Pet Peeves
ask an expert: cleaningcanada
(Jun.29.10)
I love my pets, but I can't stand the smell they leave around the house and on all the furniture! Is there any way to really get rid of it, or better yet, prevent it?
Fern B. emailed us at expert@sweetspot.ca and Amanda Tingley from PetSmart answered;
Pet odours can come from a number of sources, including oils on a pet’s skin, food residue around the mouth, paws tracking in things from outside or even urine marking.
The best method to ensure your home is odour-free is to do detective work first. I recommend a black light and a big bottle of stain- and odour-remover made specifically for pet stains, found only in pet specialty stores. Pawsitively Clean by Bissell makes a product called Ewww. If you use the black light at night, you will discover the source (or sources) of the odours.
Treat the spots with the enzyme stain- and odour-remover at least twice. The enzymes work best when the area is kept damp, not soaking wet, so attempt to keep the area moist for at least 24 hours. After each individual spot has been treated, shampoo your carpets and upholstery with a pet-safe general-purpose shampoo. It’s best to use a steam cleaner for big jobs.
To keep your house smelling fresh, I recommend a product called Pew from Pawsitively Clean by Bissell. This is an odour remover, not a stain remover, and contains an anti-static agent that helps make hair removal easier while eliminating malodor causing bacteria (rather than just covering it up).
Amanda Tingley has been a buyer in the pet industry for five years and is currently the buyer for dog and cat waste management at PetSmart. She’s been extensively trained in matters of stain removal and has worked with some of the top chemists in the industry.
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