Everybody loves their pets. They also love the way carpeting looks and the way it feels underfoot. The problem is, that bringing pets and carpets together under the same roof can be problematic, to say the least.
Pets tend to love the way carpeting feels, just like we do. But they also tend to track mud, dirt, bugs, and other debris onto the carpet from outdoors, shed onto the carpet like there's no tomorrow, and, when the mood hits them, use it as a warm comfy toilet.
If you have pets you essentially have two choices: either forget about carpeting or make use of the following tips to ensure both man and beast can enjoy the carpeting for all the right reasons.
Act Fast
Messes happen. If your pet has made a mess on the carpet the most important thing is to address it promptly, before the urine, vomit, or whatever has a chance to be thoroughly absorbed by the fabric. Every minute that passes is going to make the mess more difficult to remove. So you should have a mess kit at the ready at all times. That kit should include paper towels, clean absorbent rags, a putty knife to effectively lift solid waste, and of course a good spray-on carpet cleaner designed specifically for pet stains. You’ll use that once the liquid has been dabbed up or any solid waste removed.
Clean Paws Before Entering
An awful lot of debris from outdoors is tracked into the house on the paws of pets. You can minimize this by keeping a towel near the front and back doors. When you enter the house with your dog, make sure to wipe their paws clean before letting them run free in the house. Same with your cat. If you have an indoor/outdoor cat always make sure to wipe off its paws when it enters the house.
Vacuum Regularly
Unless you have hairless pets they’re going to shed all the time, especially when the weather warms up. It’s imperative to stay ahead of pet hair, lest it become hopelessly entwined with the fabric of the carpeting. If at all possible, make sure you use an attachment designed to lift pet hair from carpeting. Or consider purchasing a rubber broom. Rubber brooms have bristles that are specially designed to scour pet hair from carpet fibers. Also, don’t forget to vacuum the furniture when you vacuum the carpet.
Choose Your Pet Food Carefully
This is something hardly anyone thinks about, but pet foods often contain artificial coloring to make them more appealing. If your pet urinates or vomits on the carpet, this artificial coloring can wind up producing a stain that is incredibly difficult to remove. So if your pet is prone to carpet accidents, try to choose pet food that’s free of artificial colors.
Try a Fiber Protector
Fiber protectors are a type of treatment applied to the carpeting to protect it from being damaged by pet messes, spilled drinks, and more. They enable the carpeting to repel liquids which makes cleanup much easier and prevents those liquids from leaving lasting stains. Fiber protectors also prevent dirt particles from becoming one with the fabric of the carpet.
Employ Area Rugs
In parts of the house that attract a lot of pet traffic consider laying down area rugs on top of wall-to-wall carpeting. This will keep a lot of dirt and hair from working its way into the wall to wall. Plus, area rug cleaning is generally easier to do yourself than carpet cleaning. If your pet has a particular place they enjoy sleeping, put an area rug there for them to rest on.
Consider Limiting Access
For a variety of reasons some dogs and puppies are just incorrigible. They may be highly energetic or simply have an unruly nature that does not lend itself to living with fine carpeting. If you have such a pet, you may want to consider limiting their access to parts of the house that have carpeting. This is not punishment. Just a real-world acknowledgment that some things are better kept apart. Like bulls and china shops, and unruly pets and carpeting.
Call the Pros
It’s likely that no matter how fastidious you are or how closely you adhere to all the above tips, you’ll still need to call in the pros from time to time to deal with a pet-related carpet issue. When you do, you need to make sure the people you call know what they’re doing, and aren’t just going to stand there scratching their heads or end up making things worse. The team at Steve’s Carpet Care & Restoration is the most experienced in the region. Every one of our carpet cleaning experts has been rigorously trained and supplied with state-of-the-art carpet care tools. If it can be cleaned, we’ll clean it.
The Bottom Line
Pets enrich our lives in myriad ways and ask little in return. Carpeting beautifies a home, making it more comfortable and energy-efficient. Unfortunately, pets and carpeting are not exactly made for each other. But that doesn't mean they need to be mutually exclusive.
If you have pets and carpeting, take the above tips to heart to keep your carpets fresher between professional cleaning services. They’ll enable you to achieve a kind of peaceful co-existence between your pets and your carpeting.