How To Get Rid Of Dog Urine Smell

Dog urine is a powerful, pungent, acrid contaminant whose odor can permeate through the entire house and linger long after any clean-up has taken place. This article deals with some of the issues surrounding pets and how to handle clean-up on carpets, furnishing and clothing and ultimately how to get rid of that nasty dog urine smell.

The basic steps to clean up are as follows:

• Locate the specific area which has been contaminated with dog urine
• Pat the area dry and remove any solid waste
• Clean the area in preparation for odor removal product application
• Apply an enzyme based odor removal product
• Inspect the cleansed area and ascertain if any smell remains
• Re apply enzymatic cleaner if necessary
• Prevent re infection of the contaminated area
• Provide training to your dog

Locate the specific area which has been contaminated with dog urine

This sounds fairly straightforward but in actual fact it really isn’t. You may see a large wet patch in carpeting but it’s possible that your dog sprayed urine over a larger area which may have dried into the carpet. So what you need for this task is a UV Black Light, like the one shown here.

A UV Black Light is a simple flashlamp which operates in the UV light spectrum, in the case of our product sold here, at 395nm. The procedure for using this tool is very straightforward, simply darken the room then shine the light around the affected area to determine the full scope of the urine stain. You can sprinkle a little baking soda on the stained area if it isn’t visible once you turn off the Black Light.

Pat the area dry and remove any solid waste

Once you’ve located and marked the area of contamination, it’s time to dry the area and remove any waste. The easiest way to dry out wet dog urine from carpeting and other flooring is with paper towels.

In some instances where there is heavy wetting and perhaps a number of separate offenses have taken place, it may be necessary to lift the carpet and cut out a section of the underlay. If the underlay is contaminated with dog urine, it may become the source of a constant odor which may be difficult to neutralize from the surface, through the actual carpet.

Pat dry the area as best you can with paper towels, soaking up as much of the dog urine as possible.

Clean the area in preparation for odor removal product application

Once the area has been cleaned of any wet urine, it’s time to wash the affected area thoroughly. Warm soapy water with a mild enzymatic cleaner or detergent is the best way to do this. Use rags to apply the water, soaking the affected area and rinsing repeatedly to lift out the residual dog urine. Clean away as much of the stain as possible then pat the area dry with paper towels.

Apply an enzyme based odor removal product

Once the area is relatively dry it’s time to apply a odor removal product. There are many such products on the market, but few having the odor removal capabilities of Uricide. Uricide is a microbial based enzymatic cleaner, designed to hit the problem at its root by destroying the bacteria which cause the actual odor. As it’s an all natural enzyme product it is perfectly safe for use in the home and is guaranteed not to harm pets or small children. It is also biodegradable and will not harm the environment.

Apply the odor removal product to the contaminated area and allow sufficient time for the bacterial / microbial action to take place. For tough stains and problematic areas it is best to leave the product in situ for several hours before padding the area dry with a paper towel. Once dried, conduct a simple nose test. If there’s any lingering odor, repeat the wash cycle, dry and re apply more of the pet odor eliminator.

Prevent re infection of the contaminated area

There are various approaches to preventing your pet from re contaminating a carpet or other type of flooring. In some instances you may deem this step unnecessary. For example, if this is a one-off incident and your pet generally doesn’t have an issue and generally doesn’t pee inside the home, then you can simply complete the clean up and skip this stage. However, your pet may have a tendency to contaminate then use the same area over and over, at which point you need to intervene.

The most critical stage of preventing re-contamination of carpets and flooring with dog urine is the clean-up from the first accident. It’s important to remove all signs of the issue and to complete eliminate the dog urine odor. If any odor remains your pet will be drawn back to the area and may re contaminate.

Once the affected area is thoroughly cleaned and the urine odor neutralized, you can take steps to make the area off-limits to your pet. If the even is taking place in a specific room in the house and you have the opportunity to block access to the room by your pet, then do so. It may not be necessary to block access permanently, sometimes a week or so will be enough to break the connection.

Otherwise you might consider covering over the area with an item of furnishing or some other physical obstacle to bar access to your dog.

Provide training to your dog

It’s important to determine that the issue isn’t a sign of some underlying medical condition, so if your dog becomes a consistent repeat-offender, consider a trip to the vet for a checkup.

Make sure your dog has plenty of exercise and sufficient time outdoors. Dogs with insufficient exercise can often become hyperactive and in these states it is common for them to loose bladder control. So make sure you’re taking your dog outside frequently and that he/she gets plenty of exercise.

Additional Resources

Get Rid of Cat Pee Smell