No matter how well-trained your pup is and how carefully you keep an eye on them, accidents can still happen. This is often the case with younger dogs still working on bladder control and older ones who may struggle with urinary incontinence for various reasons. Knowing the best way to clean up after your pet can help you to avoid bad smells and stains that become set in so deep they can never be removed.
Prompt cleaning is always your best bet when it comes to dealing with dog pee. The quicker you can soak up the mess and get it cleaned, the better the chances that there will be no lingering odor. However, for whatever reason, this isn’t always possible. Don’t worry, though. There are plenty of cleaning options for older stains, and likely, what you need to tackle this tricky task is already sitting right there in your cleaning cupboard or pantry. Let’s take a look at how to get old dog urine smell out of carpet.
Table of Contents
- Why Dogs Pee In The House
- Things You Can Use To Get Rid Of That Urine Smell
- How To Clean Fresh Pee From Your Carpet
- Removing Older or Dried Urine Stains And Smells From Your Carpet
- Steps For Removing Pee Stains and Smell From Soft Furnishings and Mattresses
- Training Your Dog Not To Urinate In The House
- Frequently Asked Questions About Cleaning Up Dog Pee
- Cleaning Up Pee Final Thoughts
Why Dogs Pee In The House
Toilet training is one of the very first things you’ll need to think about when adopting a new puppy into your home. Happily, Doodles are generally pretty smart pups and can often pick this up with relative ease, given the right method. It should take no more than a month or two for them to get the gist, although it might be a few more months after that before you stop seeing the occasional tiddle about the house – this is completely normal.
However, if your previously completely housetrained mutt suddenly starts peeing in the house, you could have a potential problem on your hands. The first thing to do is rule out any medical issues that could be behind this new behavior. Urinary tract infections, bladder stones, cystitis, and age-related incontinence, are all common canine conditions that might be causing little accidents. So, a trip to the vet is your first port of call.
Another reason your beloved pet might suddenly start peeing in the house is that they could be suffering from anxiety. Changes in your household, such as the addition of a new dog or family member, moving house, or any other kinds of big environmental changes, can all trigger this issue. Conquering it will hopefully simply be a case of spending a little time with your pup to make them feel safe and loved once more.
Things You Can Use To Get Rid Of That Urine Smell
While there are an endless array of products on that market that boast odor-eliminating properties, be cautious about the ones that you trust. You don’t want to pick up anything with chemicals that could be harmful for your four-legged friend. A simple and natural approach is always best, and, as we touched on above, you likely already have everything you need for this.
All you really need to remove most stains and pet odors is:
- Paper towels or old cloths
- Distilled white vinegar
- Dishwashing liquid
- Baking soda
- 3% hydrogen peroxide
- Laundry detergent
- Soft-bristled scrubbing brush
- Laundry borax
- Laundry sanitizer or chlorine bleach
How To Clean Fresh Pee From Your Carpet
Aside from the smell, urine is acidic, meaning it can do untold damage to your carpet fibers if left to settle right in. For this reason, it’s best to clean it up right when it happens. To do this, first, blot up the excess moisture with paper towels or old cloths. Place these on and under the stain if possible. Use your weight to press them right down into the carpet to get up as much as you can before you start cleaning the carpet itself.
Be sure to use white or colorfast cloths or rags so you can be sure they won’t transfer dye to your now wet carpet.
Next, combine equal parts vinegar and water with two teaspoons of dishwashing liquid into a spray bottle (it’s good to already have this to hand if pee on your carpet is a common problem you’re currently battling). Then all you need to do is liberally spray the solution onto the wet part of your carpet until soaked.
After that, starting at the edges of the problem area (to prevent further spreading of the stain), use a clean, white cloth to work the mixture further into the carpet fibers. Make sure to scrub it down right to the base of the carpet and use different areas of the cloth (and new cloths) as you see the staining being transferred into the cloth itself. Then, work the area over with a fresh cloth to blot away as much of the cleaning solution as you can.
Finally, make sure to have a second spray bottle to hand with just water in it. Spritz the cleaned area thoroughly with this to rinse away any remaining residue. Then blot with yet more cloths or paper towels. Once this is done, you can just leave the area to air dry and then vacuum it to lift the pressed-down fibers back into their original position. This should be enough to prevent both staining and a residual bad odor.
Removing Older or Dried Urine Stains And Smells From Your Carpet
If the pee stain has already dried in by the time you’ve gotten to it – say it was from early in the morning and you’ve been out of the house most of the day, or you have a darker or patterned carpet and didn’t notice it until the smell started creeping past your nostrils than you’ll have to take a slightly different approach. This one can also be used if the above technique didn’t quite get all the smell out. Urine is a tricky one, after all!
