Blot the urine right away, rinse the spot with cool water, blot again and dry it fast. If the rug still smells once it is dry, the urine has reached the foundation and the rug needs a full wash.
Step by step, for a fresh accident
- Blot, do not rub. Press a thick stack of paper towels or a white cloth into the spot, stand on it, and repeat with fresh towels until they come up nearly dry.
- Rinse with cool water. Pour a little cool water on the spot and blot it up. Repeat two or three times to dilute what is left.
- Dry it fast. Lift the edge, slide a towel under the spot and keep air moving over it with a fan. Wool that stays wet can rot, and dyes can bleed.
- Check the back. Urine spreads wider underneath than it looks on top, and it can mark the floor too.
What not to use
- Ammonia cleaners. They smell like urine to a dog or cat, which brings the pet back to the same spot.
- Bleach and oxygen cleaners. They can strip natural dyes and leave a pale patch.
- Steam and heat. Heat sets the stain and the smell into the wool.
- Carpet enzyme sprays not labeled safe for wool. Wool is a protein fiber, and some enzymes break proteins down.
When the rug needs a full wash
- The smell comes back on humid days or when the spot gets damp.
- There is a yellow or dark ring, or a stiff patch.
- The same spot has had more than one accident.
- Colors around the spot have started to run.
Urine soaks through the pile into the cotton or wool foundation, where no spray reaches. A full wash soaks and flushes the rug until the urine is out of the foundation, not just off the surface. Left in, it keeps smelling and slowly weakens the fibers.
Pet urine treatment in Chicago and Evanston
Pet urine treatment is quoted after we see the rug, because it depends on how far the urine has spread. For everyday care between washes, see how to care for a handmade rug.
We wash rugs by hand from $2.50 per sq ft in Chicago and $3 in Evanston, where most rug cleaners charge $4 to $5. Bring your rug to either showroom, or book pickup and delivery in the Chicago area. See rug cleaning and repair, or chat with us with the size and a photo for a price.