Pet Odor & Stains

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…

1. How does Ross determine the percentage of carpet affected by urine?
2. What happens if my carpet is over that 20% limit?
3. What if my carpet only has a few urine spots?
4. How does Ross treat pet urine?
5. 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.