Why Do Your Rugs Smell in Monsoon Weather? – Prescott AZ
Ruthie with Arizona Oriental & Specialty Rug Care here in Prescott and I’ll make this short and sweet – it’s probably because of your four-legged best friend.
During spring and the first part of summer, we don’t get as many complaints about odors in area rugs here at our shop. But then monsoon season starts up again and all of a sudden, there are a LOT of stinky rugs!
Let’s say that your four-legged friend has an accident on your rug. Urine is naturally acidic and certainly smells a little when the accident first happens on your area rugs. Most rug owners dab up as much wetness as possible and maybe even treat the spot with a little at-home urine spotter if they have it lying around.
But let me tell you a little secret… DABBING & SPOT CLEANING DOESN’T ACTUALLY REMOVE THE URINE!
Of course, these odorous urine salt crystals eventually dry and you may not notice anymore odors for a while. Problem solved! But then the chemistry of the urine changes as bacteria feed on the urine deposit and off-gas ammonia. This turns the urine from acidic to an alkaline, making odors much more apparent.
Then before you know it, the rains move in and humidity goes through the roof! These alkaline urine salt crystals absorb that humidity and off-gas even more, making the odors WAY more noticeable!
I always remind my clients that urine is VERY DAMAGING to rug fibers. Why?
- Urine destabilizes dyes and causes bleeding (the reds and blues spread into the beige)
- Color loss and discoloration from the urine.
- Rug fibers are weakened, which leads to….
- Dry rot! This will cause splits, tears, and holes to form in your rug.
- Urine attracts all kinds of yucky bacteria and germs.
The good news about urine odors is that they remind us that there are deposits still in our rug that need to be treated and thoroughly flushed out before they can do all this damage to your rug!
Arizona Oriental specializes in removing animal urine from area rugs and making your rug fresh and clean again. Our cleaning solutions and urine-neutralizing products are all certified wool and silk safe, so no worries about your delicate Persian and Oriental rug fibers!
Till next time, enjoy your beautiful art for your floors and remember a clean rug is a rug that can last you a lifetime!
Arizona Oriental & Specialty Rug Care serves Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona, and much of the Northern Arizona areas. We meet the highest standards in professional cleaning of area rugs with rug wash specialists having earned the highest training, including certification as WOOLSAFE FIBRE CARE SPECIALISTS through the WOOLSAFE ORGANISATION. Such extraordinary certification ensures the area rugs of our client’s receive the utmost in care.
Call us for more information on animal urine odors and removal at 928-445-1718, visit our website at www.ArizonaOriental.com, or stop by Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at our rug washing facility at 565 EZ Street, Prescott, AZ 86301 (pick-up and delivery also available). (07-06-17)
