Upholstery Pet Odor Removal Challenges

The principles of removing pet odor from upholstery fabrics are similar to those that are used for carpet. Source removal, the need for the deodorizing treatment to reach the source of the odor, etc all apply.

The challenge to the upholstery cleaner is that most carpet deodorization processes require a great deal of water to remove the source of the odor and to deliver the deodorizing treatment to the contaminated area.

Large volumes of cleaning and deodorizing solutions, when applied to upholstery however, can cause shrinkage, cellulose browning, dye bleeding, etc.

To prevent these problems in treating upholstery fabrics, the first step is to make the customer aware of the fact that what is needed to decontaminate and deodorize the fabric may cause moisture related damage, and that they bear all the responsibility for any other problems that might result.

The best products to use for upholstery odors are those that have little fragrance, as lingering perfume odors may be offensive to your customer, as they have closer contact to their furniture than they do with carpet.

The scope of the specifics of upholstery deodorization would require a manual not a blog post, but here are some additional tips to consider:

1. Add your deodorizing treatment (if compatible) to your upholstery preconditioning solution. This allows the product to have sufficient dwell time to work before extraction.
   
   
2. If necessary, inject your deodorizer into cushion foam. Urine penetrations cushions and into the foam much like it does carpeting. Remember that this material may wick to the surface and cause water marks, bleeding, or browning.
   
   
3. Inspect skirts carefully, as male animals often spray these areas. You will need to apply sufficient deodorizer to these areas, so remember that skirts made from natural fibers shrink readily when wet, so note this on your inspection sheet as well.
   
   
4. Post application of deodorizing treatments may be necessary. Most deodorizers leave a sticky residue, so limit post treatment to products that are formulated not to attract soil. Hydrocide and Hydrocide Xtreme contain polymers to prevent resoiling, and both are also noted for having little (Hydrocide), or a very mild pleasant (Hydrocide Xtreme) fragrance, and are therefore very suitable for upholstery use.

Pet Odor Removal: The Right Tools Aren’t Always Enough!

The most important tools to enter our industry have been “sub surface extraction tools”, such as the Water Claw and Flash Extractor. With proper use of these tools, heavy spills that create wicking, as well as odor causing urine contamination, can often be removed from carpet and carpet cushion without the need to disengage the carpet.

Is It Magic?
Unfortunately, as with most new tools, many cleaners feel the tool alone is the answer. I recently received a question about urine odor treatment where the cleaner treated the urine odor with a high quality deodorizer, but not a product designed to remove urine contamination.

Even though he used the tool properly, the lack of using the right product resulted in failure to remove the odor.

When it makes sense to remove deep urine contamination by using the advantages of subsurface extraction, the product that you use is critical.

Remember These Facts:

• A conventional deodorizer works on odor, but does not remove the source.
• An enzyme deodorizer may remove the source, but requires hours if not days to work.
• The best product to use is one that using oxidation, such as Pet Zone or Occelerate.
  
  • These products work much like the non chlorine oxidizing boosters you might be using to boost carpet or upholstery pre-sprays, but also have an additive that makes them work MUCH quicker!

When mixing an oxidizing deodorizer, mix it in a watering can or open bucket, as the rapid oxygen release may burst your sprayer!

Pour the product liberally on the affected area, then extract with the subsurface extraction tool (Spot Lifter or Flash Extractor).

You will see yellow foam, then just foam, and after another application or two, you can use water and rinse till clear.

NOTE: DO NOT use this method when you have wood subfloor without pulling back the carpet and pad and placing plastic underneath. If you are working over concrete, no protection is necessary.

FAQs - Lingering Odors After Cleaning

(Q) Hey Jim,
I have a clothing store account that I clean on a regular basis. Next door there is a deli that had severe water damage, and the water that intruded into the clothing store contained blood and other liquids from the meat stored at the deli.

We used an enzyme cleaner to break down the blood, and the carpet cleaned well. However there is an odor still detectable in the carpet when the manager puts his nose down into the carpet. There also appears to be some odor coming through the wall.

What products do you have for treating the carpet, as well as something to control the infiltrated odor until the deli can be cleaned and put back into business?

(A)
The following are my recommendations for treatment of the odor problem that has occurred in the clothing store you are maintaining.

First, as I understand the problem, there was water intrusion from a deli located next door, and that the water contained blood and other organic materials that have created a decomposition odor.

Secondly, the drying and cleaning process that you outlined, including the use of enzyme cleaners to break down the protein in the affected area was completely appropriate.

