Pet Urine And Rugs

Back To All videos

Accidents happen. Even the best-trained pet can have an accident in the house for any number of reasons. If you own area rugs and pets, it's important to understand the ways urine can damage your rugs and what you can do to protect them. In this short video, One World Rug Care in Albuquerque explains how pet urine affects rugs and how to make living with pets and rugs easier.

How Pet Urine Damages Area Rugs

1. Fiber Damage, Rot and Mildew

Urine can cause permanent fiber damage, and from the top of the rug you may only see part of it. Urine salts attract moisture into the rug's cotton foundation, and that moist environment can cause the cotton to rot and mildew. Bugs also use this environment as a food source, and if it's left alone, the result can be a hole in the rug.

2. Dye Damage and Color Loss

The ammonia in urine can damage dyes and weaken the rug's ability to hold dye. That leads to bleeding colors and color loss, especially on silk rugs.

3. Odor That Gets Worse Over Time

As urine decomposes, it releases odor. Because we get used to smells in our own homes, and urine odor gets worse over time, many rug owners don't realize how strong the odor has become.

To eliminate the odor, all of the urine salts and bacteria have to be washed out of the rug's foundation. Top cleaning a rug with carpet cleaning equipment won't work, because the source of the odor is in the base of the rug. Learn why in our video on carpet cleaners and rugs.

Tufted rugs with a cloth backing are cheaper to make, but they're built with a layer of latex that glues the fibers in place. Urine can penetrate and bond with that latex, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to fully remove the odor. See our video on tufted rugs.

4. Stains That Are Bigger Than They Look

Finally, decomposing urine can stain rugs. As urine soaks in, it spreads out through the lower layers of the rug. These stains are like icebergs: small on top and much larger underneath.

Five Ways to Make Living With Pets and Rugs Easier

Have a spot removal plan. Clean up pet accidents and other spills quickly. Your rug cleaner should be a partner in this, and we're happy to teach you what to do. If you come home to a disaster, we're just a phone call away.
Buy rugs that can be washed. When possible, choose woven rugs with colorfast dyes.
Choose a busy design. Patterned rugs hide spots and stains better than light, solid-colored rugs.
Use rug pads. A pad helps protect your floor underneath. Learn more in our video Do I Need a Rug Pad?
Apply a fiber protector. Protector holds spills near the surface and gives you more time to clean up. Learn more in our video What Is Protector?

How Often Should Pet Owners Wash Their Rugs?

If you have pets, have your rugs professionally washed every one to three years, depending on the number of pets and how often accidents happen.

Pet Odor Removal for Rugs in Albuquerque

One World Rug Care specializes in pet urine and odor removal for area rugs. Every rug is inspected and dye-tested before cleaning. Then deep soil and pet hair are removed, and the rug is washed individually with clean, cool water and green solutions to flush urine salts out of the foundation. When our recommended protocols are followed, we fully guarantee pet odor and pet urine odor removal. (Most tufted rugs, and rugs with structural urine damage, are excluded.) Learn about our pet odor treatment.

We offer pick-up and delivery in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, Placitas, Santa Fe, Taos, Farmington, Durango and Pagosa Springs. Dealing with a pet accident? Call us at (505) 821-0302 or send us a photo for a free estimate.