No matter how much we love our dogs, that poop and urine smell they leave behind when they relieve themselves is not suitable for our homes and our wellbeing. The strong unpleasant smell isn’t just a cause for annoyance. It can also serve as a carrier of millions of bacteria and parasites.

More importantly, these smells can signify to other people, especially those visiting our home, that we are unsanitary and disorganized. Sometimes, we become so accustomed to such odors, and we fail to realize how strong and uncomfortable these pet smells are. It may prevent relatives and friends from wanting to visit our home, especially if they have health conditions like asthma and pet allergies.

Hazards of Unpleasant Dog Smells

According to Greg Wiszniewski of Busy Bee Cleaning and Janitorial Services, pet odors are potentially dangerous due to the harmful toxins they may release into the air. Pet waste, when left uncleaned, can go on to harden and stick on surfaces we regularly use or touch.

More importantly, dog poop smell may contain millions of pathogens that could cause gastrointestinal distress in humans, as well as vomiting and nausea, when inhaled. Breathing such odors can also lead to discomfort, especially in children and those with sensitive senses. And although the human body has no proven direct adverse reaction to foul pet smells, it may lead to health concerns resulting from continuous or long-term inhalation.

The smell of pet waste can trigger the following: allergic reactions, burning sensation in the nose, throat, and lungs, coughing and shortness of breath, lightheadedness, skin and eye irritation, fatigue, respiratory infections, and asthma. Also, people with continuous or long-term exposure to such odors may get skin burns and permanent eye damage, including blindness.

How to Get Rid of Dog Smell Using Household Items

As dog owners, part of our responsibility is to maintain the hygiene of our dogs and the places they frequent. Our homes serve as their homes too. Therefore, we must make sure to keep our houses cleaned and free from traces or smells of their waste. Part of managing day-to-day life with our pets means attending to their needs, including sanitation and hygiene. Grooming dogs regularly is vital in observing cleanliness, not just for their sake, but for ours and our loved ones too. If you don’t want your home to smell like a dog kennel, here are some measures that you must do to eliminate the dog poop smell, and all the other unpleasant odors that come with it.

1. Observing Good Pet Hygiene

A clean-smelling dog makes everyone happy. part of maintaining our pet’s good health is proper and regular grooming. If you don’t want to take them to a professional groomer, there are always ways to keep your dog clean at home. Frequent bathing will ensure that dirt and bacteria are stripped off from their bodies while washing and cleaning their private bits lessen traces of poop and urine in their fur.

2. Potty Training Pets

Have you ever noticed why a dog loves peeing on the carpet? This behavior shows that dogs understand absorbency. Because it prevents them from getting wet, they love peeing and pooping on the rug, without really considering what it’s real purpose is. Not teaching them this is wrong will reinforce the behavior, motivating them to keep peeing on the area further.

Teaching our dogs where to relieve themselves doesn’t just get rid of pet odors. Potty training completely stops them from soiling the most unexpected areas in the home. If you don’t want to come home shocked to see that the expensive carpet in your living room is all messed up, it is paramount to train them where and when they should relieve themselves.

Teaching and assigning them a designated place for doing their business shows them the meaning of boundaries and trains them to respect the space where they sleep, eat, and play. And training doesn’t end when they’ve gotten the message. Reinforcing it continuously through frequent potty breaks and walks minimizes the likelihood of peeing and pooping inside the house.

3. Clean Home Regularly and Appropriately

Don’t just clean your home when a pet accident happens. Having a dog requires constant cleaning, whether or not they pooped inside the house. Having a regular cleaning schedule will effectively eliminate bacteria and dirt that the human eye cannot see. Mopping floors with something as simple as vinegar or disinfectant, and spraying disinfecting spray can also remove the smells that have accumulated inside. However, some of these products just work by masking pet odors. It is a must to consider disinfectants that prevent animals from marking the areas repeatedly. Enzymatic cleaners are useful in such cases and are available at local pet stores.

Furthermore, cleaning will prevent the build-up of pet stains that also emit a foul odor. Most of the time, the scents that stick inside our home do not come from airborne smells. These odors often come from the stubborn stains that we have failed to clean thoroughly.

4. Deep Cleaning for Tougher Smells and Stains

After disinfecting surfaces, you can now move on to items that are more prone to absorb moisture. These include your carpet, rugs, sofas, and other washable items. In cases of tough stains, deep cleaning is necessary, with the help of vacuums and steam cleaners. A black-light is also essential for determining the correct spots to clean, while an enzymatic cleaning solution is a good weapon-of-choice for deep cleaning your home.

Using a black light makes it easier to find problem areas that are not visible to the naked eye. If, despite cleaning all areas of your home using loads of vinegar solutions, you still are sensing some foul odors at bay, then yes, its time switch to detective mode and swipe away all over your home in the dark. The use of a black light will reveal more than just dried up fluids from your dog. It may also lead you to discover drink residue, food spills, and even cleaning product residue.

Pet odor removal in a large carpet may turn out pretty challenging, especially with the amount of dust, hair, and dander that accumulate in these. Not to mention the residue build-up of pet waste that may have soaked through your carpet layers. Moisture build-up in a carpet doesn’t just lead to nasty stains. They also point to stubborn smells that should not stay untouched. No amount of vinegar can remedy this, so you’ll need something more potent.

