CLEANING UP AFTER PETS

National pet week this year is May 1-2011 to May 7-2011. As much as we love our household pets they can create cleaning headaches.  A great deal of care goes into maintaining a family pet including meals, walks, vaccinations and yes clean up.  Our pets can never clean up after themselves.  Fur on upholstered furniture, muddy paws and occasional accidents is what we have to take care of.

The first thing to remember is cleaner pets means a cleaner home.  Bathe and brush pets regularly to minimize the amount of pet hair and pet dander.  Rapid response is best to prevent stains.  The best course is prevention.  Keep a lint brush available to pick up loose hair.  Invest in a rug or a blanket for your animal’s favorite spot.  To remove pet hair on carpeting use a vacuum with a beater brush or brush roll.  Invest in a good vacuum cleaner with attachments that are designed to pick up pet hair. A decent vacuum cleaner will show amazing results to remove pet hair out of your carpets. Teach your pet to tolerate the vacuum cleaner.

To remove pet urine stains clean with one quart water mixed with white vinegar or pet bacteria enzyme.  Vinegar helps because it contains enzymes.  Use non-toxic and pet safe cleaning products.  No matter what kind of cleaner you use on your carpets it would be wise to try the cleaning agent on a small non-visible patch before applying to stain. Let the cleaner set for about 5 minutes. If the stain is still noticeable apply again.  If that fails use a carpet cleaner.  Even if the stains disappear a pet will repeatedly return to the same spot if he can smell his own odor.  It is important to eliminate all odors. Even when you think you did a good job the smell can come back in a few days. Store bought remedies for pet stain removal can become ineffective if the stains have persisted. If you let the carpet stay damp it could lead to mildew. A steamer such as Eureka Envrio steamer, a carpet shampooer,  or a wet/dry vacuum could help.