You love your pets but may hate what they sometimes do. Pet urine may arguably be the hardest of all odors to eradicate – especially from carpets. Fortunately, using a trick of chemistry you can eliminate that odor in a flash with household ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Step 1
Soak up as much of the urine as possible with a pad of clean white towels. Place the towels on the spot and press around the edges first, working toward the center to prevent spreading the liquid further under the carpet. Repeat until the spot seems fairly dry.
Step 2
Measure out one cup of hydrogen peroxide into a plastic bowl. Add two tablespoons of baking soda and a mere drop or two of mild dish washing liquid. Mix gently with a wooden or plastic spoon until the baking soda dissolves. Don't be alarmed if it fizzes a lot – it's supposed to do that.
Step 3
Dispense the deodorizing liquid straight from the bowl. Do not mix, use or store this solution in a sealed container or spray bottle. Doing so will cause a pressure build-up that may explode the container and cause injury.
Step 4
Pour the solution directly on the carpet, using enough to saturate the entire area. Let it sit on the spot for five minutes or so.
Step 5
Blot up the solution as you did the urine, using clean white towels, pressing or walking on them to better soak up the liquid.
Step 6
Pour tepid water on the area to rinse and then blot again until the carpet is dry. Use a fan to blow across the spot if necessary to accelerate the drying time.
Step 7
Vacuum or sweep away any residual baking soda and enjoy your freshly deodorized carpet.
Resources
Tips
- This formula was originally created to destroy skunk odor – something it does exceptionally well. Country pet owners may want to file that away for future reference.
- Never make more of this solution than you can use at one time. It does not store, as the chemicals rapidly decompose, become inert and no are longer effective. This recipe makes a bit over a cup. If you need more – for a really big accident – measure four times the amount to make a quart of the recipe.
Warnings
- Pressurization of this solution results in an explosion hazard. Never attempt to use it in a spray bottle or other pressurized container or store it after use – especially in a sealed glass bottle.
- Do not mix this in a metal container or use metal utensils. The chemicals react with metal to decompose, rendering the solution useless for deodorizing.