The Best Way to Clean Up After Your Dog's House-Soiling Accidents

The Best Way to Clean Up After Your Dog's House-Soiling Accidents

By: Alex Lieber

There is nothing like that new car smell, the odor promising thousands of worry-free miles. Unfortunately, your beloved dog had an accident in the back seat and that new car smell is now just a dream within a dream.

You can get your car (or area rug, or carpet) clean again, but you need to work fast. Cleaning up accidents is a race against time and chemistry. The longer the urine sits, the more time it has to leave a permanent impression. Even if the stain is lifted, the smell may remain. It is extremely important to get the odor out completely – so that your pet's supersensitive nose can't detect it. Otherwise, your pet may hit the same spot again. And again. And again.

Urine Stains

Mop up the puddle as quickly as you can, especially on carpets. You don't want the urine to seep into the underlying carpet pad – otherwise the smell will always be there.

Use absorbent material, such as a sponge or paper towel, to soak it up and be sure not to make the situation worse by spreading the urine around.

Getting the odor out is extremely important because the odor signals that the area is an "acceptable" toilet.

There are many products available to get out pet stains and odors. These are typically pet bacteria/enzyme digesters designed to eliminate stains and odors completely. (Products such as Nature's Miracle® work very well on both.) Use enough of the digester to penetrate the carpet pad. Let it sit for as long as the directions say – it takes time for digesters to break down the urine.

Cover the area with plastic and step on it several times to make sure the area is well saturated. Leave the plastic on, so the area does not dry out before the digester has had time to work.

To ensure there is no after odor, try mixing lavender oil (about 10 to 12 drops, depending on the size of the stain) with 1 cup of bicarbonate of soda. Sprinkle the mixture over the spot; let it sit for a couple of hours, then vacuum.

Fecal Stains

The same principles apply to fecal matter, except that you want to be careful in scooping up the poop. The concept, of course, is to get it all up without pushing any into a pile or spreading it further than you have to. Try using a spatula (one you will not ever use again for cooking!) or a piece of cardboard.

Use paper towelsWee Wee Pads
Four Paws Wee Wee Pads are super absorbent, making housebreaking easy. The poly-dry formula locks in moisture and prevents tracking. Dog Wee Wee Pads ...
or coffee filters to absorb the moisture. Then sponge the area with warm waterFresh Flow Pet Fountain
Pets are naturally attracted to fresh flowing water. This unique silent fountain won’t scare your pet when drinking from bowl or ramp. Ultra Qui...
(ring the sponge of excess water). Apply a digester to the spot.

Older Stains

Unfortunately, getting old stains out of carpets ranges from the very difficult to impossible. You can give the enzyme digester a shot, but if the area has been used many times by a pet, the digester may not work. If this is the case, try the following:

  • Let the digester work for about 4 hours, then apply a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar to a gallon of warm water.
  • After rinsing the area with the mixture, try the digester solution again.

    If this doesn't work, you may need to cut out that section of rug and replace it with a patch taken from a hidden area of the rug (such as under the couch). Remember that you have to replace the pad underneath as well. This is one reason why tiled or laminate flooring and petsStain and Odor Remover
    Nature's Miracle Stain and Odor Remover is Guaranteed to remove pet accident stains and odors that other products fail to remove including old uri...
    go together so well.

    Cleaning Vomit

    Vomit presents a special challenge because it is very acidic. If not cleaned up quickly and well, the color of your carpet or floor may change. You should treat the area with a professional carpet detergent and then rinse it with hot water.

     
    Printable Version
     
    Have a Pet Question?
    Send Your Pet Question to Dr. Jon
    and His Staff of Veterinarians Ask Dr. Jon
    Dr. Jon's Newsletter
    Yes! Send Me the Latest Health Information, Pet Tips, Pet Stories and more...
     
     

    Related Articles

    • 1 Reducing Dog Urine Odor

      Removing the odor of dog urine from carpet, furniture or clothing can be difficult.To make matters worse, once the odor of urine becomes associated with an area, more urination in that area is likely....

      Read MoreRead More
    • 2 Ways to Clean Up Your Dogs Waste

      Of all the chores done by pet owners the least enjoyable is undoubtly cleaning up their pets' waste products. Here are some options for keeping your home and environment clean and free of waste.

      Read MoreRead More
    • 3 Reducing Cat Urine Odor

      Cats urinate outside the litter box for various reasons, and once the odor of urine becomes associated with an area other than the litter box, more urination is sure to follow. Here are several methods...

      Read MoreRead More
  • Related Articles
    • 1Ways to Clean Up Your Dogs Waste

      Of all the chores done by pet owners the least enjoyable is undoubtly cleaning up their pets' waste products. Here are some options for keeping your home and environment clean and free of waste.

      Read MoreRead More
    • 2Reducing Cat Urine Odor

      Cats urinate outside the litter box for various reasons, and once the odor of urine becomes associated with an area other than the litter box, more urination is sure to follow. Here are several methods...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 3Reducing Dog Urine Odor

      Removing the odor of dog urine from carpet, furniture or clothing can be difficult.To make matters worse, once the odor of urine becomes associated with an area, more urination in that area is likely....

      Read MoreRead More
     

    Over 10,000 Veterinarian Approved Articles

    Related Articles
    • 1Ways to Clean Up Your Dogs Waste

      Of all the chores done by pet owners the least enjoyable is undoubtly cleaning up their pets' waste products. Here are some options for keeping your home and environment clean and free of waste.

      Read MoreRead More
    • 2Reducing Cat Urine Odor

      Cats urinate outside the litter box for various reasons, and once the odor of urine becomes associated with an area other than the litter box, more urination is sure to follow. Here are several methods...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 3Reducing Dog Urine Odor

      Removing the odor of dog urine from carpet, furniture or clothing can be difficult.To make matters worse, once the odor of urine becomes associated with an area, more urination in that area is likely....

      Read MoreRead More