Did you get dog diarrhea on your carpet? Tackling it immediately is what must be done. We know, it can be one of the toughest jobs to do because of the nature of the stain – but leaving it there only compounds the problem.
In this article, we show you the way around how best to clean dog diarrhea out of your carpet.
What is Dog Diarrhea?
It is a loose stool that occurs often. The easiest way to identify it is if your pet has consistently pooped and the stool is mushy or runny.
It does not only discomfort the dog but also you, the owner. Therefore, you must find a solution as fast as possible. Consult your veterinarian if you notice this.
What Causes Dog Diarrhea?
The major cause of dog diarrhea is the consumption of spoiled food. If your pet is in the habit of eating anything; then the risk of getting diarrhea is high.
Besides the consumption of garbage, your dog could also develop a runny stomach because of:
- Ingestion of toxins or poisons and;
- Ingesting foreign objects, such as fabric and toys.
Step-by-Step Method of Cleaning Dog Diarrhea out of Carpet
In this section, we introduce you to some of the steps to cleaning the dog diarrhea out of your carpet.
Gather the Tools
Of course, you wouldn’t lift the diarrhea out of the carpet with bare hands. You need a couple of cleaning tools to make the job easier. These are some of them:
- Gloves: you need these to protect your hands from getting in touch with the stains. It is best to go for the rubber gloves.
- Plastic Trash Bags: these should be compostable and disposable. You need them to gather the poops into one place and dispose when the cleaning is complete.
- Cleaning Solutions: a couple of cleaning solutions (including the commercial ones) can be used to clean dog diarrhea out of a carpet. In addition, you can use the DIY process to choose these solutions. Examples are liquid dish soap, white vinegar, baking soda, and distilled water. You can also buy a dedicated carpet stain remover.
- Bowl: you want to go for the Tupperware or large plastic bowl – large enough to contain the cleaning products when you mix them.
- Spray Bottle: you need this if you intend to directly spritz the cleaning mixture to the stained part of the carpet.
- Clothes or Towels: you need a couple of clean clothes, old rags, clean towels, or paper towels. These are helpful in the application of the cleaning solution and wiping the carpet when done.
- Steam Cleaner/Vacuum Cleaner: you need the former (steam cleaner) to steam-clean the carpet and the latter (the vacuum cleaner) to get rid of the particles and debris on the floor.
- Plastic Knife or Scrub Brush: you need a plastic or dull knife to scrape up the dog’s diarrhea, assuming it has dried on the carpet. You would need the soft or medium, bristle scrub brush to remove tougher or stick-in stains from the carpet.
Getting to Work: How To Clean The Carpet
In this section, we talk about how you can use the tools and cleaning products mentioned above to clean the dog diarrhea out of the carpet.
1. Cleaning Fresh Dog Diarrhea: The Method
In this case, we are dealing with wet dog diarrhea or fresher stains. It can be easier to tidy this up than the dried one.
a. Secure the Dog
Your dog is likely suffering from indigestion or must have ingested a foreign object that upset the gastrointestinal. Therefore, you must secure it first before doing any other thing.
Here’s what to do:
- Take the dog outside or a farther distance from the dog’s diarrhea. This ensures that it doesn’t come back to mess up your efforts.
- You may want to call the vet to come over and look at the pet.
b. Secure the Diarrhea
In a little while, the dog’s diarrhea will start circulating in the room. You want to stop this by placing a bowl over the area to cover the stains.
c. Remove the Excess
Experts advise leaving the stains to dry for a little while so you don’t end up smudging them across the length and breadth of the carpet. The bowl, when placed over the dog’s diarrhea, will prevent air from penetrating.
You can now start preparing to remove the excess liquid. Put on the rubber gloves to protect your hands from contacting the bad bacteria in the poop.
Make sure to keep the plastic, disposable garbage bag handy so you transfer the poop to it while cleaning.
Here are steps to removing the excess dog diarrhea:
- Use a paper towel or a clean, old rag to pick up the poop from the floor.
- If the stains don’t come off at that moment, don’t rush it. Otherwise, you would be pressing the stains further into the carpet.
