Neutralize the smell Then you're going to want to douse the spot with an enzymatic cleaner or simply make your own cleaning solution by combining (white or apple cider) vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio. Because the vinegar is acidic, it will neutralize the bacteria in the dog pee, offsetting its odor.
Vinegar Cleaning Solution– Add one part white vinegar to one part water. Urine smells like ammonia, and this is neutralized with white vinegar. After blotting the area dry, pour the vinegar solution on the affected area, and let the solution soak for 10 minutes to reach the deepest fibers in the rug.
To get the pee smell out of carpet, mix together a cleaning solution of equal parts water and white vinegar in a small bowl. Soak the area with the water/vinegar solution and then let it sit for 5 minutes. Scrub hard to make sure you get deep into the fibers below the carpet's surface to remove any lingering pet urine.
Baking soda is a great way to soak up and neutralize dog pee smell. Sprinkle a liberal amount of baking soda over the wet area and let it sit overnight.
Vinegar. Just like citrus, dogs cannot stand the smell of vinegar. It seems that a dog's heightened sense of smell is not keen on acidic smells, vinegar being another very acidic substance. It is worth noting that dogs are more repelled by the smell of vinegar than they are by lemons and oranges.
Let the vinegar solution sit for 3-5 minutes or carefully follow the instructions on the cleaning product's label. Try some DIY baking soda cleaning! Sprinkle baking soda over the vinegar mixture. This is the exciting part because the baking soda will react with the vinegar, creating a sort of foam.
Start by mixing white vinegar with water (undiluted vinegar can damage carpet fibers). Soak a rag in the solution or pour a small amount directly onto the dried urine spot. Allow the solution to sit for 2-5 minutes to ensure it soaks into the fibers. You may even see wetness on the rug's backing, and that's ok.
That unpleasant stench lingers long after the liquid has been absorbed, and can last months unless treated properly. To effectively remove these offending odors, you'll want to make sure you're eliminating them, not just covering up the smell (as many products do).
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The easiest method to try is a vinegar and water mixture. Fill 1/3 of a spray bottle with white vinegar and the rest of the way with water. Spray the affected area well and allow it to penetrate.
Mix a one-to-one solution of white vinegar and water. Using a sponge, rub the solution onto the stain. Let it sit for 5-to-10 minutes, and then wipe it up with a clean, dry towel. Some experts advise using a more diluted formulation of 1/2-cup vinegar to one gallon of warm water.
Some of the most effective household cleaners aren't meant to be mixed. You probably already know never to combine harsh chemicals like bleach and ammonia (or really, bleach and anything). But common pantry essentials that are often used for cleaning — like baking soda and vinegar — shouldn't be mixed either.
White vinegar is highly alkaline and can deodorize areas marked with dog urine, but it is not an enzyme cleaner. Urine stains contain organic enzymes that are difficult to remove completely with traditional cleaning methods.
It's important to know that the uric acid that gives urine it's ammonia-like smell is harder to dissolve in colder water at a lower pH, like that provided by vinegar, but is easier to dissolve in warmer water at a higher pH like that provided by baking soda.
Adding urine to white vinegar might cause bubbles or a change of color –– you're adding a yellow substance to a clear/white one, after all. But those reactions alone don't confirm the presence of hCG. Bottom line: White vinegar is delicious for a salad dressing, but useless for a pregnancy test.
Spray the vinegar mixture lightly on carpeted areas in your house. Only spray a light mist on the carpet. Do not soak it or apply as much as needed during a cleanup. The vinegar odor acts as a deterrent to help prevent the puppy from urinating and defecating on the carpet.
Baking soda absorbs bad smells from old food scraps and other garbage before it reaches your nostrils. If you're all out of baking soda, try using dryer sheets for stinky trash cans. The fabric softener from the sheets will grab smells and replace them with a pleasant laundry scent.
The most popular anti-odor options include chemically treated antimicrobial fabrics, fabric woven or treated with silver and volcanic ash treated fabrics.
Use Baking Soda To Absorb Pet Odors
One of the easiest ways to keep your house from smelling like a dog is simply using baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda on carpeted areas and let sit for several hours. Then, vacuum up the baking soda and repeat if needed.
Dilute ⅓ to ½ cup of white vinegar into a 1-gallon bucket of warm water. Soak a rag in this mixture and gently rub at the spot. Vinegar works great on dog and cat urine odors, but it might damage some wood floors. Always do a spot-check in an inconspicuous area before applying vinegar to your hardwood floors.
When urine lands on a concrete area, it bonds tightly to the concrete as it dries, penetrating deep within its pores. This can make odor removal particularly difficult. That terrible stench lingers long after the liquid has been absorbed, and can last months unless treated properly.
There are natural cleaning methods you can try, as well. Start by sprinkling baking soda, a natural odor-eliminator, over the stain, then spray it with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water. Let it sit and fizz for five minutes before blotting up the moisture and vacuuming. Repeat as necessary.
Keeping Fleas and Ticks Away
To make your own flea and tick repellent, mix one part vinegar with one part water and spray it on your pet's fur. You can also add a few drops of vinegar to your pet's drinking water to help repel fleas and ticks from the inside out. Morgan recommends one teaspoon per quart of water.
Spraying undiluted vinegar around the perimeter of the lawn creates a sort of invisible fence that drives off both dogs and cats. A roaming dog will take one sniff of your lawn and turn away, but you should keep reapplying the vinegar on a daily basis.