Tag Archives: ammonia smell

Commercial Cleaners That Might Help With Pet Stains

If you have pet stains there are many cleaners that may help. Once again it all depends whether or not the pet stain is on carpet or wood and how bad it is. The older the stain is the harder it might be to get rid of the ammonia smell.

 

Some products are more meant to mask the smell and others might be anti-bacterial in nature. An example of a deodorizer is Arm & Hammer Cat litter Deodorizer that is meant for sprinkling in litter boxes but can be sprinkled on carpet or upholstery and then vacuumed up. Unfortunately this might be just a temporary solution that masks the smell for a while.

 

Febreze gets rid of odors in cat boxes, fabrics and on carpets. One problem is that it has been known to give people headaches and migraines and some pet owners do not believe it is good for animals. To be safe don’t use it directly on pet bedding or where the pet hangs out frequently.

 

Mineral Blue is another commercial solution. It is a packet of powdered minerals that you sprinkle into the litter box to absorb odors.  You can also use it as quick fix for carpets and upholstery to soak up urine. However don’t use this on a wood floor because the minerals, which are essentially little rocks, could scratch the floor.

 

Odokill is a popular solution for pet stains as well. It is a mild disinfectant that is free of harsh acids, petroleum and heavy metals (unlike most cleaners  of this nature. It is really strong and dilutes at 120 parts of water to one part cleaner.  In order for it to work the area must be completely saturated with the solution.

 

Oxyclean is another old stand by and it is good for getting rid of the dark ring that is around most stains.  It is cheap and can be used on expensive carpets.  However many users report that it is not an effective deodorizer and you also run the risk of spreading the stain into the carpet.

 

Many people are very concerned about the toxic chemicals that tend opt be in the commercial cleaners and do prefer to use deodorizers like Glade, Airwick and others to mask the smell.  There is a company called Fresh Wave that makes a Continuous Release Odor Neutralizing Gel meant to help get rid of dog and cat smells wherever it is place.  Although it does not address the source of the smell or eliminate the odor this type of tact might make life more bearable for your pet and your family.

 

Why Certain Cleaners Make Pet Odors Worse

If you have a dog or cat that is urinating inside the house be aware that there are certain cleaning solutions for this that are no solutions are.

 

One of worst things you can do is use ammonia based cleaner on a pet stain with odor. That is because cat and dog urine degrades into an ammonia smell. You are simply adding more ammonia “smell” to an existing one.  You will never eliminate pet smells this way. You will only make it worse for months.  Furthermore the smell of ammonia may further attract the pet to eliminate again in the same area.  You are better off buying a product made specific for pet urine. Go to Petco.com and get a product from there. Also use a Petco coupon code from CouponPunk.com to get a deal on the product.

 

It is also a terrible idea to spray the area with aerosol or foam disinfectent. Although this might kill bacteria these disinfectants often leave a strong odor that combines with the ammonia odor to make a particularly awful smell. There are few odors worse than the scent of Lysol combined with ammonia.  When a dog smells this odor it is hard for him or her not to “remark” the area so that the ammonia scent triumphs over the Lysol scent.

 

Home-made remedies are not much better. If you use any combination of vinegar, water, baking soda and soap to clean up a pet stain you will only succeed in moistening it and spreading it.  The dampness will also spread the odor. Vinegar does kill bacteria but it has a strong odor of its own that can cling for weeks to carpet or flooring.  Baking soda creates a fizzing effect on the stain that looks impressive but actually does nothing to get rid of the powerful smell of pet urine.

 

In general it is a big mistake to use a wet brush and water to clean urine stains from a carpet because all you are really doing is rubbing the scent deeper into the carpet. This too causes the stain to spread and if you use a lot of water then you might be soaking the carpet underpadding.  The ammonia in the pet urine sinks and rots both the underpadding and the carpet, which creates a terrible smell.   The lingering smell also encourages pets to go in the same place.

 

It is unfortunate that there are so many way that you can make the problem worse when you attempt to clean up pet stains.  They are quick fixes for cleaning up smelly pet puddles that may not work in the long run.