- You may also lay a couple of paper towels over the spot and allow those to soak up the poop. Then, lift out off the floor and dispose in the plastic, garbage bag.
d. Start Blotting
With most of the stains removed, you now want to tackle some of the liquids left behind. Get a couple of paper towels and blot or dab at the affected area. In a little while, you should be able to transfer most of the stains from the carpet to the towels.
When it looks like most of the dog diarrhea has gone, you want to open the windows to let fresh air into the room. That should dry the surface ahead of using the cleaning solution.
e. Prepare the Cleaning Mixture
The ideal cleaning solution should provide these benefits:
- Odor-less removal of the dog diarrhea stains.
- Instant cleaning of the stains and;
- Not damaging or discoloring the carpet in the process.
Here are a couple of cleaning solutions you can try and why:
- Homemade Cleaners: these are the cleaning solutions you can make at home. Also, the ingredients are readily available. They are best for a DIY approach to tackling dog diarrhea on a carpet.
- Enzyme-Based Cleaners: the major component is enzyme – and it helps to lift pet-related stains out of a carpet.
In this article, we will show you how to use the homemade cleaning solution. These are the ingredients needed:
- 2 cups of warm water
- 1 and a half teaspoons of liquid dishwashing soap.
- 1 tablespoon of distilled, white vinegar.
Mix those ingredients in a large plastic bowl. Make sure they combine. You can also pour the ingredients into a spray bottle – that is, if you intend to spritz the solution on the affected spot.
f. Apply the Solution to the Dog Diarrhea
If you are using the spray bottle – spritz directly to the stained area. Otherwise, dip a clean cloth into the bowl containing the mixture, wring excess water out, and make sure it is damp before wiping the carpet with it.
g. Blot up the Moisture
You can now blot the moisture out of the area with a clean cloth or towel. As always, blot from the outside to the inside of the stains. Keep at it until the stains disappear.
h. Sprinkle Baking Soda
Applying baking soda at this stage helps to facilitate the removal, as well as drying up the remaining moisture on the carpet. Sprinkle a generous amount and allow it to stay in the area for a couple of minutes.
i. Vacuum the Area
The job can now be completed, by running a vacuum cleaner over the cleaned area. This sucks up remaining grime – and speeds up the drying process.
Read: How To Get Old Dog Urine Smell Out of Carpet
2. How to Clean Old Dog Diarrhea?
What happens if the dog pooped overnight and you are just getting to notice it in the morning – or a couple of days later? By then, the dog diarrhea must have dried and that creates additional work.
Follow these directions to tackle dried, or stubborn dog diarrhea from a carpet:
a. Lift the Stains
By the time you spotted the dog’s diarrhea, it had started to dry out. Following the conventional method of picking the poop as the first line of action doesn’t always work. Rather, you want to lift the dried dog diarrhea first before any other thing.
It is at this point that you need the dull or plastic knife. Use it to lift as many of the poops out of the floor. You may be lucky to get a generous amount out – leaving you with just a little to clean.
Here are some tips to have in mind:
- Be careful not to pull up the carpet fibers in the process.
- Be gentle with the process – ensuring that you focus only on the dried dog’s diarrhea.
- Drop the dog’s diarrhea into the disposal, garbage bag.
- Inspect the area and look deeper to see if you can find more of the dried dog diarrhea.
- If the stench coming out of the area is too strong; consider covering your nose with a face mask.
b. Create a Hydrating Mixture
This is the point where you need to prepare the cleaning mixture – for “hydrating” or “wetting” the dried dog diarrhea.
You can mix equal parts of distilled, white vinegar and warm water for this purpose. If the stained area is larger, you can increase the ratio of the mixture accordingly.
Apply the solution to the area with a spray bottle or use a clean, damp towel to wipe the dog poop out.
c. Address the Stains
No doubt, dried dog diarrhea likely creates an additional problem – staining the carpet. Thus, you must have this tackled immediately. You would need hydrogen peroxide or ammonia for this purpose.
We recommend it for these reasons:
- The hydrogen peroxide or ammonia-based cleaner solution helps to tackle stubborn or stick-in stains caused by dried dog diarrhea.
- Since regular cleaning mixtures, such as white vinegar might not tackle the stains; we need something stronger, such as hydrogen peroxide to handle that.
- The mixture helps to break down the poop marks and have your carpet’s original nature restored.
The ratio to use is 1 cup of water to 3 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide. If you are using an ammonia-based cleaner, you can also use this measurement.
