Does carpet cleaning remove pet urine?
Often it helps a lot, but it depends on how far the urine went. A fresh accident that was blotted quickly and stayed in the carpet fibers usually responds best. Urine that has soaked into the pad, or a spot your pet has used again and again, is much harder to remove with cleaning alone.
Pet accidents are among the most common things our customers tell us about. At least 90 of our completed jobs since 2024 had pet stains or urine noted in the booking. That is why we ask where the accident happened, how long it has been there and what you have already tried before we give you a price.
Does carpet cleaning remove pet urine smell?
It can reduce the smell a lot when the urine is mostly in the carpet itself. If the smell is coming from the pad or the floor underneath, cleaning the carpet on top usually leaves the source behind, and the smell can come back. For urine and pet odors we add a separate deodorizing treatment to the cleaning, and it costs $40 more.
A sharp smell like ammonia that is strongest in one spot usually means urine. A general musty dog smell spread across a room is a different problem, and our post on getting dog smell out of a couch covers that kind of everyday odor.
What happens when dog or cat urine soaks into the carpet pad?
Wall-to-wall carpet sits on a pad, and the pad soaks up urine like a sponge. Urine usually goes deeper than the spot you can see, through the backing and often into the pad, and large or repeated accidents can reach the floor underneath. The wet area in the pad is often bigger than the stain on top.
If you can smell urine but can’t find the spot, turn off the lights and look at the carpet with a UV flashlight, because old urine often shows up as a glowing patch. Mark each spot you find with a piece of painter’s tape, so none of them get missed on the day of the cleaning.
Can old pet urine stains be removed from carpet?
Sometimes they can be lightened, but old stains are the hardest kind. Urine that sits for a long time can change the color of the carpet dye itself, and cleaning usually can’t bring the original color back. Stains that were scrubbed or sprayed with a household product can also spread or set.
Send a close-up photo and tell us roughly how old the stain is. We’ll tell you honestly whether cleaning is likely to help before you book, rather than after.
Why does my carpet smell like urine after cleaning?
Usually because urine in the pad or the floor underneath was never removed. Moisture brings old urine smell back to life, so a spot can smell stronger while the carpet is still damp. If the smell is still there once the carpet is completely dry, the source is most likely below the carpet.
Humid air makes it more noticeable, too. Near the coast in Santa Monica, Venice and the South Bay, marine-layer mornings keep things damp for longer, and an old spot can smell worse on those days.
Does steam cleaning carpet remove urine smell?
Not reliably, and heat can make it worse. Heat from a household steamer can set urine smell into the fibers, so keep steamers and hair dryers away from an accident. What helps is rinsing the urine out and extracting it, not the heat itself.
Our carpet cleaning is vacuuming, treatment of the spots that need it and extraction, with a separate deodorizing treatment for urine and pet odors. Rental machines tend to leave more water in the carpet, which slows down drying and can leave a musty smell of its own.
Does pet urine ruin carpet, and when does it need replacing?
One accident that was cleaned up quickly rarely ruins a carpet. Repeated accidents in the same spot are a different story, because the pad keeps soaking up more and the smell can stay even after a good cleaning. When the pad is saturated or the dye has changed color, replacing the pad, and sometimes that piece of carpet, is often the only complete fix.
Pulling up carpet, replacing the pad and sealing the floor underneath is flooring work rather than a cleaning visit, and it is not something we do. If we think your carpet is past what cleaning can fix, we’ll tell you before you book, so you don’t pay for a cleaning that can’t solve the problem. If your pet is still using the same spot, it usually makes sense to wait on new pad or carpet until that stops.
What should you do before a carpet cleaner treats pet urine?
Blot any fresh accident with a clean white cloth or paper towels, pressing down instead of rubbing. Skip strong household sprays and heat, and keep your pet off the spot until it is cleaned. Take a photo and note what you have already used on it, because the technician needs to know.
When you ask for a quote, tell us how many rooms have carpet, where the accidents are and roughly how old they are. Mention stairs, parking and elevators too, so we can plan the visit and include them in the price we text you.
What happens when a pro cleans pet urine out of carpet?
We start with what you told us about the accidents, and the technician checks the carpet and its condition before cleaning. The cleaning itself is vacuuming, treatment of the spots that need it and extraction to lift out what we loosened. For urine and pet odors we add a separate deodorizing treatment to the cleaning.
Most of our jobs take around 1 to 2 hours of cleaning, and the drying happens after we leave. Keep pets off the treated areas until the carpet is completely dry, and your technician will tell you when it is safe to walk on it and move furniture back.
Will carpet cleaning remove pet urine before you move out?
It depends on the carpet and on how deep the urine went. A cleaning can often improve pet spots before a move-out or a building inspection, but it can’t undo urine that has saturated the pad or changed the color of the carpet. Tell us your move-out date and the number of rooms when you text, and we’ll be honest about what is realistic.
As of October 2026, Hollywood is where we clean the most wall-to-wall carpet, with 15 visits that included carpeted rooms or stairs. Many older Hollywood apartment buildings have no elevator, so mention stairs and parking when you book. More on cleaning in Hollywood. In Downtown LA, most of our jobs are in apartment towers and converted lofts, and we can send a certificate of insurance to your building on request.
How much does it cost to clean pet urine out of carpet in Los Angeles?
With us, carpet cleaning is $99 for a small room and $139 for a large room. Heavy stain or pet odor treatment is $40 more, so a large room with pet odor treatment comes to $179. Every visit has a $129 minimum, and our prices are the same across Los Angeles.
If your pet also had accidents on an area rug or the couch, add them to the same visit, and the $129 minimum only counts once. Every room option is on our carpet cleaning page, and apartment examples are in carpet cleaning cost in Los Angeles. For rugs, read how to get pet urine smell out of a rug, and for sofas, see our pet urine and odor guide.
Get a quote from a photo
Text a photo of each spot, the rough length and width of the room, how old the accidents are, what you have already used on them and your ZIP to (424) 209-7667. Carpet cleaning starts at $99 per room, and we text you the exact price before you book.