Deep cleaning means going through all the areas of the house, and cleaning all of its nooks and crannies using a vacuum. After focusing on the carpet and floors, make sure to go over all pieces of furniture in your home, including curtains, to ensure that no stone is left unturned in making your space odor-free.

5. Quick Clean-Up Using a Vinegar and Water Solution

Another fail-safe solution in getting rid of poop smell in your house is cleaning up immediately after your dog relieves itself. Don’t let your dog’s waste dry up or rot inside your home, especially when there are children around. They could easily pick these up and put them in their mouths unknowingly.

To avoid any disasters, quickly pick up solid bits and wipe or blot off any liquid waste. Then, proceed to clean and disinfect the area the way you usually do. It would also be practical to have a “clean kit” ready, with stocks of either store-bought or homemade stain removers, paper towels, old clothes, newspapers, and disposable disinfectant wipes on-hand. You can also have a bottle of white vinegar and a box of baking soda, just in case you need to create a DIY odor neutralizer and stain cleaner. Also, have a separate mop ready, solely for cleaning up dog messes and waste. This precaution prevents the spread of bacteria to cleaner parts of the house.

If you need a quick homemade stain remover, combine hot water with a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. Add to the mix, a teaspoon of white vinegar, and shake the container to merge the components quickly. Proceed to blot the stained or foul-smelling area using a paper towel. This step ensures the absorption of unnecessary moisture. It is worth noting that a dry surface is easier to clean than a wet one. Completely cover the area in the homemade vinegar and water solution and let it soak in the spot for at least 15 minutes. Repeat the blotting process until you’ve achieved your desired results.

How to Get Rid of the Smell of Dog using Baking Soda

If you want to know what neutralizes dog urine fast, you don’t have to look far. Pet MD says baking soda is a known odor neutralizer that can eliminate dog poo and urine smells. And with all its unique benefits, it’s also considered safe to use on carpets, upholstery, and furniture. They do not even emit harsh or toxic smells that may harm us or our pets.

Using baking soda is as easy as sprinkling magic dust onto smelly surfaces. You just need to let the baking soda sit for a minimum of 15 minutes. With more severe odors, you can do the baking soda treatment overnight, neutralize the smell, and soften the pet stains, possibly contributing to the scent. Combined with vinegar, it is also often used as a stain remover. A brush or sponge is necessary for softening stains and spreading the baking soda evenly all over the area.

How to Get Rid of Dog Urine Smell in the House Using White Vinegar Method

White vinegar is another popular home remedy known to eliminate odors. It is a natural disinfectant, often used to wipe surfaces with unpleasant odors. Although it often leaves a sour smell after use, it usually dissipates after a couple of days. Moreover, it is often placed inside a spray bottle and is generally mixed with water and baking soda, serving as an air freshener in areas that need a bit of freshening up. You may also add a few drops of essential oil for added fragrance and cleansing properties.

White vinegar is an affordable and accessible product that has a wide range of uses at home. It doesn’t just help get rid of dog smells. It’s also usable as a component in making homemade cleaning solutions.

1. Quick Fabric Softener Sheet Tip for a Fresh-Smelling House

Another smart tip to lessen funky smells in your house is the use of fabric softener sheets. You can strategically place these sheets in areas where your dog usually hangs out. It doesn’t do much, except it adds a small precautionary measure that could mask the foul smell, should a doggie accident occur.

2. Create a DIY Odor Neutralizer using Epsom Salt

A DIY odor neutralizer using Potassium Aluminum or Epsom salt is best for cleaning floors and walls with urine stains. It also works on carpets but is more effective when used to counteract the smell of fresh urine. What these products do is that they attack the bacteria in a dog’s urine, making it less likely to smell.

Epsom salt is also useful in creating a natural cleaning mixture that doesn’t just get rid of urine smell. It also breaks down dried up urine stains that also contribute to the foul odors in your home. Just like the vinegar and water solution discussed earlier, use this Epsom salt, naturally, without any other chemical and let it soak in the area for 5-30 minutes, depending on how fresh the urine is. Also, transfer such a solution into a spray bottle, making its use mess-free and more efficient.

3. Consider the Help Professional Cleaners

When in doubt and you have a lot of things on your plate, getting help from professionals isn’t bad at all. If white vinegar, water, and paper towels are no longer doing anything to help salvage that carpet or that beautiful area rug of yours, then better employ the services of those who are more capable of removing the bad odors and stains in your home.

Most professional fabric and carpet cleaning companies can provide better equipment that can quickly find sources of stubborn urine and poop stains. Although it may cost more than your homemade water-vinegar solution, a professional service provider can have your home smelling fresh and clean in record time. Getting such services will significantly benefit houses that need deep cleaning of upholstery, carpet, and other fabric items.

4. Let Natural Air Flow In

After all the talk about vinegar, water, baking soda, and deep cleaning the home, sometimes the most effective solution is also the simplest. When we are faced with pet odors, getting rid of it could also mean just opening your window to let some fresh air inside.

Related Topic: How Long Does It Take to Groom a Dog (Professionally)