Pet Odor & Stains
If you live in or near Indianapolis and have pet-damaged carpet, we need to talk. Call or text me, Ross, at 317-370-9075 and I’ll get you fixed up.
The Pee-Pee Manifesto – Honest Thoughts From Indy’s Most Respected Urine Enthusiast
Hi, Ross Trittipo here. I’m sometimes described (by myself) as The Supreme Benevolent Overlord Of The Kingdom Of CitruScrub, His Greatness The Sovereign Of Stains, Destroyer Of Odors, Courageous And Eternal Victor Over Pee.
You see, I’ve been active in the local pet urine scene since 1998. I’ve fought so many battles against urine it’s just second nature at this point. As easily as you brush your teeth, check the mailbox or eat a bowl of cereal, I attack and vanquish urine-soaked carpet.
However, despite my noteworthy exploits and fearsome reputation, there are limits to what I can accomplish.
As a general rule, if more than 20% of a carpeted room is affected by pet urine, it’s considered a loss. This may raise several questions in your mind…
- How does Ross determine the percentage of carpet affected by urine?
- What happens if my carpet is over that 20% limit?
- What if my carpet only has a few urine spots?
- How does Ross treat pet urine?
- Does treatment really work?
Let’s answer these questions…
Secrets Of The Pros
To start, I use a combination of my nose, eyes and an electronic instrument called a moisture probe to find urine in carpet.
Since I’ve done this for 20 years, I pick up on telltale signs most others don’t notice.
Once I suspect there’s a problem, I test the carpet with a moisture probe. It detects old, salty urine deposits, long after the urine has dried.
If the moisture probe indicates the presence of urine, I pull the carpet back and look at the backing. The backing doesn’t lie. When urine is present, it looks like this:
In the picture above, the brownish-yellow stains are newer urine that hasn’t yet completely decomposed. The white hazy spots are older urine that has decomposed into a salty substance.
The 20% Rule: Severe Contamination
If more than 20% of the carpet contains pee, it’s considered a severe problem and the industry recommendation is to replace it. Based on two decades of experience, I strongly support that recommendation.
Sometimes, customers insist I try anyway. If I agree to try, I make it clear that I think cleaning will make the problem worse.
Why? Because the cleaning process adds moisture, which reactivates all that old, dried urine. It usually creates a horrendous odor.
There are instances where I have to be the bad guy and refuse to clean certain carpets. This usually only happens when the problem is so severe, I’m concerned about my equipment and my own health. I do want to help people, but I have to be reasonable.
Wading in pee-soaked carpet isn’t particularly enjoyable or healthy. Plus, I need to use my equipment on other jobs. I don’t want my expensive tools and hoses covered in pee. Therefore, I do walk away from jobs once in a while.
When that happens, I don’t just abandon the customer. I tell them how to remove and dispose of the contaminated carpet and how to seal the subfloor. When urine contamination is bad enough, that’s the only option.
But what if there are only a few urine spots? What if they aren’t that bad?
Minor To Moderate Contamination
When contamination is minor, a simple, thorough cleaning may be enough to remove all urine. Afterwards, I deodorize the carpet and treat any leftover stains with peroxide, which removes organic discoloration. I call this “topical treatment” and it’s a free service that doesn’t cost extra.
If the problem is moderate, I can flood the affected area with a special enzyme solution and then extract it with a subsurface tool called a Water Claw. If everything goes right, this flushes both the carpet and the underlying pad of urine contamination. I call it “subsurface” or “Water Claw treatment”. It’s an add-on service that costs a little extra. As always, prices are given upfront and it is your choice whether or not you’d like to proceed.
But the big question is, “Does treatment really work?”
What To Expect
Yes, topical and subsurface treatments work on minor to moderate urine contamination. However, once contamination nears that 20% threshold, treatment is less likely to work. And if it’s over 20%, I can virtually guarantee treatment won’t work.
