A recent pet emergency at my home this past holiday week reminded me that pet accidents can involve more than just odors and the usual urine and fecal carpet stain related problems. Our 10 year old Black Lab, Princess Cleopatra, had a terrible medical issue and the mess in my home required a thorough deep carpet cleaning and sanitizing.
On the Monday before Thanksgiving, I arose from my bed at 6am and started toward the coffee only to step in several wet areas on the carpet. My first thought was the dog had gotten sick and vomited as she was not feeling well the night before. But the more I stepped, the more I began to change my mind and started thinking maybe she had urinary problems. I spotted the dog at the top of the stairs and seeing that her entire rear end, rear legs and tail were completely soaking wet I knew we had bigger problems.
Upon further investigation my wife and I determined that Cleo had a serious infection which was causing a continuous and foul smelling discharge of blood and nasty fluids. After rushing my faithful hunting companion and best friend to the Hazleton Veterinary Hospital, the fantastic staff there examined and admitted her for emergency surgery. She needed to have her uterus removed. Everything went well but now we were faced with the daunting task of cleaning up the extremely soiled carpet.
Identifying the properties and composition of the contaminants we were attempting to clean was our first consideration. In this case we were dealing with blood which would normally require a protein type carpet spot cleaner. Not only was there blood to consider but the byproducts of an infection, bacteria and possibly urine too. That would require an “EPA Registered” germicidal cleaner.
My carpet extractor was not readily available so I had to initially make do with household items. I was lucky enough to be able to use some clean white towels to quickly absorb the mess from the carpet before it had time to dry. Also the mess did not penetrate the carpet backing and I did not need to treat the sub-floor or carpet padding.
Until I was able to use my carpet cleaning equipment, I used a mixture of about 10-12 ounces of water and one teaspoon of liquid laundry soap in a spray bottle. Most liquid laundry detergents contain the necessary ingredients for doing an excellent job of cleaning carpet spots which are protein based. I continued to spray and blot the area until there was no more visible transfer of the soil into the towel. When spot cleaning most protein carpet spots and stains definitely avoid the use of hot water. Heat can set a protein stain making it permanent and reduce the chances of a successful removal. When attempting to remove a protein stain use cool water.
Furthermore I needed to treat the carpet for germs and bacteria due to the nature and severity of the incident. Your local professional carpet cleaning company should carry a disinfectant. Once I had access to my cleaning equipment, my choice was a product called “Microban Disinfectant Spray Plus”. Microban Disinfectant Spray Plus is a water-based bactericide, fungicide, deodorant, and antimicrobial all in one unique formulation. One application kills allergy- and disease-causing germs, fungi, mold, and mildew. It kills odor-causing bacteria, including gram negative bacteria — the bacteria encountered in sewage backups and toilet overflow situations.
After the day was over we did use our hot water extraction carpet cleaning system to finish off the job. If you encounter a pet emergency in the Hazleton PA or surrounding areas I “highly recommend” the Hazleton Veterinary Hospital located at 1094 N.Church Street in Hazle Township. If your troubles require the services of a “professional carpet cleaner”, Services Etcetera Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning is located just down the road at 1620 N.Church Street, Suite #3. We offer a full line of products and services to assist in sanitizing and removing pet stains and odors. Call us at (570)459-0429 or request a free online estimate.