These house cleaning tips can help you clean up pet urine and other messes so you can prevent unpleasant house odor. Cleaning up spills when they occur and using the proper techniques and products to remove all organic matter from upholstered surfaces is the best way control odors, protect your carpet and upholstered surfaces and prevent pet stains. Don’t let telltale cat or doggy odor be the first thing visitors notice when they enter your home.
Ingredients you will need for cleaning up pet urine and solid messes.
vinegar baking soda salt cornstarch shaving creme liquid dish detergent peppermint oil make a carpet cleaning solution of equal parts water and vinegar with a squirt of dish detergent. House Cleaning Tips – The “Blotting” Technique
Scrubbing or going back and forth pushes stains further into fabric surfaces. Use this blotting technique when cleaning up pet messes.
Once you have removed the mess, moving from the outside in blot up any remaining liquid. Place an absorbent material over the wet area. A disposable diaper or sanitary napkin works well to absorb liquids but you can also use an absorbent fabric like an old towel. Add two layers of paper towel (or newspaper) on top and then place a heavy weight evenly over the area. Leave it weighted for up to 6 hours then remove everything and let it air dry. Carpets or plush upholstery may need light brushing to lift the pile and restore the nap. Here are the house cleaning tips for the four things you wish you will never have to clean up.
Vomit or Emesis
Sprinkle salt on the mess to neutralize the stomach acids and let it sit for no more than ten minutes. Pick up as much of the solid mess as possible, don’t wipe just scoop or whisk into a dustpan. Spray water on the soiled area and working from the outside use the blotting technique on the spill area and do not rub. Now you use your carpet cleaning solution of vinegar, water and detergent, spray the blot again from the outside in. Repeat as necessary. Complete the “blotting technique” with an absorbent cloth and a heavy weight as described. Feces
If you leave this stuff lying around, your house will eventually have an “out house” odor. Here are the house cleaning tips for dealing with solid messes like feces.
Scoop up the solid matter. Sprinkle baking soda over the area and let that sit for at least 10 minutes. Brush up the dirty baking soda into a dustpan and discard. Use the same procedure as for the vomit with the home made carpet cleaning solution and the blotting technique to complete the clean up. Urine
If you do not take care of pet urine right away you can end up with a strong urine odor in the house.
Blot up the liquid using an absorbent paper towel. Then use the same procedure as for the vomit with the vinegar/water/liquid dish detergent solution and the blotting technique. Blood
Sprinkle cornstarch over the blood and let it sit for about ten minutes. Milk can also be used if you do not have cornstarch, just pour it over the spill. Let it sit for about ten minutes. Brush up the dirty cornstarch or soak up the milk with absorbent paper and discard. Finish up with the same procedure as for the vomit with the homemade carpet cleaning solution and the blotting technique. You may have noticed shaving cream in the list of products. It can also be used to clean blood spills. It has an enzyme that will break down the proteins in blood making clean up easier.
Spray, let it sit, then scoop it up. A soft tooth brush might be useful in light brushing the shaving creme into the upholstered surface. Once you have removed the shaving cream spray the area with cold water and blot until it is clean. Final house cleaning tips for blood spills – Heat will change the nature of the protein in blood and set the stain. Always use cold water to clean blood spills.
And what about the peppermint oil? Premix peppermint oil with baking soda and a touch of borax and sprinkle on your carpets at night before you plan to vacuum. This will help to control cat or doggy odors and fleas too!
These recommendations are for upholstered surfaces like carpets and furniture. On a linoleum or other solid floors simply wipe up the mess with paper towels, clean with the vinegar/water/dish detergent solution and then rinse well with water.
