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One of the facts of life of living with a pet is the occasional need to clean up after their “indiscretions”. The good news is that as they mature they will tend to NOT soil the areas they see as “living” areas — including their crate and most of their home. With some management we can reinforce them using OUTside areas when nature calls.
Be sure to know the “signals” your dog gives when s/he needs to go out. SNIFFING and CIRCLING are two common signals. YOUR puppy may have others, such as staring at you, or going to a door while whining. Respond promptly to those signals in order to minimize the need for cleanup. (It is much better to respond to a few false alarms in the early stages until you and your puppy “get your signals straight”.)
However, there WILL be times when cleanup is necessary — both at home and at the Training Center. When faced with that task, remember the following rules:
· TIMING is very important. SECONDS matter! The sooner the cleanup begins the easier and more successful it will be.
· TECHNIQUE is key — some tools and procedures work better than others. And some “common sense” methods will simply make matters worse.
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The most common stain is — URINE.
Tools needed: Old fabric towels (NOT Paper Towels), Nature’s Miracle (Red Bottle is best).
1. Blot up as much as you can of the wet stain.
2. Apply the Nature’s Miracle.
3. Leave it alone!
Why Nature’s Miracle? It is more than a cleaning solution or disinfectant. One of the main ingredients is ENZYMES that actually break down organic materials and render them neutral. This process can take several days. This is the reason that after you have blotted up the worst of the urine, you simply soak the soiled area and LET IT WORK. The RED bottle is the strongest formula with a citrus-y fragrance. It is slightly more expensive than the other types, but worth the cost.
[1] Use a fabric towel (FOLDED to several thicknesses) to blot up the stain. Place several thicknesses of towel over the stain and press down firmly with your foot, to absorb the stain. Do this only ONCE! Put a fresh dry part of the folded towel over the stain and press down again, to absorb more. It may be necessary to do this up to 4-6 times (using clean/dry sections of the towel) to get the most liquid up. [Repeatedly pressing down with the wet towel spot will only drive the stain deeper.] Do not scrub, because that will simply spread it out further.
Looking down from the top, the stain may look like a bulls-eye. What you see is only a small part of what is in your carpet. This is why seconds count — the longer you take to blot it up, the larger the target will grow to be under the surface. As you continue to blot with a dry part of your towel, pressure from your foot will lift the stain from the fabric and get less and less on the towel. Then it is time to go to step 2.
[2] Once you have blotted up as much urine as possible, then it is time to apply the enzymes. HOW MUCH? Think at least as much as the amount of urine in the first place. Do not use a fine spray! That will barely penetrate the surface. There must be enough to penetrate down as far as the urine went. That may mean several ounces! In that way it can immediately get to work neutralizing the urine.
[3] Leave it alone! The enzymes need time to work their magic — at least several days or more. DO NOT BLOT UP THE NATURE’S MIRACLE, or scrub the surface. It WILL work, but only if left alone. The worst that can happen is that the wet spot may collect dirt from the soles of your shoes — so try to avoid stepping on it until it dries.
That’s it! [1] Blot thoroughly; [2] Spray generously; [3] Leave it alone, to dry naturally.
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Solids: STOOL (firm):
This modifies the first step, which is the reason that you should ALWAYS have clean-up bags within reach.
[1] Use your bag to clean up the firm (non-juicy) stool.
[2] Spray the carpet or other surface with Nature’s Miracle to allow the enzymes to attack any minuscule trace left on the surface.
[3] LEAVE IT ALONE — no scrubbing necessary
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The Real Challenges: SOFT LIQUIDS such as VOMIT or DIARRHEA:
These situations require a combination approach. The hardest part is removing the worst of the mess from the surface without forcing any of it deeper into the carpet.
[1] Use a combination of plastic bags or paper towels to lift as much of the product as possible from the surface. Use a SIDEWAYS motion rather than a pressure or “scrubbing” motion to get as much material as possible removed. Move from different angles to assure that the product is removed.
[1-a] Use a brush or Nature’s Miracle-soaked towel to lightly scrub the surface to gradually lift the “stuff” from the surface. Remember to use a sideways/gentle scrubbing motion, rather than a “pressure” motion, to avoid pushing the soil deeper into the fabric.
[2] Apply a generous amount of Nature’s Miracle to the fabric and
[3] LEAVE IT ALONE to allow it to work. Very stubborn soiling may require additional treatments over several days.
Copyright © 2017, Redfern Canines Inc.