PET & ODOR TREATMENT FAQ
TIME REQUIRED FOR ODOR TREATMENTS
Q: When should I evaluate the impact of an odor treatment?
During treatment and drying, odors will be most noticeable. Allow AT LEAST 24-48 hours to fully evaluate the impact of a treatment. Keep in mind, enzymes are slower acting and will continue feeding for up to 2 weeks. Subsurface Oxidizer Treatments have a more immediate impact. Significant improvement should be noticed immediately, but the full impact of the treatment may not be realized for 48 hours.
TOPICAL VS. SUBSURFACE TREATMENTS
Q: What’s the difference between a Topical and Subsurface Treatment?
Treatments for carpet and upholstery are generally combined with a thorough steam clean. Since a proper steam clean should NEVER wet the carpet backing or pad, subsurface contamination is unaffected without a “pet treatment.” Effective urine treatment involves saturation or injection into the carpet backing and pad. “Topical Only” treatments offered by many competitors are generally ineffective when dealing with URINE CONTAMINATION.
TOPICAL TREATMENTS are generally reserved for situations where the carpet (or upholstery) backing and pad have NOT been contaminated. i.e. General dog odor, Nicotine Odor, Cooking Odors.
SUBSURFACE TREATMENTS are recommended when the carpet backing, pad and possibly even subfloor (Fig. 1) HAVE been contaminated (usually) by LIQUIDS. i.e. Urine, Drink Spills, Floods, House Plants. The treatments may be for Odor, Staining or both and can be accomplished through injection or saturation (pouring) with a cleaning solution designed to attack the problem. Urine is unique. It dries to an alkaline salt, which acts as a desiccant, drawing in moisture from the air. That is why old urine spots smell worse on hot and humid days. Subsurface treatments are designed to remove these urine salts.
ASK ABOUT OZONE SHOCK TREATMENTS for whole house smoke, fire, pet dander and musty odors!
OXIDIZER VS. ENZYME TREATMENTS
Q: What’s the difference between an Oxidizer and Enzyme Treatment for URINE?
OXIDIZER TREATMENTS involve saturation of each area of contamination and attack BOTH stains and odors caused by organic contaminates. Oxidizers act QUICKLY on urine stains and odors and then turn back into Water and Oxygen. Subsurface Oxidizer Treatments are combined with subsurface extraction and flushing (fig. 2) to produce the MOST EFFECTIVE “TOP DOWN” TREATMENT for urine damage, but are also the most expensive. If a stain returns or “wicks” we will retreat the treated areas at no charge. Oxidizer treatments are generally recommended when under 20% of the square footage of the room has been affected.
ENZYME TREATMENTS involve injection of a powerful enzyme, deep into the carpet backing and pad of each area of contamination to attack ODOR at a molecular level. The entire room is then HEAVILY cleaned like a traffic lane and then topically treated again with Enzyme. This provides an active barrier for any subsurface contamination that may move to the surface during drying. Enzymes act SLOWLY, often remaining active for weeks. Enzymes do offer immediate improvement for odors and have a residual benefit as well. They go dormant and will reactivate if a pet returns to a treated area. This does NOT make the area odor proof, but it does offer some residual benefit for chronic problems. While Subsurface Enzyme Injection Treatments don’t offer much impact on visible staining and don’t involve the heavy flushing of the Oxidizer Treatment, they are a very effective and budget friendly option for widespread and chronic urine contamination. When over 20% of the square footage of a room have damage, Enzyme Treatments will often be recommended because complete oxidation may approach the cost of carpet replacement.
Q: Can Oxidizers and Enzymes be used for TOPICAL odors?
YES. Topical treatments for Dog Dander, Smoke and Cooking Odors are a significant improvement over a clean only.
DRY TIMES
Q: Will it take longer for areas treated for URINE to dry?
YES. Subsurface treatments WILL EXTEND DRY TIMES. Treated areas should damp upon completion and be dry to the touch in 24-48 hours. Topical treatments are may extend dry times by about an hour, depending on the environment. It is important to minimize foot traffic while drying to avoid triggering “wicking.” (See Reappearing Stains below)
SURVIVING STAINS
Q: I have a stain that didn’t come out with my clean.
Stains that survive Oxidizer Treatments MAY BE PERMANENT. Enzyme treatments alone may not remove all yellow stains. It is CRITICAL to reapply Greenguard after any urine contamination. Urine is an excellent stripper of factory stain guards. Our Gold Package and above INCLUDE Greenguard, the world’s FIRST EPA Certified GREEN protector.
REAPPEARING STAINS
Q: My carpet looked great after the clean, but a spot came back a day or two later.
Stains that reappear during the first 24-48 hours is typically “wicking.” WICKING – is the movement of moisture through capillary action from deep in the carpet, backing or pad during drying. Deep set stains, liquid spills and pet urine can all wick back to the surface after a clean. While we will do everything we can to minimize wicking, sometimes it is unavoidable. We always stand behind our work and will re-clean any areas of concern at no charge. This does not apply to stains or pet damage that a customer declines our recommendation for treatment, or enzyme injection treatments, but we are happy to return and re-clean untreated or unknown deep set stains or spills at a reduced charge.
