UV Light: The Cleaner’s Superpower

It’s not exactly X-ray vision, but a good ultraviolet or UV light truly can help you see what may be lurking in carpet and upholstery. Not only does a UV light reveal the presence of urine spills (urine salts glow greenish-yellow under UV), but UV light can also show you where previous cleanings and spot treatments have occurred. That’s because UV light causes the optical brighteners used in spot treatments like Resolve and in most laundry detergents to glow with a bluish white light. If you see the bluish light, you’ll know that further investigation is required before you try to remove the spot.

In this photo, the yellow green is urine, and the pink and light blue show that baking soda has been used to clean the spot previously.