How to Clean Animal Urine

Your new pet is just adorable, but guess what--Fido is an accident waiting to happen. Literally. While crate-training and frequent monitoring is effective, animals such as dogs and ferrets may have an accident when excited or scared. They may want to mark their territory. They may have a urinary tract infection that forces them to urinate more often. Or they may just be unable to "hold it" for an extended amount of time, especially if they are babies.

In any case, keeping a pet means having to endure accidents once in a while. Don't get mad at your pet. The good news is that such spills can be cleaned up relatively easily.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Strong enzyme liquid cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor Remover or Spray Arm and Hammer Pet Stain and Odor Remover Plus Oxi-Clean
• Puppy pee pads
• Baking soda
• Mop
• Vacuum cleaner

1. Pour a generous amount of enzyme cleaner onto the urine spot. The enzyme cleaner is used to remove both the urine stain and any traces of urine smell. Once an animal, such as a dog, has urinated on a spot, it may "mark" the spot again if the smell remains in the area.

2. Place a puppy pee pad over the urine spot. If the spot is particularly large, use more than one pad. Use your hands to gently pat the pad down.

3. Wait about a day for the urine and enzyme cleaner that you poured over it to rise onto the puppy pee pads.

4. Remove the puppy pee pad or pads when the spot is dry and the stain has disappeared. If the stain remains, repeat steps 1 through 3.

5. Mop the area with a floor cleaner if the stain was made on a hard floor and wait for the floor to dry completely. Do not allow your pet near the wet area.

6. Vacuum the place where the spot was if the urine accident occurred on a carpet. You may want to sprinkle a dusting of baking soda on and around the spot before vacuuming, to ensure a particularly fresh and neutral scent.

Tips & Warnings

• Since urine accidents are common with young pets, especially dogs, you may want to purchase a 1 or 1.5-gallon bottle of enzyme cleaner. A spray bottle, while cheaper, may run out quickly. You may also opt to use baby diapers instead of puppy pee pads to soak up spills, but this may be more expensive for you.
• Do not scrub the spot of the accident or the urine may become embedded deep into your carpet fibers, if the urine accident occurs on a carpet. Make sure your pet does not chew or move puppy pads you have placed over the urine stain.

Resources

• Nature's Miracle
• Hartz Maximum Protection Puppy Pads
• ARM & HAMMER Dog Care Products