Pets - don’t you love ‘em? Yehes, but… When they are ripping my chairs apart with sharp claws, or barking loudly they are not my favourite. And how about peeing outside the designated area? Dogs and cat urine can ruin many a pillow, carpet, upholstery or fabric. What to do?
Whatever you do: do it well. You will not only have to clean, but also deodorize the area (remove smells). Because even when we cannot small any odor anymore, animals can - and they will likely (re)mark the spot!
We have cats ourselves, and have had many occasions where the cats peed or pooped outside the litter box. Now I am all for thinking-outside-the-box, unless it is the messy kind.
When someone asked me how to clean dog urine, I thought I’d spend some time Googling for suggestions, and I’d like to share some of my findings:
How To Clean Wet Dog Urine Stains
Well, first of all you could try to train your dog to stop peeing in the house. But if the damage has been done, try the following:
Whatever you do, use nontoxic (preferably organic) products. You do not want to use petroleum-based products, which leave a film on top of your carpet (potentially bad for you help, and a grease-magnet!) or even can possibly be a carcinogen and a neurotoxin (linked to cancer or nerve damage).
Step 1: Semi-dry the stain
Well, first of all: try to absorb as much as possible using some form of cloth (towels, rags). Just fold it a few times, and step on it a few times. Tip: wear some slippers or shoes - you don’t want that mess on your feet, do you? If needed, repeat with another towel or rag.
Step 2: Soak the dog urine spot with a mixture of (warm) water and white vinegar.
Dilute the vinegar into the water with a 1:4 ratio (one quarter of a cup a vinegar into three quarters of a cup of water). Stir this mix and spread it over the stain. Let it sit for five minutes or so.
Step 3: Remove the water-vinegar solution
More towels and rags. Don’t use paper towels, as you cannot reuse these!
Step 4: Cover spot with baking soda
Baking soda, like salt, has enormous absorbing powers - both for liquids and odors.
Step 5: Scrape off the baking soda and vacuum the carpet
We are using a water vacuum for this, and it works wonders. It has turned many pet accidents into temporary annoyances rather than carpet-replacing disasters.
Some Organic Urine Removal Tools
- Simple Solution NATURAL Stain & Odor Eliminator (100% biodegradable)
- Complete Pet Stain and Odor Remover (by 8 and 1)
- Bac Out Stain & Odor Eliminator (by Bi-O-Kleen)
- Capture Pet Stain
- Odor Neutralizer
- Nature’s Miracle
Some Organic Shampoos
- Ecosafe Products Carpet Cleaner
- Enviro-Rite Carpet Cleaner
- Earth Friendly Products Carpet Shampoo
Some other suggestions I found to remove the urine and accompanying odor include:
What Next?
Next steps:
- Train your dog to be housebroken: “No More Peeing On The Floor”
- “Clicker” dog training
- Want to start a cleaning business?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Nice and usefull post, thanks, this is one for my bookmarks!