How to Get Rid of Dog Pee Smell [in carpets & hardwood floors]

No one likes to come home and find that their dog has had an accident, especially when that accident has occurred on your new carpet or nice hardwood floor!

The key to getting out dog pee smell from your carpet is to use an enzymatic cleaner. Most normal household carpet cleaners will not work to get out the bad smell and the pee stain from dog urine. It is important to act quickly as dog urine contains special enzymes and uric acid that will cause lingering odors. 

Worse yet, you know that dog urine odor can linger forever if you have not cleaned the spot properly.

If you are wondering about how you get rid of the urine smell from your carpet or floor we are about to tell you! 

In this article, we will be explaining how you can get dog urine smell out of your carpet or hardwood floor. To make this process easy, we will be breaking down this process into several simple steps. 

In addition, we will also be giving you an easy recipe for a homemade enzyme cleaner and giving you some helpful housetraining tips. So keep reading and learning!

How to Get Dog Pee Smell Out of Carpet

Getting dog pee smell out of your carpet can be a little more difficult if it’s in your carpet rather than a hardwood or tile floor. 

However, it is definitely possible when you follow the process that we have laid out for you. Here is the step-by-step process on how to get dog pee smell out of your carpet. 

Mop Up the Mess 

Step One:

You can’t work on getting the dog pee smell out of your carpet if there is still a puddle of pee there, so the first step that you will need to do is mop up the mess. 

You can do this with paper towels, old dry towels, or something similar. You could use a wet vac but remember it will make it stink unless you somehow clean it out. Best to use a rag. 

Once the puddle of urine is gone (or if it already dried up) go ahead and move to step two. 

Find Where the Pee Smell is Coming From

Step Two:

Sometimes our dogs will leave a stain along with pee smell. This is actually pretty helpful because that shows us exactly where the pee smell is coming from. 

It is possible the physical puddle you saw or spot on the rug does not accurately show the true size of the problem. There usually is a larger problem area underneath the surface of the rug.

This cleaning process should get rid of this stain along with the smell. However, what do you do if there is no stain left behind? 

In these cases, you can find the source of the dog pee smell by shining a black light over your carpet. This will make the stain visible to you so you know where to clean it.

You can probably also smell the ‘area’ of the problem if you get close enough with your nose. Yes, pet owners, having a dog sometimes is not fun!  

Use an Enzyme Cleaner

Step 3: 

The next step for getting that dog pee smell out of your carpet is a crucial one. You will need to use an enzyme cleaner if you want to get that unpleasant odor out.

Test out the cleaner first on an inconspicuous area that is out of sight to make sure the cleaner you choose does not damage your carpet.

Dog urine contains enzymes that cause it to smell. Most regular cleaners will not get this smell out, and the only one that will get rid of this odor reliably is an enzymatic cleaner. 

You can purchase enzymatic cleaners already made, and this usually gives people the best results when they are trying to get this smell out of their carpet. 

However, if homemade cleaning products are more your thing then we have a recipe for one later on in this article. 

Use a Carpet Cleaner

Step 4:

The next step that you will need to do is clean your carpet with a carpet cleaner. This will ensure that your carpet is clean down to the carpet fibers, and not just the carpet surface. 

Do not use a steam cleaner or carpet cleaning machine because it will not give you the same result. Luckily, dog pee smell is much less harsh than cat urine, so you shouldn’t need to reach out to a professional carpet cleaner. 

Once the final step has been completed and you have followed our steps, then the dog pee smell should be history! 

How to Get Dog Pee Smell Out of Hardwood Floors

Cleaning up accidents and getting the smell of dog urine off of hard floors is much easier than getting it out of carpet. 

However, you may need to be careful about what cleaners you use for real hardwood floors as harsh chemicals can damage them. Here is how to get the dog pee smell out of your hardwood floors. 

Step one: Mop up the Mess

Like with cleaning up accidents off of a carpet, the first thing that you need to do is mop up the mess before you work on getting the smell out. 

Again, you can use whatever you see fit for cleaning up this kind of mess. 

Step Two: Wipe it Down

To get the smell of dog pee off of your hardwood floor you will still need to use an enzyme cleaner, but you may need to be careful with which ones that you use. 

When searching for an enzymatic cleaner look for ones that are safe to use on hardwood. You can also use a DIY recipe. 

It is important to note that you should always wipe the areas where your dog has had an accident with an enzymatic cleaner, even if you cannot smell urine on a hard surface. 

This is because your dog can still smell it, and they will likely continue to have accidents in spots that have not been cleaned with enzyme cleaners because of this. 

They may even develop a bad habit of marking these uncleaned areas on purpose, so limiting this behavior by cleaning up every spot properly can save you a lot of trouble later on. 

Homemade Enzyme Cleaner Recipe

There may be times where you cannot use premade enzyme cleaner or you just want to clean up the soiled areas quickly without making a trip to the store. 

Luckily, there are many home remedies made from natural ingredients that can clean up pet waste properly. 

If a particular stain and smell of your pet’s accident are not that bad, vinegar and baking soda may do the trick. This method is best used for fresh urine rather than an old urine stain.

You could also mix a cup of white vinegar with some warm water to create a vinegar solution if you do not like the idea of pouring straight vinegar onto your carpet. 

