How to get dog poop and diarrhea out of carpet
To remove dog poop from carpet, put on gloves, lift the solids with paper towels or a spoon, then blot the spot with a mild dish-detergent solution (¼ teaspoon per cup of lukewarm water), working from the edges in. Follow with a white vinegar solution, rinse with warm water and blot dry, then treat with an enzymatic pet cleaner so the smell doesn't bring the dog back. Feces are protein, fat and bile pigment, so they need gentle detergent and patience rather than scrubbing or heat.
- Best method
- Lift solids, dish-detergent and vinegar solutions, enzyme cleaner
- Time
- 20 to 40 minutes plus drying
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Stain type
- Protein
You will need
- Disposable gloves and plastic bags
- Paper towels and a rounded spoon
- Clear liquid dish soap
- White vinegar
- Enzymatic pet cleaner
- White cloths
How to remove poop (feces) from carpet
- 1
Put on gloves and lift the solids
Wearing disposable gloves, pick up firm poop with paper towels and gently scrape softer mess up with a rounded spoon, lifting rather than pushing. Bag it and throw it away. If the poop is dry and crumbly, break it up and vacuum it.
Why: Removing the bulk without grinding it in keeps the stain small. Gloves limit your contact with germs.
- 2
Blot up the moisture
Press dry white paper towels onto the spot to soak up what's left, changing them until little comes up.
Why: Anything you blot out now is something that won't sink into the backing and pad.
- 3
Test, then apply dish-detergent solution
Mix ¼ teaspoon of clear liquid dish soap into a cup of lukewarm water. Test it on a hidden patch, then apply a little with a white cloth, working from the outer edge toward the center. Leave it a few minutes, then blot. Repeat while the stain keeps transferring to the cloth.
Why: This is the Carpet and Rug Institute's first step for feces. Mild detergent loosens the fats and proteins; never make it stronger, because residue makes the spot resoil quickly.
- 4
Follow with a vinegar solution
If a mark remains, mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 2 cups of water and blot it on the same way.
Why: The vinegar solution lowers the alkalinity left by detergent and by the spill itself, which helps release what the detergent left.
- 5
Rinse with warm water and blot dry
Dab the spot with warm water and blot with a dry cloth until no more moisture comes up. Put a thick pad of paper towels on top with a weight and leave it until dry.
Why: Rinsing removes detergent residue, and the weighted pad pulls moisture up out of the pile so the stain doesn't wick back.
- 6
Treat the odor with an enzymatic cleaner
Once the stain is out, apply an enzymatic pet cleaner as its label directs, after a spot test. Leave it to work and let it air-dry.
Why: Dogs return to spots that smell like a toilet. Enzymes break down the organic residue that keeps smelling after the visible stain is gone.
Why poop stains carpet
Feces are undigested food broken down by gut bacteria, plus bacteria, fats and a bile pigment that gives them their brown color. That makes poop a protein stain with fat and pigment mixed in. The organic part grips the carpet fibers, and the pigment can leave a yellow-brown mark after the solids are gone.
Carpet makes it harder because the pile is deep. Anything that soaks down into the backing and pad is hard to reach and can wick back up as the surface dries. So the method relies on lifting, a mild dish soap solution, rinsing and drying, with no heat.
Stain first, smell second
The Carpet and Rug Institute's sequence targets the visible stain: dish detergent, a spot kit, vinegar, warm water, then ammonia, then a professional. Humane society guides focus on the smell and recommend an enzyme cleaner for pet accidents.
The two fit together if you do them in order. Humane society guides note that enzymatic cleaners work less well on top of fresh residue from other chemicals, so rinse the detergent and vinegar out thoroughly before the enzyme step.
By situation
Diarrhea on carpet
Liquid poop soaks in fast. Wearing gloves, soak up as much as you can with paper towels and put them straight into a plastic bag, as the CDC advises for illness-related messes. Then blot with the dish-detergent solution in several rounds. If the diarrhea came from a sick person or pet and soaked into the pad, consider a professional cleaning.
