Our dogs are incredible in every way, the love, the companionship, and oops the poops.
Sometimes, your friend makes a mess and you want to know how to clean dog diarrhea off carpet. It is a whole ball game when you find that your dog has diarrhea on your carpet.
A few methods should be able to help you clean your carpet nicely, even if you are tempted to throw it away.
The poop needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible. The obvious reason is the smell will spread in your home instantly.
Also, feces are full of parasites and bacteria such as E.Coli, parasitic worms, and salmonella that are dangerous to people and pets.
Finally, if the poop stays longer on the carpet, it will absorb into the carpet padding and fiber leading to damage that can make you replace the carpet.
Continue reading to know how to get dog diarrhea out of carpet.
Supplies You Need
To clean the dog’s diarrhea off the carpet correctly, you will need the right tools. The following are the things you need to consider before cleaning the dog poop off the carpet
Gather Supplies
When you have all the supplies needed, it makes the cleaning process easier.
The stains of diarrhea need to be addressed immediately hence minimizing the damage if action is taken before damage sets in.
Gloves
Always protect your fingers and hands. Feces should never be handled with bare hands.
This is because diarrhea has harmful bacteria hence you need to invest in some latex gloves to create a barrier against the mess.
Cleaners
Several products in the market are designed to get rid of puppy poop.
For a stain with a strong odor like vomit, pet urine, or poop, enzymatic cleaner is a good choice because it provides thorough cleaning.
It has the enzyme actions like the healthy probiotics found in some yogurt that eat the microscopic particles making up stains.
This enzymatic cleaner also prevents future accidents.
This is because the cleaner removes the odor-causing bacteria that can confuse the pet making them defecate in the area again, this is because the pet uses their sense of smell for communication hence the dog may get confused by the smell of the previous poop.
You should be aware that most commercial cleaners have strong odors and powerful chemicals that affect children and pets.
If you want a gentler cleaner, you can use things already available in your home. These include: rubbing alcohol, dish soap, white vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide.
Wipes
You may need a lot of soft products for the absorption of diarrhea as much as possible. They can be disposed of easily and are easy to work with.
You can also use baby wipes which help in masking the smell. If there is nothing else, you can use a thick cloth but you should know that you will clean the mess later.
Vacuum or Steam Cleaner
You cannot easily get rid of diarrhea with your hands alone. There are powerful cleaning machines that will help you remove the bacteria left behind.
The ideal vacuum is the one designed to pick up a dog’s hair because it gets deep within the fiber. Steam cleaners are ideal because they use heated water to sanitize the carpet.
Steps To Clean Dog Diarrhea From Carpets
The first thing to do is to take your dog out to prevent further messes happening when you are cleaning then follow these simple steps to get your carpet cleaned:
- Remove Excess – wear your gloves and get rid of the excess mess using a paper towel or clean cloth. Pull the mess carefully without pressing it further.
- Blot – after removing the excess, blot the area with paper to remove the last of the poop. You can wipe and press lightly into the stain.
- Spray with the cleaning solution – use your purchased or homemade solution to clean and remove excess smell and stains. Homemade solutions include mixing white vinegar, warm water, and dishwashing liquid.
- Stubborn stain – if there is a stain after this, try applying hydrogen peroxide or ammonia and sponge it off with cold water. Blot it gently until it dries.
- Baking soda – sprinkle some baking soda over the affected area and it sits for some time. the n vacuum it up to remove any odor.
How to Clean Diarrhea From the Wool Carpet
Wool carpets are slightly different when cleaning dog diarrhea.
- Remove excess poop – This is common to all carpets. Removing excess poop and placing it in a plastic bag.
- Blot – Again, blot away any excess diarrhea
- Spray with cleaning solution – This is no different from the solution provided earlier. Mix equal measures of vinegar and water and pour into a spray bottle. Spray the area and blot it with a paper towel or cloth.
- Stubborn stain – You can add dish detergent to the mixture and ensure it doesn’t bleach.
- Cold water – Pour some water into the area and blot it dry to remove the remaining cleaning materials.
- Baking soda – Sprinkle some baking soda on the area and leave it for 10 minutes or overnight. Then vacuum up the baking soda. Your wool carpet at this time should be very clean and free of any smell.
Cleaning Up Wet Diarrhea
The minute you realize that your dog pooped on the carpet, take them outside.
When the dog is experiencing stomach upsets they tend to have multiple accidents, hence they need to be secured outside to avoid further mess.
When you’ve taken care of the dog, slap a pair of latex gloves to get the work done.
The first thing needed is to get off the poop sitting on top of the carpet. Handle this carefully so that you avoid spreading diarrhea more.
Scoop the mess using a paper towel and dispose of it in a plastic bag. A paper plate also if you need something firmer, scrape it up without pushing the mess further into the fibers.
Blot away – this involves using the paper towel to absorb more diarrhea from the carpet as possible.
