The Pandemic Has Made Your Ability to Treat Pet Urine Stains and Odors More Important Than Ever… and HydraMaster has Introduced Revolutionary New Technology to Help Do Just That

Why is the demand for the professional treatment of pet urine increasing?

According to a survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association in 2019, Sixty-seven percent of U.S. households, or about 85 million families, own a pet. According to the publication/website Today’s Veterinary Business, an estimated 11.38 million U.S. households have gotten a new pet during the COVID-19 pandemic. A large percentage of these people are first time pet owners.

Now if there is one thing that we know as professional cleaners and restorers, dogs and cats do their thing, meaning peeing and pooping, on both hard surface floors and carpeting. They seem to have an uncanny ability to choose the most valuable or vulnerable area rug in the home too. While most pet owners will tell you that their dog or cat is “trained” to go outside, you and I know from our experience that occasionally, even the best trained dog or cat will relieve themselves in the house. After all, if they are male, they are just “marking their territory.” Add to that fact that so many of these new pet owners are first time pet owners, and don’t have any experience training their pets to “go outside” and we know that the need and demand for professional treatment of pet urine and feces odors and stains is higher than ever. It’s a service you need to be promoting.

What are the results of pet urine and feces on carpet, floor coverings, and the home?

We can summarize the issues that a build-up of pet urine on carpets and floors into four categories:

• Obnoxious smell
• Unsightly stains
• Breeding ground for potentially harmful contaminates
• Structural damage to floors, walls, and furnishings

While many people believe that when their pet goes on a hard surface floor (tile, stone, concrete, luxury vinyl plank) they can simply wipe or mop it up and be done with it, studies show otherwise. One study showed that “over 90% of fecal matter that shoes pick up in public restrooms and from animal fecal matter outdoors has been shown to transfer to hard surface floors throughout a facility.”  Even Charles Gerba, a University of Arizona microbiologist who conducted a seminal study on the subject, was surprised. “I’m starting to make myself paranoid,” Gerba told the Baltimore Sun when his study debuted  “It seems like we step in a lot more poop than I thought.” For the study, 10 people wore brand-new shoes for two weeks before their kicks were sampled for bacteria. The outside of the shoes averaged 421,000 units of bacteria, compared with 2,887 on the inside. And fecal bacteria appeared on 96% of the shoes.  That “indicates frequent contact with fecal material, which most likely originates from floors in public restrooms or contact with animal fecal material outdoors,” Gerba said for the study. And here’s the, ahem, kicker: The transfer rate bacteria from shoes to clean tiles was 90% to 99%. Picked up the dog poop in your back yard lately? You likely tracked some of the urine and fecal matter into your house. So do your customers. The harsh nature of pet urine (highly acid when it is excreted, but eventually becoming an alkaline salt) attacks the structural components of laminate, wood, and plank floors, and can etch and damage concrete floors. As a cleaner, you already know what a build-up of urine does to carpeting.

So then, what services/treatments can you offer as a professional cleaner to help?

From one job to the next, you may need to:

• Eliminates odors
• Eliminates stains – even stubborn older stains
• Treats and removes potentially harmful contaminates
• Restore the full use and enjoyment of carpet and other floors
• Stops or contains structural damage

Virtually every professional cleaner has been faced with having to choose a “favorite” pet urine treatment. Let’s review the technology that is out there:

1. Urine-pretreatments – these acid-based treatments are designed to break up the lipids and salts that bind the urine to the carpet or flooring. They make any deodorizing or stain removal solution for urine work better. They are not effective alone at eliminating odors or removing stains.
2. Enzyme deodorizers/bacterial cultures – these products use enzymes to digest and break down the urine contamination. These products can work very well against odors but must have a long dwell time to work effectively (at least an hour it says on the leading products label, and up to 24 hours). Plus, they are not great at removing the resulting stains. They don’t have a high level of effectiveness at removing potentially harmful contaminates. They also have been shown to be a skin sensitizer when prolonged contact occurs
3. “Cide” type deodorizers (bonding/encapsulating deodorizers) – Once again these products can work very effectively against odors, but do virtually nothing to eliminate resulting pet urine stains or remove/treat potentially harmful contaminates
4. Hydrogen Peroxide based stain removers – These products can be effective at removing urine related stains but do very little alone for eliminating the odor and they can be severe skin sensitizers to both you as the applying technician, as well as the homeowner or their pets.

Here is a summary chart of this discussion:

That brings us to the newest technology in pet urine odor and stain eliminators – ODORSLAYER from HydraMaster.

