To keep your house from smelling like a dog, focus on frequent cleaning (laundering pet items, vacuuming, washing floors), improving air quality (air purifiers, opening windows), and neutralizing odors with natural absorbers like baking soda and vinegar, using enzyme cleaners for accidents, and grooming your pet regularly. Address soft surfaces like furniture and bedding with washable covers and frequent washing to tackle trapped smells.
Buy solid air fresheners like ``citrus magic'' or charcoal air freshener bags. Use fabric refresher spray on furniture and rugs. You can get dog deodorizing spray, it's like perfume or leave in conditioner, but safe for dogs. Or they make wipes for dogs that helps get off the icky smell and refreshes their fur.
Biocide Systems' Liquid Shocker™, can be used as the ultimate pet odor remover. Specially formulated for the deodorization of hard surfaces, this powerful solution is perfect for cleaning and deodorizing countertops, walls, floors, and more.
Baking soda is a natural odor-absorber. Sprinkle the powder over carpets, rugs and furniture, let it sit overnight and vacuum it up the next day. Likewise, apple cider vinegar can be used with laundry detergent in your washing machine to remove smells from blankets, cushion covers, curtains and other linens.
Dog smells can actually penetrate into the base boards and floor boards, in which case it is literally impossible, short of reconstructing the house, to get rid of the smells. Dog urine in particular, and its smell, can penetrate the carpet, the backing for the carpet, and into the underlying wood itself.
Targeted Cleaning Techniques for Dog Smell & Pet Odors
Deep cleaning methods, like steam cleaning and carpet cleaners will penetrate surfaces to remove smells that regular vacuuming can't reach. Rotating and washing soft furnishings regularly can also minimize long-term buildup.
Air purifiers can remove many of the smells associated with dogs and other pets. These devices not only improve air quality by filtering out allergens like pet dander and hair but also effectively neutralize odors that can linger in your home provided you use the right filtration.
How to Keep Your Home Smelling Fresh with Dogs Around
Citrus Scents
To many dogs, the smell of citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, and grapefruits simply smells bad. Citrus oils are too strong for a dog's powerful nose and can cause irritation. You might even notice your dog sneezing or moving away if they catch a whiff of these scents.
Make sure your dog is out of the room and sprinkle baking soda over your carpets/sofa. Let it sit for as long as you're able, ideally overnight, and then vacuum up and your house will be smelling much fresher! You can also finish off with a home deodorising spray like Febreze or a room spray for an extra fresh scent.
Groomers make dogs smell good using a combination of high-quality, pH-balanced shampoos, deep conditioning treatments, thorough high-velocity drying (which locks in scent and removes wet dog smell), and finishing touches like pet-safe colognes, deodorizing sprays, or scented powders, all chosen to be safe and effective for different coat types and skin sensitivities.
Citrus Magic Pet Solid Air Fresheners are the ideal pet odor eliminator. They absorb even the toughest pet odors using a unique formula with baking soda and powerful odor eliminators, and leave a fresh, clean scent.
Tools and materials to get rid of dog smell in the house
First, open all windows and doors to let as much fresh air inside as possible. Clean or replace all air filters, furnace filters, and AC filters. Clean walls and ceilings using products with ammonia and glycol — two ingredients that neutralize bad odors. Let the walls dry and check if the odor persists.
Homemade Pet Odor Eliminator Spray
1 cup of water. 1 cup of distilled white vinegar. A few drops of your favorite essential oil. 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
If your floor smells like wet dog after mopping, you might be dealing with mold or mildew. Humid environments encourage these undesirable fungal growths, especially in grout lines and under tiles. Soon enough, you will find a rotten odor that lingers even after mopping.
The 3-3-3 rule for dogs is a guideline for the adjustment period after adoption, representing 3 days (overwhelmed/hiding), 3 weeks (settling in/testing boundaries), and 3 months (feeling at home/bonding) to help owners manage expectations and provide patience, routine, and a calm environment, understanding that anxiety is normal as they decompress from a stressful past. It's a framework for recognizing stress and fostering trust, not a rigid timeline, but it helps owners understand why a new dog might seem timid or act out initially.
Bad Smells to Steer Clear From
Your pooch will hate the smell of mothballs, alcohol, cleaning products and nail polish!
Is sniffing good for dogs? Yes! Sniffing is hugely beneficial for dogs and essential for their wellbeing. It's stimulating too - experts tell us just 20 minutes of sniffing is equivalent to an hour's walk in terms of enrichment for your dog.
For further deodorizing, you can whip up a little cocktail of vinegar and baking soda to spray on fabrics such as curtains, carpets, or even the dog's bed. Don't be afraid to add a pinch of apple cider vinegar to your laundry detergent when washing bedding, linens, duvets, slipcovers, or towels.
"Like all our products, Febreze and its ingredients were tested extensively to ensure that the product is safe for humans, pets, and the environment," the P&G fact sheet said.
Keeping Your Home Clean Even with Pets
Pet Areas: If you have furry family members, place a purifier near their favorite lounging spots or near litter boxes, maintaining at least 3 feet of distance from the litter itself. Pet dander and odors tend to concentrate in these areas, making targeted placement especially effective.
Air purifiers not only address pet allergens but also remove other pollutants such as dust, mold spores, and odors. This leads to a cleaner indoor environment, improving overall air quality and reducing the level of pollutants you breathe in.
A mixture of water and vinegar, which neutralizes the ammonia in animal urine, can be used to scrub down walls and hardwood floors, while water and a wet vac should be all you need to tackle dried pet accidents on carpet.