10 Tips to Keep Pet-Friendly Homes Fresh With Help From Stain Removal Service Phoenix
For many of us, our pets are an irreplaceable part of our families. Unfortunately for your carpets and floors, they’re also some of the messiest family members!
Treating pet stains and odors in your home can feel like a never-ending battle. Luckily, armed with the right tools and tricks, and a little help from the best stain removal service Tucson has to offer, you can tackle stinky odors and keep your carpets looking as fresh as the day that you installed them! Keep reading for 10 tips to help you do just that!
1. Clean Up Messes as Soon as They Happen
One of the best ways to keep smells and stains at bay in your pet-friendly home is by getting into the habit of cleaning up messes as soon as they happen. This doesn’t just include accidents; muddy paw prints and other pet-related messes are also easier to clean and treat when addressed immediately.
Carpets consist of multiple layers, including a top layer, backing, and, in most cases, a carpet pad underneath. Depending on the type of spill or accident and your carpet, liquid may soak into those bottom layers very quickly. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to clean beneath the surface on your own. Often, this is where the lingering smells come from, as most surface treatments you can do on your own at home won’t get that liquid up, leaving it to release its smell into your home.
That said, cleaning up stains within a minute or two of when they occur can help you prevent some liquid from soaking through into base layers. Of course, if you aren’t home when they occur or simply don’t notice the mess right away, you may wind up leaving it to sit unintentionally. Find yourself with lots of stains that you’ve either missed or struggled to get clean? The best stain removal service Tucson has to offer can help (Check out tip #10 to find out how!)!
2. Be Cautious of Your Cleaning Supplies
In order to get ready to clean up messes at a moment’s notice, it’s important to have the right tools on hand for the job. Unfortunately, many of the cleaning solutions on the job today contain chemicals and toxins that can be harmful both to your pets and to you.
Many common household cleaners you likely have in your cabinet today could be toxic to your pet. This includes any cleaners with the following ingredients:
- Alcohol
- Bleach
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Cleaning solutions that contain the ingredient “phenol”
If you do need to use cleaning solutions that contain the ingredients listed above, it’s best to isolate your pets away from the room and ventilate them well with a fan or an open window. However, when it comes to carpets, it’s best to avoid these ingredients entirely. Unlike hard surfaces where you can wipe them away, your carpets will absorb these and hold onto them long after you’re done cleaning. Even those that feature more mild soaps and other ingredients that are safe for your pet may leave behind a residue so that while your stains may be clean, they’re still visible.
3. Don’t Rely on Candles and Sprays to Mask the Smell
Whether your four-legged friends tend to have accidents indoors or not, lingering smells often plague pet-friendly households. Besides tracking in dirt and dust, pets shed dander and fur that gets trapped in your carpets and accumulate on hard floors.
If you haven’t had luck eliminating these odors with your cleaning methods in the past, you might be tempted to try to treat them with candles and deodorizing sprays. However, these only mask the odors, and often poorly. And some, like those that contain essential oils, may be harmful to your pets.
4. Vacuum Up Fur Daily
If you’re only vacuuming up pet fur, dander, dirt, and other debris that your pet has tracked in once a week, you’re giving it more time to work its way into your carpets and cause your home to smell. If you have a pet who sheds heavily, daily vacuuming can go a long way towards preventing odors and stains on your carpets.
Don’t have time for daily vacuuming? Consider a robot vacuum or a cordless model that makes it easy to quickly run your sweeper through your rooms.
5. Change Your Air Filter Frequently
When most homeowners think about treating and preventing pet odors, they think about cleaning visible stains or piles of fur. But there’s another important task to remember; changing your air filter frequently.
Your home’s air filters trap pet fur and dander and prevent them from entering your HVAC system. While the typical homeowner only needs to replace their air filter once every 90 days, if you have a pet that sheds heavily or multiple pets, you’ll want to replace it every 30 days. A clogged air filter will allow dander, dust, and other allergens to circulate back into your home.
6. Give Your Pet Regular Grooming
Pets, and especially those with long fur, pick up lots of dirt and oils from day to day. Over time, this leads to a stinky pet. Regular grooming can help get them clean and smelling fresh. It is also a chance to release loose fur and thin their coat, which can help with excessive shedding. While professional groomers can do a lot more to cut down on shedding, regular brushing in-between visits to the doggy beauty salon can also help.
7. Wash Your Pets Blankets, Beds, and Toys
Your pet isn’t the only thing in your home that needs a good bath from time to time. Their bed, blankets, and soft toys can also develop an odor. Check the cleaning directions for each, and toss them in the washing machine once a month to keep them smelling fresh. If you have throw blankets or pillows in your home that your pet likes to snuggle up to, don’t forget to give those a good wash as well.
8. Upgrade Your Litter Box or Change Frequently
Dogs may go outdoors and bring in dirt and other debris. But cats who use litter boxes also spread odors throughout your home. Frequently cleaning your litter boxes can help reduce not only the odors coming from the box but also the odors your cat will spread throughout your home after using the box.
If you have multiple cats or don’t have time for frequent cleanings, a self-cleaning litter box may be the solution.
9. Give Your Walls a Wipe
The oils in your pet’s fur can wind up on your home’s walls as they brush against them throughout the day. Over time, this can leave the bottom few feet of your walls looking greasy or discolored. It can also add to any pet odor you’re experiencing in your home. Luckily, this is an easy fix; simply give your walls a good wipe from time to time with a safe cleaner or even a wet cloth.
10. Schedule Regular Professional Cleanings and Stain Removal Service Tucson
Even if you stay on top of cleaning, stains may still set in. Whether your pet has had an accident or tracks in dirt that you just can’t get out of your carpets, hope isn’t lost; stain removal service Tucson can help.
For mild stains and carpets in need of a refresh, our normal carpet cleaning service can lift set-in dirt and get your carpets back to looking - and smelling - great! But for set-in stains, including urine stains that have soaked through to the backing, our pet stain cleaning Tucson service can help you get your floors back, without the use of harsh chemical treatments.
The Zerorez® pet stain treatment lifts dead skin, hair, fur, dirt, and other particles from your carpet using high-pressure tools that refresh your carpets and leave them odor-free.
Looking for the best pet stain treatment Tucson has to offer? Book a visit from one of our experts today to see the difference our stain cleaning service can make.