How to Remove Pet Odors

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Having a pet can bring joy to your life, but dealing with pet odors can be absolutely taxing. If you are looking for a great way to remove pet odors from household furniture and carpeting, you will want to check out this simple how-to.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Steam cleaner
Natural pet odor remover (check out your local pet shops)
Junk rag or towel
Steam cleaner solution that is formulated for pet stains and odors

Spot Treatment

Step1

If you have noticed that your home has a pet-related odor, you are first going to want to spot treat the area that has been affected. Purchase a bottle of natural pet odor remover from your local pet shop and read the directions.

Step2

Spray down the area in which your pet odor and/or stain is located. Most natural pet odor removers will require that you leave the treatment on for a few minutes (or even hours) to absorb the smell. You can place a damp towel or rag on the affected area so that the odor will be absorbed into the towel.

Step3

After the required time has elapsed, you can check the area where the pet odor is located. If the associated stain is an old one, you may opt for another treatment before steam cleaning the area. If you are happy with the results, you can opt to forgo the steam cleaning.

Steam Cleaning

Step1

Steam cleaning can serve as double duty on pet odor. After you have spot treated the area, follow the directions for preparing your steam cleaner. Make sure to read its instructions carefully, as well as those for the cleaning solution that you will be using. Remember, if you are looking to remove pet odors from a carpet, use a steam cleaning solution that targets pet odors and stains.

Step2

As you start your steam cleaning process, you are going to want to target the area the pet odor is coming from. As you do this, make sure not to get the area too wet, which could create problems.

Step3

Follow directions for steam cleaning (per the model you are using). Make sure that, as you move your steam cleaner over your affected area, you pull it slowly,so it can draw up all of the pet odor enzymes. You can go back and forth over the area two to three times, but no more than that.

Step4

When you are done steam cleaning the area, make sure that you allow the area to dry completely. This might take 24 hours. If at all possible, try and keep the offending animal out of the area for at least that long. After you have let the area dry, you can test it out. If the odor persists, repeat all of the steps. This tends to be more necessary when a pet odor has been present for quite some time.

Tips & Warnings

It is best to nip the pet odor in the bud, just after it has been created. Waiting can make removing a pet odor even harder.
Avoid using products with ammonia in them. The chemical can sometimes smell similar to the pet odor itself and attract the animal back to the area to urinate.
Purchase a natural pet odor remover that will not only clean the area and remove pet odors, but just about eliminate the smell, so that the animal is not tempted to return to the area and engage in the same behavior.