Getting Out Pet Stains with Vinegar

White vinegar is a great cleaner for removing pet stains.

Vomit, feces and urine stains come out easily with a quick application of my vinegar cleaning solution. An added benefit is that vinegar is a great deodorizer so it doesn't just remove pet stains, it gets out any lingering odor or smell too.

Vinegar is cheap, you’ve usually got some around the house, and it’s a green cleaner – good for the environment. So when your pet decides to leave you a gross little "gift" around the house, get out the trusty vinegar and lets get busy removing the pet stain!

Vinegar Cleaning Solution:

Mix the following:

• 1 cup of vinegar
• 1 quart of warm water

Getting The Pet Stain Out:

Vinegar is a natural deodorizer, mild disinfectant and germicide. It leaves no residue, so you don't have to rinse the stain again after cleaning with it.

Vinegar is safe for just about every surface- carpet, wood floors, linoleum, vinyl and tile or ceramic floors.

But it's not safe for stone floors such as marble or travertine. Because vinegar is an acid it will dissolve the surface of the delicate stone, removing the shine and leave the surface of the stone looking dull and spotty.

Just make sure you get out all stains as soon as possible. If it dries, it's harder to remove the stain.

1. If your furry friend has vomited or pooped on the rug, you need to remove the solid stuff first. Either pick it up with a paper towel and dispose of it or scoop it up and dispose of it. If your pet has urinated skip to next step and blot up the moisture below.
2. Now remove as much of the rest of the stain as you can with a clean paper towel or cloth.
3. Be careful not to push the stain into the pile of a carpet or the fibers of upholstery. Simply blot at it until you have gotten out as much moisture as you can.
4. If you are concerned with colorfastness you can test the cleaning solution in an inconspicuous place first. Vinegar is safe for most surfaces except for stone floors such as marble or travertine. I'd hold off on using this if you have an expensive or delicate area rug until checking with the manufacturer too.
5. Now either spray the water and vinegar solution onto the stain or pour it on until the whole area that was stained by the pet is wet. Don't flood the area, but let the cleaning solution sit for a minute or so.
6. Blot, blot, blot some more until you get all of the liquid up.
7. If there’s still a stain, you can let the carpet dry a bit and then repeat the process.
8. If the stain is really tough and still persists, mix vinegar and baking soda and use that as the next step. The foaming action of this mixture should help move the stain up out of the stained material.
9. Leave it on a couple of minutes and then blot again.
10. You can rinse the area with clean water to remove any remaining vinegar cleaning solution, it's also safe to let it dry naturally and the vinegar smell will dissipate when it is dry.

Removing Any Lingering Smell or Odor:

Cleaning up pet vomit, feces or urine with a vinegar and water solution may take several applications but it will work. Both baking soda and vinegar are natural deodorizers and work to remove any lingering odor too.

Get it ALL up because any smell of urine or feces left on the carpet, floor, or wherever else your pet has left the stain will draw your pet back to the area for a repeat performance.

The vinegar smell will disperse as it dries so don’t worry about your house smelling like salad dressing for too long. Open a window if the weather allows.

Most houses can use a little fresh air once in a while, anyway, right?