It happens to almost everyone who owns a pet or small child. Learning how to clean poop out of carpet will become a necessary skill, and its important you learn to do it properly.

Poop comes in all shapes, sizes and textures which can make it difficult to remove. Even if it is in a solid form, there is extra moisture that will seep through into your carpet fibers.

If you have pets, chances are high you will need to know how to clean dog poop out of carpet. We also include instructions on how to (naturally) deter your pets from continually pooping in the future.

How to Get Dry Poop Out of the Carpet

1. Preparation

You will want to clean up the mess as quickly as possible due to the natural acids in poop. These acids can be very harmful to your carpet and cause hard to clean stains. Poop can also be harmful to you.

• You will want to wear plastic gloves to keep any possible residue off your hands throughout the cleaning process. Poop from animals contains bacteria and can contain parasites.
• You may also want to tie a cloth or bandana around your mouth to help with the smell, or even use a high quality dust mask. 

These step-by-step instructions can show you how to clean poop out of carpet and help deter future infractions.

2. Pick Up the Poop

The best method for how to clean poop from carpet is to make sure to go slowly and lift it carefully. If the poop is still soft, it can be pushed into the carpet leaving you with a bigger mess to clean (hopefully you don’t have to clean up dog diarrhea)!

• It is a good idea to use a plastic grocery bag or a paper towel to pick up the poop, to eliminate having to clean other items after.
• If the poop is not firm then you will want to use a flat object to clean it up. A paper plate or two is a great choice because you can throw it away.

While scraping may cause the poop to smear, you will want to get up as much as you can off the top layer of the carpet. This allows the next step sink in to reach the deeper stain.

3. Clean the Poop Stain

Once you have gotten as much of the solid poop up, then you will want to clean the spot and remove the stain. You have several options for what to use to clean. You can opt for a purchased cleaning product, or a natural DIY solution that you make at home.

Purchased Product

For the best clean with a purchased product, you will want to choose an enzyme based cleaner. This type of off-the-shelf cleaner will break down the particles in the poop to remove the stain.

Use a Purchased Product

A popular cleaner you can use is Resolve.

• Spray the Resolve onto the stain and scrub with a rag.
• Rinse and repeat.
• Different carpets absorb the cleaner at different rates, so apply it lightly at first until you gauge how much is required.

When you’re looking into how to clean dog poop from carpet, or if you have small children that might be crawling around, you might want to consider a more natural DIY product. This can be safer than a purchased cleaner because you control what goes into your mixture.

​Use a Natural Product

If you prefer a more natural cleaning product then you can make your own cleaner at home. There are many tried and true simple ingredient cleaners that can remove stains without introducing harmful chemicals into a pet or child friendly home.

1. For home based cleaners, you will want to pour the solution into a large bowl or bucket.
2. ​Gather a few rags to use.
3. With the first rag dip it in the solution and then place it on the carpet to blot, not rub the stain.

You will not need to wring the rag out the first two times, as you want to get as much cleaning solution to the stain and soaked in to clean the poop. ​

• While your instinct may be to rub the solution in, this can be harmful to your carpet and will spread out the poop.
• Once the area is good and covered, let the solution sit for ten minutes to break down the stain.
• Next you will want to have a bowl of clean hot water to blot into the carpet. This will rinse the cleaner away.
• Do not pour water directly onto it, instead use the rag to dip in the water and then dab at the stain.
• After rinsing, you will want a dry rag or paper towels to blot the area. Use as many as you need to dry the carpet as much as you can.

Depending on the stain, you may need to repeat cleaning or try a different cleaner to remove it all. If you are unsure about how your carpet will react, then it is a good idea to test a small area first.

​4. Sanitize the Area

While the stain may be gone, the bacteria could still be lingering. As mentioned before feces contains harmful bacteria and possibly parasites such as hook worm, tapeworm, and ring worm.

You should sanitize the area to keep your pets, children and yourself safe from harmful bacteria and possible sickness.

While bleach is a sanitizing go to, it can discolor carpets. Hydrogen Peroxide is an excellent second choice. It can also continue cleaning some light to moderate stains as well. You can spray some hydrogen peroxide directly over the area and then blot it up.

• ​Mix hydrogen peroxide with baking soda to add an odor-killing element.
• Just add two parts baking soda to one part hydrogen peroxide and use to to clean and deodorize naturally.

After your carpet dries, ​run your vacuum cleaner over the area to fluff the carpet back up and restore texture. You will want to do this right away if you’re dealing with a shag rug or carpet as they are ​much ​fluffier than ​ordinary carpet.

​5. Make it Poop Free

While accidents happen, if your pet is making an effort to continually poop on your carpet, then something must be done.

• Some of the commercial poop cleaners offer a deterrent smell to keep pets from revisiting the same spot.
• You can also make your own spray to keep them off the carpet. While many say vinegar, ammonia or cayenne pepper work, these are not pleasant indoor smells you will want to deal with. Instead, you can use something that is citrus based.
• You can use a summer citrus oil and baking soda blend to sprinkle on your carpets and vacuum up after. While the citrus smell may not completely stop them, it can make your carpet no longer a welcoming place for them to poop.

Alternate Poop Cleaning Options

Also instead of going through this cleaning method, you can rent a carpet cleaning machine, or purchase one for yourself. These high powered vacuums are a little easier to handle and can offer instructions on how to clean poop out of carpet. They are also an all in one cleaning, shampooing and drying system.

If you choose this option, you will still need to follow the first step of removing as much poop as you can before. This allows the steam cleaning vacuum to clean the area with out smearing poop that is on top of the carpet further in.

You can also hire a professional to come in and clean the stain if it is too large to handle alone. However, these options can be pricey if you are dealing with poop multiple times a week or month.

Investing in a home steam cleaning vacuum is just as good of an option. While it can be pricey to buy, it will save you a lot in the long run.

Conclusion

​Cleaning poop from carpet is not fun. It’s messy, smelly, and gross. But, if you have pets or children, it is probably something you will have to know how to do. Follow these steps to clean the poop and leave your carpet looking good and smelling fresh.