8 simple ways how to get dog pee smell out of carpet

Mission of removing urine smell from the carpet can be accomplished within few hours and we do not necessarily need to carry the rug to dry cleaner. The time needed to get rid of the dog pee smell out of carpet depends on the thickness and material of the carpet.

In every second house people have their favorite pet and all of them from time to time cause problems which smell. Usually pets have a tray or they wait patiently when they will go for a walk. It happens quite often that the pet does not want to wait and behaves inappropriately: for some reason pees exactly on our new favorite carpet which we bought just recently or even received as a present from our grandmother. Anyone who was trying to get rid of pee smell and succeeded is getting pissed every time it is happening again. We will investigate best and simplest ways which remove urine properly.

The first way: Use vinegar
The second way: Apply hydrogen peroxide
The third way: Try potassium permanganate
The fourth way: Buy bleach
The fifth way: Vodka or alcohol
The sixth way: Just use soap
The seventh way: Clean with iodine
The eights way: Make some lemon juice
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The first way: Use vinegar

One of the universal means removing unpleasant odors is vinegar. It is basically suitable for removing both dog and cat urine. The big advantage of it is that smell of the vinegar evaporates very well. The best possible scenario is to react immediately as soon as you saw that your favorite cat or dog created a puddle on the carpet.

First and obligatory action is immediately after noticing to remove a significant amount of moisture with a sponge and then to start washing the spot with the solution of water and vinegar. Some people just dilute the vinegar with the water in a ratio 1:3 but there are several opinions on this subject. We can try also to prepare the smell cleaning liquid in a different way.

Vinegar and water remedy

Take some water and vinegar.
We will need 9 percent vinegar.
The most popular suggestion is to dilute the vinegar with the water in a ratio 1:1.
If you face the problem on the everyday basis (usually it is happening when you have a puppy and you are just trying to teach the puppy to pee where he should) you can prepare a small bottle of the mixture.
Fill in the bottle with sprayer and apply the mixture on the smelling surfaces.

If you do not have any spray bottles you can do the same procedure using the towel or piece of textile. If we want to achieve the best possible result we should make sure that the spot will get completely dry. When you will be sure that the spot is completely dry you can carry on and wash it with warm water and detergent.

Important: In case you do not have vinegar at home and you need to solve the pee smell problem immediately you can use citric acid instead.

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The second way: Apply hydrogen peroxide

Sometimes we are so distracted by the fact that dog puddle appeared again on our favorite carpet that we immediately forget about all the tips and secret methods. Some of us start screaming at the pet and the others just throw the carpet out on the balcony until it will dry out. Unfortunately liquid will only evaporate but not the smell.

In order to get rid of dog pee out of carpet we need one cheap but extremely effective product: hydrogen peroxide. This liquid you definitely already have at home or you can easily buy it in every pharmacy all over the country. Because of some chemical properties hydrogen peroxide is mostly used on the linoleum or tile. However we still can use it for the carpets which are of a light color.

Hydrogen peroxide cleaning mixture

Take a plastic bowl (the one which you do not use for cooking or storage of food).
Mix in the bowl 20 ml of hydrogen peroxide, 1 tablespoon of any detergent (better dishwashing liquid) and 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
Make sure that you dissolved the ingredients and mixed the liquid properly.
Apply the cleaning mixture on the surface from which you are aiming to remove the urine smell.
Leave the cleaning mixture on the spot for 30 minutes up to 1 hour.
When the mixture will get dry wash it off using warm water and cloth or sponge.

It is great if you noticed the puddle immediately and started to clean up. But what should we do if the carpet is already dry and we need to get rid of dog pee smell? We should mix one cup of hydrogen peroxide with 1 tablespoon of dishwashing soap. Using the brush wash the spot properly. It is better to wash even a bit bigger surface than the spot itself.

Important: Before implementing hydrogen peroxide on your carpet try it on the small part of the carpet and make sure that carpet does not change the color. If the test is accomplished and carpet is looking good go ahead and wash the whole spot with the cleaning mixture.

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The third way: Try potassium permanganate

Potassium permanganate is quite effective against smell of dog urine. It is a product which acts as oxidant as well as provides deodorizing effect. It is recommended to implement this method only on the dark surfaces as potassium permanganate is easily painting the textile or carpet.

How to use potassium permanganate

The preparation of the cleaning mixture is extremely easy: just dissolve potassium permanganate crystals in warm water.
Implement the mixture on the spot where your dog made a mess and leave the mixture to dry completely.
The color of the potassium permanganate is not that important.
Basically pink liquid is used usually but in case of long-standing stains of dog’s urine or very old stains we should prepare dark or almost black mixture of the potassium permanganate (we just add more of the crystals in the warm water).
There is no need to clean or wash off the liquid from the carpet.

