Pet Stains: The Losing Battle

If you have a dog or any other furry critter then you know pets are messy. No, pets are extremely messy. Taking care of a house with multiple dogs has been a huge challenge. It feels like they are constantly trying to ruin something in the house. You turn your back for one minute and the carpet behind the sofa is missing and someone has urinated under the dining room table. So, needless to say, I have tried about a hundred different cleaning products in an effort to keep up with these mutts. I use these products more than I’d like to admit to anyone I know! For a long time I felt like I might as well just not have carpet ever again. To make matters worse I live in an apartment. Which means I can’t afford to ruin ANYTHING in my own home. Trying to take care of this carpet has just about given me an ulcer. No joke.

Well, in the past months I have fallen head over heals for Bissell cleaning products. They make cleaning up soooo much faster. If the products you use now don’t work then keep reading.


The Pet Hair Eraser Vacuum works really well. I would highly recommend it. I love that there’s no vacuum bag. It saves me loads of money and it’s really easy to just empty all that gross stuff into the trash can. The only think that needs to be replaced is the Hepa filter (about $10) and I’ve only had to replace it once in the year and a half I’ve had the thing. Plus it has this great little bar that flips down in the front to collect extra pet hair. I don’t really have to use it but it’s great for dogs with longer hair. The only thing that I’m not crazy about is the attachments. I’ve used them on my couches and I really wasn’t that impressed. They just don’t work that well.




I also use the Bissell Quick Steamer with Bissell pet stain cleaners. The steam cleaner is perfect for my home because it’s simple and compact. You simply put a little formula and water in the top tank and you’re ready to go. This little machine is also really powerful! The first time you use it you will be astounded (and thoroughly grossed out) at how much nasty dirt comes out of the carpet.

Okay, in the past couple of years I have come up with my own carpet cleaning ritual. I’m not crazy, just a little OCD.

-First vacuum everything very thoroughly. This is so carpet fuzz and large objects don’t clog up the steamer.

-Then it’s time for a once over with the steam cleaner. When filling up the tank use just a tiny bit of the formula. If you use too much you end up with crap left in your carpet.

-After you’ve finished going over everything once, inspect the carpet for any pet stains. (For this next part you’ll need the pet stain spray AND a spray bottle full of plain water.)

For pet stains: First spray the stain with water. Then cover the entire stain with the pet spray. Then spray again lightly with the water bottle. Let the stain sit for about ten minutes. The reason I use the water bottle is because it’s important to keep the stain wet in order for it to lift from the carpet. If the stain dries out it won’t come out completely.

-After treating any stains, steam clean the carpet with water only. Doing this will remove any cleaning chemicals left in the carpet.




Depending on how dirty your carpet is, you may have to steam clean it again using water only. You carpet isn’t completely clean until the water you empty out is almost clear!

*Another thing to keep in mind if you have pets: If you do not remove all of the odor from pet stains in carpet, the animal will keep messing in the same spot! Their noses are much more sensitive than ours and they like to claim their property.

*Bissell photos from http://www.bissell.com/.