How We Treat Pet Stains and Odors

At A Magic Wand, we have been cleaning carpets in Calgary for more than 35 years, and pet stains and odors are some of the most common problems we encounter. Our goal isn’t simply to make the carpet look cleaner. We want to determine what we’re dealing with and use the appropriate cleaning and odor-treatment process.

Why Pet Accidents Can Cause Lasting Odors

When a pet has an accident, the urine doesn’t necessarily stay on the surface of the carpet. It can travel down through the carpet fibres, through the backing, and into the underlay underneath.

Once that happens, simply cleaning the carpet’s surface may not completely solve the problem. The carpet may look clean after treatment but still develop an odor later, particularly when humidity or moisture changes. That’s why professional pet stain and odor treatment sometimes requires more than ordinary carpet cleaning.

Stain Erase Pads for the Carpet Surface

For the carpet itself, we use specialized scrub pads that we call our Stain Erase Pads. These pads provide the mechanical action needed to work our cleaning solution into the carpet fibres and help loosen embedded soil and staining.

Combined with our professional equipment and cleaning solutions, this allows us to tackle heavily soiled areas and many of the stains left behind by pets. But pet accidents sometimes require additional treatment.

Low-Moisture Encapsulation Cleaning

Our primary carpet-cleaning solution is what we call our Encapsulator. It is part of our low-moisture encapsulation cleaning system and is designed to surround soil with microscopic particles of cleaning solution. As the carpet dries, the encapsulated soil can then be removed through normal vacuuming.

Because our process uses considerably less water than high-moisture cleaning methods, we can clean the carpet without unnecessarily saturating it. That is particularly useful when we’re dealing with carpets that have already experienced repeated pet accidents.

Stain Away for Difficult Pet Stains

Some pet stains are older, darker, or more stubborn than others. That’s when our optional Stain Away treatment can provide an additional level of cleaning power. Stain Away is our peroxide-based additive and can be used as part of a two-part cleaning process when appropriate for the carpet.

It can be particularly useful for challenging stains such as:

• Pet stains
• Older urine stains
• Food stains
• Coffee stains
• Other difficult organic staining

The peroxide-based chemistry is designed to break down as the cleaning process progresses. Our technicians determine whether Stain Away is appropriate based on the carpet and the condition we’re dealing with.

Pet Odor Treatment Options

Removing the visible stain and dealing with the odor can be two different jobs. Depending on the carpet’s condition, how severe the odor is, and where the contamination has reached, A Magic Wand has several options for odor treatment. These can include:

• ClO₂ (chlorine dioxide) treatments
• Bio Modifiers
• Appropriate cleaning and stain-treatment chemistry
• Our low-moisture Encapsulator cleaning process

Bio Modifiers can be useful when biological contamination is contributing to the odor. ClO₂ is another professional odor-treatment option that may be appropriate depending on the circumstances.

We don’t automatically use the same treatment on every carpet. Our technicians assess the situation and determine which approach makes the most sense. Sometimes a thorough cleaning and stain treatment may be enough. Other situations may call for a dedicated odor treatment or a combination of treatments.

Finding and Treating Urine in the Underpad

When we suspect that pet urine has made its way through the carpet and into the underpad, we can use black lights to help locate areas that may have been affected. We do our best to identify as many problem areas as possible.

When appropriate, we can inject the underpad in those affected areas with an appropriate odor-treatment solution. This allows us to address the problem below the carpet rather than simply cleaning the surface and hoping the odor disappears.

There are limitations. Black lights can help identify areas of concern, but they cannot guarantee that every affected area will be found. If contamination is extensive or has reached the flooring underneath, additional measures may be necessary. That’s why we assess each situation individually and explain what we believe can realistically be accomplished.

Realistic Expectations for Pet Odor Removal

As good as we are at treating pet stains and odors, every carpet is different and every animal creating the odor is different. The type and age of the carpet, amount of contamination, previous cleaning attempts, how long the urine has been present, and whether it has reached the underlay can all affect the results.

Different animals can also produce different types and levels of odor. Because of this, results may vary from one situation to another. We will always do our best to achieve the best result possible, but we don’t believe in promising that every pet odor can be completely eliminated with one treatment.

Less Moisture and Shorter Drying Times

Our low-moisture encapsulation cleaning uses considerably less water than many high-moisture carpet-cleaning processes. This means less moisture is left in the carpet and typically shorter drying times.

More Than 35 Years of Pet-Stain Experience

Pet stain removal isn’t something we learned from a textbook. We’ve been doing this for more than 35 years. During that time, A Magic Wand has used nine different cleaning systems, continually refining our approach based on what we have seen work in real Calgary homes.

Because we’re not a franchise or chain, we’re not trapped into using one particular cleaning system for every situation. That independence allows us to select the approach that makes sense for the carpet and the problem we’re trying to solve.

We have multiple tools available, including our Stain Erase Pads, Encapsulator, optional Stain Away, Bio Modifiers, ClO₂ odor treatments, and, when appropriate, treatment of the underpad itself. Most importantly, we understand that every carpet and every pet is different, so results can vary. We’ll assess the situation, explain what we can do, and give you a realistic idea of what to expect.

Book Pet Stain and Odor Treatment in Calgary

If you’re tired of looking at pet stains or you’re still smelling an odor after trying to clean the carpet yourself, contact Darcy or Troy to book a professional assessment. Tell us what you’re experiencing, whether the odor is new or ongoing, and whether you know where the pet accidents occurred. We’ll help determine what treatment options may be appropriate and get you scheduled. You can also call 403-274-3029 today.