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Even the most well-trained dog is apt to have an accident inside now and then. If your dog pees inside and you don’t want to spend money on professional cleaners, don’t worry. There are some effective home remedies to try that work to eliminate the smell of dog urine.
It is beneficial in many ways to try homemade pet cleaning remedies. On top of being affordable, they are also easy to put together and safe for both the environment and your dog. Even though homemade pet cleaning remedies aren’t as powerful as some professional cleaning products, you can make them very effective by using a little elbow grease while dedicating some time to getting rid of the urine smell once and for all.
We have put together the best home remedies for getting rid of dog urine smells. Most of these remedies use common items you may have around the house, like baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap.
The Importance of Effective Cleaning
Since dogs’ noses are a bit more in tune than humans, they can detect scents, good or bad, long after we’ve cleaned them and can no longer smell them ourselves. Homemade cleaners are awesome in an emergency, but with these gentle solutions, many stains and odors can begin to reappear after some time. If the goal is to eradicate these for good, investing in a tough enzyme cleaner is your best bet and luckily, there are many pet-friendly products on the market.
If you're trying to find an enzyme cleaner that does it all, we highly recommend our favorite cleaner, the Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray. It permanently removes the very worst stains and smells you can imagine and makes clean up a breeze. There's even a 100% satisfaction guarantee! Click here to order a bottle today. At PangoVet, we’ve admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding products of this cool cat company!
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Before You Start
Before trying any of the home remedies below, be sure to remove any urine from the surface and dry the affected area. Use some absorbent paper towels to soak up the urine without rubbing the area. Once the urine is cleaned up, use a few sheets of paper towel to dab at the spot to absorb as much moisture as possible. Then, let the area dry.
The 5 Home Remedies to Get Rid of Dog Urine Smells
1. General All-Purpose Cleaner
| Uses | Most surfaces including hard floors and carpets |
| Ingredients | White vinegar and water |
| Effectiveness | Good |
Instead of buying an expensive all-purpose cleaner, you can make your own for pennies using white vinegar and water. While it is very simple, this cleaner can be used on just about any surface, including the kitchen or bathroom floor and carpeting.
Because vinegar is acidic, it will neutralize the bacteria in the dog pee to offset its odor. To make your all-purpose cleaner, mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Then spray the cleaner on the urine spot, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Wipe it up using a clean, dry cloth. The only downside to using this remedy is that you may have to repeat the cleaning process if the urine smell is strong.
- Cheap and easy to make
- Low cost
- Can be used on many indoor surfaces
- May have to be done more than once
2. Carpet Stain and Odor Remover
| Uses | Carpets and rugs |
| Ingredients | White vinegar, water, hydrogen peroxide |
| Effectiveness | Good |
When your dog has done his dirty deed on your carpet or rug, you need something powerful to get the urine smell out. This DIY carpet stain and odor remover uses the same ingredients as the DIY all-purpose cleaner above but with the added power of hydrogen peroxide.
To make this home remedy for dog urine smells, mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Then add about a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to the mix. Spray the cleaner on the pee spot and let it sit for about 15 minutes. The peroxide will do double duty by cleaning the pee and banishing the offensive smell.
This is an effective home remedy for carpeting that may need to be repeated a couple of times until the smell of urine is completely gone. Just remember that you’re saving yourself quite a bit of money because it’s not cheap to hire a professional carpet cleaner. So, repeat the process if necessary!
- Much cheaper than commercial carpet cleaning
- Easy to do
- Inexpensive
- Great for carpets and rugs of all types
- May need to be repeated
3. Water and Dish Soap Cleaner and Odor Remover
| Uses | Hard surfaces, hardwood floors, carpets, furniture |
| Ingredients | Dish soap and water |
| Effectiveness | Great |
As simple as it sounds, water and dish soap can work wonders on both cleaning dog pee stains and removing the offensive urine smell. The water used in this solution can help rehydrate dried urine or dilute fresh urine. The dish soap will get to work on lifting the bacteria that causes the offensive smell.
