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Peyton Manning & His Wife Ashley Say:

"Adopt Your Pets From Animal Shelters & Be Sure To Have Them Spayed & Neutered!"

Photograph © Copyright 2002, Eric Smith.  All rights reserved.  Photo and quote are not to be construed as an endorsement of DooDoo Voodoo in any way by the Mannings; they simply support our animal charity work.  We & they believe in saving animals' lives.

 

SUBSURFACE EXTRACTION:
The Most Easy & Effective Carpet Cleaning Method Ever Invented!

There is simply no more effective way to eradicate pet stains and odors from your carpet, pad AND subfloor than to do what's called subsurface extraction.

I've been performing --- and evangelizing about --- subsurface extraction for nearly two decades --- long before many professional cleaners were hip to this method.  It is, as they say, "the bomb!"

This Page & Others
I didn't want this page to get even longer than it already it, so I split some other pertinent info out into a couple other pages that I encourage you to also read AFTER you've read this page:  our Stain Removal page and our Rocky Clean-Up page.  You should also consider looking at our Pet Urine Case Studies, Extraction Instructions and Salvaging Pee-Soaked Subfloor pages.

The "What"
First, I'll explain the tools we use to perform subsurface extraction, then I'll explain what they do and how we use them.

We use and sell the two subsurface tools shown here.  They're made by SOS and are incredibly effective, yet affordable, starting at just $47.99 (with free shipping) for the Hand Tool shown on the left, which is intended for spot cleaning.  The Pro Tool, shown on the right, is made for whole-room or whole-house jobs and has footpads you stand on as the unit --- in conjunction with a powerful enough carpet extractor --- removes contamination all the way down to your subfloor.  (This can be a machine you own or one you rent; the SOS tools are designed to mate to different sizes of hose, as discussed later in this document, so they're pretty universal and are likely to fit just about any rental unit's hose cuff.)

The "How"
Conventional carpet cleaning is usually performed by a technician using a wand.  In the hands of an experienced operator, this can be an effective method of removing contamination from your carpet fibers, but it does virtually nothing to alleviate contamination that's in your carpet's primary or secondary backing, your carpet pad or your subfloor.  (Ever had carpet cleaning performed, then seen stains come back?  That's because they're "wicking" up from underneath.  They might have been rewetted, but were not removed.)

Various other carpet cleaning methods have been devised over the years to help make it easier, faster and, in some cases, more effective to clean carpet than by using a simple wand.  (We own these various types of tools and are familiar with their use.)  Unfortunately, none of them is capable of getting deep down in your carpet and providing a more thorough cleaning job than a wand.  This is exactly why subsurface extraction was invented.

Conversely, the SOS tools develop a super-tight vacuum seal against your carpet, thus developing tremendous suction power to really pull out the contamination --- all the way down to the subfloor.

The Process Of Using Doodoo Voodoo With A Subsurface Tool
It's incredibly easy and fast to do subsurface extraction with Doodoo Voodoo and one of the SOS tools.  (Read the steps here, then further down the page, I'll show you some of the jobs I've done.)

1.  Soak a spot with Doodoo Voodoo, starting in a ring around the outside and working in toward the center.  This helps contain the stain/odor and keeps it from spreading out farther.

2.  "Smoosh" the Doodoo Voodoo down with your shoe (perhaps with disposable shoe covers on) to force it deep into the carpet backing and pad.  You'll see a ton of bubbles and hear a suction sound.

3.  Let the Doodoo Voodoo dwell for 5 to 30 minutes so it can begin to eliminate the stains and odors, and so it can liquify the offensive organic material so you can extract it.

4.  Extract the area with your subsurface tool and owned or rented carpet extractor machine.  You can see through the clear plastic top of the subsurface tool exactly what you're removing.  You'll be mortified at what comes out of your carpet.

5.  Pour warm water on the area and smoosh it in like you did the Doodoo Voodoo.

6.  Extract again using your subsurface tool and extractor.  You may have to repeat this flood-&-extract step more than once to get all the organic material and Doodoo Voodoo out.  Keep doing it 'til you stop seeing suds coming out.

