The Good: Eliminates odors quite well, Decent stain-fighting abilities
The Bad: Somewhat limited on the stain fighting on some rugs
The Basics: Arm & Hammer's new pet stain eliminating product, Oxy Strength Pet Odor & Stain Remover actually works to remove odors and stains left from pets!
I think that some companies need to chill out. Seriously. I understand (some) capitalism and the need to stay "fresh" in the market, but too often lately, I find a product I like and when I return to the store to buy more, I discover that the product has been discontinued, renamed or reformulated. As a result, I am left trying to figure out if the new product is as good as the old one or even if it is designed to do the same things. This is especially frustrating when the new product looks a lot like the old one that I used.
So begins my contemplation of the new Arm & Hammer Oxy Strength Pet Odor & Stain Remover. This product was sitting on the shelf at Target in the place where I used to find the Resolve for Pet Stains that I liked and then the Arm & Hammer Pet Odor Eliminator that I did not like, but did what it claimed, so I had no real grudge against it. The thing is, if I could still find it in my area, the Resolve For Pet Stains with the formula that kept cats from peeing where they peed before would probably be what I'd be using today. Given the options, though, I decided to bank on the Arm & Hammer name for cleaning up the rugs in my new place when the pets make stains. Thus, I eagerly bought a 32 oz. spray bottle of Arm & Hammer Oxy Strength Pet Odor & Stain Remover.
Why do I need so much? First, it does appear to be the only size I could find when I went out shopping. Second, because in combining the houses of myself and my partner, we have two cats (Brillo and Gollum) and a dog (Mitzie). Gollum is a well-behaved black cat, Mitzie is an ancient cocker spaniel who I have grown to love and Brillo is a lovable jerk. Whenever my partner and I go on trips, Brillo lets us know that he is dissatisfied by peeing outside his litter box within twenty-four hours of our return. As well, Brillo seems to fear running out of food in a way that is completely irrational. As a result, he will gorge himself on his food, then vomit it up (charming, huh?). Even more gross is that Mitzie, if she finds piles first, will aid in the clean-up effort by eating the regurgitated cat food. In short, Brillo makes messes on rugs that leave residue that we needed a cleaner for.
Arm & Hammer's Oxy Strength Pet Odor & Stain Remover comes in a 32 oz. bottle with a spray trigger top. The nozzle ends in a simple, pretty standard, rotating cap that offers three spraying options: Off, Spray, and Stream. The "Off" function locks the trigger and prevents anything from being sprayed. This is handy for those who have children who might otherwise enjoy getting into a bottle like this. So long as the kid has a short attention span, this will thwart them from spraying the product around. The "Spray" setting creates a fine mist that dusts a decent area, about six inches square when held a foot away. The "Spray" function creates a wide dispersion of the Oxy Strength Pet Odor & Stain Remover and that works fine for covering the soiled area. The "Stream" function creates a forceful squirt of liquid that hits stained areas with precision and little dispersion. The "stream" function is great for getting deep into carpets and it does seem to work perfectly for that.
The actual product is a mostly clear liquid with a faint smell to it. The scent is inoffensive and almost unnoticeable, something between a mild detergent and just a hint of citrus scent. Having had plenty of this stuff on my skin I can honestly say that it does not irritate the skin.
The directions for use are ridiculously simple. First, remove solid matter. In the case of poor Brillo's vomit, this means cleaning up as much of the matter as possible. When he urinates inappropriately, this means blotting up as much as possible. Second, spray on the area. It's as easy as that. After ten minutes blot up the stain remover and the area ought to be clean and smell all right.
The directions recommend testing the product on a discreet area to make sure that it does not have an effect on color fastness of the fabric being sprayed. I've yet to find a fabric that bleeds when this is used on it and I've tried it on the rug, denim, and my curtains. And it does effectively get odors out of all of those fabrics and carpets.
This is a remarkably easy product to use. I flip the cap to the stream setting (yeah, I keep it "Off" otherwise, though I don't know why) and spray it exactly as it mentions on the bottle. This will form a light foam where it comes in contact with cat pee and the foam dissipates within five minutes. There have been times I have sprayed the Oxy Strength Pet Odor & Stain Remover and walked away for ten minutes and been unable to find where the stain had been without sticking my hand in it. This has been mildly problematic, but with the urine stains left from Brillo, I have found it works perfectly.
Where the Oxy Strength Pet Odor & Stain Remover does not seem to work ideally is with the vomit. The cat food coloring seems to remain faintly on the rug no matter how many times I blot and rub it out. Still, the product works perfectly to cut through the odors and eliminates them, permanently. It is very effective at that and within moments of applying it, my living room no longer smells from anything cat-related.
Unfortunately, the product does nothing to truly discourage Brillo from peeing in inappropriate places. The reason this does not bother me too much with the Oxy Strength Pet Odor & Stain Remover is that it doesn't promise it will. I would never anticipate the product would stop Brillo from vomiting, either. The thing is, the product does seem to work with the vomit in that when Brillo does vomit and I clean with this, so long as it sets for over ten minutes, what does not come up by blotting does seem to be vacuumed up (a fact I noticed only when I started going around for the review to try to describe some of the lasting stains from the cat vomit). Apparently, once it dried, the spray causes all matter to stop adhering to rugs, at least the short pile ones I am now living around!
The Oxy Strength Pet Odor & Stain Remover lasts, even with my disobedient cats. I can usually make a bottle last for six months. The scentless quality of the soiled areas often lasts until Brillo decides to make his next protest on the rug. Brillo, Mitzie and Gollum have never gotten ill from my using this product and it does effectively eliminate pet odors.
For other pet-related cleaners, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Arm & Hammer Pet Fresh Odor & Stain Remover
Resolve For Pet Stains
United Pet Skunk And Tough Odor Eliminator
8.5/10
For other home cleaner and home and garden product reviews, please be sure to visit my index page!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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