To make this home remedy, mix 1–2 tablespoons of dish soap into a bucket that’s half-full of warm water. Then use a sponge to apply the mixture to the pee spot and rub it in. Once you’ve cleaned the spot, use a clean damp cloth to rinse away the soapy water then let the area dry. If you’d like to leave behind a pleasant smell, use scented dish soap.
Like most of these home remedies, you may have to repeat this process to completely get rid of the smell of pee. This DIY remedy may not work well on heavily soiled materials like thick carpeting or plush furniture.
- Can be used on dried and fresh urine spots
- Easy to use
- Cheap to make
- May need repeating
- May not work on heavily soiled materials
4. Laundry Smell Eliminator
| Uses | Washable clothing |
| Ingredients | Enzymatic cleaner and laundry detergent |
| Effectiveness | Excellent |
If your dog did the unthinkable and peed on some of your clothing, don’t fret! You don’t have to toss those clothes out in disgust. You can use this DIY laundry smell eliminator right in your washing machine to banish the urine smell and get your clothes fresh and clean!
This home remedy is for articles of clothing that are machine washable. That means you can’t use it on clothes that must be dry-cleaned.
This home remedy consists of adding some enzymatic cleaner to your washing machine along with your regular detergent. If you use a liquid laundry detergent, add an ounce of enzymatic cleaner to your liquid detergent and pour it into your machine along with the peed-on clothes.
If you use a powder detergent, add the enzymatic cleaner to your washing machine separately. Then simply run the machine as you usually do. The enzymatic cleaner will work in unison with your laundry detergent to lift the urine stain and remove the smell of pee.
The downside to this home remedy is cost. Enzymatic cleaners aren’t cheap, so shop around and look for a good deal!
- Can be used on any machine-washable clothing
- Easy to do
- Effective at banishing strong odors
- Enzymatic cleaners can be pricey
5. Baking Soda Paste
| Uses | Cloth materials, beds, furniture, carpets, rugs, etc. |
| Ingredients | Baking soda, dish soap, and hydrogen peroxide |
| Effectiveness | Excellent |
To eliminate the strong smell of dog urine on cloth materials like furniture, carpets, rugs, and beds, you can mix baking soda with dish soap and hydrogen peroxide to create a powerful odor remover. To make this paste, mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 3 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide with 2 tablespoons of dish soap. You should mix these items in a deep container because the mixture will bubble up when stirred.
Once you have the items mixed and the bubbles disappear, you’ll be left with a paste. Apply the paste to the urine spot and let it sit for about an hour. Then take a damp clean rag and remove the paste. You will have to rinse your rag a few times to get up all the paste, but all the work will be worth it because the pee smell should be gone!
- Can be used on most cloth materials
- Powerful and effective
- Inexpensive
- Requires repeated rinses
Benefits of Using Home Remedies to Get Rid of Dog Urine Smells
When you don’t have a powerful commercial dog urine cleaner and odor eliminator in your house, we highly recommend using a home remedy. There are lots of benefits associated with using a home remedy for banishing the smell of dog urine, including the following:
- Most are pet-safe
- Most are much cheaper than professional solutions
- They’re easy solutions
- They’re effective
Unlike commercial pet urine smell eliminators, home remedies don’t use lots of questionable chemicals or additives that can harm you or your dog. For example, white vinegar won’t do you or your dog any harm whatsoever because it’s completely safe to use. Home remedies are also cheaper than professional cleaners and can be just as effective. All in all, home remedies like those above are great alternatives to costly professional cleaners!
Of course the best way to get rid of dog urine is preventing accidents to ever happen in the first place. Proper potty training is therefore essential. If you would like to get some good advice or training tips, calling your vet and asking them for an advice is the easiest thing you can do.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a dog owner, you’ll likely have to deal with cleaning up urine inside your house. Even the most well-behaved dog can have an accident, so be prepared.
If you don’t want to spend money on a commercial dog urine smell eliminator, use a home remedy instead. Just be sure to follow the directions and take your time when using a home remedy to ensure you get the best possible results!
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