You can also use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to get pet urine stains and pet urine smell out of a carpet. 

However, this is only recommended for pure white carpets, as this can easily fade the color of the carpet where it is used. 

As a result, this is not a good idea to use on colored carpets or hardwood floors. To use this method all that you need to do is first place a layer of baking soda onto the affected area. 

Then pour the hydrogen peroxide over it, you should only need a small amount of liquid. It will then bubble and foam up, and this means that it is working. 

Dog House Training Tips 

Potty training a puppy can be really difficult, especially if you have your own work schedule to take into account. 

Here are some potty training expert tips that can help your puppy learn to use the bathroom outside and reduce the number of accidents that your puppy has. 

1. Follow a Schedule

Following a strict potty schedule is key when potty training any puppy, especially if you have just started the process. 

Many experts recommend that you take your young puppy outside every 2 hours when you are home during the day. This is because young puppies are often still learning how to hold their urine. 

Over time you can increase the amount of time between potty breaks. However, you should still follow a schedule until your puppy is housetrained. 

2. As Soon as You Get Home, Take Your Puppy Outside 

However, not everyone is home all day to follow a potty schedule. If you are working it is recommended that you take your puppy to use the bathroom right before you leave for work. Then let them out again as soon as you get home. 

In addition, it is recommended that you go home for lunch to let your puppy out if at all possible. This rule applies whenever you leave the house for an extended amount of time. 

Every time you get home from an outing, take your puppy outside to use the bathroom first thing. This will limit the number of accidents that your puppy has. 

If you can’t make it home during lunchtime, consider having someone let your pup out for you.

3. Do Not Punish Your Puppy For Having an Accident

Punishing your puppy from having an accident inside does not really help to teach them that they should go potty outside. 

In fact, it just teaches them to hide from you when they do have an accident, or have an accident once you leave the room. 

This applies both when your puppy is being caught in the act and when you find an accident on the floor that has happened a while ago. 

Positive reinforcement of good bathroom habits is the best way to potty train your dog.

4. Recognize That Accidents Are Going to Happen

Accidents are going to happen from time to time when you are housetraining a puppy. After all, they are still learning. 

Recognizing that accidents are going to happen and preparing for them ahead of time can make these potty training mishaps less serious, even if the accident is a surprising one. 

Why Do Dogs Pee Inside? 

There are some other instances where a dog might start having accidents inside your house. These include old age, UTIs, and other medical conditions. 

As a result, if your dog is suddenly peeing inside when they haven’t in a long time then you should definitely take them to the vet. 

Here are some other reasons dogs have trouble holding their pee inside. 

Old Age 

With old age can come things like bladder incontinence and even canine dementia in elderly dogs. Both of these things can cause an older dog to have accidents inside of the home. 

Asking your vet and other experts about this occurrence can help you learn how to prevent accidents in elderly dogs. 

In addition, taking your older dog to the vet for this issue can help you rule out other medical conditions as well. 

Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) 

Urinary Tract Infections are a common reason why dogs start having accidents suddenly. 

It is important that you take your dog to the vet for this immediately because they will need antibiotics to recover from the infection. 

Other Medical Conditions

Other health problems can also cause a sudden increase in urination that can lead to your dog having accidents. 

It is always best to take your dog to the vet if they suddenly start having bathroom accidents. 

What About Cat Pee? 

At this point, many cat owners are likely wondering: well, what about cats? You can usually clean up cat urine smell and cat urine stains in the exact same way that you would do for dog urine. 

Considering that cat pee has a much stronger smell, you may need to hire a professional in extreme cases. 

Doing things like keeping your cat’s litter box clean can help to reduce your cat from having accidents. 

Medical conditions such as UTIs can cause an increase in urination in cats as well, so you should always take your cat to the vet if they are having accidents suddenly. 

Related Questions

Why Do Dogs Pee Inside After Being Outside?

It could be that your dog was excited and for some reason didn’t finish emptying their bladder before coming inside. Or they drank a lot of water while they were outside.

If this happens on rare occasions it may not be a concern but if this behavior becomes a regular event contact your vet for help.

Do Dogs Pee To Get Attention?

It is possible dogs will pee while trying to get your attention. This is probably from being excited more than anything else. 

Why Is My Dog Peeing Inside at Night?

As with people, sometimes you can’t hold it all night long! If your dog drank a lot of water right before you went to bed you may find a puddle in the morning!

If this happens more than once you may have to get up and take them outside at some point during the night. Also, contact your vet and ask for advice.

Why Does My Dog Pee Inside When I Leave?

It could be that they are lonely and anxious when you leave, causing them to pee.

Why Does My Dog Pee Inside When I Come Home?

It is not unusual for a dog to be so excited to see you that they pee inside.

Conclusion 

Cleaning up after our pets can sometimes be gross, especially when they have had an accident inside. 

However, there are effective ways that you can get rid of both dog and cat urine odors. Using enzyme cleaner as a stain and odor remover is key when cleaning up pet waste. 

You can purchase this enzyme cleaner already made, or you can make some homemade solutions and put it in your own spray bottle.

Remember, pet urine odors are strong and lasting. Don’t let them ruin your home with an awful smell.