Oriental Rug Pet Stain Removal: 5 Practical Options

Pet urine is a common problem on any floor surface or floor covering, but it is especially a problem on oriental and expensive, decorative rugs. If left, the urine will cause a yellow stain and can leave behind the tell-tale urine smell that fills an entire room.

However, treat the urine stain wrong, and you could do considerably more damage to the rug than the urine did in the first place.

The key is to act quickly but be patient, use sympathetic products, and don’t rub too hard in case you cause damage. Even being gentle, it is possible that warm water could cause the color in the rug to fade.

Below are 5 options to help you try and remove stains from an oriental rug, but if you think you are causing more damage than your fixing, or if you are otherwise unsure, you should stop the clean-up and hand your ug over to a professional who will be able to fix the problem for you.

The 5 Practical Options for Oriental Rug Pet Stain Removal

1. Work Quickly

The longer the urine is allowed to sit, the deeper it will get. The urine crystals will also harden and attach to the fibers of the rug, making them a lot more difficult to remove. If you act as soon as the urine hits the rug, you greatly increase the chances of being able to remove it. However, that doesn’t mean you should just grab hot water and detergent and start rubbing. In fact, you should avoid using bleach or other strong detergents at all, because this is likely to remove or alter the color of the rug.

2. Test a Patch With Warm Water

Test a small area of the rug using just warm water. If the color does not fade or change, this means that it should be safe for you to try cleaning the area itself. Use a blotting action rather than a rubbing or scrubbing motion because this reduces the likelihood of pulling the fibers apart and physically damaging the rug.

3. Use White Vinegar and Water

If the warm water failed to remove the urine, or it only reduced the mess rather than eliminate it, add a few drops of white vinegar to a cup of warm water. Vinegar can break down the salts in the urine, removing the smell and the stain. While you can use a more concentrated solution on new fabrics, applying just a few drops in this amount of water will prevent damage while still applying the required vinegar. Once again, blot the area, don’t rub, and avoid the temptation to soak the rug in the solution.

4. Let the Rug Dry

Once you’ve applied the vinegar solution, let the rug dry completely. This is best done by lifting the rug, maybe placing it over a banister or a washing line. This not only helps air the rug, but it also protects the floor underneath, which could become stained if the rug color runs.

5. Use Baking Soda

Once dry, sprinkle baking soda over the affected area. Baking soda is gentle, which means that you can generous when applying it. It can help lift the urine out of the rug, and it also absorbs the smell. Once the baking soda is dry, use a vacuum and remove all the baking soda and, hopefully, the urine with it.

• Related Read: How to Get Cat Urine Stains and Smells Out of a Carpet: 5 Potential Methods

Conclusion

Urine stains quickly and smells bad. It can cause lasting damage and stains to virtually any surface, and you always have a better chance of being able to clear it up if you can act quickly and start cleaning as soon as any incident occurs. Be gentle, test an area with warm water before you start, and if you notice the color fading or any kind of potential damage being caused to the rug, stop what you’re doing and contact professional rug cleaners to deal with the mess for you.

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Featured Image Credit: Tamerlan Aliyev, Shutterstock