Getting rid of urine smell from your carpet is crucial if your furry friend has had an accident. Dogs have a tendency to go back to the spot where they can smell old urine, so it’s crucial to remove the odor completely. Here’s what you need to know about effectively eliminating pee smell from your carpet.
Eliminating pet urine stains from your carpet requires a two-step process of removing the stain and neutralizing the odors. To ensure complete elimination of stains and prevent your pets from urinating in the same area again, it’s crucial to follow both steps carefully.
How To Get Urine Smell Out Of Carpet
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- Remove the Urine
- Try Using Baking Soda and Vinegar
- Use a Carpet Cleaner
- Neutralize the Pet Urine Smell
1. Remove the Urine
If you’re dealing with a fresh dog urine stain on your carpet, the most effective method to get rid of the smell is to use puppy pads or paper towels. For this task, many individuals prefer using puppy pads as they are highly absorbent and form a gel layer to prevent the urine from dripping or coming into contact with your hands. This is particularly useful when dealing with carpeted areas.
Standing on the pad enables you to absorb even the most profound liquid. To determine the presence of any moisture, simply check the plastic backing, which is easily visible.
2. Try Using Baking Soda and Vinegar
If enzymatic cleaner is not available or you’re searching for an inexpensive method to eliminate the odor of dog urine from a large carpeted area, you can use baking soda and vinegar. However, it’s important to note that using strong smells like vinegar to mask the urine odor may encourage dogs to urinate in the same area.
If budget is a concern for you, vinegar can be a cost-effective solution. On the other hand, if you want to prevent your dog from urinating on the same spot again, consider using baking soda alone.
2.1 Baking Soda Method
To effectively dry the area, use puppy pads and apply pressure until all moisture is removed. Standing on the pad can help you reach deeper into the area. Once you’ve completed this step, rinse the area with cool water and blot it up.
After thoroughly soaking and blotting the affected area with cool water, ensure that there is no trace of urine left. Once confirmed, spread a thin and even layer of baking soda over the stain.
Let the baking soda sit overnight and vacuum it up thoroughly to eliminate any odor that may be present in the carpet. Multiple vacuuming sessions may be necessary to ensure all of the baking soda is removed. If the odor persists, apply another layer of baking soda, allow it to sit, and vacuum again. Baking soda is an effective solution for eliminating unwanted smells in your carpet.
2.2 Baking Soda and Vinegar Method
You can easily create your own urine eliminator spray at an affordable cost. The spray is potent and may entice some dogs to urinate over it due to its strong scent. Nevertheless, after complete drying, it should not leave any odor behind.
Create a stain-fighting solution by combining a cup of distilled white vinegar, a cup of water, and two teaspoons of baking soda in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Spray the solution onto the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes before blotting it away with a clean cloth or paper towel. This powerful solution can help to remove even tough stains effectively.
If you’re dealing with pet accidents on your carpet, repeating the cleaning step multiple times can be beneficial. It’s also a good idea to rinse the area with cool water between each step. Keep in mind that it’s important to let the vinegar dry completely before allowing your dog back into the area. This method can be especially handy if your pet has frequent accidents on your carpet.
3. Use a Carpet Cleaner
When dealing with a persistent dog urine smell in your carpet, using a carpet cleaner is your best bet for effective removal. These cleaners are highly efficient and powerful, able to eliminate even long-standing urine odors that other methods may not be able to tackle.
A steam cleaner and a carpet cleaner are not the same. Unlike a steam cleaner that seals in urine with heat, a carpet cleaner shampoos the carpet, ensuring that all traces of urine are thoroughly removed. For maximum effectiveness, it’s recommended to use an enzyme-based shampoo specifically designed to be used in carpet cleaners. This specialized formula works on an enzyme level, completely eliminating any urine scent.
4. Neutralize the Pet Urine Smell
After ensuring that the carpet is thoroughly cleaned, it is crucial to neutralize any remaining scent. Even if you have used a carpet cleaner, the urine may have deeply penetrated the fibers, making it difficult to completely eliminate the odor. Therefore, neutralization is necessary to ensure that the smell is completely eradicated.
To effectively eliminate odor, it is recommended to use an odor eliminator that is enzyme-based. Enzymatic bacteria play a crucial role in completely removing the odor. Once they come in contact with stains and odors, they become activated and start feeding on urine crystals. This process not only eliminates the urine but also the accompanying odor.
How To Get Old Dog Urine Smell Out Of Carpet
If you’re struggling with an old dog urine stain and smell on your carpet, there’s a simple solution you can try at home. The baking soda and vinegar method is highly effective, especially when dealing with older smells. To ensure that you get all the urine stains out, it’s important to soak the affected area thoroughly with the solution. If the stain is particularly old and hard to spot, you may need to use a blacklight to locate it on your carpet.
What to Avoid When Getting Dog Urine Smell Out of Carpet
When deciding on the best way to clean up urine stains from your carpet, you will find a lot of advice out there. But, be careful as some of the most common suggestions can actually cause more harm than good. Here are some things to avoid when cleaning urine stains from your carpet:
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- Steam cleaners: Using heat from steam cleaners before all of the urine has been completely removed bonds the protein into the fibers of the carpet, setting the stain permanently.
- Strong chemical odors: Some people suggest cleaners like vinegar or ammonia because the strong smell is aversive to dogs. In fact, dogs may be more likely to want to mark in this area to cover the strong smell.
If your furry friend is struggling with bladder control and has been having accidents inside the house, training them not to urinate indoors can be quite challenging. However, using vinegar can be an economical solution to deal with this issue.
Does Dog Pee Ruin Carpet?
If you followed the aforementioned steps and your carpet still reeks of dog urine, it is possible that the damage is irreversible. When urine penetrates the padding underneath the carpet, it may be too deep for carpet cleaners or enzymatic cleaners to effectively eliminate the odor.
If you’re dealing with a situation where your furry friend’s pee has soaked into the carpet, it’s important to take action. The first step would be to remove the affected section of carpeting and padding. However, if the problem has persisted for a long time, it’s possible that the floorboards underneath might also need to be treated or replaced.
Treating stains on carpet can be done effectively in most cases. It’s important to act quickly as the faster you attend to the stain, the easier it is to remove.
