Pet Urine Contamination

We all love our pets... but accidents do happen!

Pet urine causes two distinct problems in wall-to-wall carpet that require special attention: Odors and Stains.

Urine odor:

It goes without saying that urine and carpet do not mix. When urine is deposited into carpeting and begins to dry, it leaves behind a residue. Each time moisture enters this environment (from high humidity, rainy days, or even having your carpet cleaned), this moisture reactivates the urine, thus causing bacteria to form, which is the root cause of the odor you may smell in your home. When the area dries, the bacteria then go into a dormant state and the odor dissipates. 

Any time moisture is present in this environment, bacteria will reactivate and grow, thus the odor becomes more noticeable over time. If not properly treated, the bacteria will eventually damage the backing material of your carpet, making expensive replacement a probability.

With repeated urine contamination or with larger pets, the urine can bleed downward through the carpet, into the padding, and even into the sub-floor, making the treatment process much more challenging and complex to solve.

The only way to remove urine odor from carpet is to treat the entire affected area with a product formulated to kill the bacteria which is causing the odor. Cleaning alone is not effective and will simply cause more bacteria to form, thus causing the odor to become more noticeable, ultimately creating a larger and more difficult issue to solve.

Depending on the level of urine contamination, we offer 3 different treatment options to solve urine odor concerns in the home:

  • Topical Treatment  
  • Sub-surface Extraction  
  • Three-layer Treatment

Topical Treatment:

For light urine contamination that is limited to the carpet fibers, a topical treatment is the most common and easiest solution. The carpet is rinsed and extracted to remove any urine residue, and then a proprietary solution is applied to the contaminated area. This process eliminates the bacteria associated with the urine and is an excellent option for mild urine contamination.

Sub-surface Extraction:

Heavier urine contamination can bleed through the backing material, into the padding and even into the sub-floor. When this occurs, more aggressive treatments are required. Sub-surface extraction begins with the introduction of a proprietary solution in sufficient quantity for the solution to bleed into the backing material of the carpet, the padding, as well as through to the sub-floor. This solution is then allowed to dwell in the area for sufficient time necessary to eliminate the odor causing bacteria. The solution is then rinsed and extracted out of the padding and carpet with the use of a sub-surface extraction device, which leaves the area nearly dry, sanitary, and odor-free. This highly effective process is recommended for moderate to heavy urine contamination where pulling up the carpet is not a viable option.

Three-Layer Treatment:

This is a much more involved process, which in many cases can be the only way to effectively solve the urine odor issue. This process is recommended for moderate to heavy urine contamination where it is logical to pull up the carpet and padding and treat the problem “from the bottom up.”

Steps for this process are as follows.

  • Pull the carpet up in the affected area.  
  • Remove the affected padding
  • Treat the sub-floor and underneath the baseboards with a proprietary solution to eliminate the bacteria
  • Seal the sub-floor with an odor barrier  
  • Rinse, extract & treat the backing of the carpet with a proprietary solution to eliminate the bacteria
  • Treat or install new tac-strip (as necessary)  
  • Install new padding
  • Reinstall carpeting
  • Rinse & extract the carpet
  • Apply a topical solution to kill bacteria


Diagnosing, treating and eliminating urine contamination from the home is a very specialized process. Few cleaners can properly diagnose and implement the correct procedure to completely solve urine contamination. Rest assured that Carpet Pros has the experience and knowledge necessary to solve these difficult issues.

Dog-Coat Odor: Does your house smell like your dog?

There are occasions where a home can have "pet odors," but the odor is not caused by urine.

Many breeds of dogs have oils in their coat. This oil can often be transferred onto the carpet, which presents an extremely difficult cleaning and odor issue to solve. Why? Because oil and water do not mix.

With a "dog-coat odor", no amount of traditional "cleaning" or "odor treatment" will solve this issue. This is because the odor is locked into the carpet fibers by the oils from the dog's coat, which literally repel the cleaning solution. This means that the carpet cannot even be properly cleaned, much less the odor removed, without a special process. 

The first step to eliminating the negative odor is a very specific and invasive process to remove the oils from the carpet fibers. 

This propriety process breaks down the oils, allowing the cleaning and deodorization procedures to be effective. It requires a skilled and experienced professional to properly diagnose and perform this specialized process, which is pioneered and exclusively offered by Carpet Pros – no other Charlotte-area cleaner offers this service.

Urine stains

It is not news that pet urine can cause permanent damage to carpet, especially natural fibers like wool. For synthetic carpets, the best opportunity to avoid having a permanent stain left behind is by immediately flushing and rinsing the contaminated area. Once the urine has dried, the damage to the carpet fibers may have already been done. For wool or other natural fibers, in most cases, the damage to the dye structure is immediate, and the yellow urine stain is typically permanent.

Since the vast majority of carpeting is synthetic, there are treatment options available which do offer hope for complete urine stain removal, though there are many important variables: The age of the carpet, how long it’s been since the last cleaning, reapplication of a quality carpet protector, as well as the species, breed, and gender of the animal and if it had received any medication, the age of the spot and if it has been previously treated etc...


Having a knowledgeable and experienced professional to treat yellowed urine stains on carpet is very important. A cleaning technician who does not possess the necessary knowledge and experience may not even attempt to treat the stain, or worse, may employ improper or ineffective treatments, which can cause additional damage to the carpet.