There are dozens of products that claim to remove urine stains and odor from carpets and rugs. But as the owner of three Pekingese, a breed of dog known for its resistance to housebreaking, I have had to resort to homemade measures to avoid investing in an ocean of commercial pet stain products.

This simple homemade formula should remove most pet urine stains: two parts hydrogen peroxide to four parts water. If the stain is still wet, sop up most of the moisture with a paper towel or microfiber cloth.

Pour the hydrogen peroxide mixture on the spot, let sit for a few minutes and then dab it up with a microfiber cloth. The stain and smell should be gone. If not, wait a day and reapply in the same fashion. (As always, you will want to test your rug for colorfastness in an inconspicuous area. And if you are wondering where to find an inconspicuous area, try under the couch, a chair or the coffee table, or on that carpet fragment out in the garage that you 'll now be glad you held on to.)

What about set stains? I have rescued rugs from seemingly permanent pee stains and odor with a very strong or even pure hydrogen peroxide application. In the case of a horribly stinky cat stained wool dhurrie rug, I used a fine sprayer to spray a 75/25 mix of hydrogen peroxide and water over the entire rug, concentrating on the stained portions.

I repeated the application over several days, leaving the rug to dry outside in the sun between applications. The stain and smell faded over the course of three days, and not even my dogs could smell cat urine when I brought the rug inside.

The owner of a cutpile wool rug swore she had tried every single pet stain remover on a years old urine stain left by her dog and that nothing would get out the large ugly yellow mark. Again working outside, I simply poured full strength hydrogen peroxide on the stain and let it sit for a bit before dabbing it up. With two applications, the stain completely disappeared.

Hydrogen peroxide is a useful and reliable stain remover, but you must test every rug for colorfastness before trying any cleaning measures. Carpet fiber content varies and you really need to be sure how your rug will react before you try either of these extreme cures.

The best news is that hydrogen peroxide is cheap! You can buy a bottle for about $1 at a discount store.

Peggy Conger is a magazine editor and home stager who over a 20-year career has picked up hundreds of tricks of the trade for home remodeling, home repair, home decorating and staging.

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