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Post by sleepymom on Feb 1, 2010 8:38:13 GMT -5
We woke this morning to the lovely sight (and smell) of one or both of the dogs having diarrhea in the carpeted upstairs hall, down the carpeted stairs, and several spots downstairs. The hard floors are already taken care of, but I`m not sure how to go about cleaning the carpet messes. The big chunks are picked up, the rest is still wet & soaked in. I don`t know if it would be better to wait til it drys and scrap it off, or start soaking it now. It seems like I`m just spreading it around now, so hoping for some great advice to tackle this. I do have some oxyclean for the final clean, but need to get the uck off somehow first.
Thanks!
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lizzy
New Member
Joined: January 2010
Posts: 35
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Post by lizzy on Feb 1, 2010 8:42:14 GMT -5
When my kids have done the same sort of thing, I have used baby wipes. I just kinda wipe it all toward the middle and then it starts to become something you can pick up. Then I just keep wiping until its gone. I have been known to use a whole box to do this, but baby wipes are cheap. And they are thick, cutting down on the yuck factor of cleaning up such messes.
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Post by Evelyn on Feb 1, 2010 10:24:53 GMT -5
It really is better to get amuch of it out as you can without letting it dry. I'd start soaking/wiping it up now; with your favorite spray household cleaner or a spray bottle of 1/2 vinegar., 1/2 water and a drop of dish soap. Then I'd do basically what Lizzie said, but using paper towels: Put enough down paper towels to cover a given patch of ick, in enough layers to prevent "breakthrough"  , and then kind of schooch them up bringing the edges toward the middle to capture as much as is capturable. Repeat until no more mess is removeable this way, or you get just too darned sick of it. Then leave a layer of paper towels over the mess to soak things up, and to mark the spot as a good place not to step. |
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Post by bluefrog on Feb 1, 2010 10:49:14 GMT -5
Nature's Miracle, an enzyme cleaner for pet accidents, is really great for this. Around here (Maryland) it's available in pet stores, WalMarts, and similar places. You get up as much as you can the way other posters have said, then dampen the spots with Nature's Miracle and clean the spots again to get rid of the stain and smell.
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Feb 1, 2010 11:53:03 GMT -5
If you've been thinking about buying a Spotbot, now would be a good time!
Otherwise, here's one way to approach it:
Never use hot water--it will cook the feces, and make it harder to remove.
Use old towels, preferably white (so you can bleach them,) or paper towels, blot up as much as possible. Dampen the area with water and a trace of dish soap, shampoo, or dishwasher detergent (soap will work, but these work better,) let soak for a few minutes, then use a scrub brush to "tamp" the stain: don't scrub--press the brush up and down, straight into the carpet, working from the edge to the center. This technique loosens and lifts the feces better than scrubbing.
As the feces rises to the surface use the brush as towels to "flick" it out of the carpet. Add clean water as necessary. Gather it up in the towels. Repeat until the water comes back clear.
Next, place an old, clean towel on top of the wet spot, and stomp around on it, to soak up as much water as possible. Ths helps the carpet dry faster, and presents a "water ring" from forming. If you have a fan, turn it on the spot, to help it dry faster.
You should probably apply some "pet mess enzyme" product after blotting up as much water as possible. If the area is large, a sprinkling can works quite well.
You can use this method on upholtered furniture, too.
If you decide to rent, borrow, or purchase a carpet shampooer (I'll bet at least one neighbor owns one,) pretreating the stain with the soapy water and brush will help it come out more easily, and allow you to wait a few days to acquire the shampooer.
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Post by Looking_Forward on Feb 1, 2010 11:53:18 GMT -5
I would start with putting some scoopable kitty litter on it if you have any (this will pull liquid poo out of the carpet and make a clump to scoop)
Then I'd get Natures Miracle and spray it on and stack newspaper on top of the spot and weight it down with something heavy (the newspaper will absorb a lot) My Mom rarely has newspaper around so she took puppy pads and laid them upside down and weighted it down when they were training their dog.
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Post by sleepymom on Feb 1, 2010 14:18:45 GMT -5
Thanks for the tips, you all gave me some good ideas. DH stayed home to help me today, I`m so glad, because I am about wore out.
We`re on the 3rd application of oxyclean and things are much, much better. We`re just going to keep repeating that until the water comes clean, then put some baking soda down when the floor is dry. The carpet was already in horrible shape, so I`m trying to talk myself out of just ripping it all out. Don`t really want to do that until we can replace it though- and yes, I`m SO glad we hadn`t just done that!