However the procedure should be repeated again and again until the smell will be completely gone.

Important: Use rubber gloves when preparing and applying this mixture as potassium permanganate will color your hands immediately.

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The fourth way: Buy bleach

Bleach is another very common tool which is used to remove the traces of the dog toilet. Before implementing bleach on any surface make a test and make sure that the textile is capable to survive after this chemical ingredient. Especially it is important to test the surface in case you have very expensive carpet. Basically you need to try the mixture on the very small surface which is not that visible before implementing this method.

Add a bit of bleach into the water (ratio of 1:10) and stir it. Apply the resulting mixture on the spot where your dog left some pee. In 20 minutes wash the whole surface or even the whole carpet with the water.

Important: Bleach is very dangerous for our skin. During the whole process of preparation and applying the bleach use rubber gloves in order not to harm your skin. It is also recommended to apply some greasy hand cream on the hands before wearing gloves.

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The fifth way: Vodka or alcohol

As our aim is not just to wash the spot but to prevent our dog from peeing there again we should try to use some ingredients which has very strong smell. Using vodka or alcohol (as they have such a strong odor themselves) will help to avoid the future repetition of the pee smell situation. In order to eliminate the smell from the carpet surface we need to apply vodka by wetting the spot with the cloth or spraying it with the spray bottle. After applying the alcohol we should rub the surface with some force. After rubbing we should take a dry paper towel and wipe the remaining liquid from the carpet. We should again and again wipe the surface until the paper towel will remain completely dry.

Important: In order to evaporate alcohol smell leave the carpet on the balcony or outside. If the carpet is too big and you cannot lift it you can just open windows and leave them open for few hours.

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The sixth way: Just use soap

This tool is universal and helps to remove the stain and odor of dogs pee. The most effective way is to buy the cheapest soap which does not have any additives or added smells. The best effect can be achieved if the soap is used immediately on the fresh dog pee. Soap is also one of the best removals of bacteria and dirt from the textile surfaces.

Preparation of the surface for cleaning

Before cleaning carpet stains and odors from urine we should obligatory remove the puddle from the carpet. The sooner we remove the puddle the better.
You can use anything you have: some old rags or cloths (ripped t-shirts), sponges or anything what you can than throw away easily.
Take the sponge or textile which you have chosen for the puddle removal and without rubbing the spot wipe the liquid.
If the puddle is very small you can use even paper towels.
Continue this process for as long as needed until the spot will be almost dry.
If the pee spot has already managed to dry then you need to soak it with plenty of water and then do the same procedure as described above.

Using small piece of soap and a bit of water make a cleaning soapy liquid. The resulting soapy liquid is applied on the smelling surface. Wait for approximately 10 minutes. With the wet sponge remove the remaining soap and wash the spot.

Important: It is better to wash the spot few times until you will use the carpet again. If the spot will remain smelling urine it will just attract dog and he will pee on the same spot again and again.

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The seventh way: Clean with iodine

The only possible case when you can use the iodine to remove the urine smell is the case when you have a dark carpet. Prepare weak solution of the iodine (15 drops of iodine should be diluted in 1 liter of water). The diluted iodine is applied on the spot for 5-7 minutes. After that you should rinse the carpet with the textile soaked in warm water.

Iodine is also used when you have a situation with dog pee smell on the wooden surfaces. The solution is prepared in the same way. If the odor remains after all your attempts maybe you should consider contacting drycleaner or cleaning professionals. Sometimes old pee smell is very difficult to remove.

There is also one trick which can helpful if you want to prevent repetition of the odor problem. If your dog is constantly peeing in the place you can sprinkle few drops of essential oil of apple, cinnamon or eucalyptus. This pleasant for human smell dogs do not like at all.

Important: Before using iodine solution try it on less visible area of the carpet. In such a way you will see how the carpet color will react to the iodine.

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The eights way: Make some lemon juice

Fresh lemon juice diluted with water (ratio of 1:1) will help to eliminate the smell of dog urine from the furniture and carpet. The mixture is left on the surface for 15 minutes and then wiped with the clean textile or sponge. In order to achieve the desired result you should start cleaning the surface immediately. The worst case is when urine dries. If it is necessary the method can be repeated several times.

This method is also used by young mothers who are trying to remove urine smell from all over the house as it is easy to implement and it is safe to use on the textile or furniture.

Important: Lemon juice will not only help you to get rid of odor but will also give the material of your furniture or carpet fresh citrus aroma.
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