Monday, October 29, 2007
You Ask, We Answer...
Q: I am doing a carpet cleaning job and the owner said that there were spots in the carpet that were visible in the evening when lights were on in the room that weren’t visible during daylight hours. Does this sound like urine stains to you?
A: In dealing with a discoloration like this or similar ones there are items you need to have on hand to identify what it is and then how to remove it if at all possible. Here are recommended components:
Urine Removal Components * Ultraviolet light
* Paper towels
* Tweezers
* Paper or plastic cup
* Urinse Pre-spotter (original name: Urine Displacer)
* Bioenzyme Deodorant
* One or more measuring cups for mixed solutions
* Pitcher for rinse water
* Water Claw Spotlifter
* Extraction cabinet (portable or truck mount) with vacuum hose
Problem Diagnosis
Our initial response to this situation is that the spots may be from some kind of optical brightener. Its visibility to the naked eye changes with different wavelengths of light and the light source as well. This is a case where an ultraviolet light would be beneficial for identification. If it is an optical brightener from some kind of cleaner, it will glow a bluish purple. Many laundry detergents and some consumer cleaning products may have optical brighteners in them.
Optical brightener residue under UV light 
Urine residue under UV lightFirst, you could use your moisture sensor. Urine never really totally dries whereas an optical brightener does dry. Residual urine salts act as a desiccant material that absorbs moisture from the air. Positioning the sensor in an area of urine will cause the sensor to beep and flash.
Urine detection with a moisture sensorAn old trick used by carpet cleaners to identify urine presence is to moisten a folded white paper towel, tissue or napkin. Place it over the area in question.
Optical Brightener Removal
There is nothing that can be done to remove it. Only repeated cleanings, foot traffic over time and exposure to sunlight can reduce the effect of an optical brightener. That’s why Duraclean no longer sells them or puts them into any of our solutions. As we mentioned, the optical brightener deposit, if old enough, may have already yellowed.
Urine Removal
It depends upon how old the urine is and how deep it is in the carpet/pad. Urine is very tenacious being protein in nature and doesn’t want to be easily released from the affected surface. Your best bet to remove urine (at the very least the odor causing residue that is likely down through the carpet and pad to the underlying subfloor) is to employ the Water Claw Spotlifter. You will be using the Spotlifter to force solution and water down to the subfloor by “pressing” (without the vacuum hose attached) and then “extracting” the solution and water by attaching the vacuum hose which is connected to a portable cabinet or truck mount unit.
Urinse application 2) Pour enough so the Urinse will penetrate down to the subfloor and spread out. The urine contamination at the subfloor level will be larger than what is visible at the top of the carpet. Help force the Urinse into the pad and down to the subfloor by pressing downward with the Spotlifter.
Compressing the area with the Spotlifter
3) Allow about 10 minutes of dwell time.
4) Extract the Urinse with the Spotlifter.
Urinse Extraction
5) Pour plain water over the area.
Plain water rinse
6) Force it down to the subfloor by compressing the carpet and pad with the Spotlifter.
Compressing the area
7) Extract with the Spotlifter.
Extracting the area
8) Pour mixed Bioenzyme Deodorant on the area.
Bioenzyme Deodorant application
9) Force it down through the pad to the subfloor with the Spotlifter.
Compressing the Bioenzyme Deodorant application
10) Allow a minimum of 30 minutes of dwell time.
11) Extract the Bioenzyme Deodorant with the Spotlifter.
Bioenzyme Deodorant extraction
Optional: If you wish you can follow up with a clear water extraction using the Spotlifter. Then foam extract the carpet surface.
Multiple Urine Areas
If you have several areas with urine contamination you may want to move from area to area with the same steps such as first treat all areas through the Urinse step, rinse all areas and then treat all areas with the Bioenzyme Deodorant step and so on.
Light Contamination and Glue-Down Carpet
If the urine is present only in very small spots, then you can probably just treat them at the surface level with the Urinse and Bioenzyme Deodorant rather than the subsurface procedure detailed here. The same is true of glue-down carpet. You would eliminate the use of the Water Claw Spotlifter (which doesn’t work well on glue-down carpet) and saturate the carpet down to the subfloor with the solutions and plain water. Extraction steps are accomplished with a tool such as a wand or stair tool.
Labels: Deodorization, Pet Odor, Technical, Training, Urine, You Ask We Answer
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