how to clean an oriental rug where the cat's throw up!

[Doc]

My cat ate a squirrel, came inside and promptly threw up all the guts on our oriental rug next to the bed. Just like the Cat Guidelines tell them to do!

The rug is small 2x3 but the stuff is all over it and smells horrible (it's now outside).

What's the best way to clean it and deodorize it? HELP!

[wyld thang]

what is the fiber of the rug?

[jasper]

i went thru something similar recently, but i only wish it had been vomit. one of my dogs had a stomach problem which resulted in poor bowel control.

i took my rug outside and totally hosed it off from the backside so as to not imbed anything in the fibers. once that was done i did the same from the front side. i left it outside to dry.

after it was dry i scrubbed baking soda into the spot on the rug for odor removal. it seemed to work but i had a tad of stain on it.

for that i poured hydrogen peroxide on the spot

the rug is as good as new.

[jasper]

yes i think i should add, the rug was pure wool. not sure what fibers you might be working with.

[horses43]

It is best to do this when the "accident" is fresh but wipe up as much as possible and pour corn meal on the area to absorb all the moisture. Work in gently. Leave it on 24 hours and then vacuum. Repeat with baking soda for odor problems. I have also used commercial carpet cleaners for my wool rugs. I took them outside on the driveway and cleaned them good and allowed to dry thoroughly before putting back in the house. Good Luck!

[Doc]

This rug has wool fibers. And the "vomit" was all the parts of the squirrel, plus whatever else my cat had in his gut at the time. I've never had such an odor in my house before.

And, of course, I stepped in it, too.

Remember the Cat Guidelines? "if you're about to vomit, try to get to a chair, but if you can't get to a chair, get to an oriental rug."

[wyld thang]

Scrape off the junk, pour tepid water over it and blot stuff up. You can let it soak in cold water and a little salt(remedy for blood stain). If you want to take the opportunity to wash the rug, you can safely wash it in the bathtub (you might want to spot check for dye fastness) in tepid water. Use people hair shampoo to clean. You can add some glugs of vinegar to the water to help set the dye/keep it from running and deodorize. rinse really well with tepid water roll it up, dance on it on your deck to squeeze the water out, and you can lie it flat to dry, or hang it over a railing or drying rack(don't know how dense the fabric is). If the dye is questionable, don't let it soak. Luckily wool doesn't like to absorb stuff. Let it air out in the outdoors fresh air too.

My cats do this too!

[Jenn]

We had a great couple who'd clean our wool rugs- apparently with water- and then dry them afterward in sheds (FL). So I just hosed off my 6' x 9' rug last time I had a similar issue, sprayed dilute dish detergent all over, hosed it off again, then hung to dry for a few sunny days and got away with it. A decent oriental ought to hold its color but if you really love it do a test spot. With that small a rug I'd do a hand wash in the tub.

For my carpeting (until I pull it all out and only have orientals on wood someday) I scrape/wipe up the yuck, wipe with a wet rag, scrub with a wet rag, scrub with a wet rag with dish det, blot with a bunch of towels similar color to the rug (or white), pour water on the spot, blot it up (now I have a wet vac so I'd just use that after most of the yuck was up) with towels and standing on them to get as much water out as possible, then follow with baking soda on the wet spot vacuumed up later that week when dry. Keeps the animals from revisiting the same spot.

[BethW]

Honestly, cats are one reason I like my oriental rugs so much. Their patterns hide stains far better than a solid color carpet.

What I do with cat vomit it to carefully pick up/clean up what I can without pressing or rubbing any of the vomit unto the carpet. Then (and this is the hard part) leave it alone to dry. When it's completely dry, you'd be amazed at how much can just be chipped off the top of the carpet fibers. I use the nozzle on my vacuum to chip away and suck up the dried sick. Then blot with warm water and then use an Oxyclean mixture to take care of any of the stains. It works better than any other method I've tried. Good luck

Edited to add if this is a true oriental, you might want to skip Oxyclean or other cleaners as they'll likely fade the organic dyes in the rug.