Eugene Carpet Cleaner Grows Business on Pet Urine

(Newswire.net — December 3, 2018) Eugene, OR — Emerald Valley Chem-Dry Carpet Cleaning of Eugene, Oregon, is seeing continued business growth in the Fall of 2018 and projected into 2019 based on what might seem the most unlikely foundation – removing dog pee and cat pee from residential carpets, and getting rid of the associated urine smell.

Perry Biggs, owner of Emerald valley Chem-Dry, says “First through Thanksgiving and now with Christmas fast approaching, with generations of families coming together to celebrate, homeowners are paying more attention than ever to making sure their carpets don’t just smell clean – but are actually child-safe, pet safe, and a key part of a healthy home environment. “

“That’s why Chem-Dry’s proprietary Pet Urine Removal Treatment, or PURT, is so important to our business growth. It’s become the go-to product for a growing number of people who understand you can’t just wash the problem away. Even conventional cleaning offered by many carpet cleaning companies won’t do the job.”

Says Biggs, “Home owners are often stunned when they see us inspect their carpets using a black light. People who are otherwise meticulous about keeping their homes clean actually see for themselves patches of their carpet glowing like neon lights. Those spots are pet urine; cat pee or dog pee most of the time, of course. When they see the extent of this otherwise invisible problem, these people — and remember, many are parents and grand-parents — are horrified at the thought of their family’s children playing on that carpet. They want the problem gone!”

Experts agree: it doesn’t matter how well trained a dog or a cat is; how healthy or how young or old. Even walking your dog regularly doesn’t eliminate the problem. Inevitably, if you own a dog or cat, your carpet will have some urine contamination. The only question is, how big an issue is it?

One of the problems, Biggs says, is that the people who live in the home with the pet or pets just get used to the smell — even in the warmer weather when the heat and humidity can make it worse. They are simply unaware the problem even exists.

“They don’t notice it,” Biggs points out, “but their visitors sure do. And when you get a lot of warm bodies in the home for a family gathering, with all the kitchen activity pumping heat into the house, and kids running around – it’s no joke for the visitor. It can be downright unpleasant.”

A bigger problem is that dog and cat urine isn’t just a source of an unpleasant smell that can last for years (it can take 5 years for the urine to “gas-off,” as the experts call it). That pet urine smell can actually cause respiratory problems.

And the health risks — especially for children — don’t stop there.

“What most home owners don’t realize at first is that those urine spots are far bigger than they appear.” Biggs shakes his head as he explains, “A softball-sized spot at the surface of the carpet can be just the tip of a frisbee-sized contaminated area at the bottom of the carpet, or even larger — through the backing and into the padding, even reaching the sub-floor. Our technicians use special moisture-meters to make sure we can identify the edges of the problem area, deep down.”

Fresh urine is acidic and a perfect environment for bacteria to start growing almost immediately. “Bacteria don’t just live in the urine-contaminated area. They thrive in it. And that’s not good for you, or your kids, or even your pets!”

Wherever the urine makes contact, it forms crystals and salts that are extremely challenging to clean, becoming more resistant the longer they remain. Conventional hot-water and detergent cleaning, even if delivered by a professional, masks the problem temporarily but typically doesn’t get rid of it. The crystals remain, often embedded inside the carpet fibres themselves. The smell might be masked for a while by deodorants … but it will return.

With close to 70% of U.S. households owning a pet, the need for a solution to this problem is obvious.

Biggs explains, that’s where one channel of Emerald Valley Chem-Dry’s growth is firmly established, providing a solution that sets them apart from every other carpet cleaning company.

“Our Chem-Dry carpet cleaning process is entirely different from conventional steam cleaning, and our Pet Urine Removal Treatment, PURT, is unparalleled in our industry. PURT actually breaks apart the urine crystals at the molecular level. It explodes them. And that kills the odor. So it doesn’t return. And what’s really important to me is that these are all natural products. There are no harsh chemicals, no detergents. These products are actually formally Certified Green.”

How effective are they? Chem-Dry processes have been proven in independent Laboratory testing to eliminate 99.9% of pet urine odors, and 99.2% of bacteria from pet urine in carpets. This is despite their carpet cleaning process using only about one-fifth the amount of water of conventional cleaners, an advantage of the Chem-Dry process that usually enables carpets to dry in under 2 hours.

Biggs states that this is the advantage of having the backing of an organization like Chem-Dry, and their parent company HRI, where the “R” stands for “Research.”

Founded in 1977, Chem-Dry is the US’s and the world’s largest carpet cleaning business, with nearly 3500 Franchises in 52 countries. Biggs points out that it’s that type of clout that enables them to invest so heavily in environmentally safe, Certified Green natural products. To make his point, he mentions that the company introduced 20 new products in just one year. Their resources position them to be constantly innovating, and to always provide the highest level of training to their people.

“Friends sometimes poke fun at us being in the Pet Urine business,” Biggs smiles. “But we’re really in the healthy homes business. Peace of mind and a healthy home environment are important for our customers. But of course, when we can turn pee into profit, I don’t mind the jokes!”