7.  Optional:  Mist the surface of the carpet with Doodoo Voodoo.

It's literally that fast and that easy.  Once you do it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.  I'm not kidding.  You'll be thinking, "Why, oh why, did I live with stains, odors and filth all this time when this is so easy and affordable????"

Why Subsurface Extraction Is So Effective Against Stains & Odors
Regular carpet cleaning only removes contamination from the carpet fibers, but subsurface extraction (assuming you use a strong enough extraction machine) will pull contamination from the fibers, primary & secondary backing, pad and subfloor.  As I started saying years ago, subsurface extraction is "like running your carpet through a washing machine!"™  If there's no contamination left in the carpet, backing, pad or subfloor, there's nothing left to stain or stink.

Don' Freak Out, But I'm Going To Tell You To Pour A Bucket Of Water On Your Carpet
I don't do much carpet cleaning for pay, but have helped a number of animal charity workers, family members, friends and others over the years, so, for a layman, I have a, uh, *considerable* amount of experience at carpet and upholstery cleaning.  When I explain to people what I'm about to do, their eyes get real big and they start stepping further away from me.  It's comical to see their reactions!

Yes, you're going to flood areas with Doodoo Voodoo and warm water, but then, using the SOS tools, you're going to extract most of it (some studies show 95%) right back out, minutes later.  We pour it on, agitate it a bit, let it dwell briefly, then extract it.

Realistically, the goal is to pour on enough to saturate the fibers, backings, pad and perhaps wet the subfloor without introducing so much liquid that you super-saturate everything, including the subfloor.  I'm not asking you to pour so much liquid onto your carpet that you're sloshing around the room in your wading boots.  We want it squishy wet, but not flooded.  According to one of the industry's leading experts (he literally wrote the book on cleaning and wrote the guidelines published by the governing body of the cleaning industry), it takes just under 3 gallons of liquid to fully saturate 1 square yard of typical pad and carpet.  So, it takes about 3 gallons to saturate an area 3'x3'.  This will not super-saturate the area (like I mentioned above in my wading boots comment).

You can use a bucket or a gardener's sprinkling can (I use both).  But — wait for it — you can also get a hose adapter for a faucet and use a garden hose with a sprayer on the end.  This may be culture shock for you to hear, but I've done it and seen others do it for the purpose we're discussing on this page.  It works great, but obviously you have to be careful as to where and when you use it.  [Mr. Lawyer Says:  we're not liable for incidental or consequential damages if you use a hose in this manner.]

Don't Freak Out #2:  You're Not Going To Spend Gazillions On Doodoo Voodoo To Accomplish This
The beauty of subsurface extraction is that I'd rather see you flood your stains & odors more than once with a weaker mixture than to mix up some super-strong Doodoo Voodoo and use it all up on a relatively small area.  In fact, in a minute I'm going to relate a short story to you about just how weak you can mix your Doodoo Voodoo and still achieve total success.   Saturating an area with require far more warm water than Doodoo Voodoo.

Wait For It...
The secrets to the success of this methodology are (a) flooding the stain/odor area; (b) letting the Doodoo Voodoo mixture dwell long enough to re-liquify the contamination & do its Doodoo Voodoo magic on the stains & odors; (c) "smooshing" the mixture through all the carpet fibers and cells of the pad; (d) doing a thorough subsurface extraction; then (e) flooding the area with warm water and again thoroughly performing subsurface extraction.

If you just used warm water to do all this, it wouldn't be effective like it is when you introduce Doodoo Voodoo into the equation.  Nor would it be as effective if you simply poured on your Doodoo Voodoo mixture, then immediately did your extraction.  You can't cut any corners here, but, luckily, none of this is difficult or time-consuming.

Drying
It is important to mention here that even once you do subsurface extraction, a small amount of residual Doodoo Voodoo will still remain in the carpet and pad.  This is a good thing, as it keeps working for you through the drying process.

Speaking of drying, a common question is whether to let the area air dry or accelerate the drying with ceiling fans, box fans, etc.  We do not encourage accelerated drying for the first few hours (at least two and not more than six, if possible), but do encourage acceleration after that.  If you happen to have a dehumidifier, we suggest you run it in the area, as this will help speed up the drying process.

