Have you ever opened the door to an overwhelming dog pee smell? It’s terrible, isn’t it? You groan and rake your eyes across the room to determine the source. Sometimes, your floof gives you guilty eyes, which is heart-wrenching but doesn’t dispel the urine smell.
Ideally, you hope the pet urine is still wet, as this makes cleanup easier with paper towels. However, if it’s dried into the carpet, you’ll need bigger guns.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to remove dog pee from the carpet, the powerful punch of enzymatic cleaners, and other odor removers.
Your First Step in Removing Fresh Dog Pee
The first step is to clean it up thoroughly as soon as possible. If pet urine sinks into a surface, your dog’s hyper-sensitive sense of smell will sniff it out and will return to that area to piddle again and again.
This is especially true if you’re potty-training a puppy. Their whole world is about smells and understanding how to live with us. Once they potty in a specific place, they’ll want to return to that spot because, in their minds, it’s linked to the bathroom.
To prevent this, you want to clean the soiled area thoroughly. Your goal? Remove all traces of urine odor.
Once you’ve spotted the dog pee, you’ll use paper towels or a clean cloth to blot the pet urine gently. Blot, not rub, because rubbing can push it deeper into the carpet. Then, rinse the area with cool water and blot it dry.
You can use one of the following cleaning solutions to clean up your dog’s messes.
It’s worth noting that the fabric of your carpet can affect the future dog pee smell. Natural fiber carpets like silk or wool might hold onto the pet urine smell longer than synthetic carpet fibers.
What To Do With Dry Dog Urine
If the dog urine has already dried, you must assess the damage. If you have a little dog and they only did a slight wee, then it’s probably not that hard to clean. But if you have a big pup, dog urine could have soaked all the way down to the carpet padding, and that’s a problem.
Enzymatic cleaners like Nature’s Miracle use “good” bacteria to break down urine molecules like proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Pet urine stains contain proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, so biologically-targeted cleaners are useful.
Enzymatic cleaning products are good at ridding the area of the pet urine smell to prevent repeat performances.
You can buy an enzyme cleaner at a pet store. If you have one of these commercial pet stain removers on hand, spray the affected area liberally and follow the instructions on the bottle.
If you don’t have an enzymatic cleaning product on hand, you can DIY the soiled area with some everyday household cleaning products such as:
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Dish soap
The DIY Approach
You can take a few DIY approaches to rid your house of stinky dog urine.
- According to the American Kennel Club, you can spread baking soda over the urine stains and let it sit overnight. The baking soda neutralizes odors, and it’ll sink into the carpet. The next day, you vacuum up the baking soda with the pet urine.
- Mix baking soda and white vinegar to make an effective dog pee stain remover. Mix equal parts and then test in an out-of-the-way area to make sure it doesn’t change your carpet’s color. Then, spray on the stain, let it sit for a few minutes, and blot it up. Finally, sprinkle baking soda over the soiled area, let it dry, and vacuum it up.
- White vinegar counterbalances the ammonia in pet urine, and baking soda absorbs moisture and neutralizes lingering pet odor.
- You can also try a hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mixture. Take two cups of hydrogen peroxide and a cup of baking soda. Test this combination on a separate cloth first because hydrogen peroxide can bleach your carpet.
- Test it on a white cloth, and if the cloth turns yellow, the hydrogen peroxide is too strong. You can dilute it with water. Some advocate adding a drop of dish soap, too.
- Once you mix your solution, use a spray bottle to test it on the carpet in an out-of-the-way location, such as under a chair or table, to double-check that it won’t bleach it. Once you’ve determined that it’s safe for your carpet, you can spray the stained area and blot it dry.
If you’ve tried these methods and the dog pee smell persists, you may have to opt for stronger weapons. One option is to repeat one of the above methods and use a wet vac after the treatment.
More Extreme Measures
You can also buy a black light at a home goods store. Yes, the same light that makes teen bedroom posters glow can pick up pet urine in your carpets. Dog urine contains proteins and other matter that glow under ultraviolet (UV or black light). Turn off the lights at night and use the UV light to find the urine spot.
You may find it deep in the carpet, in which case it could be worth renting a carpet cleaner to deep clean it. You could also consider hiring a professional carpet cleaner. Cleaning services have extensive experience getting rid of pet odors.
One thing to be aware of when considering your carpet cleaning options is steam cleaning can be a bad idea because heat can set the dog urine stains and odors forever.
As a last resort, you may need to replace your carpet, the carpet padding, and even the sub-flooring.
By the way, if your dog pees on the couch or other upholstered furniture, use the same cleaning solution. Either an enzyme cleaner or a homemade cleaning solution can save your upholstery.
Potty Training and Prevention
Puppy potty training can be challenging. Depending on your pup’s age, it requires a lot of repetition and frequent outings. The standard guideline is that a puppy can hold their bladder for roughly one hour per month. So, a three-month-old puppy can hold it for approximately three hours.
Puppy pads can be a helpful tool within your potty training time. If you have the room, it’s ideal to put them in a laundry room or out of the way (uncarpeted) corner and train your dog to go there.
Sometimes, senior dogs start losing bladder control due to health problems, so you should increase your dog’s potty breaks.
Other situations like separation anxiety can cause your dog to potty inside. You can manage the problem by making sure your pup gets regular potty breaks and using baby gates inside or crate training.
With the right tools and a little household management, you can rid your house of stinky dog pee smell and enjoy a clean and fresh-smelling home without carpet stains.