Press the towel lightly onto the surface and do not rub because rubbing can separate the carpet fiber causing the poop to fall deeper. Spray the cleaning solution into the affected area and blot up the moisture.
When most of the diarrhea is removed, allow the area to dry out. You can repeat the process a few times to remove it all. Spray the cleaning solution, blot up the moisture and allow it to dry.
When the mess is gone, vacuum-clean the area to pick up any leftovers and speed up the drying process.
Cleaning Up Dried Diarrhea
When you get home to find that the dog had an accident some hours ago and has started to dry out.
There is no need to worry because cleaning up dried diarrhea is simple. All you need is to rehydrate the mess so that it’s easy to pick up.
First, remove any large pieces of feces that have hardened on the carpet
Then make the hydrating mixture. Get a spray bottle and mix equal parts of water and vinegar. Acidic vinegar breaks down diarrhea and the water will loosen up from the fibers.
Saturate the affected area fully using the spray bottle. Once the diarrhea is wet again, blot it up and apply cleaner till it is all gone.
Addressing The Stains
If you spend time trying to remove poop from the delicate fibers of the carpet, this might leave some stains. This may appear discolored.
Take some time to preserve the carpet and remove stains. There are commercially available stain removers.
Hydrogen peroxide can be used. Drop the hydrogen peroxide onto the stain and let it dry. Don’t fully saturate the area but cover the area and let peroxide do the thing.
If there are noticeable stains, create a cleaning agent. Dilute hydrogen peroxide with some water. Then spray the stained area with the mixture and sprinkle some baking soda over it for a chemical reaction to happen.
Using a stiff bristle brush, work the mixture into the fiber. Allow it to sit for an hour, remove that mixture and blot up any moisture.
Addressing Odors
The odors should be gone after all the cleanup. However, sometimes you may find that there is still a faint odor around the place because of the leftover bacteria and unseen tiny fecal matter.
Therefore, taking care of fecal matter is important. This will prevent the dog from coming back to poop in the same spot.
The best way of tackling odor is by using a steam cleaner. The heat from the steam cleaner will sanitize the fibers and loosen up any left feces leaving your carpet smelling great.
Use the steamer to go over the affected area several times and follow up with your traditional vacuum for better results.
Soapy water can also be used. Drop some laundry detergent d dish soap into some cold water and spray the solution on the area.
Use gloved fingers or a stiff brush to work the mixture and form a lather then use clean water to wash away the soap. Now, blot up the excess mixture.
How To Keep Your Dog From Getting Diarrhea
If you are trying to clean the dog’s diarrhea from the carpet, you could be wondering how to prevent your dog from getting diarrhea. The following ways will help your dog from getting sick:
Fast the dog – when the dog is having stomach upsets, he may try to fast alone. Therefore, do not try to feed him.
You could try to hold off on feeding your pet from 6 to 24 hours depending on how comfortable you feel when you are withholding food.
When diarrhea will be over, start by offering your dog water and try to get him to the normal diet.
Give your dog bland food – when the dog is back on his feeding schedule, stick with bland foods like white rice, soup, ground beef, or boiled chicken.
Rebalance the gut – once diarrhea passes, help your dog restore gut health by giving probiotic and prebiotic supplements.
Probiotics heal the gut lining and repair the intestinal cells. Prebiotics inhibit the growth of bacteria and support fluid balance and electrolytes.
Use medication – there are medications and natural remedies used to treat diarrhea. Consult your vet on which is good for your dog.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is It Okay To Do Spot Treatment For Dog Diarrhea?
This depends on the stain severity and the extent of the affected area of the carpet. If the stain covered a large area, it is good to follow the initial clean-up using the cleaning products.
For best results, use a professional carpet cleaning machine as well as quality products for good results. Deep cleaning is effective because it gets rid of the dog smell on the carpet.
Do I Need To Use Disinfectant On My Carpet After Cleaning Up Dog Diarrhea?
Dog diarrhea has bacteria and disinfecting the area is a good way. However, the industrial-strength disinfectant may be too harsh to use on your carpet.
Instead, use the carpet stain remover with disinfectant properties.
Does Dog Diarrhea Ever Leave Permanent Stains On The Carpet?
It may look awful, but dog diarrhea doesn’t always leave a permanent stain when cleaned up immediately.
There might be a noticeable discoloration on light color carpets hence the need for more stain removal effort. Stubborn stains need a professional stain remover.
Conclusion
From this article, you can see there is a carpet problem that can be solved with the right knowledge and tools.
Cleaning the dog’s mess from the carpet can be a disgusting task but it is very easy with the right tools and guidance.
Owning a dog involves occasional mess clean-up. If you act quickly your carpet will survive and to top it up ensure that your companion is okay as well.
Therefore, get yourself equipped with the right products for your carpet problems.
You may need to spend some money on buying products or you could save some cash and may your cleaning products. Above all that, your carpet should look and smell good and back to normal.
