White vinegar / Baking Soda for pet spots?

I remember some videos from youtube someone posted about how you can clean your whole house (Carpet spotting, tile and grout, blah, blah, blah.) using nothing but vinegar, baking soda and dish soap.
Are those videos yours?

I'm happy to hear that. I had to ask. Did'nt mean to offend you if I did so.
Don't have a good answer to your question really though.
I think vinegar smells bad and probably would'nt rinse well, baking soda will leave lots of visible residue as will dish soap.
I do think that as far as a urine problem is concerned, a few clean towels, lotsa blotting and a call to your customers favorite carpet cleaner is the best bet.
Even a little water added after the initial blotting, a few more towels to get the water and then the call would be what I would suggest.
Just my opinion.
I don't want my customers playing chemist, you never know what they may put together to get themselves in trouble.

For home remedy - The first step is always going to be blot up as much as possible. USe an absorbent paper towel. Do not press down hard. That will force the urine further down to the carpet and backing. They can even leave a book on top of several layers of towel and let it gradually be absorbed that way.

A little warm water with a spoonful of ammonia in it can help if the urine is fresh (less than 2 hours old is a rule of thumb I use.) Regular ammonia sold for household use will not leave any residue. It evaporates completely. The sudsy type ammonia or ammonia with fragrances may leave a residue.

If the urine is not fresh, they can use a little water with vinegar in it.

The problem is that most folks don't get the cleaning agent back out of the carpet. They have no extractor and they don't blot or absorb it up. So, the problem gets worse.

I also suggest that you leave all your client's who have pets a special pet spotter celled "All Is Forgive." It can be customized with your company name and phone number. Look at www.clientretentionformulas.com to learn about this product.

>> What exactly does white vinegar do for a pet stain? I understand that its acidic, but isn't urine actually acidic as well when its fresh, only becoming alkaline as it begans to decompose?
White distilled vinegar is a commonly used along with water (50-50) for pet urine rinsing because it is a safe common household item at hand and will maintain a level of acidity to decelerate bacterial growth (for a time). Additionally if the "stain" is yellow coloration rather than dye damage, the vinegar will reduce the coloration when prolonged or repeat exposure is provided.

>> Does vinegar do anything for odor?
Outside of making it smell like a salad, not really. If anything it will very much mask it. But if there are urine salts present which are causing the odor (most likely) then the vinegar will assist in their removal with rinsing and vacuuming.

>> What about baking soda? Does that help with stain removal or just odor or both?
Baking soda is handy mostly if the odor is airborne, like in a fridge. However as an absorbent it is very handy for recurring spots, like wick-ups. Not good for urine absorption though. It is not a stain remover per se, but can be used as a mild abrasive in cleaning, in the case of making corrective peroxide slurries. It is also alkaline, so it will offset pH (i.e. when baking cakes).

>> I've also heard of using a few drops of dishwashing detergent but wouldn't that leave residue?
The role of detergent here would be only as a penetrant. Since most dishwashing detergents are foamy, this would not be recommended. And yes they can leave a gummy residue if not properly rinsed out.

A good home remedy would be 50-50 vinegar-cold water with a wet vac. Repeat and repeat again, followed by just fresh water rinsing if the vinegar is offensive. I know someone that publishes a helpful homeowner doc on this and you can find it on his site at http://www.luvyourrug.com/
Truthfully, though, the best advice you could give would be to consult a professional before costly procedures are required.

>> One last question, I've heard that ammonia will encourage pets to "re-use" the spot, therefore the two part oxidizer stain removers are a no-no. Is this true?
What will encourage pets the most will be one or both of these two things: 1. lack of prevention by the owner, and 2. even the most minute remaining urine residues.
Two-part oxidizers would not be a problem because they will self-neutralize. However they are not your system of choice at all for urine decontamination on carpet or upholstery. On white mattresses, though, they ARE the best after thorough rinsing.

Hope that helps.