Did your doggie or kitty have another accident on the carpet? Try using baby powder or cornstarch as a quick fix for the problem. This is cheaper than using commercial powders.
Baby powder is very absorbent because it contains cornstarch. The idea here is to sprinkle the baby powder on the urine as soon as possible so that liquid is soaked up by the powder and stopped from seeping into the floorboards or carpets.
You should also work quickly. All you need is the baby powder and some paper towels. As soon as the accident happens you need to sprinkle baby powder all over the mess. Then press down with paper towels to try and absorb any liquid that the baby powder did not get. Quickly clean up the residue and then vacuum.
Cleaning up pet messes with baby powder is cheap however for this method of clean up to be effective you have to get to the mess while it is still a puddle on the floor.
Are there any drawbacks to using baby powder on pet stains? Well for one thing a lot of people don’t like the smell. In that case you can try to find unscented baby powder and use that instead. The main disadvantage is that the particles of silica in Baby Powder can be inhaled into the lungs of children or pets, which can be irritating and make them cough. Yet another drawback is that it does not clean the bacteria that breeds in a pet stain. Any urine left will simply continue to degrade and cause that ammonia stench.
If you are a purist then you might want to try baking soda. Baking soda is for purists who don’t like to use bleach or soap on upholstery or carpets. It is also better to use if your pet urinated on a more delicate fabric.
This method also works best if you can clean up the mess as fast as possible. First soak up any water with paper towels. Then sprinkle baking soda over what is left until the stain is completely covered. Let it stand for two minutes and then remove the excess. Take a scrub brush and scrub vigorously with an inwards motion. Don’t scrub outwards or you will spread the stain. Add water if you need to and keep blotting the stain with paper towels so that you can soak up as much urine as possible. As a final measure completely cover the stain with baking soda and leave it orvernight. Vacuum the excess off in the morning.
Of course the bonus to using baby powder is that it may help combat some odor and prevent some kinds of fabrics from staining. However the drawback is that it may not get rid of all of the odor. Baking soda is also not antibacterial so it may cause bacteria to breed over time. There is also a danger that the scrubbing motion and the water that is used in this method might press the urine deeper into the carpet.