The remaining odor that exists likely comes from two places:

1. There may be residual organic material in the carpet that has become a growth media for bacteria. This bacteria is notoriously difficult to remove, but has been successfully treated in similar situations with Microban Clean Carpet Sanitizer. If you use the product through a truck mount machine, add 6 ounces of concentrate to 1 gallon of water, then meter through the machine at a flow meter setting of 3 GPH. Follow label directions for use in portable equipment.


2. The more difficult challenge that likely exists here is infiltrated odor. This odor is likely coming from the neighboring store, as there is no vapor barrier in the wall between each building. Until any odor problems in the adjoining store are rectified, there will be some odor that could be detected in the clothing store.

An economical solution to this problem would be to place a few small Bad Odor Blocks near the area where the water originally came through the wall.

I recommend that you use the "Rain Forest" scent to best combat this odor of bacterial growth that is coming through the wall.

A better result, if your budget allows, would come with using a Vaportek Restorator unit and a Vaportek Cartridge. The natural oils used by Vaportek are completely safe to the employees and customers in the store, and the fragrance is not offensive. We have been successful in using the Vaportec product in the treatment of both smoke and decomposition odors in the past. This does not, of course, eliminate the need to clean the carpet with the Microban Clean Carpet Sanitizer.

If you need any further assistance, do not hesitate to call or email me.

Jim Pemberton

FAQs - Pet Stain & Odor

(Several of our Blog participants have asked for ideas for consumer type articles, and a recent interview I participated in seems to be just what might be needed!)

CHECK THIS OUT:

Q - WHAT ARE THE FIRST STEPS A PET OWNER SHOULD TAKE TO MITIGATE ANY POTENTIAL DAMAGE FROM A PET STAIN TO CARPET OR UPHOLSTERY?

A - GREAT FIRST QUESTION!
Unlike most household spills, body discharges from pets can permanently discolor carpet or upholstery, especially if the fabric contains wool, silk, cotton, or rayon. Even nylon, a more durable fiber, can be stained or bleached by urine or vomit.

By picking up any solid material and using absorbent materials such as paper or cloth towels or diapers, penetration of the liquid into the backing of the carpet or upholstery can be prevented, which is where most of the odor develops later, and which can be very difficult to treat, even by a professional.

WHAT CAN HOMEOWNERS DO THEMSELVES?
After picking up and absorbing, fresh body discharges are best removed with clear, cool water alone. As long as the urine or other material is fresh, it doesn’t necessarily need a household spotter to remove it. If you own your own cleaning or spotting machine, just rinse the area with water.

WHAT PRODUCTS?
There are some products available in stores and pet shops that are specifically designed for pet spills. These products are usually safe to use, but not often necessary if the above recommended methods are used. If there is a residual odor, look for a product that claims to contain an enzyme deodorant.

WHAT MISTAKES?
The two most common mistakes are neglect and misuse of products.

If an animal continues to contaminate a carpet, rug, or article of upholstery, urine often will damage the dye. Continued saturation of urine will also create a severe odor that penetrates to areas of the upholstery or carpet that are not readily accessible to be treated by the consumer. For a cleaning professional to treat such areas may require time consuming procedures that may become very expensive.

The other problem is misuse or improper choice of cleaning products. As mentioned before, absorbent material and clear water are the safest things to use. Avoid the use of disinfectants, strong chemicals, powdered deodorizing products, and bleaches. Such products are not only likely to be ineffective, but they may also damage your carpet, rugs, and furniture. They are also likely to interfere with the products a cleaning professional would use, and therefore make the odor or stain more difficult for even the most highly skilled professional to solve.

IF THE ODOR CONTINUES:
The problem may exist in multiple areas. Also be aware that the animal may have also contaminated ductwork, baseboards, draperies, and other contents of the home. Ultimately, you should contact a trained professional. You can get a list of such individuals at www.certifiedcleaners.org

FAQs - Deodorization

Q – Hey Jim, what would I use a "fogger" for?
A - If you offer fire damage restoration, its a good way to distribute smoke deodorizing treatments. Actually, a fogger is great for duct sealing, deodorizing and disinfecting in many situations. They are usually suitable for applying water or solvent based formulations. A fogger with the highly recommended ULV feature means that extremely small particle sizes can be produced for very effective disinfection and odor control. The coarse setting is generally used for duct sealing.

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Q - Is the apple air worth the impression of clean to the customers?
A - I believe that it is; however, during the winter months, the Cinnamon fragrance of Spice Air is even more popular with clients.

Simple Email Question

Its interesting how a simple question is fraught with so many complexities:

1. Let's start with the first part of your question: "Can you add a deodorizer to your prespray or rinse water...."

The answer is a qualified "Yes".
Many deodorizing products work well as additives, and are compatible with presprays, cleaning detergents, and acidic rinse agents. Some products are not compatible as additives, though, so you should consult label directions of any product that you'd like to use in this fashion.

