How to clean dog poop out of carpet, including diarrhea

Step by step: how to clean dog poop out of carpet, including diarrhea

Safety first. Wear disposable gloves and wash your hands with soap and water afterward. Pet feces can carry germs and parasites, so keep children and other pets away until the spot is clean. Never mix ammonia with bleach.

1. 1

   Put on gloves and lift the solids

   Pick up solid poop with a paper towel or an inside-out plastic bag, lifting straight up. Then scrape the remaining smear gently with a plastic putty knife or spoon, working from the outside in, and wipe the blade on a paper towel after each pass. Do not press down or rub, which pushes it into the backing.

2. 2

   Blot up diarrhea before anything else

   For loose stool, lay paper towels on the spot and press straight down to soak up as much as you can, replacing them until they come up nearly dry. You may need 5 or 6 rounds. Scraping wet diarrhea only spreads it.

3. 3

   Wash with dish soap and cool water

   Mix 1 teaspoon of clear dish soap into 1 pint (2 cups) of lukewarm or cool water. Sponge it onto the spot with a white cloth, then blot with a dry towel. Keep sponging and blotting until no more brown transfers to the towel.

4. 4

   Rinse out the soap

   Dab the area with plain water and blot until the towel stays clean. Leftover soap attracts dirt and can confuse the enzyme cleaner in the next step.

5. 5

   Apply an enzyme pet cleaner

   Test it in a hidden spot, then saturate the area with an enzyme stain and odor cleaner so it reaches as deep as the mess did. Leave it for the time on the label, often 10 to 15 minutes or longer. The enzymes break down the proteins that cause odor and that can lure your dog back to the same spot.

6. 6

   Blot, weight and air dry

   Blot up the excess, then lay a stack of white towels on the spot with something heavy on top for an hour. Let the carpet air dry completely. Do not use a steam cleaner or hair dryer, since heat can set protein stains and odor.

7. 7

   Check for a stain once dry

   If a brown shadow remains after the carpet is fully dry, repeat the soap wash and enzyme step. A stain that still will not lift, or an accident on wool or silk, is a job for a professional carpet or rug cleaner.

How to get dog diarrhea out of carpet

Blot as much as you can with paper towels before any liquid goes on, then wash, rinse and use an enzyme cleaner twice. Diarrhea soaks deeper and stains more than solid poop, so expect to repeat the wash.

• Let a very runny mess firm up for 10 to 15 minutes under a layer of paper towels or a sprinkle of baking soda, which soaks up liquid, then scoop it up.
• Work in small amounts of cleaning solution. Pouring lots of liquid on carries the mess down into the pad, where it will smell for weeks.
• If a stain persists after the soap wash, the University of Georgia Extension suggests sponging with 1 tablespoon of ammonia in 1 cup of warm water on synthetic carpet. Pet experts disagree: the Humane World for Animals guide says ammonia and vinegar smells can encourage pets to go there again, so try the enzyme cleaner first. Never use ammonia on wool or silk, and never with bleach.
• Watch your dog. Repeated diarrhea, blood in the stool, vomiting or lethargy are reasons to call your vet.

Why use an enzyme cleaner instead of a regular carpet cleaner?

Because enzyme cleaners break down the organic matter that causes the smell, while ordinary cleaners only lift the visible stain. Dogs return to spots that still smell like a bathroom to them, even after you can no longer smell anything.

Humane World for Animals recommends enzymatic cleaners for pet messes, says to avoid steam cleaners because heat can set the stain and odor, and suggests a black light to find old accidents you missed. Use enzyme cleaners on synthetic carpet only: Woolmark advises against enzyme detergents on wool, and Nourison’s rug care chart lists pet excrement as a stain to call a professional cleaner for. For lingering smell, see how to remove pet odor.

What not to do when cleaning poop out of carpet

Do not rub, soak, use heat or reach for bleach. Each one either spreads the mess, sets it, or damages the carpet.

Shaw’s carpet care guide says to scrape solids first, always blot rather than rub, rinse detergent out with water, and weight towels over the spot to pull out moisture. It also warns that bleaches and some disinfectants, including quaternary ammonium products used over time, can discolor or damage carpet, so use a pet cleaner made for carpet rather than a household disinfectant spray. The same cleanup steps work for vomit; see how to get throw up out of carpet.

Mistakes to avoid

• Rubbing or scrubbing the spot, which drives feces into the backing and spreads the stain.
• Using a steam cleaner or hot water, which can set the stain and odor.
• Spraying bleach or a household disinfectant that can discolor the carpet.
• Skipping the enzyme step, so the spot still smells like a bathroom to your dog.
• Pouring on so much liquid that it soaks into the pad.
• Using an enzyme cleaner on a wool rug.