Keeping the house in order

Five Surprising Tools You Need to Clean Rugs After a Puppy Accident

29 June 2015 by Thomas Jones

Protecting your rug from your pup as he house trains can be challenging, but with the right tools, you can easily clean up accidents and ensure your pet doesn't re-offend in the same spot. If your dog is having accidents on your rug, here are the five essential items you need to clean the rug and retrain him:

1. Newspapers

Immediately after your dog urinates on your rug, put newspapers over the wet mess. Use the newspapers to soak up as much of the urine as possible so it doesn't soak into your rug and ruin it. Then, take some of the wet newspapers and move them to the spot where you want your dog to go to the bathroom.

Ideally, you need to remove all of the wetness as well as any residual odors so your dog isn't drawn to that spot again. By moving the scent of your dog's urine (through the wet newspapers) to another spot, you help to attract your dog to that spot.

2. A Black Light

Once you have cleaned the majority of the mess from your rug, you need to make sure that you have all of it. Even if you get on your hands and knees and put your face right in the rug, you may not be able to smell urine remnants that your dog can smell. To make sure everything is gone, grab a black light – you don't need a special fixture just a regular lamp with a special black light bulb. Then, turn off your lights and shine the blacklight on your rug. It will show you where the urine still is.

3. Chalk

While the lights are off, grab a piece of chalk and outline the stain. This technique allows you to see where the stain is after you have turned the lights back on, and chalk can be easily brushed off a rug.

4. Baking Soda

If you are trying to clean a small throw rug, put it in your washing machine to ensure it is fully clean. In addition to your regular washing powder, add an entire box of baking soda. That helps to neutralise the odor so your dog isn't attracted to the rug again.

If your rug is too large to fit into the washing machine, hire professional rug cleaners, and ask them to use an enzymatic cleaner that will neutralise odors.

5. Vinyl Tablecloth

To be on the safe side, as your dog continues housetraining, cover your rug with a vinyl tablecloth. Cheap to buy, vinyl tablecloths with flannel undersides can block moisture from reaching the rug if your dog has another accident.

To learn more, contact a company like Jet Carpet Cleaning and Services with any questions you have.

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