Conquering Dog Urine Cleanup

When we take a dog into our homes, they bring with them love, joy, and definitely the odd mess or two. Whether you are house training a puppy or rehabilitating a rescue, accidents happen! Dog urine can prove to be an especially difficult culprit, as the scent left on the floor will signal your pup to continue to wet the area. To make matters worse, even if you no longer smell the spot, dogs have a far keener sense of smell and will often try to mark old accident areas long after the mess has been cleaned up.

So how do you combat the yuck so that you and your pooch can return to pet-owner bliss? We've gathered some of the best tips on how to really clean up dog pee once and for all.

Step 1: Blot!

The very first thing you need to do to clean up a doggy accident site is to absorb all of the urine with rags, microfiber cloths, or paper towels. Carpeted areas will require extra dabbing to remove all of the liquid from the layers of material. If the stain has dried up by the time you find it, you will have to re-wet it with water and use a wet vac to suck as much of the urine out prior to treating the stain. 

Step 2: Rinse (and sometimes, Repeat)

Using cold water only, thoroughly wet the area after you have finished absorbing as much of the urine as possible. Don't hold back, really soak the spot. Place a white cloth towel or paper towels over the wetness and keep rinsing the floor until the towel no longer picks up any yellow color. For large or deep-set stains, you may need to keep repeating the rinsing process to eliminate the color. 

Step 3: Apply a Cleaning Agent

Unlike regular old spills or carpet stains, dog accidents have to be treated on a biochemical level. You can go buy special products made specifically for this purpose like Sunny Honey Professional Pet Stain and Odor Eliminator or Nature's Miracle. If you're​ feeling thrifty, you can also procure a urine cleaner out of household items. Pure white vinegar is excellent for getting to the core of dog pee destruction. Just pour it on, leave for at least ten minutes, and then rinse it out. You can also apply baking soda to the area, leave it be for several hours and then vacuum it up. It is also effective to combine the vinegar method with the baking soda, creating a small reaction on your floor’s surface. A solution of one part hydrogen peroxide and two parts water left for 10 minutes can also lift the odor of dog pee. 

Step 4: Back to Blotting

Once again, you must thoroughly blot the problem area using absorbent material. After you have blotted the spot to the best of your ability, the floor should be left to air dry undisturbed. If the floor is a hard substance like hardwood or tile, no waiting time is necessary. Carpet, on the other hand, can take several hours to completely dry.

Doing all of these steps may seem tedious, but if you treat a dog urine stain right the first time, you'll save yourself oodles of work in the long run. Treating the area with enzymes will help destroy all remnants of smell that could trigger your dog to pee inside again. Remember to never use regular, all-purpose floor cleaner when cleaning dog messes. And hang in there with house training! It may seem like your pup will never catch on, but with kindness, consistency, and determination, you can have an in-the-know, well-behaved canine in no time.