In fact, over 20% I won’t even try. It’s a waste of time and money and I don’t want to give customers false hope. If they want me to simply steam clean the carpet as normal, I might be willing to do that, assuming it’s healthy for me to do so. But, again, this will create horrible odors that can take weeks to dissipate.
Your Next Step: Contact Me
Urine treatment is actually pretty complex. This manifesto contains very basic descriptions because every case is different. To get real answers, we should probably talk so I can give you tailored advice, specific to your exact situation. After we talk, I can help you determine if cleaning is a good option for you.
Call or text me, Ross, at 317-370-9075 or fill out the contact form below. I service Carmel, Fishers, Greenwood, Indianapolis, McCordsville, Noblesville, Westfield, Zionsville and the rest of Indy’s metro area.
FAQ
Can you really remove cat and dog pee odors?
Sometimes. It depends on the frequency of accidents, size and diet of your pet, age and fiber content of your carpet and about 14-billion other factors. Sometimes my process works, sometimes it doesn’t. The only way to know is to try.
Can you really remove cat and dog pee stains?
Almost always. Stains are easier to treat than odors.
What if I spend a bunch of money on treatment and it doesn’t work?
I won’t lie. That’s definitely a risk. HOWEVER, I’ve been doing this for a long time and can tell you exactly how I think your job will turn out. I just need to swing by and check it out, which is a free service. If I think the odds are in your favor, I’ll tell you. If I think there’s no hope, I’ll tell you. The choice is yours whether or not you want to proceed.
Will my pet still be able to smell old urine in the carpet after you’ve treated it?
Probably. Dogs and cats have senses of smell many times more powerful than ours. If a drug-sniffing dog at the US-Mexico border can smell weed wrapped in plastic and hidden inside a truck tire, your chihuahua is gonna be able to smell old urine deposits, even after treatment.
How can I keep my pet from having accidents on the carpet?
People ask me this all the time and I wish I had an answer, but I don’t. A veterinarian once told me her theory. She thinks dogs pee on the carpet because they’re left alone too often. They pee all over the place thinking it’ll help you find your way home. Sounds logical to me. Then again, I’m just a dumb carpet cleaner, so who knows?
What Thrilled Customers Say
I Highly Recommend Ross with CitruScrub! We will never hire another Carpet Cleaning Company ever again!
I am a Realtor and I Highly Recommend him to everyone. If you are selling your home and you want to improve its value and presentation, professional carpet and floor cleaning is the fastest way to achieve this. But, only if you use the right contractor. Ross does cost a little more than some of the other companies, but the value is more than worth it. With Ross your carpet will look new (or as close to new as possible) and the results will last longer than other companies. Plus he GUARANTEES his work!
My story: We were about to list our home for sale. We had 18 year old “white” carpet throughout our home. With a clumsy teenage boy, 2 big dogs, and a large muddy backyard I thought our carpets were ruined to the point of no return… no kidding.. they were multi-colored, stained, and matted. We were getting quotes on carpet replacement when Ross came in and saved us! He returned our carpets to white again. They were fluffy and clean… and completely unrecognizable when he was done. We sold our home within a few days! THANK YOU ROSS!!!!
Our next home had original carpet with wear in the high traffic areas and some large pet stains from the previous owner. After Ross cleaned the carpets they looked brand new! The stains and smells were gone! The high-traffic areas were fluffy and new looking. It has been 3 months and they still look fluffy and clean. CitruScrub is hands-down the BEST carpet cleaning company that I have ever used.
Ross at CitruScrub was a life saver. We had a cat issue on our carpet and he came out the next day that I called and fixed the problem! My carpet looked and smelled amazing. He was very professional and price was very fair.
Ross did an excellent job. His cleaning smelled better than any carpet cleaning I’ve had done.
Service Area
Happily serving Carmel, Fishers, Fortville, Greenwood, Indianapolis, McCordsville, Noblesville, Westfield, Zionsville and the rest of Indy’s metro area.
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