Long story short, if you have pets, your carpet probably doesn’t smell (or look) as good as it did when it was originally installed. Of course, pet ownership is worth the work that goes into it, but you’ll need to take a few extra steps to keep your house clean for you and any guests you have over.

Sure, it can be a lot of work - but don’t sweat it - it’s manageable, especially with the help of an experienced professional! Read on to learn how to keep your carpet clean despite your pets being, well… pets.

How to Keep Your Carpet Clean if You Have Pets

1. Go Hard on the Stains

Have a puppy with a long tail? Spillage accidents are bound to happen whenever you have a new pet running around. Of course, it’s cute when your puppy is happy, but when that turns into their happy, wagging tail spilling your coffee off the coffee table, it’s just a little less cute.

First things first, catch these accidents as soon as possible to prevent the spots from taking hold on your carpet (especially if you have light-colored carpet).

When solids (such as food) fall on the floor, use a dustpan to remove what you can, then cover the stain with paper towels. Once the area is dry, clean it with warm water to prevent discoloration.

Expert Carpet Cleaning Tip: If the spill happens at night or when you are away at work, use a combination of vinegar and cold water once you spot the spill to remove the odor. Follow this up by scrubbing the area with a good carpet cleaner.

2. Vacuum Clean Your Carpet Twice Per Week

Vacuuming is your best line of defense when trying to remove pet hair from your carpet - both visible and hidden in the fibers.

Even if your pets don’t shed fur, they may still be shedding dander (the allergy-causing particles in their coats), and, if you live in a typical household, dust and food particles are thriving in your carpet fibers and creating odors that are… less than desirable - to say the very least.

The next time you are vacuuming, move your furniture towards the edges of the room so that you can get to the whole length of the carpet (depends on the layout of your room).

In addition, pet hair can travel underneath the furniture, especially if you have a nearby air vent or fan, allowing odor-creating particles to hide long enough to put off an unpleasant odor.

Pro Tip #1: For the best results, use duct tape before vacuuming to pick large chunks of hair. If you don’t have a roll handy, there’s always a DIY solution! Try wetting your kitchen rubber gloves and running your hands quickly through the carpet to pick up the pet hair.

Pro Tip #2: One other thing to keep in mind is that pets drool all over their toys, so clean those toys relatively often so smelly saliva residue doesn’t have a fighting chance at ruining your movie night.

3. Place a Rug or a Towel at Each Entrance

If you walk your pets often, you’ve probably realized that most of the dirt on your carpet comes from outside. Don’t worry - there’s a quick fix for this problem!

Place a towel or a small rug at each outside entrance to your home/apartment, or living space. When you get back from your walk, wipe the pet’s paws before setting them free to roam inside.

Some pets might resist the new routine at first, but after a few weeks, they’ll have it down (and so will you)!

4. Clean Pet Urine off Your Carpet

No matter how well trained your pets are, they are bound to urinate on the carpet from time to time. To clean it up, start by laying a small towel over the patch.

How Do I Clean Pet Urine Off Of My Carpet?

As the urine absorbs into the towel, mix some warm water with your dishwashing liquid and pour it on the stain and rinse the stain with a clean towel and warm water. Finally, lay some paper towels on the stain to absorb moisture and rid your carpet of any odor. Voila!  

Tip: For vomit stains, pour some club soda on the spot and let it sit for 30 seconds. Next, soak up the stain with a dry cloth. Repeat this until nothing is being transferred to the cloth.

5. Keep Your Pets Well Groomed

Have you ever sat down on your carpet, taken a sniff and thought, “this smells like a dirty dog”?

If you have, it’s probably an indicator that you need to groom your pets more often. Bathing your pets regularly will definitely help to keep the rugs odor free.

Also, trim their nails (but be careful not to trim too much). Long pet nails can damage carpet fibers and spread them all over the place.  Keep up the grooming and brush your pets regularly (outside) and your carpet will look and smell great for much longer!

6. Get Professional Carpet Cleaning Help

By now you have probably noticed that pets and carpets are not exactly a match made in heaven, and sometimes things may get out of control.

For example, if you have sick pets in the house, they may puke or relieve themselves on the carpet. In some of these incidences, the odor may be too much for you to eliminate on your own, which is where a professional pet odor removal company comes in.

Pet odor removal companies have the necessary products and experience to handle stubborn odors and stains. Before freaking out and deciding to replace your dirty carpet, give a professional pet odor removal company a call and let them work their magic.

From the moment you adopt a pet, you have your work cut out for you. Feeding and bathing them is part of it, but so is keeping your living space clean with them around. While the tips above will come in handy, do not hesitate to call a professional carpet cleaning company for more advice on how to keep your carpet clean.