I may be renting a steamer later in the week if it looks like I need it. Just hate to put more money & effort into maintaining this yucky carpet.
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Post by Evelyn on Feb 1, 2010 14:32:19 GMT -5
Oh, good - I'm so glad things are better.  Great big kudos to Hubster for staying home to help you. And as far as renting a carpet steamer - maybe a shampoo would help make the yucky carpet a little less yucky? Lastly, I do hope the poochies are feeling better: have you figured out what might have been the cause of all this? |
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Post by midlife on Feb 1, 2010 16:54:18 GMT -5
With regard to carpet steamers, my mom has a theory (and she has totally convinced me) that the shampoos that come with the rental cleaners leave residue that in a few months will attract more dirt and leave your carpets looking worse than ever -- that's how they hook you! So now when I use a steamer, I spritz the rugs ahead of time with an enzyme cleaner and let it soak for a while, and then steam it with plain hot water.
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Post by Butterfly on Feb 1, 2010 17:21:17 GMT -5
I've read that the enzyme cleaners don't work as well if the area has been previously treated with soap/shampoo. So, if you ever plan to use something like Nature's Miracle or Anti Icky Poo, I wouldn't use the soap or shampoo.
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Post by sleepymom on Feb 2, 2010 0:10:36 GMT -5
I gave them some cooked meat last night that was on the edge of being too old. Either it actually was bad, or just too rich. From where the messes were, I`m pretty sure it was both dogs. I have cleaned the carpets before, but not for several years. I`ve had good luck with oxyclean other times for spots though. The carpet is just riddled with older spots, pets, kids, kids with markers  that won`t come up at all, and in a couple of places the dog has torn at it and pulled a chunk of fibers out. It really needs replaced, but hard to justify any new carpet with a bunch of pets, even if we had the money right now. I ripped up a piece at the bottom of the stairs a couple of months ago that had been peed on many times. It reeked horribly and I was so glad to get it out. The rest of it isn`t smelly (normally) just looks bad, so living with it for now. Anti Icky Poo? seriously? I`ve never heard of that one. No mistaking what that product is for  I had to go out awhile ago and was very happy not to be hit with the smell of poo when I came back in. Still isn`t daisy fresh in here. I`m hopeful the baking soda in the carpet (going to stamp it in before I go to bed here shortly and leave it to vacuum in the morning) will take care of the remainder. It did not help matters though to find that the big dog`s bed isn`t washable. The cover is, but there was some ick on the pad inside too. It`s all washed up now though. The dogs seem quite happy and comfy, probably mad that we got rid of their interesting smells  |
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Post by Butterfly on Feb 2, 2010 8:55:04 GMT -5
...The carpet is just riddled with older spots... that won`t come up at all, and in a couple of places the dog has torn at it and pulled a chunk of fibers out. It really needs replaced, but hard to justify any new carpet with a bunch of pets, even if we had the money right now... Substitute cat for dog and you're talking about my carpet.  Yep, I read about the Anti Icky Poo right here on another thread. Here's a link to it on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Anti-Icky-Remover-Quart-Sprayer/dp/B000I6ZC18/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1265117335&sr=8-4I had some delivered yesterday but I haven't tried it yet. I've also ordered KOE (Kennel Odor Eliminator) to use on areas that have previously been treated with soap. And, um, something else that I can't remember the name of right now. I have 2 cats that just won't reliably use any of the litterboxes. I currently have 6 clean ones of various types filled with a variety of litter but I haven't found the magic combination yet for my kitties. I'm a little desperate because they (along with books and empty cardboard that I'm getting rid of as fast as I can) are the source of the worst of my remaining home squalor and, even though I'm cleaning things up, the squalor won't really end until I find a good solution. They go to the vet regularly and the vet hasn't found anything wrong. In fact, one solution attempt (an effort to retrain and make sure lingering carpet odor isn't the problem) was to board one of them at the vet for several days in a small kennel that was really only big enough for food, bed and litterbox. Guess what, my poor kitty peed on her bedding and slept in the litterbox. Anyway, I love them dearly and will just keep trying. I have recently ordered Feliway and Precious Cat Ultra Litter Attractant so I still have a few things to try. Sorry for the long post. I hope I haven't hijacked your thread. |
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Feb 2, 2010 9:09:41 GMT -5
FYI: almost any new food can cause diarrhea and/or vomiting in dogs. Their pancreases grow accustomed to making enzymes for a particular diet, so when they receive something new, they can't digest it properly. You should have seen the mess after my dogs raided the refrigerator and ate all the leftover Thanksgiving turkey, and many of the side dishes! We now have a chain and lock around the fridge.
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