How to Clean Cat Vomit From Carpet

Pets make great companions and can offer comfort and security. However, maintaining a clean carpet can be tricky, as pets may sometimes have accidents like peeing, pooping, or vomiting.

Cleaning cat vomit from the carpet can be a challenging task.

You can use store-bought enzyme or homemade cleaners, a carpet cleaning machine, or hire a Certified carpet cleaning company to do the job.

In this blog, I explain how to remove cat vomit from the carpet, why cats vomit, the best vomit cleaner, and more.

Let's get started.

Why Do Cats Throw Up on Carpet?

Cats throw up for many reasons, including allergies, eating plants, hairballs, and health complications such as diabetes. Regarding vomiting on carpets, they can throw up on any flooring, but they may prefer the carpet for various reasons:

Temperature: Carpets feel warmer against their hurting tummy than hardwood floors or tiles.

Grip: Carpets are easier to grip when vomiting than tiles or hardwood floors.

Texture: Cats prefer soft surfaces such as carpets because they provide a cushioned texture, which makes them more comfortable.

Vomit flashing back: When cats vomit, they don't have control of the vomit. They'll throw the vomit right, left, and straight ahead (we are guilty of the same). When a cat vomits on a hard floor, it splashes back into its face, which is disgusting, making it prefer the carpet.

Security: Carpeted areas make cats feel more secure than hard or open surfaces.

Preference: When cats want to puke, they make lots of noise with a high retching effect. Their desire to move is minimal, so they'll vomit on the carpet, their most preferred resting place!

Why Does My Cat Throw Up Hairballs on Carpet?

Cats constantly groom themselves by leaking their fur. Plenty of the hair they leak remains in their tongues, which are used to untangle matted hair, and they eventually swallow it.

Older cats swallow more hair during grooming because they have more fur and are more thorough than kittens.

Long-haired cats may find it hard to pass hair to the stool, unlike short-haired cats, which easily pass hair to the stool.

When cats attack their prey, such as squirrels and rabbits, eat their toys, or lick the areas they walk on, their tongues trap a lot of hair, which they swallow and may not pass to the stool.

When the cats fail to pass the hair into their stool, it blocks their gut, causing them to throw up hairballs.

How to Clean Cat Vomit From Carpet

The many encounters you've had with cat pee could have led you to learn how to clean cat pee out of the carpet years ago. But this could probably be the first time you've encountered cat vomit, or you've tried all the ways you knew, but none worked! Don't worry!

Here's how to get cat vomit out of the carpet and the needed materials for the job.

Materials

• Paper towels

• Plastic garbage bag

• Spray bottle

• Vacuum cleaner

• Dish soap

• A spoon or dull knife

• Water

• Disposable or rubber gloves

• Face mask

It's crucial to act quickly to remove cat vomit; otherwise, it attracts bacteria and releases a foul odor. Below is a step-by-step guide on cleaning cat vomit in three different ways.

#1: Wear disposable gloves and a face mask, and gather all the necessities.

#2: Scoop the excess vomit using a spoon and put it in the plastic garbage bag.

#3: Blot (avoid rubbing) the remaining vomit using a paper towel until you can't soak up any more vomit. The dirty towels should be disposed of in a plastic garbage bag.

#4: Apply an enzyme cleaner to an inconspicuous area. If it works fine, use it to eliminate the vomit and odor.

#5: Allow the cleaner to sit on the carpet for the recommended time.

#6: Blot the area using a white cloth repeatedly to soak up the excess cleaner and completely remove the stain.

#7: Sprinkle plain water to rinse the area and blot using another white towel.

#8: Blot the surface with a white dry cloth to remove excess water.

#9: Ventilate the room for fresh air to speed up the drying process.

#10: Once the carpet is dry and the stain and odor are gone, fluff the fibers to restore their appearance.

How to Get Dried Cat Vomit Out of Carpet

Dry cat vomit might require several attempts to remove from the carpet.

Don't give up; here's how to fix dry cat vomit.

• Scrape it with a blunt knife or spoon and dispose of it in the plastic garbage bag.

• Vacuum the residue

• Sprinkle or spray an enzyme cleaner and let it sit for the recommended time. If you've not used the cleaner on that carpet before, spot-test it on a hidden area to ensure it won't cause discoloration.

