Pet Cleanup:
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Pets, even the best-friend ones, make a mess. There's no getting around it. Until we can teach pets to clean up after themselves, we are responsible for scooping poop, wiping up pee and pet vomit, and removing pet hair from carpets and furniture. You owe it to your pet. Besides, proper pet hygiene keeps the house looking good and reduces odors, both of which make owning a pet more pleasurable.
To remove pet hair from furniture cushions, start with the vacuum cleaner. Buy a lint-brush attachment for your vacuum if you don't already have one. This gadget first pries up and then sucks up short, wiry hairs that have imbedded themselves in your upholstery. If you can't get your hands on a lint-brush attachment, wear a damp rubber glove and rub your hand across the sofa cushion. The hair will clump together for easy removal.
Vacuum your pet. If Fido sheds, try giving him the once-over with a vacuum every week using a dusting or brush attachment. As long as you are careful--and as long as your pet does not mind the sucking action and noise--this is a good way to make a preemptive strike against hair that is bound to fall out. You might find that your dog, or even your cat, loves the attention. It's like a pet message. Then again, if the mere sound of the vacuum cleaner sends your pet scrambling under the bed, combing or brushing will do.
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
Be a Pet Detective >
To locate old pet urine stains in a room, make like a crime scene, investigator: Turn off the lights and scan the room with a black-light bulb, which makes otherwise invisible stains visible. It's important to clean up these old stains, because these are what keep a cat or dog, with its keen sense of smell, coming back. Outline the spots with pieces of string or by lightly tracing with chalk. Then follow the directions for removing urine stains.
Cleaning Up After a crasher
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Star Burr was in her virginia home one evening when she heard a loud crash and glass breaking. She rushed to her living room to find her plate glass window shattered. In the far corner stood a deer--frightened, huffing, and bleeding all over the carpet. Burr called 91.1. Before the authorities arrived, however, the deer left the same way it had entered--but not before smashig the glass-top coffee table, kicking a hole in the bathroom door, gouging the wood floors, urinating on the carpet, and smearing blood on the couch and white dining room walls. The bad news: Burr's insurance didn't cover interior deer damage. (That required a separate rider.) The good news: Burr is in the cleaning business. She manages the local Merry Maids franchise.
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To clean up pet vomit, start with the chunks. Remove them with a paper towel or spatula. If the vomit is on a hard surface, such as a vinyl or wood floor, simply wipe up the liquid with moist paper towels and the mop the spot.
If the vomit is on fabric, a carpet or rug, or upholstered furniture, blot up as much of the liquid as possible using paper towels. Next, apply an enzymatic cleaner. The enzymes in these special cleaning produ cts, available at pet stores, actually digest the proteins found in the vomit. But they usually take a while. Let the cleaner stand for as long as the product's directions suggest. Then, for clothing, wash and rinse or dry-clean according to label instructions. For carpeting or furniture, blot with clean, cool water to rinse (but avoid using too much water, especially if there is a pad under the carpet or stuffing in the upholstered furniture). Then remove excess liquids by either repeatedly blotting with fresh, dry paper towels or using a wet vac or extraction machine, available at equipment rental stores. As with any pet accident, the key is to clean the vomit immediately.
To clean up pet feces, begin by removing and solids with tissue paper. Flush down the toilet. If there is litle or no residue (as with firm feces on a hard floor), clean with soapy water and paper towels. Then rinse with clean water and paper towels. If there is residue (as with loose feces on a carpet), follow the steps listed for cleaning up vomit: Blot up as much of the liquid as possible using paper towels and apply an enzymatic cleaner. wash and rinse according to the material.
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
Is It..Alive?
When you see the word enzymes on the package, just what does that mean? That you have a box of microscopic bugs on your hands?
No, says Jeff Bishop, owner of Clean Care Seminars in Dothan, Alabama. All organisms--plant or animal--make enzymes, but enzymes themselves are not alive. They are complex chemicals, each one targeted to a specific purpose. You have about 1,300 differnet enzymes sloshing around in your body rightnow, for instance, breaking down nutrients, rebuilding cells, and otherwise helping the body function.
The enzymes in cleaning products are made by bacteria, and their targeted purpose, you won't be surprised to learn, its to break down soil.
To remove a fresh puddle of pee, wipe it up using paper towel or newspaper. Another efficient way to remove per urine is to suck it up with a heavy-duty vacuum cleaner capable of picking up liquid, such as a Shop-vac or a wet vac. The sooner you clean up your pet's indiscretion, the more likely it'll be that you'll stop the odor and keep your furry friend from revisiting the spot for a
reprise. Urine is by far the worst per odor in a home. Once it has soaked in and dried, it can be tough to remove.
If the urine is in a carpet, soak up as much of it as possible with paper towels. Then cover the spot with a thick layer of dry paper towels, with newspaper on top of that. (Make sure the newsprint doesn't rub off on the carpet.) Stand on the padding for a minute or so. Then remove the soaked padding and take it to your pet's bathroom area--the cat's litter box or the dog's designated outdoor area--to lure your pet there the next time. Repeat the process. Apply an enzymatic cleaner, available at pet stores, to digest proteins, which will help remove the urine smell.
