Animal urine in carpets

Howard Wellman <howard<-a t->dataxprs< . >com< . >eg> writes

>I have a hand-woven woolen carpet from Siwa Oasis.  The dyes are a
>mixture of natural and synthetic.  I have not yet tested them for
>solubility.  Due to the presence of a young kitten, this carpet has
>been liberally sprinkled with cat urine, and stinks to high heaven.

1.  The smell would be a rose/hyacinth odor if the sulfur on the
cyclic compound was a silicon! In order to remove the odor, the most
successful method I have found is with a commercial solution
(enzymatic) purchased at the vet's office called Outright Pet Odor
Eliminator (Bramton Co. 1-800-272-6336). They also sell Outright
Stain Remover. The cost is about $20/plastic bottle of 16 fl. oz.
conc.

2.  If only one section of the carpet is affected, test each color
in that section. If the whole carpet is affected, test each color in
the carpet in four or five different areas. The carpet needing
treatment will have to stay damp while the enzymatic action takes
place.

3.  After the odor is removed, rinse the affected area thoroughly.
Stain: If the stain is less than 3-6 months old, it should come out
without much more treatment than this. However, the ammonia (a
breakdown product of their urine) may have damaged the wool or the
dyes. You may want to check the pH after rinsing (If you alter the
pH before removing the odor, you risk deactivating the enzymatic
action). Cat: Cats are quite intelligent. Just remember to avoid
using ammonia in cleaning up after them or (as per above) you will
inadvertently be setting up a "marker" for them.

We usually review this problem in the "Stain Removal: Theory &
Practice" course. If you would like a general handout on stain
removal (protocols and procedures), please let me know your mailing
address.

Mary Ballard

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:47
                Distributed: Tuesday, November 25, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-47-003
                                  ***