How To Clean Cat Poop From Your Carpet: Best Practices

  • Posted by Dan
  • 5 minute read

Let`s be honest – all cat owners experience these awkward situations.

If you are a cat lover, then sooner or later you will catch your pet defecating on the carpet or worse – step on a warm, squishy and moisty puddle, whilst on your midnight walk to the fridge.

In this post, we explore the tips and tricks to help you clean up cat poop off your flooring for good.

We want to make sure that no stain of poo will set on your carpet.

Before we proceed, ask yourself:

  • Do you find cat excrements on a regular basis, or is it a one-off accident?
  • Is your cat litter-trained?
What are the best cat litter brands (clumping & non-clumping)?
Take a look at our selection of self-cleaning litter trays as well./su_note]

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, you must identify the reason for the “misplaced cat poop”.

This is because bowel problems could be caused by behaviour issues or even stress matters.

If you think that your cat has altered its usual bathroom behaviour take them to the vet as soon as possible.

Important: Poo stains can be extremely stubborn and if DIY doesn’t work, do not hesitate and resort to professional dry chem or hot water steam extraction. A cleaning company will have far more know-how and experience because that’s what they do, right?

Follow the below-written easy-peasy methods and take that big yucky poo stain out of your carpet once and for all:

Defence Mode ON - Safety & Hygiene Come First

Before you start cleaning, arm yourself with the proper equipment.

Add the following items in your “cleaning cart”:

  • A pair of latex rubber gloves. Most cat owners neglect the risk of pet faeces harming your health. Cat poop hosts a wide range of both bacteria and parasites. With that said, avoid direct contact with cat faeces at all cost.
  • Old house clothes. While scouring, you may spill detergent and ruin your favourite shirt.
  • White cloths or a roll of paper towel. You could get cat scoops out of the carpet by using a rag but not the best thing to use. We will address that down the road, so stick and keep reading.

Remove the Bulk of the Mess

Do not waste time, get rid of it right away!

We highly recommend cleaning the soiled area as soon as possible. As mentioned above, cat faeces may pose harm to human health.

Moreover, poo bacteria causes revolting odours and permanent carpet stains.

  • Start by getting rid of the solids.
  • Use paper towels or an old rug.
  • With hands already gloved, carefully pick up the poo from the carpet.
  • Dispose of cat poo in a safe and hygienic way.

Also Read:

Test Clean the Soiled Area

Always do a spot test.

Treat a small piece of your carpet and check if decolouration happens. To overcome stubborn poop stains on your carpet, try one of the two:

Use DIY Carpet Cleaning Solution

Mix the right ingredients and get rid of feline faeces on the carpet with ease.

If properly done, a DIY carpet cleaner can be a trusty weapon against stubborn poop stains.

Note: You will have to neutralize the smell as well.

For chemistry enthusiasts, here’s a recipe for a DIY carpet cleaner. You need:

  • 2 cups of distilled white vinegar;
  • 2 cups of lukewarm water;
  • ⅘ tablespoons of baking soda.

How to Clean Cat Poop Off Your Carpet With a DIY Solution

  1. To get started, your goal is to absorb as much moisture as possible from the stained area.
  2. Grab rags or paper towels and fold them on two.
  3. Place them over the stain and dab until the cloth comes up dry.
  4. Avoid scrubbing the stain as the dirt can get scattered around and pushed further down into the carpet`s fibres.
  5. Then, heap the area with baking soda.
  6. Spread a good amount of ash right on top of the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes.
  7. While waiting, craft the “magic” cleaner.
  8. Mix up both water and vinegar into a small bucket.
  9. Slowly pour the liquid mixture onto the tiny pile of soda. You will notice some sort of a chemical reaction happening but you shouldn`t be too concerned about it. The bubbling process loosens dirt off your carpet fibres. Homemade solutions take a few minutes to get to work.
  10. Dab the blemish gently.
  11. Resist scrubbing and rubbing vigorously as you may damage the carpet.

If necessary, give the “magic cleaner” another try and repeat the procedure once again.

What If It Looks Clean But Still Smells?

Self cleaning cat litter trays article image

It is crucial to get rid of the remanent smell fast. Otherwise, your pet will be drawn to it, and thus return to poo again...

Surprisingly, only 5 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of mild dish soap are enough to neutralize any funky odours left behind.

  • Go ahead and stir both peroxide and solvent together in a small bowl.
  • Rub the mixture into the soiled area of the carpet delicately.
  • Move fast and blot it before the blend eventually takes the colouring out of the carpet.
  • Again, make sure the towels and rags you are using are white.

Note: Use only white clothes since coloured rags might transfer dye to your carpet and make things worse.

Top Tip: Save yourself a lot of hassle by using home remedies to deter your cat from pooping on the carpet again.

Use an Off-The-Shelf Carpet Stain Remover

Is your confidence in DIY chemistry less than zero? Another way to get cat poop off the carpet is by the means of a commercial product.

There are plenty of carpet cleaning solutions available on the market. Here’s how to find the purr-fect stain remover:

When buying carpet stain remover, especially for your cats accidents, check if:

  • It doesn't contain ammonia - Cat urine smells like ammonia. Cleaning up the mess with ammoniac products will encourage your cat to relieve themselves in the same spot.
  • It is safe for your pet - use a non-toxic, chlorine-free, and all-natural carpet cleaner to prevent poisoning or allergy.

How to Carry Out Carpet Cleaning With a Commercial Product:

The cleaning process follows many of the same steps as DIY. Once the solids are removed and moisture is taken-care-off, it’s time to treat the stains.

  1. Soak the soiled area with the cleaning solution until it is oversaturated.
  2. Use enough product to fully penetrate the affected area of the carpet.
  3. Now comes the fun part. Most commercial products do not compel any sort of scrubbing and rubbing or whatsoever. What you are actually in need of is time - from 10 minutes to overnight so that the solution combats the smudges.
  4. From that point, all you have to do is to grab a white cloth or paper towel, fold it and place it over the treated area. You can also put a heavy object on top to help wick the residual liquid out of the carpet.

Note: To tackle faeces which has been there for a while you may have to repeat a few times until you fully get rid of the smell.

Disinfect the Area and Prevent Any Further Accidents

Whether you craft a DIY carpet cleaning solution or buy a stain remover, there is one last thing to add to your housekeeping cart.

For peak performance, complement your carpet cleaning efforts with a neutralizing product.

Always use an enzymatic cleaner
Applying enzymatic cleaner ad the end of the cleaning process ensures a perfectly neat carpet area by ruling both smell and smears out of the flooring.

Aside from defeating stubborn stains and long-lasting odours, enzymatic detergents should discourage your cat from pooping on the carpet ever again.

Bear in mind that neutralizers are abundant on the market and instructions can vary. If nothing works, simply get an air purifier to filter the smell.

Note: To prevent future accidents, make sure you clean the litter box daily as some cats may refuse to use a messy and smelly sandbox.

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Conclusion

Congratulations, you are now ready to clean cat poop off the carpet!

Following these best practices, you can eliminate stinky carpet decorations, “designed” by your beloved cat. Good luck!

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