Then rinse the accident zone by blotting with a cloth soaked in clean water. Remove excess water by blotting with paper towels (as above) or with a wet vac or an extractor. (As noted earlier, an extractor can also be rented from an equipment rental store.) Avoid using fragrant chemical cleaners, vinegar, or ammonia on a urine spot. As with the urine smell, these odors could draw the per back to the scene of the crime.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pets, even the best-friend ones, make a mess. There's no getting around it. Until we can teach pets to clean up after themselves, we are responsible for scooping poop, wiping up pee and pet vomit, and removing pet hair from carpets and furniture. You owe it to your pet. Besides, proper pet hygiene keeps the house looking good and reduces odors, both of which make owning a pet more pleasurable.
To remove pet hair from furniture cushions, start with the vacuum cleaner. Buy a lint-brush attachment for your vacuum if you don't already have one. This gadget first pries up and then sucks up short, wiry hairs that have imbedded themselves in your upholstery. If you can't get your hands on a lint-brush attachment, wear a damp rubber glove and rub your hand across the sofa cushion. The hair will clump together for easy removal.
Vacuum your pet. If Fido sheds, try giving him the once-over with a vacuum every week using a dusting or brush attachment. As long as you are careful--and as long as your pet does not mind the sucking action and noise--this is a good way to make a preemptive strike against hair that is bound to fall out. You might find that your dog, or even your cat, loves the attention. It's like a pet message. Then again, if the mere sound of the vacuum cleaner sends your pet scrambling under the bed, combing or brushing will do.
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
Be a Pet Detective >
To locate old pet urine stains in a room, make like a crime scene, investigator: Turn off the lights and scan the room with a black-light bulb, which makes otherwise invisible stains visible. It's important to clean up these old stains, because these are what keep a cat or dog, with its keen sense of smell, coming back. Outline the spots with pieces of string or by lightly tracing with chalk. Then follow the directions for removing urine stains.
Cleaning Up After a crasher
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Star Burr was in her virginia home one evening when she heard a loud crash and glass breaking. She rushed to her living room to find her plate glass window shattered. In the far corner stood a deer--frightened, huffing, and bleeding all over the carpet. Burr called 91.1. Before the authorities arrived, however, the deer left the same way it had entered--but not before smashig the glass-top coffee table, kicking a hole in the bathroom door, gouging the wood floors, urinating on the carpet, and smearing blood on the couch and white dining room walls. The bad news: Burr's insurance didn't cover interior deer damage. (That required a separate rider.) The good news: Burr is in the cleaning business. She manages the local Merry Maids franchise.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To clean up pet vomit, start with the chunks. Remove them with a paper towel or spatula. If the vomit is on a hard surface, such as a vinyl or wood floor, simply wipe up the liquid with moist paper towels and the mop the spot.
If the vomit is on fabric, a carpet or rug, or upholstered furniture, blot up as much of the liquid as possible using paper towels. Next, apply an enzymatic cleaner. The enzymes in these special cleaning produ cts, available at pet stores, actually digest the proteins found in the vomit. But they usually take a while. Let the cleaner stand for as long as the product's directions suggest. Then, for clothing, wash and rinse or dry-clean according to label instructions. For carpeting or furniture, blot with clean, cool water to rinse (but avoid using too much water, especially if there is a pad under the carpet or stuffing in the upholstered furniture). Then remove excess liquids by either repeatedly blotting with fresh, dry paper towels or using a wet vac or extraction machine, available at equipment rental stores. As with any pet accident, the key is to clean the vomit immediately.
To clean up pet feces, begin by removing and solids with tissue paper. Flush down the toilet. If there is litle or no residue (as with firm feces on a hard floor), clean with soapy water and paper towels. Then rinse with clean water and paper towels. If there is residue (as with loose feces on a carpet), follow the steps listed for cleaning up vomit: Blot up as much of the liquid as possible using paper towels and apply an enzymatic cleaner. wash and rinse according to the material.
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
Is It..Alive?
When you see the word enzymes on the package, just what does that mean? That you have a box of microscopic bugs on your hands?
No, says Jeff Bishop, owner of Clean Care Seminars in Dothan, Alabama. All organisms--plant or animal--make enzymes, but enzymes themselves are not alive. They are complex chemicals, each one targeted to a specific purpose. You have about 1,300 differnet enzymes sloshing around in your body rightnow, for instance, breaking down nutrients, rebuilding cells, and otherwise helping the body function.
The enzymes in cleaning products are made by bacteria, and their targeted purpose, you won't be surprised to learn, its to break down soil.
To remove a fresh puddle of pee, wipe it up using paper towel or newspaper. Another efficient way to remove per urine is to suck it up with a heavy-duty vacuum cleaner capable of picking up liquid, such as a Shop-vac or a wet vac. The sooner you clean up your pet's indiscretion, the more likely it'll be that you'll stop the odor and keep your furry friend from revisiting the spot for a
reprise. Urine is by far the worst per odor in a home. Once it has soaked in and dried, it can be tough to remove.
If the urine is in a carpet, soak up as much of it as possible with paper towels. Then cover the spot with a thick layer of dry paper towels, with newspaper on top of that. (Make sure the newsprint doesn't rub off on the carpet.) Stand on the padding for a minute or so. Then remove the soaked padding and take it to your pet's bathroom area--the cat's litter box or the dog's designated outdoor area--to lure your pet there the next time. Repeat the process. Apply an enzymatic cleaner, available at pet stores, to digest proteins, which will help remove the urine smell.
Then rinse the accident zone by blotting with a cloth soaked in clean water. Remove excess water by blotting with paper towels (as above) or with a wet vac or an extractor. (As noted earlier, an extractor can also be rented from an equipment rental store.) Avoid using fragrant chemical cleaners, vinegar, or ammonia on a urine spot. As with the urine smell, these odors could draw the per back to the scene of the crime.
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