Pets are usually part of our families, and just like a small child, they can also cause some messes in the house. Whether you have an aging cat or dog, or small puppies, accidents are inevitable. A young pet can cause frequent accidents in your house until you succeed in pet potty training. On the other hand, older pets can, at times, cause a mess due to incontinence. In general, any pet, regardless of age, can have occasional accidents or become ill and vomit or even poo on your hardwood floor.
Whether you are dealing with urine, vomit, or poop, you can avoid stubborn stain on your hardwood floors by cleaning up the mess right away. The finishing used on most hardwood flooring can only hold off your pet’s mess for a short duration. Therefore, if you fail to clean up pet urine on the hardwood floors, it can easily soak into the wood below. That can happen if you have a carpet over your hardwood or if you do not see the mess in time, and the pet urine soaks through to the actual wood.
Table of Contents
Here are some of the common ways you should consider when you want to remove pet stains from your hardwood floor.
Grapefruit Oil and Vinegar Solution
The ordinary vinegar you have in your cupboard or pantry can be beneficial in many cleaning tasks around your house. Popularly known as natural deodorant and disinfectant, white vinegar can also be a great solution for removing stains on hardwood floors. You can mix a cup of white vinegar into a bucket full of warm water and then add a few drops of some grapefruit oil to the mixture to lift off the odor. Scrub your floor using this natural and safe cleaner, focusing mostly on the most visible areas. The stains and odor should be fading as you scrub the floor.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is one of the most common methods when you are trying to figure out how to get rid of pet stains from your hardwood floor. It can soak up any residue or dampness, and also deodorize your floor. Start by sprinkling the baking soda on all the stains and then make a pretty thick layer over the entire stained spot. Allow it to sit for an hour and then vacuum the part correctly. If the floor is still damp, you can repeat the process once more.
Hydrogen Peroxide
You can also utilize the hydrogen peroxide to remove tough stains on the hardwood floor. However, using this product significantly depends on the level of the deepness of the pet stains. First, scrub the pet stains with a cloth soaked with peroxide and allow them to dry. If the odor and stains are not properly eliminated, cover the stains with paper towels using hydrogen peroxide. You should leave each paper towel on every stained area for a couple of hours and then checking repeatedly after every hour to see if the stains are lifting off. If the floor color is showing mild discoloration after stain removal, you should consider refreshing it.
Enzymatic Cleaners
According to Animal Planet, enzymatic cleaning products are non-toxic and incredibly effective when it comes to lifting off urine odors and stains from hardwood surfaces. Some enzyme cleaners are designed specifically to handle pet odors and stains. These cleaners utilize natural enzymes to neutralize hence eliminating pet urine. However, you should follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer to get the desired results.
Sanding and Refinishing
The other option you can consider when you want to get rid of the pet stains is to sand your hardwood floor. If the pet stains are not too deep, you can sand it deep enough to remove all the stains. However, you will have to stain the entire area where you sand for it to match with the surrounding part. You might have to blend the stains to make the refinished spots less visible.
Conclusion
Removing pet stains from your hardwood floor can be very challenging. However, acting quickly to clean up vomit, urine, and poop stains on this type of floor is the key to lifting off the smells and the stains. There are many pet stain removal products on the market, but you can also remove pet stains with items that you have around your home like baking soda and white vinegar. If you are trying to figure out how you can get rid of pet stains on your floor, the methods discussed above will help you lift off the smell and also minimize the appearance of the pet stains to restore your hardwood floor to its former glory.
