Pick it up, clean it up with oxy or enzymatic cleaner

Years ago I read a bumper sticker that said “(Poop) Happens” and I figured that, instead of expressing some austere Zen life philosophy, they were simply pet owners. Into every pet lover’s life a little “organic debris” will fall, plop or even squirt. Yes, it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. After all it’s every person’s “doodie” to clean up after their pet.

First thing that you should do when you find the kitty or doggy doo-doo or is to take a deep breath (figuratively, that is) and resolve to not punish your pet. Animals do not defecate with deliberate malicious intent. Something is wrong, medically or behaviorally, when an animal defecates in its living space and getting mad won’t help solve the problem.

The sooner you pick it up the better. This prevents organic compounds from staining the carpet. So picking up is the number one way of dealing with number two.

If you’re like most families there’s a battle over whose turn it is to clean up the mess. There’s a brand-new tool on the market that makes this daunting chore easier. Poop-Freeze is a specially formulated aerosol spray that forms a frosty film on dog or cat feces to harden the surface for easy pick-up. It works outdoors for quick yard clean-up and also can be taken along on those daily walks. Poop-Freeze also works indoors on carpet, hardwood floors and tile ( www.poop-freeze.com). If you don’t have a can of Poop-Freeze handy, well, then you need to go with the old standbys. You can use tissue or paper towel to pick up the solid chunks, but if the deposit is soft, this will only grind it farther into the carpet. If you have an extraction machine you can use this with just water. However if you don’t, you can go with an older technology. When I was a child, we always had a designated spatula we used to get under pet wastes to lift them from the carpet. So you can designate a sacrificial spatula — something that no one uses any longer or one picked up at a garage sale.

It is recommended that when you throw away pet wastes, you do so in the toilet, rather than the trash. This way it goes through the sewage treatment process instead of contaminating landfills.

Now with a majority of the poop out of the picture, you have to deal with the remains that may linger on the carpet. David White at Bestway carpets in Moscow, Idaho, recommends using an oxy-type cleaner. Mix into a solution and then apply a small amount with a white cloth, working it in gently. Start at the outside of the stain and work in, to not spread it around. Blot rather than rub, rinse carefully with water, and blot until dry. Do not use on antique rugs, as they are not colorfast (you might want to check an out of the way corner for colorfastness).

Another good choice is to use an enzymatic cleaner because it will also break down the organic compounds that our noses may not be able to perceive but our pet’s noses might. Odors left behind can attract the critters back to do a repeat performance by leaving an olfactory “Latrine” sign on the spot. Our best recommendation for an enzymatic cleaner is Anti-Icky-Poo made by Mister Max ( www.mistermax.com, 1-800-745-1671).

Sometimes, a patch of poop may have escaped our notice and become dried out before discovered. If it is caught in the fibers and not easily picked up, you need to dampen it first.

Sometimes the toxic waste you have to deal with is vomit. One of the greatest difficulties in cleaning up throwup is our natural tendency to want to join the club. Unfortunately upchuck begets upchuck (and I can assure you that even veterinarians, who often develop a cast-iron constitution, are not immune to this natural reflex). In an unplanned experiment at the Willard household last week, we discovered that Poop-Freeze can also make this revolting task a bit easier by changing the consistency of the vomit. Otherwise, follow the same techniques to cleaning up poop, with spatula, extractor, paper towels and enzymatic cleaner — only you may need to do your best to look the other way if the cleanup really gets to you.

Lastly, any time you clean up after a pet be sure to either wear rubber gloves or wash your hands very well with soap afterward.

Having pets can be a genuine “organic experience” and along with the love, devotion and companionship, a little poop will fall. But that shouldn’t stain a good relationship — or your rugs.