 So what does HydraMaster have that is truly different and better?

ODORSLAYER can do it all when it comes to treatment:

• Eliminates odors
• Eliminates stains – even stubborn older stains
• Treats and removes potentially harmful contaminates
• Restores full use and enjoyment of carpet and other floors
• Stops or contains structural damage

So just how does ODORSLAYER work?

ODORSLAYER combines the power of oxygen – in the form of stabilized chlorine dioxide – with an odor binding deodorizer, and industry favorite fresh lemon fragrance of to create a fast acting, environmentally-friendly, effective broad-spectrum odor, and stain eliminator. ODORSLAYER can be used with a sub-surface extraction or spotting tool to speed up your effectiveness at treating severe urine contamination. ODORSLAYER is cost effective too. It can be mixed from 1 part chemical to 5 parts water for use across wide areas. For severe contamination, it can be used straight. It can be sprayed onto the contaminated area, allowed to dwell, and then extracted. For stubborn odors and stains, you can apply ODORSLAYER and leave it and let it dry.

There are a few simple precautions to take when applying ODORSLAYER. As with all solutions, always pretest the surface/carpet the product is being applied to for colorfastness before use. Do not use ODORSLAYER in conjunction with acid spotters, pre-treatments, rinses, or extraction detergents as color loss can occur on some carpets. If the carpet has been or needs to be treated with an acid before you apply ODORSLAYER, simply rinse/extract the area with water prior to the application of ODORSLAYER.

ODORSLAYER is safer to use too – requiring no personal protective equipment (PPE) when applying. ODORSLAYER’s non-corrosive and non-irritating formula is gentle on the skin. ODORSLAYER can be safely and effectively used on virtually all synthetic carpets – nylon, olefin, polyester, and Triexta. It can be safely applied to virtually any hard surface floor (pre-test on any added finish first). Recent tests have demonstrated it Is even safe and effective to apply to wool carpets and wood rugs, although we always recommend pre-testing for colorfastness first. ODORSLAYER should not be used on cotton, silk, and viscose fibers.

What else can ODORSLAYER do for you?

ODORSLAYER contains an industry favorite pleasant lemon fragrance to leave the treated environment with a refreshed, deodorized smell. It can be used to effectively treat odors on any water safe surface (always pretest for colorfastness on carpet, rugs, or any textile) including carpet, draperies, upholstery, hard surfaces and floors, pet beds, mattresses, and more. It does a fabulous job of treating general odors in carpeting to help freshen up a total room. ODORSLAYER also works effectively on urine and feces from humans and exotic pets (ferrets, rodents, reptiles, and more)

You can also use it to safely clean and deodorize pet hair smells, yoga and gym mats, and mold and mildew odors. It works fabulously at eliminating the stains and odor caused by pet or human vomit, as well as discoloration caused by many other organic stains.

What are other professional cleaners saying about ODORSLAYER?

• “This product was amazing for nasty pet damaged stains and smells. Send me more!” Jason G
• “ODORSLAYER is leading to awesome success at eliminating pet stains and odors and creating thrilled customers” Shawn B.
• “ODORSLAYER is awesome stuff” -John B
• “I’m super impressed with ODORSLAYER. I used it on a dog rescue business. The odor was so bad the owners could not stand to be on the house. [This] stuff is incredible and will be my go-to for urine work moving forward.” – Damon R

How are we going to help you sell the service to your customer?

With all these new pet owners, they are just becoming aware of the fact that pet urine (and yes even feces) can literally take over a home when left untreated. Anyone who has ever raised a puppy or kitten or cared for an aging dog or cat can testify to this fact. All they can immediately respond to is the fact that the obnoxious smells are taking over their lives. In time they will start to see the unsightly stains and actual physical damage to their floors become apparent. But we also need to educate them on the fact that living with pet urine is unhealthy if left untreated.

HydraMaster has put together a series of print/electronic ads that educate and sell the homeowner on what their professional cleaner who is applying ODORSLAYER can do to restore order to their home and make it smell better and fresher. It also highlights that there home will be a safer and healthier place when you are done treating it. We also developed a catch video for you to use in your social media that communicates the same information. All of this is available for you to use. All you have to do is request it.

HydraMaster is proud to be offering truly new and innovative technology in the treatment of pet urine odors and stains. You can order ODORSLAYER today from your local distributor. If they are not yet stocking it, then ask them to. If you are having trouble finding it locally, visit our website at  https://hydramaster.com/buy-online-odorslayer/