Sure, dogs are a man’s best friend. Unfortunately, man’s best friend doesn’t know how to use a toilet and when the man is out, or asleep, accidents can happen. Maybe you got home a little later than usual or maybe your puppy hasn’t quite gotten the hang of peeing outside (or on the puppy pad you’ve designated as the indoor choice).
What is certain, however, is that dog pee on carpet can be is a horrific smell. It doesn’t matter that you tried to wash it off with soap; the smell is still there. And if it’s still fresh, how do you ensure it won’t stink and/or stain afterward?
The longer you leave it in the carpet, the worse it will stink. And if it’s a habitual problem, it can also ruin everything underneath the carpet (including your sub-floor).
Carpets can be difficult to clean, so pet stains should be handled quickly. Here are some tips on using home carpet cleaners to clean when you have pets including some tips on finding the best carpet cleaner for your carpet if you have dogs.
Dealing with Dry Urine
So you get home and are immediately hit by the foul smell and you know, without a doubt, there’s a spot you need to find. You’re sitting there, looking at the guilt on their face, and you think: “Oh no, you didn’t!”
In the meantime, the urine has dried. Now what? All you know is that it’s stinking – and stinking bad – so how do you tackle this problem? Well, here are a few tips for that:
- Use an UV flashlight; it will tell you precisely where your friend has done the deed.
- Rinse the stain with a bit of water and blot it dry. Use a pet odor neutralizer. You can easily find them in most pet shops, and a good product is very effective in decreasing the pee smell.
- Do not, by any means, use steam cleaners on the carpet since they tend to just permanently set the odor, as well as the marvelous stain your pet probably left.
- If there’s still a stain on the carpet, you can go for stain removers. Just make sure that it’s a high-quality one that can deal with your dog’s nuclear urine. We highly recommend this one from Amazon. It helps to eliminate stain and stink.
- You may also try sprinkling some baking soda over the surface every now and again. It is naturally absorbent, and it can usually deal with all kinds of icky smells. Arm & Hammer makes this carpet refresher choice specifically geared towards pet owners. Coffee can help eliminate pet odors, too – but as opposed to baking soda – it may leave stains on carpets that are not black or brown! Just be sure to let it sit for a bit and then vacuum it up.
Tackling Wet Urine
If you happen to catch Rover in the act, you need to react fast. Get Rover to his proper spot and then deal with the urine as quickly as possible. The more you leave the pee to soak, the worse the smell will become. Here are some tips to handling this situation:
- Place several paper towels and newspapers over and under the stain, where possible. You need to soak up as much of the urine as possible. Layer, step, toss. Repeat until the towels are dry even when you step on it.
- Rinse everything with cool water and add some vinegar to the surface. It stinks too, we know, but it can help neutralize the smell of urine. Repeat the drying process (layering towels and blotting it dry.
- If the smell is still there after it dries up, consider using some 3% hydrogen peroxide. Don’t be concerned if it starts bubbling up a bit; it just means that it’s working. Also be aware that hydrogen peroxide has the potential to bleach carpet, so test an inconspicuous area before using it very cautiously.
PLEASE NOTE: Both vinegar and hydrogen peroxide have the potential to bleach a colored carpet dye, so use them diluted with water and test an inconspicuous area of your carpet before you go crazy trying to get the urine odor out!
Never mix vinegar with hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide plus vinegar creates peracetic acid, which is potentially toxic and can irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory system.
The best way to prevent dog urine smell in your carpet is an ounce of prevention. For that, consistency is key.
