As carpet cleaning professionals, we see a variety of issues that can plague carpets, rugs and upholstery. One common problem is derived from our beloved pets. While our pets can chew their way through seemingly anything, they also seem to enjoy relieving themselves in all the areas we would prefer them not to. But there is one particular issue that a pet can’t really help and is so prominent in every pet owners home. That issue is pet hair! Some pets are naturally shedders. Everywhere they walk, run or lay, they shed hair. Typically, pets that shed will leave an incredibly noticeable amount of hair all throughout your home. Even if your pets are not heavy shedders, they will still leave hair around. The hair left behind can be easy or quite difficult to remove, based on the surface it is building up on. If the hair is on a hard surface, such as tile, wood or laminate, it is easily cleaned using a vacuum. If the hair piles up on upholstery or on your carpet, it can be much more difficult to remove. When hair starts to show up on fibers, it actually embeds itself into the fibers. That makes it much more difficult to remove. The individual hair essentially weaves itself into the fibers. There are a couple things that can be done to help keep pet hair from becoming a permanent problem. The most effective step would be to not let your pets on any carpet or upholstery. We know that’s a difficult one, so there’s another step that is a bit more realistic to follow. Regularly cleaning these areas will make a world of difference. Simply vacuuming your carpet and upholstery regularly will help to prevent the buildup of pet hair in your carpet or upholstery fibers. Vacuuming at least once a week, preferably multiple times a week, is all it takes to keep the pet hair contamination low. If the hair is incredibly difficult to remove from an extended time of build up, a brush can be used as well. This is another great example of the difference regular maintenance can make!
Pet Odor?
When it comes to pet odor, this is a whole other beast. The stubborn stains and smell left behind by our fury friends can drive homeowners crazy. They seem to be in the most inopportune areas and the smell is so pungent that it is noticeable from other rooms in the home. We recommend consulting a professional pet odor removal specialist, as this is something that requires special equipment, cleaning solutions and education to extract properly. As when dealing with urine odor removal, its not just simply blotting up the urine, but attacking the urine crystals where they live. Where do they live you may ask? The majority subside in the padding of the carpet, so simply cleaning the surface fibers will do nothing but apply moisture to the area, literally making it smell worse. The key is to attack the bottom of the carpet fibers and the padding with a cleaning solution that rectifies urine salts. Make sure the pet odor removal carpet cleaning company you choose understands this process in detail.