Now, if you don't have a way to accelerate the drying process, don't sweat it, but do realize that it will take longer to dry way down deep.  In this instance, do your best to remove as much moisture with the subsurface tool as possible.

Videos To Familiarize You With The Tools
Here are links to two short videos on YouTube to show you how the SOS Hand Tool & Pro Tool work.

Video Of Hand Tool #1
Video Of Hand Tool #2 (ignore their instruction to pull the tool across the carpet)
Video Of Pro Tool

Notes About The Pro Video:  The Pro video is targeted at professional carpet cleaners, which is why it mentions "truckmounts," which are the in-van machines pro's tend to use (they're powered by the van's engine, which is why carpet cleaners leave their vans running in front of your house), but the Pro can absolutely be used with appropriate portable carpet extractors that exhibit sufficient suction (called "waterlift" in the carpet cleaning industry).  We've sold a number of Pro tools to consumers and they've loved them.

Guess What's In Your House Right Now
Below are two examples of some dirty water I got when I did a subsurface extraction job on carpet that seemed clean (and had been professionally cleaned not long prior). You won't believe what's lurking in your carpet, pad and subfloor, and what you and your pets are breathing.

Let Me Illustrate How Cheap & Easy It Is To Solve Your Stain & Odor Problems
Here's a recent case study to help illustrate the effectiveness of subsurface extraction.

A professor at a prestigious east coast university complained of extreme cat urine smell and tons of vomit stains in his family's carpeted basement, plus cat urine in their upholstered sectional sofa.  They had tried all manner of home remedies, store-bought products and cover-ups, but nothing worked and they were glad to have been referred to Doodoo Voodoo.

I advised him regarding the proper methodology and sold him a gallon of Doodoo Voodoo Concentrate.  He bought a nozzle tool from us (sorry, they're not on the website just yet, but will be soon) and I directed him regarding which carpet cleaning extractor to rent locally (it happened to be one of the same machines we use and now sell, but which are also not on the site just yet).  I think it was about $35 per day to rent the machine.

One recent Saturday, he and his wife jumped into the project and did subsurface extraction of their basement, which contained multiple rooms, and their sectional.

They kept texting me photos and their thoughts as they went along.  One that really made me laugh was when they told me they didn't realize what filthy people they were until they started doing subsurface extraction.  :-)

To say they were thrilled with the results --- and absolutely amazed by how fast, easy and inexpensive it was --- would be an understatement.  They said that they never thought some of the stains would come out...but they all did.

They said they never have imagined that their "trashed" carpet, pad and subfloor could be salvaged...but they were.

They, being environmentally conscious, were thrilled that all their carpet and pad stayed out of the landfill and that they didn't have to spend big money on new flooring.  They were thrilled that they didn't have to clean and seal their subfloor, nor replace the drywall that had been peed on or replace their baseboard and shoe molding.  Spraying Doodoo Voodoo was all they needed.

And the most amazing thing was that they said they mixed most of their DooDoo Voodoo at our weakest recommended strength!  They didn't use the whole gallon of Doodoo Voodoo Concentrate, so they're glad to have some left in case the cats make more messes.

They texted me the next day to tell me:

"There is ZERO smell in the basement.
No Doodoo Voodoo smell, no pee smell, NOTHING.  It just smells neutral!"

How To Use The Two Types Of Tools To Perform Subsurface Extraction
The Hand Tool you use by hand on smaller stains and odors and do so as shown in the photos.  The Pro Tool you stand on as you move around the room and it is intended for use on larger areas of square footage.  But, even if you intend to work on smaller areas of stain and odor, you can still use the Pro tool.  It may be easier for some of you to use 'cause you never have to get on your hands and knees.

Regardless which tool you choose, you'll get the hang of it in just minutes and you'll have a smile on your face and a great sense of satisfaction.

