House sitting is a fun, exciting and sometimes glamorous way to live. If you’re lucky enough to have a long term house sit in a great location you may even find yourself calling the place home before too long. House sitting conjures up images of sitting on the deck with some cheese, crackers and red wine. Relaxing for days on end while taking care of someones home, all while saving money sounds like a dream for many..

Here at HappyHouseSitters, many of the sits we list come with a caveat. Some owners who travel for extended periods of time will rely on you to not only look after their home, but pet sit as well. A lot of owners will prefer in house care for their pets as opposed to a boarding service. Pets, particularly dogs and cats, can do funny things when their owners are away. They may be anxious or missing their owners when they first leave. This can lead to some unfortunate accidents such as urinating or going #2 on the carpet.

If this does happen then relax, there’s no need to worry. You have options available to you that can help clean the stains quickly. Not only quickly, but it’ll be so clean the owners won’t even know that an accident took place. For one, you might consider hiring a company to clean the carpets that offer a pet stain cleaning service. If you aren’t on a budget and just want the stain cleaned then this might be a good option.

Many house sitters are travelers on a budget and may want to save on the cost of hiring a professional. The good news is that you can conduct a pretty good cleaning job yourself. The truth is that all you need to clean pet stains from most fabrics and carpet is a handful of household items and some enthusiasm.

Start On The Stain Straight Away
Do yourself a huge favour and start on the stain as soon as you notice it. Preferably this will be as the pet is making the mess (if you’re lucky enough to catch them in the act). If not, acting as soon as you notice the stain. Acting quickly will give you the most likelihood of successful removal.

If the stain becomes one of those things you leave until right before the owner comes home it might be too late. Even if you can get the stain out it may leave a terrible odour. That is going to be much harder to explain away or fix. No one likes a house sitter who leaves a mess.

The Household Items You’ll Need To Use For the Clean
If you are sitting a house it’s likely all the items you need will be in the pantry or kitchen cupboard. If not then don’t worry because there’s nothing required you won’t find in the local supermarket. In fact, many are surprised by the simplicity of the products involved. All you’re going to need is white vinegar (this is the clear kind), bi-carb of soda, room temperature water, cleaning cloth and lemon juice (the last part is optional). It couldn’t be simpler!

Get down on your hands and knees with some good old fashioned elbow grease. Use the damp cloth to gently pat at the stain with the luke warm water. Be certain you never use hot water and don’t scrub at the stain. Either of these will only serve to work the stain into the carpet. This will make it impossible to clean and likely contribute to a bad odour.

Use The Following Process To Completely Remove Stains and Smells
Keep patting at the stain until you’ve been able to remove most of it. You might need to clean the cloth several times or use a new one. Once you’re almost there add a dash of vinegar to the stain and repeat the process. The vinegar helps further lift the stain as well as neutralize and of the nasty germs that exist.

Once that’s done you’re almost home free. Sprinkle a little bi-carb of soda over the damp section of the stain. The fine powder of the soda will absorb everything the vinegar has neutralized allowing you to remove it from the carpet. How do you clean up the bi-carb? Give it an hour to dry and simply run over it with a vacuum cleaner.

Do you remember when we mentioned lemon juice above? Now is the time to use it if you wish. The lemon will add a fresh smell to the carpet and further deodorize. It may also help to cover up a slight odour that can sometimes linger with the stain.

Typically you should repeat this process 2 or 3 times to make sure you’ve completely removed the stain. This is highly recommended, especially for urine stains as they cause the most havoc and smell.

So there you have it. If you are house sitting with pets and you find yourself faced with a stain or odour on the carpet use the steps above. They’ll help you clean the stain, fix the smell and ensure the floors are spick and span for when the owners