How to Get Rid of the Odor From a Dog Excreting

Potty training your dog as a puppy will help ensure that Fido isn't stuck in the dog house.

Being a pet owner has many perks, but cleaning up the mess that your dog leaves behind is not one of them. Stains from your dog's waste can leave a long-lasting odor. Without a thorough cleaning, a dog may continue to use the soiled area as his bathroom. The last thing you want is for your home to smell like a zoo.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber gloves
• Paper towel
• Newspaper
• Wet vac
• Stain remover
• Pet odor neutralizer

Instructions

1. Clean up your dog's mess right away. The longer you wait, the better chance the odor has to set into your carpet. Use rubber gloves to protect yourself from germs.

2. Scoop up feces carefully without rubbing the substance into the carpet. With a damp cloth or paper towel, scrub the stain till the area is visibly clean.

3. Place several paper towels over any urine stains and then set newspapers on top of the paper towels. Stand on the newspapers for approximately one minute to help soak up the urine. If the soiled area is still wet, repeat this step with a fresh set of paper towels. Continue doing this till the area is almost dry. If you have assigned an area of the yard to be your dog's bathroom, place the dirty paper towels in that area to help train them into using that spot.

4. Wash off the dirtied area with cold water. Use a wet vac to dry the stain. This is particularly useful if the stain has already set. Many grocery and hardware stores rent wet vacs.

5. Use a pet odor neutralizer to help offset the smell if the odor persists. These cleaners can be found at most pet and grocery stores.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a store-bought carpet cleaner if you are unable to get rid of the odor.

• Don't use heat from a blow dryer or steam cleaner to treat the area. The heat from these devices makes it harder to get rid of the smell.

• If the urine has seeped through the padding beneath the carpet, you may have to replace that area of the carpet and padding entirely to get rid of the odor.

References

• Humane Society: Removing Pet Stains and Odors
• Professor's House: Cleaning Up Dog Diarreha