Got Any Stains That Keep Coming Back No Matter How Many Times You Clean Them?
Welcome to the dreaded "wicking" and "soil migration."  These are professional terms that define the reasons that stains keep reappearing after you thought you were done with them for good.  You see, even when the top of the carpet LOOKS clean, there's likely plenty of organic matter down deep.  This soil will automatically migrate up.  Why?  Because the carpet fibers will dry on top faster than the deeper fibers will dry.  Physics says that the moisture down deep will automatically migrate toward the dryer fibers on top, thus carrying the deep-down soil with it.  The result?  A stain that keeps coming back.  No more...if you perform subsurface extraction.  The deep-down soil will be GONE.

Go Big
In professional circles, it's said that if you use a Pro-type tool, you can subsurface extract up to 1200 square feet in an hour.  I've done a ton of subsurface work and am pretty darned good at it, but I think 1200 square feet in an hour might be overstating it a bit, as you need to allow dwell time and flush time (with warm water, often more than once).  But, the process IS super-easy and goes a LOT faster than you ever would imagine.  Seriously!  Doing subsurface extraction is w-a-y easier than cleaning carpet using a wand.

You'll Do A Better Job Than A Many Professionals
As amazing as it may seem, there are still some professional carpet cleaners who don't own these types of tools.  All they have in their arsenal is the stereotypical wand...and a sore back and shoulders.  No matter how good a technician is, he'll never do the in-depth extraction with a wand that you'll be able to do for as little as $47.99 (with free shipping).

Additional Photos Of The Hand Tool And Pro Tool
Here are some more photos and screencaps of the two tools so you can better familiarize yourself with them.

The Hand Tool is compatible with all three sizes of common hoses/cuffs (below), but the Pro Tool only works with 1.5" and 2" hoses/cuffs:

Here's how you stand on the Pro Tool as you move around the area:

The Pro Tool with its included storage bag and removable, adjustable handle:

Another Case Study
We have an elderly special-needs rescue dog named Rocky (right) who sometimes goes #1 and #2 on the carpet due to separation anxiety and "sundowner's syndrome" from the chemistry of his aging brain.  (He has a lot of other health issues, as explained on the Rocky Clean-Up page.)

But with the proper tools (Doodoo Voodoo, an EDIC portable extractor and the SOS subsurface Hand Tool), his messes are now just an inconvenience for us.  With the proper tools, YOU can deal with messes as quickly and easily as I did here.

This project took me very little time and very little Doodoo Voodoo to completely eradicate what otherwise was AWFUL, GROSS staining of the carpet in one of our bedrooms.  As I say in our brochure and on this site:  Doodoo Voodoo gives you peace of mind and makes pet messes no big deal.

Here are some photos from a recent cleanup.  Note that I spared you the trauma of seeing the extraordinarily gross "before" photos of the dog poo.  (Click on these images to see larger versions.)

Photo #1:
Here's after I cleaned up the (soft, not formed, & smeared) dog feces that had REALLY stained the carpet.  I've poured Doodoo Voodoo on the spots (starting in a ring around the outside and working in toward the center) and am letting it dwell for about 10 minutes.

You're probably thinking, "Isn't pouring the liquid on the remaining poo just going to drive it farther into the carpet backing, pad and subfloor?"  In theory, yes, but I've already cleaned up most of it...and we're about to hit these areas with such enormous vacuum suction and such a high volume of liquid that the areas will be really flushed through and through with Doodoo Voodoo & warm water, thus allowing us to extract all the contamination very thoroughly.

Photo #2:
Here I'm using the corner of the Doodoo Voodoo Claw Tool (which we intend to have for sale on the website soon) to work the Doodoo Voodoo into the spots.  (I have the Claw Tool attached to the hose of our EDIC Bravo portable extractor.)  As you can see, the initial cleanup and pouring of Doodoo Voodoo has virtually eliminated the staining (which was severe and really gross), but I wanted to make sure that the areas were as stain, odor and germ-free as possible --- and as deep down as possible --- so I figured I'd do a proper cleanup, which to me always includes surface work and a subsurface extraction.  If I'd have skipped doing the subsurface extraction, would Doodoo Voodoo alone have taken care of the stains and odors?  Yes, but I wouldn't have felt that the areas were as clean as they would be with proper extraction methodology.