If I'm going to add a deodorizer to a cleaning product, I prefer to add it to prespray. This will help deodorize not just the carpet, but the prespray which may have an offensive odor. It also prevents the possibility of leaving behind a soil attracting residue or lingering fragrance that may not remain pleasant days after the cleaning job.

2. The second part of your question was: ".........and then say you deodorized the carpet?"
You can say you applied or added a deodorizer, but whether or not you actually deodorized the carpet is a matter of inspection after the job. If the source of the odor was confined to the face yarns of the carpet, the act of applying a deodorizer with your prespray, then rinsing away soil as well as the residue that caused the offensive odor might effectively deodorize the carpet.

If, however, the odor has penetrated through the carpet and perhaps the cushion, then odor causing residues (such as urine or vomit) would remain after cleaning, and odor would still exist. In such a case you could not fairly say that you "deodorized the carpet".

Subsurface treatments, either through injection or the use of the Spot Lifter Water Claw (tm) would be required to deodorize the carpet. In cases of severe contamination you might not be able to deodorize the carpet at all, and replacement of the carpet and cushion, as well as sealing of the floor and baseboard, would be necessary.

Sub Surface Urine Odor Treatment

With the understanding that the majority of urine residues penetrate through carpet into padding (at least) and through to subfloor (at worst), cleaners and property owners have the challenge of treating a problem that cannot be easily seen.

While the ultimate solution may include removing carpet and cushion, there are times where subsurface treatment can be attempted without disengaging the carpet.

To properly perform subsurface treatments, you must locate the odor source and be confident that the urine contamination is isolated to that area. The use of UV lights and moisture sensors will assist you in this task.

Individuals (whether cleaners or property owners) who are unwilling to use such tools will rarely be successful in subsurface treatment attempts.

For decades, the tool of choice for subsurface treatment has been an injection syringe. Such syringes have larger needles than are used for medical purposes, but still only allow relatively small amounts of odor treatment solutions to be applied. You must aim such needles at a variety of angles and you may only hope that sufficient treatment solution is reaching the affected areas.

More recently, special extraction attachments, such as the Water Claw Spot Lifter, have enable cleaners to flood the area with gallons of deodorizing solution and then extract the excess moisture from carpet and padding. Such a treatment process better assures a sufficient delivery of deodorizer to the source area.

However, just as with the injection syringe, there are concerns that must be addressed:

If you choose to flood a contaminated area over a wood subfloor, especially when on the second floor of a home, or over a furnished basement, you must pull back that portion of the carpet and place plastic under it. Otherwise you might end up flooding through the floor and through the ceiling below.

Such precautions are time consuming, but critical if you choose to use such an "invasive" method of odor treatment.

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.

Urine Contamination Systems Indicator Guide Concept

Over 20 years ago, my father was hired to teach group of interior designers how to clean upholstery.

As he recalls: "I knew I was in trouble the moment I saw them. They were wearing the finest garments, bracelets, and several rings.....and that was just the men!"

These individuals were, of course, people who understood fabric, but not the complexities of cleaning the fabric. Nevertheless, they wanted to have a system to care for the furnishings that they sold, so they needed to be trained.

All of the standard (and complex) methods of testing and cleaning that existed at that time were beyond their grasp (or at least their interest), so Lee had to come up with a simpler system of testing, inspection, and cleaning that made sense to such people.

In one evening, he created the Fine Fabric Care Systems Indicator Guide. This guide has been used for decades since as one of the easiest and most reliable ways to test, identify, then easily and safely clean upholstery.

Last month, he challenged me to do the same thing with pet odor treatment systems.

In the field of pet odor control, cleaners sometimes find the array of products, tools, and potential scenarios for treatment to be very confusing. This problem is much the same as upholstery cleaning used to be before the invention of the system indicator guide for upholstery.

The simplest means of narrowing down and defining the processes need to correct pet odor control begin with identifying the three treatment conditions that most often exist:

1. Surface Treatment. Pet damaged carpets that require only surface treatment have little odor, the event that caused the contamination was recent, and only repeated once or twice, if at all.

2. Sub Surface Treatment: Carpets that require sub surface treatment have odor that is more readily identified, the deposits are weeks or perhaps months old, and the animal has "visited" the area several times.

3. Restorative Treatment: Restorative Treatment is needed when the odor becomes overpowering, the animal has continued to contaminate the carpet over several months or years, and this long term, repeated contact has saturated the carpet, cushion and flooring.

In my next blog, I'll discuss the inspection tools needed to determine which contamination level is present, and what will be necessary to restore the carpet and remove the odor.