With a lighter carpet, you can use a solution of one cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide, three tablespoons of baking soda, and two drops of dishwashing liquid. Unlike the previous mixture, this one has to be made fresh each time as hydrogen peroxide breaks down quickly and loses its effectiveness after exposure to light. Shake the bottle well and completely douse the area in question. Leave the mixture to soak for about 20 minutes, then blot it away, rinse the spot as outlined above, and then let it dry before vacuuming.
Never use hydrogen peroxide on a darker carpet as it is a mild bleach and so can cause discoloration when left to settle for too long. For these, you will likely have to pick up an enzymatic cleaner designed specifically for dealing with pet stains. These excellent solutions work on a molecular level, breaking down and removing both odors and stains.
Steps For Removing Pee Stains and Smell From Soft Furnishings and Mattresses
Again, with any pee on your mattress or couch, for instance, you’ll want to tackle the problem as soon as you can, soaking up as much of the excess urine as possible before beginning the cleaning and stain-removing process. While you’re waiting, mix 1/2 teaspoon of heavy-duty laundry detergent with a cup of warm water and then scrub this into the stain moving from the outside in.
Once you have done this, blot the area to absorb any moisture sitting on the top of the fabric and apply a layer of baking soda about 1/4 inch thick. Leave this all to air dry for a few hours – overnight if possible – and then remove the baking soda. Using the upholstery attachment of your vacuum is likely the easiest way to get up all that lose (now smelly) powder.
Older stains may need deeper cleaning or more drying time. You may have to repeat the above steps a few times or try more than one cleaning method. If the above one doesn’t work so well, try making a paste from baking soda (or laundry borax) and water, spreading that over the stain, and working it into the material with a soft brush. Allow that to air dry for at least four hours and then remove as before.
Distilled white vinegar and 3% hydrogen peroxide (on white materials only) can also be used to tackle any lingering odor. With the former, the smell will obviously be quite strong at first (although better than the alternative!). However, it will start to dissipate as the material dries. You can make use of fans, if available, to speed up the drying process.
Training Your Dog Not To Urinate In The House
The exact technique you pick for training your dog not to pee inside will depend on their age and previous training. As with most things, it’s far easier to stop your puppy from doing something you don’t want them to do than it is to train your older dog out of established habits. That’s why experts suggest starting them young. You might even find that the breeder you purchased your pup from has given you a little leg up with this task.
The important thing to remember here is to set your puppy up for success. This means taking them out regularly throughout the day to do their business out in the garden where you want them to. This should be the first thing you do of a morning, even before checking your phone or reaching for the coffee pot. Take your puppy to the designated spot and wait for them to take the hint. Some people like to introduce commands such as “go pee” that better help Fido understand what you want from them.
When your puppy does what you ask of them, be sure to reward them well for it with praise, treats, toys and fuss. This kind of positive reinforcement, when applied to any desired action, is your best chance to encourage a repeat performance of that behavior. Then throughout the day, keep an extra close eye on your pup, looking for signs that they are wanting to go. When you spot these, rush them back out to that place in the garden.
With older dogs, you’ll first need to establish what lies at the root of this new behavior. Once you’ve ruled out medical issues, you can begin gently coaxing your pal back towards peeing outside once more using much the same methods as outlined above – get them outside as often as possible. Just be sure never to yell at or physically punish your pet for soiling in the house. If the issue is fear-based, then this could make it far worse. It could also irreparably damage the relationship between you and your pup.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cleaning Up Dog Pee
While there are plenty of targeted cleaning products for this problem, you can likely solve the issue of urine smells trapped in your carpet with some simple household items. Baking soda, distilled white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, dishwashing soap, and laundry detergent can be combined in various solutions to remove even more dried-in stains and eliminate bad odors.
While eventually, any nasty smell will dissipate (although, depending on the surface in question, this could take months or even years!), it’s unlikely you’ll want to sit around and do nothing with your home smelling of pee. Speed up the process by using one of the above cleaning solutions. You could happily have that smell gone in just a couple of hours with very little work needed and no extra cleaning products bought.
Baking soda is a powerful cleaning ingredient, first and foremost, down to its remarkable ability to absorb even the most potent of foul odors. It’s excellent for urine, primarily because it neutralizes the acid of pee, and this eliminates the smell too. In most cases, all you really need to do is sprinkle the baking soda over a damp surface, leave it to work its magic, and then vacuum it all away.
Cleaning Up Pee Final Thoughts
There are a few things about pet ownership that can be a little challenging to put up with. Chief amongst them is often the mess dogs can leave behind in your home. However, much like small children, puppies need to be taught the things they should do and the things they shouldn’t. Housetraining doesn’t necessarily need to be a painful or drawn-out process. With a bit of dedication to the task, you should be able to teach your dog what to do.
In the meantime, you’ll need a little patience and some good cleaning techniques that will keep your home clean and fresh while your Doodle gets the hang of things. Hopefully, the tips included in this article hope with both the freshening and the training. While cleaning up after your pet may be a major hassle, we’re sure you’ll agree that the pleasure they give you is worth the work that goes alongside it.
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