30 Nov From Start to Finish: Effective Pet Odor Removal ( Part Three – “Controlled Environment Testing” )
[ The following is Part Three of a 3-part series. ]
If you do decide to offer or specialize in pet odor removal there are some things that you need to do.
The first thing is to do a little research on some of the odor removal products currently on the market for carpet professionals.
The second thing is to familiarize your self with some odor removal procedures. You can do this in a few different ways:
– Read manufacturer’s technical manuals
– Take a pet odor removal class
– Perform “in home” experiments
– Utilize controlled environment testing
Manufacturer’s technical manuals can be a great source of information, but keep in mind that they will focus on the products that they sell. One of the best manuals that I have seen is produced by Unsmoke Systems, available at any Unsmoke distributor. The cost is about $30.00.
Classes are great things; they give you a good foundation on which to build. The down side to classes is that they take away your time and they cost money. Sometimes they cost allot of money!
After the class you often have to move on to the in home experiments process. In home experiments are, for me, scary things. They involve going to some one else’s home and doing a limited or total treatment for pet odor removal. This process scares me because I do not like to go into any one’s home, have them looking over my shoulder, and have the possibility of no success.
I personally prefer the controlled environment testing process. The controlled environment testing process is cheaper than classes, gives you the benefit of testing your product, while viewing first hand the results without the chance of disappointing a client in the event of failure.
The controlled environment testing process is just what it sounds like; you are testing your odor removal chemicals, and refining your application technique in a controlled environment. You do this by setting up a sample area where you can contaminate with, and remove, odor caused by urine.
For the controlled environment testing process you will need:
– one 2′ by 2′ piece of 7/16″ OSB or plywood
– one 2 ounce syringe, one 2′ by 2′ piece of carpeting
– one 2′ by 2′ piece of carpet padding
– and finally, you guessed it, urine.
This process at first my be a “turn off” for some but, this process will give you the ability to perfect your technique, evaluate chemicals, and observe the characteristics of urine spots on carpeting. I can assure you that storing, handling, and the dispensing of my own bodily fluids on a carpet remnant has never been the high point of my day! But, I have found no better way to perfect the process that I currently use in my day-to-day operations. You can use this process to apply different amounts of urine to your test area, observe how far it spreads under the pad, how fast it penetrates.
Test different application techniques, different amounts of chemicals, and always record the results that you monitor. If you use this testing process, you will soon find it a very valuable tool for perfecting your technique and testing new products.
Pet odor removal can be a very effective way to please your clients while putting a little extra money in your pocket. I encourage you to give this add-on service a try, you may be surprised at the number people out there who need this service. It is a market with very little competition, take a look at the phone book and you will see what I mean. You have the advantage of already knowing the ins and outs of carpet cleaning, and it’s just a small step further to get into pet odor removal.
Dave Roderick