Summary

Eliminating dog pee smell before it gets embarrassing can be a tough problem to conquer but not impossible. Learn how from our free odor guides.

Got Dog Pee Smell?

As the old adage goes, a dog is a man’s best friend. They are loyal, protective, playful, loving, and have a great way of warming your heart. They can even help you de-stress and live longer! Because of these special characteristics, dogs have become one of the most popular pets everywhere. Unfortunately, there are also some downsides to owning a dog. Apart from the barking, the mess they leave and the germs they bring, dogs can urinate in areas they are not supposed to. When this happens, it can result in a terrible dog urine smell problem regardless of whether the reason is submissiveness, not being house broken, incontinence, or illness. And eliminating the resulting dog pee smell before it gets embarrassing can be a tough problem to conquer but not impossible.

What Causes Dog Pee Smell?

Urine is approximately 95% water and 5% urea, uric acid, urochrome, creatinine, carbohydrates, enzymes, fatty acids, hormones, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium and other water-soluble organic materials and ions. Urea causes urine to be sticky and contributes to the dog pee smell along with uric acid and ammonia. Urochrome gives the dog pee its distinct yellow color that stains carpets, furniture, walls, and anything else it makes contact with. This dye also makes the dried urine visible under black light.

When dog pee dries, it gets broken down by anaerobic bacteria causing further odor. In the first stage, bacteria will decompose the urea and give off the distinctive ammonia smell we are all familiar along with sulfides, phenols, ketones, volatile organic acids and more. The second stage of the decomposition process emits mercaptans and thiols that has a smell similar to skunk spray. It’s the combination of this cocktail of chemicals that gives urine its distinctive pungent smell we need to get rid of and prevent.

Steps to Get Rid of Dog Pee Smell

The good news is that potent dog pee smell can be eliminated so you don’t have to let it ruin your home value and stop you enjoying it. By utilizing our simple and informative smell removal guide, you will learn how to get rid of dog pee smell from smell experts, take immediate action to rid smell, and Smell the Difference!

STEP 1: Clean the Source of the Dog Pee Smell

The first step is to clean up the dog pee to stop further bacterial growth so the smell doesn’t get worse. Use the following procedure for carpets, wooden floors, linoleum floors and tile floors to remove the dog pee accidents:

Find the areas with the urine mess by following the ammonia smell or using a black light, saturate it with ODOREZE® Floor Odor Control Spray, and let it soak in for a few minutes. Blot up any excess moisture with rags or paper towels. Repeat this procedure, as necessary, to break down the really old dog pee odor that has settled in. Finally, spray down the treated areas with clean water to rinse it and blot up with paper towels or rags. By following this procedure, you will effectively dilute the dog urine’s potency and prepare it for the next step. If you intend to clean the entire floor, ODOREZE® can also be added directly to your regular carpet cleaner or floor detergent and used as usual to get dog pee smell out.

If you have any items that have been sprayed with urine, remove them and let them air out in the sun as long as possible. Upholstery, cushions, and clothing are very good at absorbing and retaining dog pee smell. Any fabrics that can be washed should be in hot water. You can also use ODOREZE® Natural Laundry Deodorizing Additive to get rid of really stubborn dog pee smells from clothing by soaking them in it prior to washing or adding directly to your laundry detergent.

STEP 2: Get Rid of the Dog Pee Smell

The second step in dog pee smell removal is to follow the recommendations below to get the smell out using professional strength SMELLEZE® Smell Removers that rid smell without masking it with harmful fragrances. This is a proven green economical deodorizer that is made in the USA, works 24/7, and is reusable for over a year. It has been used successfully for over 20 years and recommended by thousands of people all over the world.

Rid Smell of Dog Pee from Floors, Carpeting & Yard before it’s Released

This can be accomplished by sprinkling SMELLEZE® Eco Urine Deodorizer Granules (only $12.99) on dry wooden, linoleum, tile, or concrete floors. If you have carpeting, use SMELLEZE® Eco Carpet Deodorizer Powder (only $12.99). Leave on the dry floor for a few hours or overnight (longer the better) to draw the dog pee smell out of the floor and to eliminate it before it gets released into the air. Then simply vacuum or sweep up and discard. If the dog pee smell is coming from your yard, simply sprinkle SMELLEZE® Eco Yard Deodorizer Granules. It’s designed for outdoor use (shrubs, lawn, trees, driveway, ect.) and there is no need to do anything after using.

