Cleaning Spots and Odor in Carpet
- , by Trudy Chuoke Trudy Chuoke
I snoop. Before you think that’s a weird way to begin the article, let me explain. When I am out on the store floor, either putting up merchandise or resetting a section, I’m listening to my customers talking and discussing problems going on at their homes. I hear them get flustered about what product is the right one for their issue. I eavesdrop and move closer to the aisle where they are shopping. And if I think that they are going in the wrong direction, I intercede. Politely. Like the other day….
A couple was discussing the stain that was in the carpet. Cleaning stains and the residual odor that goes with the stain is a question I get all the time, and it can be overwhelming. It’s easy to understand why, because there are so many products that promise so much that it’s hard to know what really works. Most people assume that if they clean the stain in the carpet, that will take care of the odor. But most of the time that’s just not true. It might soften the odor, but later you will walk into the room and smell the odor lingering in the air. So, let's go over some great tips that will completely remove the odor. And the best way to remove the stain.
If you have a stain in a carpet, you need a couple of things. One, you need a good cleaner. I like Incredible, and I especially like Folex. Folex is rated very high, and that’s why I recommend this stain remover. You will need a plastic putty knife and a white cotton towel. Liberally spray the stain with your cleaner. Remember, when cleaning always clean towards the middle of the stain. Resist the temptation to rub the stain, which could spread it. Take the plastic putty knife and push it down into the carpet fibers, then pull toward the center of the stain. This will clean the stain all the way down to the carpet pad because the stain goes all the way down and doesn’t just sit on the top of the carpet. Most people clean the top of the carpet, and for a while it will look clean. But when you walk over the stain, you will notice that the stain returns. No, the stain did not return; you didn’t get all the stain out. Pulling down across the pad gets the stain out all the way down to the bottom of the carpet fiber. Now blot with a white towel until the stain is gone.
Now that the stain is gone, let's take care of the odor that went with the stain. Liberally spray your carpet with the best odor neutralizer, which is Bio Zapp. And then let it air dry. If it’s a pet smell, you might have to repeat the process a couple of times. The reason that your pet keeps going back to the same spot is that he can smell the odor, and he will mark it. I know you see so much hype on TV about odor neutralizers with some crazy names. But with about 50 years of experience in the hardware business – I can confidently tell you Bio Zapp is the best. It may not be the cheapest, but it’s best. It comes in a ready-to-use quart, a gallon for big jobs, and a concentrate.
Now, if the smell is a cat odor, you still use Bio Zapp, but use the one labeled Kitty Stop. Kitty Stop is formulated for cats. Cats have a special enzyme in their urine, and that smell is not easily removed. So I requested that Bio Zapp make a formula for homeowners that have cats. You use it the same way: saturate the area and let air dry.
I know I titled this article, removing spots and odors in carpet. But you can use Bio Zapp and Kitty Stop on so much more. You can spray concrete, tile, drapes, fabric, upholstered furniture, and mattresses. But Bio Zapp is not for airborne odors... for odors in the air, use Air Sponge. And we will discuss that all next week.
A quick question....
Question: A towel bar fell in an upstairs bath. Surprisingly, no one knows how it happened. So now I have a big hole in the sheetrock. So, what kind of anchor should I use so that this towel bar can be re-installed?
Answer: OK, I know you don’t want to hear this, but just getting an anchor is not going to work. You will need an anchor, but you are going to reinstall that towel bar a couple of inches higher, so that you can get to a solid piece of sheetrock. Install the towel bar. Then take some paintable caulk, fill in the hole where the bar was previously. Then touch up the area with your wall paint. No one will ever know.