Pets Destroying Your Carpets? 2 Ways To Repair Your Carpet When You Think It Needs To Be Replaced
Every pet owner who has carpeting in their home wishes, at least on occasion, that they had easy-clean flooring. Of course, you appreciate those carpets for making your home feel cozy and keeping your feet warm when you walk around barefoot, but not when your pets make messes on them or use them as clawing pads. As a pet owner, it is important to know when pet carpet damage can be repaired and how to do it, so you don't waste money on a brand-new carpet for an entire room when you don't need to.
Pet Urine Caught Quickly Doesn't Have to Leave a Permanent Smell and Stain
Dogs and cats of all ages can have occasional accidents, but young puppies and older, incontinent pets are especially prone to urinating on carpets. Cat urine can smell especially powerful and is more difficult to neutralize than dog urine.
Thankfully, when you catch pet urine stains relatively quickly, you can usually get rid of the yellow or dark stain and odor. If you catch the urine when it is still wet, the first step is to blot as much of the liquid up as you can. Press hard to also absorb the liquid from the carpet padding. Use a light-colored cloth or rag, so you can determine how concentrated the urine is. If it is dark, it contains less water, which can make the odor more difficult to neutralize.
If it is lighter colored, more dilute dog urine, saturating the carpet and padding underneath thoroughly with white vinegar may suffice. It is better to treat powerful cat urine and darker dog urine with a liquid product made specifically for pet carpet stains that contains special enzymes that break down the urine odors.
Once you saturate your pet stain with either liquid, don't think you are done, because you then must blot the carpet again to remove the liquid. Keep saturating and blotting until your cloth no longer discolors after you blot. Then, saturate the carpet one final time and allow to dry.
Older stains not caught quickly can be treated with the same method, but it may or may not work to completely eliminate the odor and discoloration in old stain. If smell and discoloration still linger, then consider the area damaged and treat it as you would clawed carpet.
Clawed-up Carpeting May Just Need a Patch
If your cat used your carpet as a scratching pad or your dog clawed up the carpet in front of a door he is always trying to get into, then the good news is that you likely won't have to replace your entire carpet to get rid of the damaged area. A small area of damaged carpet can be replaced with a carpet patch.
If you have an old extra roll or remnant of the carpet, that can help you get the perfect color match for your patch. If you don't have extra carpet, then try to locate information on the brand name and color of the carpet (the color is often represented by a number). This information can be used to locate the carpet locally or online. Alternatively, cut a small piece of the carpet off where it is already damaged and compare it to swatches at local carpet stores until you find a close match.
Buy just as much carpet as you need to replace the damaged area. Then, measure and mark around the damaged carpet you want to replace, and cut the new carpet piece to the exact size you need. Next, cut the old damaged carpet out, and cover the exposed carpet padding with double-sided carpet tape. Next, place the new carpet on the tape, making sure that the carpet fibers lay in the same direction as the rest of the carpet.
If you find that the carpet padding is also damaged, then replace it, too, especially if it was urinated on.
Since lining up carpet fibers and performing a carpet-patch job that looks like it is not a patch can be difficult, you may want to have a carpet repair professional do the job for you, especially if it is in a room that is seen by guests. It can also save you money to hire a professional who performs the repair right the first time, since attempting a repair several times on your own can lead to costly wasted materials. Contact a company like Atlantic Carpet Care for more information about this option.