Let’s Talk About Pet Spots and Odors

Are you a dog person? A cat person? A turtle, bird, Himalayan alpaca person? Or all of the above and more?!? We love our pets and they are an important part of our Clean Freak Family! With all the happiness and joy that our pets bring us, sometimes they can also present some ongoing cleaning challenges. That 2 AM accident, the strange lingering odor after a hot humid day, or right when we expect guests; We’ve been there! So this week we are going to talk about taking care of pet spots and odors.

Be Prepared (Sing in Lion King Voice)

As fellow pet owners, we all know pet accidents are going to happen from time to time. So we suggest having a few items on hand, if possible, to be ready when the inevitable happens.

White Microfiber Towels: Avoid colored towels. Some towels can transfer color/dye and leave permanent discoloration. We recommend only using white towels

Enzyme Based Cleaner: Enzyme cleaners contain naturally occurring (good!) bacteria and enzymes. This combination speeds up the process of breaking down the pet spot by consuming the biologicals it contains. (Biologicals is a nice way of saying poop and pee)

Spotter Machine: Optional but highly suggested. This sucks out the nastiness...it is especially helpful for those 2 AM cleanups. Anything to make cleaning a little quicker and easier when you need to get back to bed and ready for work the next day!

For our step-by-step pet spot clean-up process check out my video HERE

How to Solve the Case of the Mystery Odor

James here! My wife likes to use what I call the "scratch and sniff" method. That entails crawling around on your hands and knees with bloodhound precision tracking down the odor. In the early years of my career, I quickly learned the hard way not to use this method in a customer's home. Let’s just say I found the source of some odors by putting my nose into my work, literally!

I started using a tool that can be very effective in finding mystery odors without the "scratch and sniff" method. A Black Light! ( Here’s the one we like to use ) Phosphorus and other substances in dried pet spots cause the area to light up when a black light is shown on it.

True Story: Years ago we had a customer who was dealing with a pet odor issue. It was a dark-colored carpet in a basement that hid stains well. She said she would let her dogs go downstairs but they NEVER had any issues with pet accidents. We started with the black light and to her horror and surprise almost the entire room lit up with pet spots! Without her knowing, her pets were using the downstairs as a personal bathroom. Ewww, but the mystery was solved!

A blacklight is a great way to track down mystery spots and odors.

I Cleaned the Spot but it Still Smells...Now What?

Sometimes, the urine spot may look small on the surface. but it may have spread beneath the carpet and into the pad. This is especially true with larger pet spots or if the spot wasn't cleaned up right away and sat on the carpet. Once the spot is removed, the carpet fibers may look and smell clean but if any urine is left behind in the pad it can continue to produce an odor.

Here is our secret weapon for these types of spots: THE SUPER SUCKER. Using this subsurface extractor is a great way to flush out the area and extract as much urine as possible.

Check out my video on how to use the subsurface extractor tool HERE

When to call a Professional? If a large amount of urine or other biologicals has reached the pad, it generally can or has reached the sub-flooring. If and when that happens, we recommend a professional evaluate the site. Especially if there is a lingering odor in that place. (Or if that seems to be ‘the spot’ where the pet always goes) The carpet may need to be pulled back and the pad replaced in that area. Also, the sub-flooring may need to be cleaned and sealed.

Clean Freak Of The Week

Are YOU the next Clean Freak of the Week?

Every week we will be selecting one member from the Clean Freak Weekly to receive an exciting and fun cleaning gift!

This week we are giving away a SUPER SUCKER (ok that's not the real name but what we like to call it 😂)

Just sign up for the Clean Freak Weekly and you are in the running! I'm super excited to announce that we have opened up the contest to all subscribers! Keep an eye on your inbox each week to see if you are the next Clean Freak of the Week!

Need help cleaning?

Reply to this email with your cleaning questions. Next week we will be answering some of your cleaning questions in our new "Ask a Clean Freak" section.

Before we say goodbye enjoy these pics of my pups Lady Bird & Mable in a tiny cowboy hat. Thanks for reading, see you next week!

Brandon & James

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