Finding the Source: The Secret to Urine Decontamination Success

I'm often called or in receipt of emails where I'm asked "Is there a deodorizer that will eliminate urine odor without having to inject into the carpet cushion, flood the carpet, or remove the carpet?" This question is usually followed by this type of statement: "I just want to spray the carpet, and not get involved with all of that. What do you recommend that works?"

My answer, of course, has to be: "Nothing".

The problem with urine odors is not so much their chemical complexity but the relative inaccessibility of the real problem.

Its for that reason that the cleaner who is faced with this issue must carefully inspect the carpet and locate the true source of the odor.

To do this inspection, you need the following tools:

1. Your ears: Ask the customer questions and listen carefully to what they tell you. Has this animal recently been ill, and otherwise has avoided urinating on the carpet? How large was the pet, and how many pets could have been involved? What was the species and gender of the pet? What attempts were made to treat the problem before you were called? (They've always tried something, have no doubt.)

2. Your nose: Where does the odor seem to be the most intense? The customer will not be as sensitive to the problem as will you, because they have acclimated themselves to it.

3. Your eyes: Look for areas that have turned yellow or brown. Urine is sticky, so what looks like a brown drink spill is often urine residues that have attracted soil.

4. UV Light: Use an UV light that is powerful enough to work in the daylight or home lighting. Protect your eyes with amber glasses. Remember that the UV light will reveal other residues and discolorations as well. Urine will usually show light yellow to light green under UV light.

5. Moisture Detector: The use of a moisture detector will help to isolate areas of contamination as well.

Once you locate the source of the odor, the use of appropriate subsurface application and extraction equipment will usually do the rest. Or, in more cases than cleaners would like to accept, the carpet will need to be disengaged so that the cleaner can decontaminate the site directly.

In subsequent blogs, I'll address such steps in more detail.