Pets are a significant part of people’s lives. They provide companionship to those who need it and many get as attached to them as they do with close friends and family.

Moreover, studies suggest that pets are great for mental and emotional health. For instance, they reduce stress, depression, and anxiety, and help eliminate loneliness.

While having a pet has many rewards, it also comes with a lot of responsibility. Cleaning up after your pet is paramount to maintaining a nice home.

When it comes to younger pets or pets with potty training difficulties, this particular chore can become especially challenging. No one wants a home that smells like urine, and the clean-up can become daunting and expensive!

This is especially true if you own high-quality rugs that may be damaged, such as the ornate Persian and Oriental rugs that are found in the living rooms and hallways of finely decorated homes.

The first step we want to address is understanding the value of nice Persian and Oriental rugs, so that you understand the significance in cleaning them. The next step is knowing exactly how to clean them in a gentle and effective way that maintains their color and delicate texture.

Persian Rugs

Persian Rugs are gorgeous, high-quality carpets. These rugs add to any home’s beauty, no matter where they are placed. Above all, they’re made with intricate detail and fine-tuned skill that give them the value they hold.

Most patterns contain beautiful gardens and floral designs that depict the rich culture of Persia.

Each knit is precisely and skillfully added to the fabric, which makes the rug sensitive just like any other handmade textile.

Unfortunately, such rugs are prone to storing dirt due to their dense texture. This means they require regular but gentle cleaning, so as to avoid buildup while also avoiding unnecessary wear on the fabric.

Oriental Rugs

Oriental Wool Rugs originate from Asia and the Middle East. These rugs are available in beautiful colors that often carry symbolic meaning. The weavers often reflect their cultural history through these rugs, and they pay careful attention to the balance of hues and shades in the coloring.

For these reasons, and for the fact that they are often made from natural dyes, an authentic Oriental rug is often very pricey because it’s a unique piece of art. This is all the more reason to take the best possible care of it.

Basic vacuuming is necessary, just like with a Persian rug. But Oriental rugs are especially sensitive to cleaning agents due to the use of natural dyes.

Chemical Composition of Stain

A urine stain is difficult to remove, no matter what you’re trying to clean. And even after the visible stain is gone, that awful ammonia odor is often left behind.

This noxious odor is strengthened by the fact that it’s an organic fluid, meaning that it is accompanied by enzymes, fatty acids, etc. that make it all the more difficult to lift from carpets and other textiles.

Effects On Human Health

Exposure to a pet’s urine has negative implications for both the pet and its owners. That is why it is important to clean it. Breathing these fumes is not only unpleasant; it can make people and animals sick if left untreated.

The ammonia, as well as the eventual buildup of other microbes, can even lead to skin and eye irritation if left alone for an extended period. If you or one of your children or pets is especially prone to allergies or respiratory infections, cleaning up urine stains is of utmost importance.

Effects on Fabric and Furniture

Urine exposure also damages the materials your carpets, rugs, and furniture are made from. The liquid easily penetrates the flooring, fabric, and even wood or plastic on which your pet relieved himself.

Why is this damage more than just a odor-related issue? Because the salts from urine attract moisture. Once moisture accumulates, floors and other solids begin to get infected with unwelcome microbes.

To make matters worse, any mold your shoes, pets, or small children come into contact with will then get spread to other parts of your home.

YIKES!

So, what to do to avoid this smelly, germ-ridden catastrophe?

Cleaning Compounds

There are a few mild cleaning compounds we feel safe recommending for those who need a do-it-yourself solution for urine stains. Some of the essential cleaning compounds we trust are as follows:

Cold Water & Soap

The first cleaning mixture to use is cold water and dish soap. First, remove the carpet from the room. Place it somewhere with close access to water.

For instance, a garage is a good option. Take a soft brush and mix cold water with soap in a container. Rub gently over the stain, and keep in mind this may take awhile. But if you keep it gentle, it will be worth your labor because the rug itself won’t be damaged.

Cornstarch

This procedure involving cornstarch is pretty simple. Start with sprinkling it over the affected area. Make sure to create a thick layer. Then rub it lightly with a brush.

Leave it for a day so that the cornstarch can soak in the stain. You can further dampen the cornstarch with a spray bottle of water to help reduce the odor.

Once fully dry, the next step is to vacuum the treated surface.  Clear up the dry residue, and all that should be left is a clean, odorless carpet.

Towel Sandwich Method

Start by blotting the affected to absorb liquid. Place two dry towels both under & above the rug.

Then place heavy objects on the towel above. That will enforce pressure on the top towel and increase the absorption of liquid.

This method is only effective for clear fluids, as there is no use of a cleaning agent to combat color stains.

Baking Soda

Another natural cleaner on the list is baking soda. For getting rid of odor, baking soda is extremely cheap and effective because it neutralizes the acids in urine.

This procedure is very straightforward. Just sprinkle the baking soda all over the soiled spot. Scrub it gently with a sponge and leave it as-is overnight.

Then, just like with cornstarch, vacuum the area the next morning. All the odors will be gone.

DIY- A Summary

These natural compounds achieve the desired result when it comes to do-it-yourself rug cleaning. But these methods aren’t always effective.

These methods are meant to be used sparingly, not regularly, in order to avoid harming the fabric of your gorgeous rug. When it comes to deep cleaning and/or stubborn stains, you really do need professional treatment from experts who know how to handle delicate fabrics.

Professional Cleaning

Professional cleaning is the best cleansing option for urine stains. To clean expensive Persinal and Oriental rugs, experience matters. Thus, always go for tried and tested cleaners.

Many companies offer basic rug cleaning services. But no other industry professional in this region offers the eco-friendly low-moisture methods that Angel Dry uses with every service.

We guarantee to treat your carpets, rugs, and upholstery as if they are our own. This is especially true when it comes to hand-woven pieces with natural dye: obviously such precious fabrics must be treated with utmost care!

We offer five different methods of professional rug cleaning:

• Steam Cleaning
• Bonnet Cleaning
• Encapsulation
• Carpet Shampoo
• Dry Compound

 

We suggest using going with encapsulation carpet cleaning for your valuable rugs. This is because encapsulation cleaning solutions help isolate and suspend the urine that might be present in your carpet. This allows you to easily remove it using a vacuum.

Any method that uses scrubbing pushes the urine deeper into the rug. In comparison, deep cleaning using encapsulation methods covers every layer of a rug.

Thus, it lifts the dirt thoroughly while also pulling up any unwanted organic matter such as pet urine. Consequently, you as our customer are left with a deeply and thoroughly cleaned rug with no risk of stains or odors returning afterward.