Rid Smell of Dog Pee from the Air

Do this by simply placing the SMELLEZE® Reusable Dog Deodorizer Pouches (only $12.99) in areas with the urine odor and smell the difference. This smell remover attracts dog pee smell continuously like a powerful magnet, absorbs it like a super absorbent sponge, and eliminates it without masking with harmful fragrances. Using a fan and opening doors and windows will accelerate the dog pee smell removal process.

In addition, you can place or hang SMELLEZE® smell remover pouches on the cold air return in your home to continuously filter out the dog pee smell and harmful pollutants as your air recirculates. This is also a good way to prevent smells from building up in the future.

SMELLEZE® pouches are the only reusable smell removers available that last over a year so they are more cost effective than any other deodorizer including most home remedies. As an added benefit, they are eco-friendly, non-toxic, odorless, natural and safe for people, cats and the planet!

Kill Smell Producing Bacteria

Since dog pee results in the growth of smell causing bacteria mentioned earlier, it’s important to kill and prevent them not only on floors but also in the air to permanently solve dog pee smell problems. This can simply be done by replacing any light bulbs you have in your home with SANIBULB® Air Sanitizer & Purifier CFL Bulbs. SANIBULB® will sanitize your air by killing various microorganisms such as smell causing bacteria in addition to mold, viruses, fungi, and dust mites without the use of any harmful chemical sanitizers. As an added benefit, it will also reduce your energy consumption by 75% and save you money!

Step 3: Prevent the Dog Pee Smell

Once you have completed the hard work of eliminating dog pee smell, it’s important to take the following proactive steps to prevent the dog pee odor problem from resurfacing.

It’s good to open your windows and doors when the weather is pleasant to let fresh air and sunlight in. Use window fans to improve the ventilation in your home especially in areas that your dog spends the most time in.

Air ducts can harbor dog pee smell, mold, allergens and dust. Have them cleaned out regularly by a professional duct cleaning company to help keep the dog pee smell from reappearing because moisture and contaminants can seep into air vents to generate smells.

Kennel your dog while you are at home or, at a minimum, keep your canine friend on hardwood or linoleum floors. They clean easier and retain less smell. Put down urine absorbent pads around the areas that your dog continues to make mistakes on.

Dog Pee Smell Removal Tips

  1. A smell can be an early warning sign of a potential health hazard. And just because you don’t see microorganisms doesn’t mean they are not present. Bacterial growth is one of the sources of dog pee smell that can be harmful to your health so it’s important to sanitize your home.
  2. Avoid masking dog pee smell with vanilla or harmful fragrances. Covering-up dog pee smells never eliminates the smell, it just makes your nose detect the fragrance instead. The smell will likely return when the fragrance wears out because it wasn’t eliminated. There are also times when fragrances will react with the dog pee smell to create even more unpleasant new smells that are worse than the original smell.
  3. If you decide to use vinegar, consider that it’s basically acetic acid. It can react with and damage certain products and will leave a smell of it’s own so be sure to test it in a smell area first. Do you really want your house smelling like vinegar?
  4. There is some misunderstanding about the use of charcoal briquettes for dog pee smell removal. It’s absorbency is very low and effectiveness marginal. What actually works is activated carbon which is used commercially but that can get expensive and is hard to get in small quantities to get rid of dog pee smells. Best to save the charcoal briquettes for your next BBQ!
  5. While some commonly recommended home remedies for smell removal may help marginally with some mild smell problems, they are ineffective for the most part. It’s good to remember that household items such as vinegar, vanilla, charcoal briquettes are not designed to be smell eliminators so the results will often be disappointing and you could lose precious time. Since you will become immune to smell with time, you may think it’s getting better and risk long term exposure to some chemical smells that can be harmful without knowing.
  6. Since baking soda is alkaline (base) and vinegar is an acid, mixing the two just neutralizes each other so the resulting solution is not effective at smell removal. Basically, mixing an acid and a base pretty much results in salt and water.
  7. Avoid using bleach since this can react with ammonia in the dog pee to generate poisonous gases
  8. Do not use any ammonia-based cleaning products. Dog pee contains ammonia, and the smell of ammonia will encourage your dog to continue urinating in that location.
  9. Avoid using a steam cleaner. The moisture and heat will make the odor worse and will not remove the odor from the carpet.
  10. If you are tired of cleaning up your dog’s pee, then you can try training your dog. It will take some time and a lot of effort but once your dog learns where to urinate, then you wouldn’t have to worry about dog pee smell anymore.
  11. If you are having trouble locating the dog pee spot on the furniture, run a black light over the area to find it.