Monday, February 16, 2015

Rug Cleaning Carpet Cleaning - Urine Vomit Feces Mess


Pets will occasionally have an accident on carpet. Urine , Vomit, Feces what ever the mess. Understanding how the mess affects the Rug or Carpet will determine the best treatment to restore the fiber.
  Urine in this case starts on the surface and then absorbs down the face yarn into the carpet backing, then into the underlay on some occasions. How far it absorbs depends on :

         - The type of fiber
         - How much liquid
         - The age of the carpet or rug
         - The area where the mess has occurred
         - Is this the first time or has there been more mess on the same area
         - What has the animal been eating
         - Room temperature
         - Underlay type

       



Image result for carpet urine crystalImage result for carpet urine crystal

Image result for carpet urine crystal


A natural fiber will absorb more than a made made fiber,  The amount of liquid will determine how far into the carpet or rug the liquid will travel and weather it will go into the padding under the carpet(underlay).  The age and area of carpet/rug is another key how far the mess penetrates the fiber and pad, in a heavily trafficked or an older fiber the moisture will absorb faster and further into the fiber. The more often a mess occurs a window is created allowing moisture to penetrated faster into the fiber, when the mess is urine its a little more complicated.  When urine is first deposited onto a floor or fabric, it has a pH of about 5 or 6, which is on the acid side of the pH Scale. It is easier to remove right then when it is fresh. Once it dries it turns “alkaline” or to a high pH between 10 to12 on the scale and becomes more difficult to remove. The warm acid state of the urine offers a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which begin to flourish almost immediately. In this original acid state the urine begins to oxidize and react with the carpet to create a color change, which will become permanent if the urine is not removed immediately. Some of this color change can be attributed to the strong ammonia that forms as the urine passes through bacterial and chemical change. If left for days or weeks, depending on the fabric or floor type, it will change the dye structure, therefore causing permanent staining. Even if the soluble deposits are removed, the damage to the dye structure may already be done.

There are two sources of odors associated with urine. 

The first comes from bacteria that grow abundantly in dark warm places with a never-ending food source. A pet can feed the bacteria daily! This bacteria growth and breakdown of the urine creates amino acids. These complex organic compounds will often work deep into the fibers to a point of becoming part of the fiber. This can present a challenging situation. The waste materials and gases from the decomposing urine create an unpleasant odor. When dried urine is re moistened, it gives off an ammonia gas. If smelled once it is seldom forgotten.
The second source of odor is chemical odor that is present even when the bacteria have been killed. This explains the reason that more than sanitizing is necessary to neutralize odors from urine. Urine also presents additional odor problems when the relative humidity is high. The salts and crystals that are left behind as the urine dries are hydrophobic and draw water to them. Dried urine is often easy to smell in the humid months because the salts attract the moisture, the moisture evaporates putting out a greater proportion of odorous ammonia gas. You must get rid of the urine salts in and under the carpet to get rid of the odor. That’s why cleaning existing urine spots WILL NOT remove any associated odor. In fact, it could INCREASE the odor in the air space for a temporary period of time.
How well the animal flushes toxins and chemicals will be determined by the age. As the animal gets older the body dose not  break down or filter as well as when they are younger, thus when excreted from the body the fluid is more potent making removal much more difficult to treat or remove. A younger animal normal drinks more water which dilutes and excreted fluids. 

The temperature effects the absorbency of the fibers, warmer the temperature more absorbency Colder weather less, this is a minor consideration compared with the other points I have made but they should be considered. When discussing temperature we should discuss humidity, the amount of moisture in the air, With humidity odours from the urine salts in the bottom of the carpet are drawn to the water in the air, then the odour  becomes pungent. 
Certain underlay are more absorbent than others, a felt underlay will absorb more of a wet mess than a underlay made of rubber. 

When any stains or mess are accidentally spilt on your carpet or rug call Able Carpet Care to restore your fibers.