Dog or Cat Urine Smell and Stain Remover

If you're anything like me, I have animals.  Unfortunately, my dog is a 13 year old Beagle.  She, up until the last year or so, didn't have any "accidents".  I guess with age comes with the inability to control how often she goes, so this means we are cleaning up a LOT of  wet spots on our carpet.  We also have a 12 year old black tabby, who for some reason finds it necessary to pee in random spots in our home.  We found out a while back that if we put in some apple cider vinegar in with our wash, it gets the urine smell out of anything... that is if it fits in the washing machine.  Unfortunately, that didn't necessarily work on carpet or linoleum and both animals will go back to the same spot because of the smell from their urine.

Here is a recipe for how to treat accidents and how to clean up the stain and the smells.

Ingredients

Baking Soda

White Vinegar

Liquid Dishwashing Detergent (like Dawn dish soap)

3% Hydrogen Peroxide

 First Step

Mix a solution of fifty percent white vinegar and fifty percent water. You must use a liberal amount of this solution to reach the carpet fibers deep down. Work the solution into the carpet with a scrubbing brush to ensure it penetrates the carpet fibers below.

Then blot the area using the paper towel method above to absorb the vinegar mixture. The vinegar will neutralize the ammonia in the dog urine. If you own a wet/dry vacuum extractor use that to remove excess moisture.

Next Step

When the area has dried or almost dried sprinkle a good handful of baking soda over the soiled area. 

Mix half a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a teaspoon of detergent. Plain liquid dishwashing detergent is required. Do not use caustic dishwasher detergent.

Slowly pour the hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing detergent mixture over the baking soda. (Alternatively you can use a spray bottle for the hydrogen peroxide solution). Then work the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide mixture well into the carpet with your fingers or with a scrubbing brush.

Allow the area to dry completely. Once the area is thoroughly dry, vacuum up the baking soda. Use a hard bristled brush to loosen up the baking soda if necessary.

 That's all there is to it. Your carpet will smell fresh and free from urine odor.

 If you don't have hydrogen peroxide on hand you could substitute it in an emergency for a spray laundry stain remover. Check the bottle. If it says 'Oxy' anywhere on the label then it probably contains hydrogen peroxide.

In areas that have been heavily soiled with dog urine you may have to repeat the process again.

 ****This recipe is for one small area of dog urine. For larger areas you will need to adjust the quantities of ingredients used. Feel free to experiment.****

***NOTE: Vinegar neutralizes the ammonia in the urine and peroxide breaks down some of the components in the urine which cause odor and stains. Baking soda absorbs any remaining odors.

How to neutralize pet odors

For pee accidents on tile, I’ll neutralize the urine with sprays of vinegar, clean up the mess and then scrub my floors with lemon juice and salt to make sure the odor and urine is neutralized.

 For big messes that require me to mop the floors, I’ll mix 3 parts water with 1 parts vinegar to use as a mop solution for my floors. My house usually has a slight vinegar smell afterward but once I open my windows, to let in some fresh air, the vinegar smell is gone in an hour or so.

To freshen up the dog beds,  I spray mists of lemon juice and water over their beds with a plastic spray bottle.  I let the beds air dry and they are left with a fresh lemony scent.

For yellow stains on carpet and rugs, I rub in a paste made up of baking soda and water. Then, I let the paste sit on the stain for 5-10 minutes before cleaning the paste off with water. The area is then left to air dry.

To neutralize urine ammonia in rugs and carpets, I spray a solution of equal parts water mixed with vinegar onto the area and let it air dry.