Help..how to clean up diarrhea off rugs...specifically sisal.

[TYoung]

Hello ALL

Im not sure if this is the best place to post my question, but I figured many of you in this group may have dealt with this before.  Hadley had diarrhea the night before last  (in the middle of the night)...and instead of ringing the bells, she chose to go ALL OVER the 2 layered rugs in our living room.  One of the rugs is a braided Sisal (natural fibers) rug.  Oh my goodness...what a nightmare!!!  My husband and I got the bulk of it up from 1 am to 5am...alarms go off at 5:30 for the kids to go to school.  Anyhow, I'll spare you all the details...but am hoping someone has a good remedy for getting the horrible stains out of such a rug and the smell.  I feel I can likely tackle the smell BUT he stains are tremendous and it is a 10X14 rug.  I really don't want to throw it away, it's in great condition otherwise and have only had it about a year.  Anyhow, ANY advise would be so very much appreciated.

P.S. Hadley is on the mend.  Not sure what made her sick, though I have a theory.  One of my boys caught her eating a poop (yuck) 2 days ago.  She dry heaved a little later that day and was acting a little solemn.  Next day I gave her the flea and tick and heart worm meds.  That night she had first bout of diarrhea.  I should have brought out the kennel and her sleep in there that night.  She typically roams from bedroom to bedroom in the night.  BUT, that night...oh, boy...  well you know the rest.  I didn't feed her the next 24 hours just have her ice cubes because she would drink out of her bowl.  She has since eaten 2 meals but has only pooped once that was much firmer.  She's otherwise acting normal...thank goodness.

Thanks for listening and helping!

[TYoung]

Oh yes, forgot to mention, that I did find 1 heap of vomit on the floor near the rugs.  And she did dry heave twice total.  Once the day before and once the evening she had this diarrhea episode.  Only vomited the one time.  And she did not finish her food on the evening she got sick either.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Personally, for a rug that size, I'd call a local carpet cleaning company and see if they can help. 

I hope Hadley's on the mend. If the digestive issues continue, I'd have the vet see her. 

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

What specifically did you use to clean it up with?

I have had really good success with Nature's Miracle. I get up what I can with paper towels and then really douse it good with Nature's Miracle. Let it sit for 1/2 hour and then put several layers of paper towel on top, and layers of newspaper, too. Then, don't rub it in, but STAND on it to absorb the liquid. You'll be able to see the poop/vomit on the paper towels. Keep repeating that process several times (more Nature's Miracle, let sit, etc.) until you can't see any more doodoo on the paper towel. Then, at that point take a moist wash cloth and rub the rest of it out.

Can't guarantee it will work for you, but I've been able to get really bad "stuff" out of light colored carpet with that method.

Best wishes! 

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Ditto Natures Miracle we use the one in the orange bottle (with OXY) it was a lifesaver with my last two elderly pets.  After the initial pick up with paper towels, and after we poured and we pour heavily to get all the way down to the bottom of the carpet, we use old bath/beach towels and do the river dance on the towels to sop up the moisture.  For smell after the carpet/rug has dried Home Depot sells a item called odor eliminator, theirs is by The Gonzo.  It's basically a mesh bag with little rocks in it.  You just leave it on the carpet and it absorbs the odors, it can take a while depending on the odor but usually if caught early in a week or so the smell will be gone.  Then place the bag outside in the sun and it reactivates it.  We've used something similar to absorb odors in our RV.  

Hope your fur baby is feeling better.

[TYoung]

Thank you!  I appreciate all the specific tips...Im going to try everything I can to get this resolved because Of course I would hate for her to smell the area and revert back to early puppy days.  As it is, she still has regular "happy pees." ugh!

[TYoung]

Thanks, Karen.  On occasion she has had diahrea but nothing like this before.  In the 7 months we have had her (she's now 9 months old), I would say she has had diarrhea 3 times.  I never thought too much of it because they were isolated with no other symptoms.

[Donna K & Quincy]

What you need, lots of towels, Nature's Miracle and water. Place the old towels under the stained area, saturate with Nature's Miracle, use a really wet cloth and push the water into the rug. This essentially pushes the stain through the rug into the towels below. Use extra towels to push as much of the moisture as you can out and let dry. You should have a clean, fresh smelling rug. This works for all kinds of stains including coffee. Good luck.

[TYoung]

Thank you!  I called the company that cleaned our carpets when we moved in...they did an amazing job.  I asked specifically about the Sisal rug and he told me that they have never had any luck with that type of rug given the braided natural fibers.  He said water will make the area darker permanently :(  So, Im worried about the water but will try the enzymes.

[Donna K & Quincy]

You can do the same procedure using just the enzymes. It pushes the stain through without having to rub the fibers.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yeah, sisal is tough. It's actually from the Mexican agave plant.  I found this chart that might be helpful. 

https://www.sisalcarpet.com/viewcategory.php?tag=cleaning-tips

[TYoung]

Thank you, Karen.  I will look at the chart after I taxi the kids from school/sports.  You are so kind to help me research!!!

[Ann Kendig]

First I'd try to have it professionally cleaned as Karen suggested or at least call them to see if they can offer suggestions.

I'm not sure if a portable carpet cleaner would work on this type of rug but for regular carpet I wouldn't be without a spot carpet cleaner.  I've owned a Bissell Little Green Machine for years! Actually I'm on my second one.  This has saved me a multitude of times when my dogs/foster dogs have vomited, poop/peed on my carpet and rugs or when my children made messes.  

I usually clean up the mess as best as I can with paper towels.  I use the Little Green Machine next.  If its urine/vomit I can use the wand and suck up as much of the liquid as I can before I start to shampoo. Next, I usually shampoo the area making sure to remove as much of the carpet cleaner from the rug as possible.  If spots remain I will use a spot cleaner, let it soak then use the wand and suck the cleaner out of the rug.  If a smell remains I will then try Nature's Miracle, pour or spray some on, let it soak, then use the wand to suck up the Nature's Miracle that remains in the carpet.  Sometimes after I'm finished cleaning I'll use a dry, clean towel and walk on it to remove more of the moisture then I usually point a fan on the area to help dry the area faster.

 I love that I can use the wand and suck up the liquids first before using any of the shampoo from the machine.  Its great to help get the carpet drier too.   

I know that I probably didn't help you much with cleaning your type of rug but I guarantee, if you have regular carpet or rugs in your house, there will be more accidents involving your dog or other family members.  Buying the Little Green Machine is one of the best purchase I've made.  : )

I'm glad Hadley is on the mend.  It's tough when our dogs get sick.