How to Keep Carpets Clean With Dogs

Dogs and carpet can live together peacefully, but I’d recommend a few must-have products to make sure this relationship remains spotless, odorless and easy. Of course, removing carpet is an easy fix, but sometimes that’s not an option, especially if you’re living on a tight budget or renting a home.

I’ll share my secrets on how to keep carpets clean with dogs. These carpet cleaning tips have worked wonderfully for the 10 years I lived with four large dogs and had white carpet. Not to mention we sold our home with that same white carpet within 24 hours in a very difficult housing market in 2009! Let’s just say these secrets work. 🙂

Steam Clean Your Carpet

Think of steam cleaning as the “big gun” of carpet cleaning. I recommend steam cleaning carpet every 4-6 months. While this might seem excessive to most pet owners, steam cleaning is the quickest and easiest way to deep clean large carpeted areas. However, not all carpet steam cleaners and products are alike.

How to Choose a Steam Cleaner

Purchase or Rent

You can either rent or purchase a steam cleaner, depending on your budget. Instead of renting, I waited until the Bissell Big Green Steam Cleaner went on sale and purchased a canister option as we had white-carpeted stairs too. By far, it was the best purchase ever!

My Big Green girl, as she was fondly labeled, lived for 12 maintenance-free years. If renting a steam cleaner is your choice, I would locate a steam cleaner rental that is certified by the Carpet and Rug Institute. That way you know it works well and is cleaned in between rentals.

Find a Good Suction

An effective cleaning solution is good, but having great suction power from a good steam cleaning machine is key. For an entire year, I was convinced that squirting more cleaning solution onto carpet would remove more dirt and stains, but I was completely wrong.

After reading an article written by leading asthma experts, I learned suctioning the majority of sprayed cleaning solution out of carpet works better. Don’t get carried away with spraying; lightly mist carpet with cleaning solution, then spend ample time removing sprayed solution from carpet by slowly suctioning up cleaning solution. Not only did this carpet cleaning tip remove tough stains, but our carpet dried within 10 minutes as well.

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Find an Effective Cleaning Solution

Once you’ve decided on a steam cleaner, you need an effective steam cleaning solution that will lift new and old stains. It also helps if the carpet cleaning solution you use removes trapped dirt and leaves a lasting clean fragrance. I’ve tried at least 20 different brands until I found one that brightened our white carpet and removed old stains. By far, my favorite is Resolve Pet Steam Clean solution. I add a ½ cup of solution too because it contains enzymes, which removes odor.

More Cleaning Solution Isn’t Better

When adding a steam cleaner solution to your steam cleaner, follow the cleaner’s directions exactly. One time, I added more cleaning solution than recommended, thinking that more solution than water would do a better job, but it was a fail. Once dried, my carpet felt stiff and contained a weird residue, so I had to clean my carpet all over again. Please, learn from my mistake. 🙂

Clean Up Messes When They Happen

Accidents will happen; it’s part of sharing our homes with dogs. Cleaning up accidents right when they happen is the best way to keep your carpets clean with dogs, so wipe up debris before spraying any type of cleaner on your carpet. If your dog urinates or vomits on your carpet, wipe and dab up as much liquid as possible before spraying a cleaner.

A quick tip: grab an old towel or paper towels, place on top of the accident, and stand on the towel for a few seconds. Rotate the towel to absorb additional moisture until the towel is dry.

Now, it’s time to clean! Spray the area with an effective carpet spot cleaner and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Scrub the area with a clean towel and clean between carpet piling. By far, Resolve Pet Stain Remover is my favorite spot cleaner for carpet. For big messes, pull out your steam cleaner and really clean your carpet thoroughly. 🙂

Avoid Carpet Deodorizers

Honestly, I find most carpet deodorizers cause more harm than good. Powder carpet deodorizers are usually made of fine powder and contain chemicals. Also, the overwhelming scent and dust particles aggravate my asthma. In addition, I’ve had several dogs develop paw hot spots whenever I’ve used it. If your carpet has an odor, I recommend steam cleaning it instead of using a carpet deodorizer. This will actually remove the odor rather than mask it with deodorizers.

Now, sit back, close your eyes and take in a deep breath. Awwwww, clean!

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