Tag Archives: clean up

Strategies for Cleaning Different Surfaces

Here are some recommendations for cleaning up different types of spills on different services.

 

Carpet – Soak up as much of the stain as you can with paper towels. Do not press on the spill too hard with the towels or the spill could seep into the underpadding of the carpet. You can also try using powder or flakes sprinkled on the carpet to absorb the spill. Vacuum this up and if necessary try to use a mild enzymatic cleaner on the area and then let the carpet air-dry.

 

Concrete – Unfortunately concrete does absorb odors, especially from pets. To prevent damage to the floor clean it up as soon as possible. Then ay paper towels soaked in an enzymatic cleaner on the concrete and leave it there for an hour or two to absorb any odors.

 

Cork floors are very absorbent but will remain in good shape if you can clean up the spill fast. Use an enzymatic cleaner to help lift a bacteria out of the cork layers. Citrus cleaners and Windex can also work well on a cork floor. Never use bleach as it will eventually degrade the floor or stain it.

 

Stone floors are usually uneven and filled with holes or seams that can harbour bacteria or mold that produces smells. Saturate the area with cleaner and mop up any exces. Do not use bleach or peroxide on these floors.

 

Tile floors usually clean up quite well with any type of cleaner. If it is a dark stain use a cleaner with a bit of bleach in it. Be aware that some enzymatic cleaners can yellow tile or floors.

 

Cleaning a wood floor is the most difficult. If the floor is heavily varnished it is sometimes just as easy to clean a wood floor as it is a tile floor. However if the floor is is old with a lot of cracks and seams or a parquet floor then the spills and stains can reach deep beneath the floorboards and cause odors to prevail.  The result will be a lingering mold or ammonia smell combined with rotting wood.

 

Upholster or fabric really does tend to retain stains and smells from spills or pet accidents.  The trick is to blot up as much of the spill as possible as soon as you can. Enzymatic cleaners work best for combatting this type of problem as well. No matter what kind of cleaner you are using on fabric upholstery be sure to do a test patch first or the colors of your fabric may run.

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.