Removing Poop Stains From Carpet

The following instructions for removing poop stains from carpet are generally applicable for excrement from animals and humans. Of course, if you don't want to deal with this yourself, there are always professional carpet cleaners to turn to. But for the do-it-yourselfer, here are the steps to take.

Using rubber or latex gloves, remove any large pieces. If the excrement has dried you can scrape out much of it using the edge of a spoon or a dull knife (a sharp one will probably cut and damage the carpet fibers). If you have a wet/dry vacuum cleaner, flush the spot with water and extract it several times before taking the next steps.

Mix a tablespoon of clear ammonia with about four ounces of water. This solution will neutralize odors as well as clean the stain. Apply it carefully a little at a time, using a spray bottle if possible. Don't let it soak down too deeply into the carpet, and blot it up between applications, using white paper towels or a clean white cotton cloth (a baby's diaper works). Use up the solution in this way and blot up as much as you can before going to the next step.

Mix a cup of warm water with four or five drops of dish washing detergent. Dawn (the plain blue variety) works well, but other will do if they do not have too much perfume added. Spray this on the poop stains and gently work it in without heavy rubbing. Remove it by blotting it up (that wet/dry vac might help too). Repeat this until you see no more transfer of the stain to a white cotton cloth or paper towel when you dab at the spot.

If there is still some stain remaining you may need the help of a professional carpet cleaner. Removing poop stains from carpet is also about the odor, of course, and these may come from deeper down - even if the visible stain is gone. You can also apply a carpet freshening powder to the area and vacuum it out later to help with this.

Common 3% hydrogen peroxide might remove poop stains that remain. Apply it very carefully to the fibers using a cotton swab. Let is stay there for a hour and then rinse the spot and dry it. This also further sanitizes the carpet, of course.

To dry the carpet you can use white paper towels stacked and weighted over the spot, replacing the paper towels every half-hour. Alternately, put a fan where it will blow over the area.