Cleaning tips every dog owner should know
From Australia’s favourite domestic gurus Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming, the latest in the Spotless series of ingenious cleaning tips is Spotless Pets, filled with inexpensive, green solutions to cleaning up the stains and messes from your pet. Because as we much as we love our pets, they’re no doubt they are the messiest member of any family! Here Lush and Fleming share their advice for cleaning the obvious and common stains in the home: dog poo and urine off your floor.
Problem: Dog poo on carpet
What to use: Plastic comb/paper towel; cake of bathroom soap, cold water, old toothbrush/pantyhose, vacuum cleaner; or bucket, cold water, dishwashing liquid, old toothbrush; glycerine
How to apply: Remove excess by lifting the solids with a plastic comb or by blotting liquids with paper towel. Scribble with a cake of bathroom soap dipped in cold water. If stubborn, scrub with an old toothbrush or pantyhose. Leave to dry. Vacuum. Alternatively, remove excess then fill a bucket with cold water and enough dishwashing liquid to generate a sudsy mix. Apply only the suds with an old toothbrush, using as little water as possible. Absorb moisture by covering the area with paper towel and stand on it. Continue to change the paper towel until it’s no longer wet when you stand on it.
If food is high in fats or oils (including fat from meat), remove protein first by rubbing with a cake of bathroom soap and a cold, damp cloth. To remove the fats and oils, place 2 drops of dishwashing liquid on your fingertips and massage into the stain with your fingers. Close your eyes so you can feel when the texture becomes like jelly. When this happens, the oils have become emulsified. Either wipe with a cold, damp cloth or rinse with water. Then follow either of the methods above. If the diet is high in dry food, caramel colouring will leave a tannin-like stain. For a new or old stain, lightly brush across the surface with 2 drops of glycerine on an old toothbrush. Don’t push into carpet or fabric backing or you will release tannin stains. Leave for 90 minutes. Dip a cake of bathroom soap in cold water and scribble over the stain as you would with a crayon. Fold a damp cloth flat and polish the stain out with your hand flat on the cloth. Then follow either of the methods above.
Problem: Fresh dog urine on carpet
What to use: Ultraviolet light, white chalk, paper towel, white vinegar, old toothbrush/ cloth; glycerine
How to apply: In a darkened room, turn on an ultraviolet light and the urine stains will show up yellow. Mark around the yellow stains with a piece of white chalk so you can see where to clean. Absorb excess by blotting with paper towel until the towel is no longer damp. Wipe with a cloth wrung out tightly in white vinegar. Repeat if needed. Absorb moisture by covering the area with paper towel and standing on it. Continue to change the paper towel until it’s no longer wet when you stand on it. If the stain isn’t completely removed, lightly brush across the surface of the carpet with 2 drops of glycerine on an old toothbrush. Leave for 90 minutes. Wipe again with white vinegar and dry with paper towel. If the stain is still not removed, leave for 24 hours and wipe with white vinegar once again.
Problem: Old dog urine on carpet
What to use: Ultraviolet light, white chalk, white vinegar, cloth, paper towel; glycerine, old toothbrush
How to apply: For old stains, first find where the urine is. In a darkened room, turn on an ultraviolet light and the urine stains will show up yellow. Mark around the yellow stains with a piece of white chalk so you can see where to clean. Wipe inside the chalk marks with a cloth tightly wrung in white vinegar. Absorb moisture by covering the area with paper towel and stand on it. Continue to change the paper towel until it’s no longer wet when you stand on it. If the stain isn’t completely removed, lightly brush across the surface of the carpet with 2 drops of glycerine on an old toothbrush. Leave for 90 minutes. Wipe again with white vinegar and dry with paper towel. If the stain is still not removed, leave for 24 hours and wipe with white vinegar once again.
The is an extract from Spotless Pets by Shannon Lush & Jennifer Fleming (ABC Books RRP$19.99).
Related links:
6 reasons your dog’s health is just as important as your own
Dogs are smarter than we give them credit for