Photo #3:
Working the Claw Tool back and forth to really work Doodoo Voodoo into the carpet fibers.  If you don't have a Claw Tool handy, you can also use a *soft* plastic-bristled brush.  Don't use too stiff a brush, as it can damage your carpet fibers.  You can also simply put on rubber gloves or disposable exam gloves (which we include with many Doodoo Voodoo products) and make your fingers into a "claw" that you use to work the product into the fibers.  As discussed above, you can also use your shoes to "smoosh" the Doodoo Voodoo mixture deeper into the backing, pad and subfloor.  When you do this and release your foot pressure, you're creating a vacuum that draws the Doodoo Voodoo mixture deeper into the areas that are contaminated.

Photo #4:
This is after using the technique shown in Photo #3.

Photo #5:
This photo I shot after using the Claw Tool to extract as much from the carpet fibers as possible.  It did a great job and I could have stopped here if I'd been in a hurry.  The deep-down Doodoo Voodoo would have kept working, then dried naturally.

But it was bedtime and someone in the family was chomping at the bit to get to bed.  I didn't want the room to smell like Doodoo Voodoo while someone was trying to sleep, so subsurface extraction was in order.  Note the position in which I set the Claw Tool down?  I show this to you to illustrate that if you're going to set your Claw or other tool down, set it in such a way that any liquid inside doesn't drain out onto the floor.

Photo #6:
Here I'm using the SOS Hand Tool immediately after using the Claw Tool to extract the fibers.  But see (in the black area on top of the Hand Tool) how there's not much coming up from the backing and pad (no suds are visible)?  This is because the tool needs the carpet fibers to be really wet in order to work correctly.  Why?  Because it's easier for the tool to create a vacuum effect when placed on wet carpet vs. dry.  So, don't be afraid to really soak your subsurface extraction areas.

Photo #7:
This is after I dumped warm water on the spots so as to flush out the offensive organic material and Doodoo Voodoo (which has by now seeped down deep into the carpet backing and pad).  You should flush 'til the extraction solution is clear and not sudsy.

Photo #8:
This is after a couple flushes with warm water and the SOS Hand Tool.  Note that even though the subsurface tool pulls out nearly all the water (between about 92 & 95%), there's still enough left in the carpet to allow you to see the areas that have been treated.  But within about an hour, the wetness had completely disappeared and you couldn't even see where I'd flooded the carpet with Doodoo Voodoo and warm water.  Most importantly, you couldn't see smeared feces...and the room didn't smell of dog poop or Doodoo Voodoo.  That's what we want when it's bedtime.  ;-)
 

An Optional Final Step
The last step I always do is what's called "grooming" the carpet.  I didn't photograph this step in the above job, but it's something I wanted to mention to you because (a) it helps the carpet look much better once it's dry; and (b) it helps the carpet dry a lot faster.

We intend to sell carpet grooming "rakes" one of these days, but are not currently selling them.  Why?  Because they're long and unwieldy and difficult to ship.  We keep looking for a way to ship them broken down into pieces that you assemble when you receive them, thus making the units easier and less expensive to ship.

Here's a photo of a carpet rake such as we have about a dozen of (click to see a larger version).  The nylon teeth really help make your carpet fibers stand up straight after you finish your cleaning.

You Wanna Feel That Good About YOUR House?
The level of cleanliness I show above, my friends, is what you can experience, too.

You can be rid of your stains and odors better, faster and cheaper than you ever thought possible.  You can avoid having to do a ton of extra work on the subfloor and you can avoid buying new flooring and hurting the environment.  Your house can be cleaner, fresher-smelling and stain-free --- all for as little as $47.99 with free shipping to all 50 states.

That's WAY less than any professional cleaning would cost you.  And it's going to be FAR more effective at eradicating your stains and odors PERMANENTLY than a conventional carpet cleaning could ever be.

Subsurface extraction is right for you and your pets.  Buy a subsurface tool now and enjoy its effectiveness for many years to come!

SOS Hand Tool

With Free Shipping To All 50 States Via Priority Mail

SOS Pro Tool

With Free Shipping To All 50 States Via Priority Mail
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