Follow these steps to apply the solution to remove stubborn stains:
- Test a small amount of the hydrogen peroxide mixture on an inconspicuous part of the carpet. This is an effective way of determining if the carpet will be discolored or damaged after cleaning.
- Use a clean cloth to transfer the mixture from the bowl to the carpet. Ensure that the cloth is damp before doing so.
- Allow the solution to remain on the stained area for a couple of minutes before blotting the moisture out with a clean, dry towel.
- You may have to continue the process until all of the (stubborn) stains have been removed.
d. Rinse the Carpet
Pour clean water into a bowl, dip a clean cloth, wring excess moisture out of the cloth, and use the damp cloth to wipe off the residues from the carpet.
e. Finish up with Baking Soda
The process can now be completed with baking soda. It is used for a couple of reasons:
- Absorbing any remaining moisture on the carpet.
- Deodorizing the room, by getting rid of any odors remaining due to the dog’s diarrhea.
This is how to use it:
- Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda directly on the spot where the dog’s diarrhea had been.
- Allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. Within this time, it should have soaked up the moisture and cleared the odor out of the area.
f. Vacuum the Area
You can now put the vacuum cleaner to good use. Run it over the cleaned area and get the remaining particles out.
Open the windows or turn on the fan to dry the area.
3. Cleaning Dog Diarrhea from a Wool Carpet
If your carpet is made of wool, then the previous cleaning methods wouldn’t work here. Wool carpets require a different cleaning method – and special care. Due to the nature, the dog’s diarrhea could seep faster into the fabric.
This is why we want to show you how to clean wool carpets, in the event of having dog diarrhea on the surface.
Follow these procedures to successfully remove dog diarrhea from a wool carpet:
a. Start with Removing the Excess
If the poop is still fresh, you can follow the initial step as the other cleaning processes. You want to slap on the rubber or latex gloves, pick up a couple of paper towels and use those to pick up the poop out of the carpet.
Ensure that as much of the dog diarrhea is removed, so you can progress to the next step.
b. Blot
Don’t hesitate to blot or dab at the poop, if it is still fresh. Just avoid rubbing because it drives the poop deeper into the wool carpet’s fabrics.
The completion of this stage takes us to the third step.
c. Prepare the Cleaning Mixture
The measurement to use is:
- 2/3 cup of cold, distilled water.
- 1/3 cup of white vinegar and;
Note: you may also include 1 and a half teaspoons of an eco-friendly safe laundry detergent.
Mix the ingredients in a bowl or a spray bottle. Spritz with the spray bottle or apply with a damp cloth.
You want to wait for some minutes before blotting the area with a clean cloth until the stains disappear.
d. Clean the Stains
The dog’s diarrhea might have dried on the floor. You can remove it with either a safe laundry detergent or a liquid dish detergent. Any of the two should be designated safe for use with wool carpets.
e. Rinse the Carpet
Pour a small amount of water into the area and blot dry with a clean cloth. This helps remove the excess residues on the carpet.
f. Sprinkle Baking Soda
You can now sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the floor, helping soak up the moisture.
Allow it to sit for up to 15 minutes before vacuuming. Wrap it up by rinsing the carpet once again with a damp cloth.
Tackling Odors on the Carpet
Dog diarrhea leaves behind odors. If not attended to on time, it spreads and further makes the room less desirable.
You can tackle the odors by:
- Apply a generous amount of baking soda to the area. Allow to sit for a few minutes before vacuuming.
- Making a soapy cleaning solution, by combining cold water with antibacterial dish soap or using a laundry detergent.
- Running a steam cleaner over the stained part of the carpet. It provides combined effectiveness, such as lifting the dog’s diarrhea and sanitizing the carpet’s fabrics.
Conclusion
Cleaning dog diarrhea out of a carpet takes time and sometimes, requires precision and the use of the right products. You must avoid using hydrogen peroxide and bleach-like cleaners on a wool carpet because the fabrics are most likely to get damaged.
You should also stick to the recommended carpet cleaners for the different carpets – wool, nylon, polypropylene, and polyester.
Finally, get excess moisture out of the carpet and vacuum when you are through. These are effective methods for keeping the rugs stain-free and smelling fresh when you are done.