From funky to fresh: how to get on top of pet odours and stains
Did you know there are over 4.6 million pets across the country? It’s fair to say New Zealand is a nation of pet lovers – there’s nothing quite like the love and companionship of a pet, and pets are widely embraced as ‘family’. And, increasingly, pets of all kinds are living exclusively indoors – cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, chinchillas, reptiles, and birds. Okay, – and the odd turtle, baby lamb and kune kune.
Whether yours are exclusively indoors or old-school indoor/outdoor pets, along with the adoration comes carpet stains and the dreaded odour. Every home with pets has a pet smell – to varying degrees, true, but they all do. The problem is as pet owners, we don’t always notice them.
Sniffing out the truth: why you can’t smell your own home
The short answer is that we get nose blind – a temporary condition that means we don’t register certain scents. Nose blindness or olfactory fatigue occurs when you are exposed to a smell for a long time and your brain becomes accustomed to it and stops alerting you to it. It’s the brain’s way of stopping you from becoming overstimulated by too much sensory information. While you may not detect it, guests and visitors certainly will and since they’re so nice they’re unlikely to tell you. So, what are you to do?
Paws and sniff: why your home smells like your pet
As lovable as your pets are, that distinctive smell that greets visitors as they walk in the door is less endearing. There are numerous causes of pet odours, and the most common causes are:
· Indoor litter boxes, bird cages, and hutches
· Natural oils on fur and skin
· Pet dander build-up
· Urine and faecal matter
· Dirt and other stuff brought in from outside on their fur and footpads
· Pet health
· Diet
· Sweat, saliva and scenting
· Pet breath and gas
· The number of animals in the house.
These elements can combine to create that distinctive pet smell which gets into fabrics, carpet fibres and soft furnishings. Animals frequently rub their faces and bodies along the fronts of sofas and around bed-bases, and if left home alone you can bet they’re up on the couch five seconds after you’ve left!
As they roam, sleep, roll around on the floor or rub up against furnishings, the odours from sweat, saliva, scent glands, and natural oils get trapped in carpet and upholstery fibres. They will often smell more intense when the room is hot or is unventilated.
Fresh smells require a fresh approach
It can be challenging to remove strong pet odours from your home, but persistence and new routines will pay off. Here’s a guide on how to banish smells from your home, starting with the obvious:
- Regularly wash and groom dogs.
- Regularly wash and air out your pet’s bedding.
- Keep the floors clean. Sweep hard floors and mop with hot water and a strong but pet-friendly cleaning solution.
- Tackle any stains. If your pet has an accident, deal with it straight away – click here for our recommended response if it’s on the carpet.
Don’t ignore older or stubborn stains; the longer they’re there, the harder they are to remove. - Open those windows and keep internal doors open to allow air to circulate.
- Change out litter boxes and soiled cage liners before they begin to smell.
- Take away uneaten pet food if possible. Dog and cat foods often have a distinct smell; and your cockatoo’s uneaten fruit and vegetables can also get whiffy.
- Take a trip to the vet. Ear problems and dental issues cause smells, not to mention frequent farting, and if your pet is regularly having pee or poo accidents there could be a medical reason or behavioural issue that needs addressing.
- If your pet regularly sits on a specific seat, cover it with an easy to machine-washable throw or blanket to protect the upholstery fabric.
The waterworks: why pet urine stains and odours stick around
Pet urine isn’t just a surface-level problem. Even if you get to it quickly, it can rapidly soak down into the carpet fibres, underlay, and even the floorboards or subfloor.
The unique thing about urine is that as the liquid evaporates it becomes more concentrated and crystallises. The crystals trap bacteria, which results in persistent, ammonia-like odours.
Due to its acidic nature and colour, pet urine can sometimes damage carpet so completely that replacement is needed. This is why we recommend diluting and absorbing as much as possible as soon as the accident occurs.
Don’t minimise or downplay recidivist toileting indoors, assuming it will all just clean out! Professionals agree that carpet with pet urine stains or odour is one of the toughest things to fix. Our use of urine-specific products followed by a deep steam clean is your best next step after the initial clean-up.
When regular cleaning just won’t cut it
Sometimes, with the best will in the world, regular cleaning does not eliminate funky odours. Some home cleaning products simply mask odours without neutralising them, or in the case of stains, leave a soapy or sticky residue that attracts more dirt and debris over time.
If you’ve tried DIY solutions but still notice that tell-tale scent, it’s time to call in the professionals. Advanced Carpet Cleaning’s expert carpet cleaning services in Christchurch can help shift stains and neutralise odours – you’ll be guest-ready again in no time!
From ripe to refreshing: the deep clean factor
Carpets and rugs: steam cleaning penetrates deep into carpet fibres, using quality products, high-temperature steam and powerful suction to break down and remove pet fur oils, dander, dirt, bacteria from footpads and bottoms, drool and more! The heat kills bacteria and many odour-causing compounds, while the extraction process lifts dirt and moisture, leaving carpets looking, feeling and smelling cleaner and fresher.
Hard floors: deep cleaning hard floors removes pet dirt trapped in grout lines, corners, and under furniture. Industrial-grade steam cleaners use cleaning solutions and high heat to kill bacteria and break down stubborn stains and odours, flushing and extracting all the dirty right off the floor. Mop regularly and book an annual super-clean of your hard floor!
Curtains, blinds and upholstery: Odours are airborne and quickly settle onto textiles, so once the source of the odour is under control, find out which cleaning method is best for your refreshing your curtains and blinds.
Upholstery steam cleaning is a big contributor to a fresh smelling home. A thorough professional clean of your furniture will deal to pet odour, pet dander and fur, oils, scents and saliva from rubbing against furniture, and the telltale dirty paw marks.
Remember too your cushions and throws. Wash them according to the care instructions, and if they can't be machine washed, consider replacing them.
Refresh and rejuvenate
If you’re struggling with stubborn pet stains and odours, Advanced Carpet Cleaning’s professional carpet cleaning in Christchurch offers a comprehensive solution. Here’s how we tackle the problem:
Inspection and identification – our fully trained carpet cleaners in Christchurch assess the stain or odour issue to determine the best cleaning method based on your carpet type.
If pet urine is a contributing factor, we can identify where the urine locations are in a room and how far they have spread, even if there is no visible stain.
Pre-treatment – specialist pre-treatments are applied, matched to the stain or odour you’re keen to evict. These activate once applied and start breaking down the substances so they can be flushed out with a thorough steam clean.
Hot water extraction (carpet steam cleaning) – utilising piping hot water, cleaning agents and powerful suction to clean, flush and extract contaminants, our professional equipment and expertise together give the best possible outcome.
Drying and maintenance – talk to us about carpet drying after a deep clean, and pick our brains for maintenance suggestions that will best help your carpet.
Don’t let pet stains and odours make your home memorable for all the wrong reasons! Contact us today and breathe easy knowing your carpets are in expert hands. Click here or call Advanced Carpet Cleaning on 0800 566 576 for a free no-obligation quote or to book an appointment.
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