How to Clean Your Pet's Indoor Accidents

Published: 6/2/2021

Accidents are something that all parents deal with at one time or another. Whether you have a puppy that's struggling with housetraining or an older dog with incontinence, you're bound to find a puddle on your carpet from time to time. Even dogs that have long been housebroken can get sick and not make it to the yard. So how do you go about cleaning up indoor pet accidents? We will discuss several methods for cleaning everything from carpet to upholstery.

Dog urine is potent stuff and can leave stains on even treated floorboards if not treated immediately. What's more, if left standing, it can penetrate the flooring and interfere with the structural integrity of the subfloor. Let's discuss how to treat pet accidents on wood floors. 

It's essential that you ventilate the area while you are cleaning indoor pet accidents since cleaning chemicals can put off unpleasant and even toxic odors. 

Using gloves and a plastic bag, remove the waste from the area. If you're cleaning urine, blot up the pee with a paper towel. 

Using cold water, wipe the area with a wet cloth to remove any remaining residue.

Spray the stain with hydrogen peroxide, and wipe it away with a clean wet cloth when it finishes bubbling.

It's important to use cleaning agents made specifically for pet stains on hardwood floors. Dogs often come back to the same spot due to the lure of pheromones in the residual urine, so you must use enzymic cleaners to remove the scent. Spray the cleaning spray on the stain and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Clean the stain again with a wet cloth to remove any residual cleaning solution.

Mop as usual, then dry your floor with a clean towel. Refrain from mopping with ammonia or vinegar-based cleaners since these can mimic the scent of dog urine and make your dog return to the same spot.

Carpet can be particularly stubborn to clean, especially when it comes to smelly pet poop. You'll need to use all the tools in your cleaning arsenal to tackle pet stains.

Cleaning poop off carpet is a risky business because it's easy to smush the poop further into the carpet fibers. Using gloves and a paper towel or plastic bag, gently grab the waste, using care not to push the poop into the carpet. If there is any remaining residue, gently scrape the top surface of the carpet with a paper towel to prepare for step 3.

When cleaning urine, it's important to blot up the liquid before continuing to the next steps. Using a thick towel or paper towel, press into the stain until nearly dry. You may have to use multiple towels to achieve this.

Spray the stain with a carpet-specific cleaning agent. Let the solution sit on the carpet for 15 to 20 minutes to give it time to deodorize and break down the waste.

Scrub the stain with a scrub brush and cold water to work the solution further into the carpet. Use a bowl and dip the scrub brush in the water rather than pouring it directly on the stain.

The stain may appear clean, but microscopic bacteria may be left behind even with the use of powerful cleaning agents — spritz hydrogen peroxide on the stain to remove any residual bacteria from the spot.

Blot the stain thoroughly with a clean, dry towel until the area is mostly dry. 

Finally, use a carpet cleaner to deep clean the stain. While any cleaning solution will work, it's best to use one made specifically for pet stains.