Dried poop stains
Break up and vacuum the dry crust, then work the dish-detergent solution in gently and let it sit a few minutes to rehydrate the residue before blotting. It may take several rounds.
A brown or yellow mark is left
That's the bile pigment. If the vinegar step doesn't clear it, the Carpet and Rug Institute's next step is 1 tablespoon of household ammonia in a cup of water, tested first and rinsed out afterward. Use it on synthetic carpet only.
Rugs and wool carpet
Wool is damaged by alkalis such as ammonia, so stop at the detergent and vinegar steps and call a professional if the stain remains. Small washable rugs can go in the washer once the solids are removed, if the label allows.
A dog that keeps going in the same spot
Lingering smell is a common reason. Use the enzymatic cleaner, let it dry completely, and keep the dog away from the spot until it does.
What not to do
- Don't scrub or rub. It grinds the mess deeper into the pile and frays the carpet fibers.
- Don't use a steam cleaner on pet accidents. Humane society guides warn that heat sets the stain and odor into synthetic fibers.
- Don't use laundry or dishwasher detergent. Laundry detergent can contain optical brighteners that dye the fibers, and dishwasher detergent contains bleaching agents that destroy carpet dyes.
- Don't mix bleach with ammonia or vinegar. Bleach with ammonia releases chloramine gas, and bleach with vinegar releases chlorine gas.
Other methods that work
Carpet spot-removal kit
The Carpet and Rug Institute lists a spot kit as the step after the dish-detergent solution. Follow its directions closely.
Caution: Some kits include a stain-resist solution. Using it before the stain is completely gone can make the stain permanent.
Ammonia solution
One tablespoon of household ammonia in a cup of water, blotted on and rinsed out, is a later step in the Carpet and Rug Institute's sequence for feces.
Caution: Test first, synthetic carpet only, and never with bleach. Its smell can also attract pets back to the spot.
Stain still there?
The stain came back after the carpet dried
Residue in the backing wicked up. Repeat the dish-detergent and rinse steps, then dry it under a weighted pad of paper towels.
The spot still smells
Apply the enzymatic cleaner again, using enough to reach as deep as the mess went, and let it air-dry fully before judging.
The spot looks darker than the rest of the carpet
Detergent residue is attracting dirt. Rinse with warm water several times, blotting between rinses.
Safety
- Wear disposable gloves and wash your hands well afterward.
- Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or vinegar.
- Keep pets and children away from the area until it's clean and dry.
Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.
Questions
What is the best thing to clean dog poop out of carpet?
A mild dish-detergent solution (¼ teaspoon per cup of lukewarm water) for the stain, followed by an enzymatic pet cleaner for the smell. Lift the solids first and blot, never scrub.
How do you get diarrhea out of carpet?
With gloves on, soak up as much as possible with paper towels and bag them, then blot with dish-detergent solution in several rounds, rinse and dry. Call a professional for large or soaked areas.
Does vinegar remove poop stains from carpet?
It helps as a second step. The Carpet and Rug Institute uses 1 cup of white vinegar in 2 cups of water after the dish-detergent solution.
Can I use bleach on a poop stain on carpet?
No. Chlorine bleach destroys carpet dyes and some fibers. Use detergent, vinegar and an enzyme cleaner instead.
Poop (feces) on other surfaces
Other stains on carpet
Sources
- Spot Solver: Feces, The Carpet and Rug Institute
- Successful Cleaning to Remove Pet Odors and Stains (handout), Dumb Friends League and Humane Society of the United States (hosted by Potter League for Animals)
- How to Prevent Norovirus, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Stain Removal for Washable Fabrics (HE 2-840), University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service
- Feces, Wikipedia
- Chlorine gas: What happens if you mix bleach and other cleaners, National Capital Poison Center (Poison Control)
Last updated . Methods are drawn from the sources above; how we research and check our guides.