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To effectively eradicate urine from carpet, we must understand its complex pH nature…

When fresh, urine is acidic around pH 5-6. (Hence the etching and permanent staining on marble floors around toilets and urinals). As it dries, it changes to an alkaline crystal and omits the well-recognized ammonia odour. The pH changes to over 11+, enough to damage natural fibers.

To achieve the best result, it is critical to understand pH in relation to cleaning. Actichem recently held an in-depth training webinar on this topic and we recommend you watch the webinar recording. It will enhance your knowledge of cleaning and give you more confidence in your decisions. Thus, saving you time and money on processes that didn’t work.

In short, the soiling needs to be neutralised (i.e., clean an acidic soil with an alkaline) for it to be effectively eradicated, as detail in the image below.

Understanding Urine

In most cases, urine remediation involves the removal of the uric crystal, an extremely resilient formation. When drying, the uric crystal encases and locks in the odour-causing bacteria. If the crystal becomes absolutely dry, it can become odourless. However, as soon as it comes in contact with moisture the mal odour will resume. Bactericides on their own, have little effect on these crystals and the odour-causing bacteria is not eliminated.

Equipment:

Readicating urine doesn’t involve any special equipment, rather the right chemistry and process.

  • Tamping Brush – Just the usual carpet tamping bush in fine. Basically, any hard bristle brush that can be used to push the product into the carpet. We aren’t wanting to brush the product into the carpet, this will damage the fibres.
  • Carpet Extraction Machine – Obviously to get the best results or any results, extraction is crucial. The bacteria needs to be fully removed in order to remove the odour.
  • Chemicals – The chemical component of the process is crucial due to the pH nature of urine. It will make more sense in relation to the process, so please see below.
  • PPE – Obviously when working with any chemical and soiling (dirt) always use the recommended personal protective equipment; aka ‘PPE’.
The Process:

There are three parts to tackling urine: decontamination, odour neutralisation and the stain. Sometimes they can be conquered in the same step, and often the stain is removed during the decontamination step.  

  1. Decontamination
    To dissolve the uric crystal, you can either use an organic acid such as Pet & Flood or a bio-enzyme like Deozyme. The treatment breaks down the uric crystal, exposing the encapsulated bacteria to be eradicated by a bactericide or bio-enzyme. The dissolved crystal can no longer emit the ammonia-like odour and can be extracted. For severe cases, more than one treatment may be necessary. Simply apply the chemical as directed on the label.Dilutions:

    • Pet & Flood – Ready to use.
    • Deozyme – Use 30-60ml per litre of water depending on the soiling conditions. For soiling (or bad cases), up to 100ml per litre can be added. If used on sensitive surfaces always pre-test for substrate chemical sensitivity.
  2. Odour Replacement
    By using odour-neutralising technology, residual mal odour can be eliminated, and a clean, fresh fragrance provided. The Actichem Elimotech chemistry includes this technology, which neutralises mal odours at a molecular level. Decontamination solutions such as Pet & Flood and Deozyme include this Elimotech technology.Tip: We highly recommend doing this step, as often the client will say they can still smell urine even though there is no urine left in the carpet. This is because the olfactory senses in the brain keep telling the person that the room smells like urine. The easiest way to overcome this is to replace the smell with a new, clean fragrance.

    • Deozyme – Same as step 1.
    • KemSpec Urine Tx – A deodorant that can be used effectively on carpets, upholstery and hard surfaces like tile, concrete and wood. It is even safe for use on stain-resistant carpet. Choose URINE TX for severe odour situations by applying it right out of the bottle. For situations requiring a milder odour remedy, dilute 64 ounces per gallon of water.
  3. Stain Removal
    If the urine stain is still present after the decontamination process, the use of hydrogen peroxide is normally successful. Hydrogen Peroxide oxidizes the urine colouring called urochrome. This oxidisation results in harmless residual elements and does not require rinsing. A 3-5% solution of hydrogen peroxide is generally sufficient. The formulated hydrogen peroxide solutions, Spotaway U and Conquer O2 are ideal for this application.Dilutions:

 

Tips
  • Combine steps – Add 60-100ml of Hydrogen Peroxide 50% to Spotaway U (“Urine Neutraliser”), boosting its stain removal performance. By doing this, it can combine the two steps into one.
  • Enzymes – Enzyme based decontaminators are a viable option for off-site rug cleaning operations and in-house cleaning.
  • Stain not removed – If the stain is not totally removed, it is very likely the highly alkaline crystal has damaged the fibres. Therefore, nothing more can be done to rectify this situation.
  • Gummy carpets – A constantly urine saturated area may contain a build-up of cholesterol and oils. The fibre will feel gummy, affecting your cleaning. One way to overcome this, is to use a prespray like Performance Plus.
  • Staining – When removing the stain, always keep in mind the type of animal, it’s age and what it has recently ingested. These factors will affect the severity and stubbornness of the stain.
  • Wet out claw – Because urine often penetrates far beneath the surface of the carpet, the “wet-out plus water claw” technique with Pet & Flood is often used with great success.
  • For severe cases – use an enzyme-based odour neutralizer, such as Deozyme, to fully decontaminate all layers of the carpet. The enzymes will digest the uric crystal, removing the odour and often the stain. Although enzymes take time to work, they will continue to decontaminate long after the cleaning is complete. Making it a great solution for decontaminating inaccessible places.
Relevant Training Courses

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