• Vacuum clean if the enzyme is powder foam, or use a clean cloth to blot it if it's liquid.

• Sprinkle clean water and blot it to remove the cleaner residue

• Dry the area using white cloths until there's no more moisture left.

• Ventilate the room to allow fresh air to dry the carpet completely.

How to Get Rid of Cat Vomit Smell

After countless hours cleaning vomit out of your carpet, only to realize there's a pungent smell, how do you fix it? Steam clean the carpet or use baking soda or vinegar to get rid of the smell of cat vomit.

Option One: White Vinegar

Mix equal parts of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle.

Put the solution in a spray bottle and spray a small amount on a hidden area, such as behind your bedroom door, to test if the solution will damage your carpet.

If the solution is safe, spray a generous amount on the affected area

Let the solution sit for at least one hour to deodorize the pungent smell.

Rinse out the area with a damp cloth or sponge to remove vinegar residue

Allow the area to air dry completely. You may need to run a fan and open the doors and windows until the carpet is moisture-free.

Option Two: Baking Soda/Cornstarch/Kitty Litter

• To deodorize the vomit smell, sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda, kitty litter, or cornstarch on the carpet.

• Let the deodorizer sit for at least 2 hours to soak up the odor. For strong odors, let it sit for 12 hours. If you have kids and pets at home, cover the area with a towel to keep them away.

• Vacuum the surface after the recommended time elapses. If the odor remains, repeat the process or contact a professional to clean the carpet.

Option Three: Steam Clean

• Rent a steam cleaner suitable for your carpet type from the nearest store, but ensure that the cleaning label allows steam cleaning. Steam cleaning is the best way to clean carpets because it removes stains, odors, and bacteria.

• Fill the cleaner with 1 part white vinegar and 16 parts water or 2 tsp of detergent and 8 cups of water, and then follow the cleaning instructions to avoid damaging the fibers. If necessary, double the ratio based on the size of your steam cleaner.

• Run the steam cleaner for 1 minute at 100ºC (212ºF) or 5 minutes at 70ºC (158ºF).

• Open the door and windows after cleaning to allow the carpet to air-dry quickly.

Option Four: Hire a Professional (Best Option!)

Steam cleaners can easily damage the fibers if you don't know the right temperature to use or how to operate them. Avoid damaging your carpet fibers by hiring professional carpet cleaners; they have commercial steam cleaning tools that do a better job than residential steam cleaners and know how to clean all carpet types and floors.

Experts also know the best temperature for every carpet type. At Zerorez, we use steam cleaners, and our team often undergoes training to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in the cleaning industry.

How to Remove Cat Vomit Stains From Carpet

Cleaning cat vomit is one of the most unpleasant cleaning jobs, but with the right tools, it is easy.

Cat vomit contains harsh substances such as bile and stomach acid, so it might permanently stain your carpet, resulting in discoloration if you don't clean it immediately.

Below are the steps to remove cat vomit stains from the carpet.

• Use a blunt knife or spoon to scrap off excess vomit; be careful not to spread it to other areas or push it further into the fibers.

• Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the area and let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes.

• Vacuum to get rid of baking soda.

• Mix 1 cup of water, and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.

• Spray the solution on the carpet and use a clean, white cloth to blot the vomit stain. Keep rotating the towel to use clean areas to avoid transferring the stain to other areas. Blot until the towels have absorbed the cleaning solution and the stain is gone.

• Dampen a clean towel with plain water to blot the area and rinse out the cleaning solution.

• Air dry the carpet to remove all the moisture.

• Inspect the area. If the stain is gone, use your fingers to fluff the carpet fibers to restore their appearance.

If the stain is dormant, contact Zerorez experts to help remove the vomit stain on the carpet.

Contact Professional Cleaners

When everything else fails, or the odor doesn't disappear, contact Zerorez.

Zerorez has the required cleaning equipment and solutions to deep clean your carpet to remove old and new cat vomit and odor.

We have various locations across the country.

Call us at 866-937-6739 at any time for professional carpet cleaning services. If you just cleaned your carpet but think you might need professional carpet cleaning services in the future, please schedule a service.