House training your new puppy usually takes a while, doesn’t it? Even then, accidents do happen from time to time. This could mean you stumble upon unpleasant wet spots in your carpet you hope are just water.
However, these spots quickly grow to smell terribly of urine, causing your whole house to smell of it in turn. This is the worst smell to face since it hits you in the face every time you walk into your home.
Now, what do you do to get rid of the dog urine smell in your home? I found some great tips to help you out.
Why Does Your Home Smell of Dog Pee?
It’s simple really. Even if your dog is as trained as can be, it is not possible to be with them every moment of the day to catch them signaling for the bathroom.
Having to hold it for extended times can become painful.
So, accidents happen, more often with puppies still learning where the best spot to piddle is. Their accidents can often be left undiscovered until they dry and the smell sets in, leading to the odor taking over your home.
How to Keep Accidents to a Minimum?
There are many ways to avoid accidents happening, and it is not always the dog’s fault.
Taking action to clean up accidents on sight as well as training your pooch properly can reduce the risk of it happening frequently.
Clean up Promptly and Efficiently
Cleaning up the spots the moment you see them can reduce the smell to nothing like it never even happened.
There are many ways to clean it up depending on your flooring. I will be outlining more on how to clean it properly in a little bit.
Housebreak Your Dog
The best way to make accidents slow to an absolute minimum would be to train your pup. This means housebreaking them beyond puppy pads and teaching them that outside is the best place to potty.
However, your part in this is encouraging good behavior until it is second nature. Take them on a walk or let them out at the first signal and praise them.
Learn: What Is The Fastest Way To Crate Train A Puppy?
Clean Your Dog’s Belongings Frequently
Even though it doesn’t directly relate to the smell of dog urine, if your pooch smells, so do their items. Cleaning their toys, bedding, and dishes often will help with the heavy smell of dogs when you walk into the home.
Most toys and bedding are machine washable or can be washed by hand with ease.
Groom Your Dog Often
Grooming your dog can help brush out the dirt and other scents they have picked up over time. It also helps with shedding and gives your dog some attention as well.
Just make sure to not over-groom your pup, since their skin makes oils that protect it.
Washing this away too often could lead to some serious skin issues. Also never forget to brush your dog’s teeth at least two times a week.
Consult Your Vet if it Persists
If the accidents seem to continue even if your dog is well trained, there could be underlying issues. The most common could be a bladder infection, making it hard to control how often or when they relieve themselves.
Consult your vet if you are concerned your dog may be experiencing issues. Your pooch will thank you.
How to Properly Clean Up Dog Urine
There are many ways to clean the smell of urine from your home. Always confront it the moment you notice it. Try to soak as much of it as you can with anything that absorbs the wetness.
From there, based on the flooring, clean with the appropriate supplies. If it is older, follow some of the steps I have laid out in the next section.
Related Reading: Why Does My Dog Poop Against The Wall?
How Can You Clean Dog Urine From Your Home?
I will be going over the different ways you can get rid of the smell of dog urine from your home. Depending on what you are cleaning, from your floors, carpets, to furniture, each method may not work.
Find what works for you first. If it fails, try another method from the list. I have learned that not every spot can be handled the same.
For Already Dry Spots, Vacuum
Vacuuming before locating an already dry spot can quickly reduce the smell in your home. It will clean up all the pet dander and fur stuck to your floors and carpets better than any other method.
A good tip with this is, if you just add some baking soda over the carpet before you vacuum, it can soak up most of the odor with it.
Use A Black Light to Find Urine Stains
Finding a dry spot of urine that is causing the odor in your home is like finding a needle in a haystack. It comes down to nearly sniffing the floor yourself to figure it out. However, simply using a blacklight over your carpet can do wonders.
It will help you spot any urine stains you may have never known existed.
Natural Urine Odor Remover
Using a natural urine odor remover can do wonders for your home. Products specifically made for this have an enzyme within that breaks down the odor to keep your dog from finding it and remarking it if they want to.
The best way to use this stuff is to soak the area with it and dabbing it dry and letting it sit before repeating until it is gone.
Air Purifier
Some odors can be too stubborn to deal with even after using all other methods. It can be in a corner you never knew your dog could get to and you would never be the wiser.
This is where an air purifier can come in handy. It will help make your house smell fresh and neutralize the odor from at least reaching anyone’s noses.
Homemade Pet Odor Neutralizer
If you can’t afford to get products to break down the odors, you can make some homemade odor neutralizers to combat it yourself.
The best one I have found to date would be mixing one to one ratio of water and distilled white vinegar with two teaspoons of baking soda.
Make sure to shake it up before using a spray bottle to spray the stain. Let it sit before blotting and repeating until the odor is gone.
Deep Clean with a Wet Vac
Buying a Wet Vac can really help out with the odor. It will be able to deep clean the area and saturate it. The best method for this is continuing over the spot multiple times until the odor is completely gone.
However, never use a steam cleaner since the heat will cause the stain and odor to permanently remain in your flooring.
Expose to Sunlight and Fresh Air
Exposing the stain to sunlight and fresh air could help lift the odor from the home, however, know this will not always work.
Sometimes airing out your home is all it takes, though, with multiple urine stains, the smell will continue to linger when you close the doors and windows. This is more of a temporary fix than a forever fix.
Candles!
If all else fails, a candle is my best friend. I often use a wax warmer to keep a good scent to my home. Sometimes there are stains you just can’t find or clean no matter what.
A candle can help mask the scent for a while as well, especially if you only need a temporary fix until you can do something else.
What NOT to Use to Remove Dog Urine Odor?
There are some things that are far from helpful with cleaning up urine stains and dealing with the odor. If anything, these options make the problem far worse than you were meaning for it to be.
Stay away from these options to avoid the same mistakes I have made in the past.
Floor Cleaner
Floor cleaner may seem like the obvious choice to go for when trying to get the smell out of your carpet. It just isn’t able to fully clean up the stain or odor.
For your dog, they will still be able to smell the spot and remark it.
Ammonia or Ammonia-Based Products
The smell of dog urine is the same as ammonia. So using products with the same chemical smell to it will do nothing for the spot you are trying to clean.
Your dog will still associate with the spot and continue to mark it as you continue to clean it.
Bleach
Bleach is often the go-to in cases to clean almost anything. However, for dog urine odor, it does absolutely nothing.
The only thing you are doing is introducing harmful fumes and a toxic wet spot that could harm your dog if they lick it.
FAQs
# Is the Smell of Dog Urine In the House Bad For You?
The smell of ammonia that dog urine can bring with it health problems. Constantly breathing in the scent can irritate the lungs and cause damage to the respiratory system.
Constant exposure to the smell can even cause skin and eye damage if it is highly concentrated.
# Why Does Dog Pee Smell Bad?
Dog pee smells awful most often after sitting for a while.
The buildup of chemicals causes the smell of ammonia that we associate with it. The awful smell can easily be remedied if it is cleaned up quickly though.
Which Part has Helped You the Most?
I made this article to help out fellow dog owners with that awful smell that comes with owning a dog. I know all too well the impact the smell causes to the home.
What part of the article has helped you out the most in your combat with dog urine odor in your home? Have you already tried any of the methods I mentioned?
Or are you interested in trying one?
Reply in the comments with your response or to let us know if we missed anything you think we should add to the list.
Thank you and please share the article with friends and family if you enjoyed it.
Other Puppy Behavior & Training Related Topics
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3. Why Do Anatolian Shepherds Bark So Much?
4. Why American Foxhounds Are Hard To Train?
5. What If My Dog Lick My Face?
6. Why Do Bullmastiffs Howl So Much?
