Sometimes, your beloved dog can stink up your home. Furnishings are going to hold the distinct smell of your dog, which can be unpleasant. Luckily, I will guide you on how to get dog smell out of the house. You will be surprised at how easy it is.
Why Do Dogs Smell the Way They Do
Dogs have a unique odor caused by several factors. These odors can seep into your furniture, curtains, carpets, and more. You may ask yourself how to get dog smell out of the house. First, you need to get to know what’s causing that stinky smell. Your dog’s skin produces an oil that’s an important part of a healthy animal, but unfortunately, it has a distinct odor.
Regular bathing and grooming of your dog should keep this odor to a minimum. But if that doesn’t seem effective, your dog might have a skin or dental infection that causes him or her to smell less than fresh. If you suspect that the odor goes beyond regular dog scent, it might be time to see your veterinarian rule out more significant issues.
Useful Tips to Eliminate Dog Smell Out of Your House
The best way to how to get dog smell out of the house is easy with the following tips:
Sweep and Mop All the Floors
Remove all of the loose debris your pet creates, including hair and the dirt they track inside. Hair, dander, and dust particles are tiny and light, so you need to be keen when dealing with them. Sweep delicately, and put them in the trashcan with a dustpan as frequently as possible.
Once you’ve swept everything, mop all of the hard surfaces to remove any of the dust and debris you might have missed while sweeping. If you don’t want to use a mop, you may also use a pet-safe floor cleaner.
Vacuum More and More
After dealing with your hardwood or tile floor, and linoleum, it’s time to deal with your carpets. As expected, your carpets hold an incredible amount of hair, dust, and dander, so you need to vacuum an inch of carpet in your home, including any area rugs. This one is a proven effective step on how to get dog smell out of the house.
Once done with the carpets, vacuum all of your and curtains as well. For your convenience, you may also consider purchasing a vacuum specifically designed for homes with pets. Always empty the canister after vacuuming your home and be sure to change or clean out the air filters frequently to make your vacuum more efficient.
Steam Clean All the Carpets in Your House
Once dry materials from your carpets are removed, it’s time for a steam cleaning to remove any odors trapped in the carpet’s fibers. You may hire a carpet cleaning service, too, but make sure that they use pet-friendly chemicals before starting.
Wash All of Your Linens, Couch Cushion Covers, and Pillowcases
Machine wash your things made of fabric materials, including your bed linens, couch cushion covers and throw pillows, and anything else in your home that is machine-washable. Make sure to dry them thoroughly before use.
Wash Your Dog’s Bed
Your dog’s bed is likely the smelliest item in your entire house because your dog constantly has coating hair, dirt, urine, and saliva. If your dog bed is machine washable, it is easier; you will need to take off the bed cover and put it in the washing machine. It’s okay if the core of your pet’s bed is free of stains or odors. If it got stained, you’d need to either wash the core or replace it. You may want to treat the cover with a stain repellant, too.
Let in Some Fresh Air
Letting some fresh air in your house helps a lot to reduce pet-related odors. Open every screened window in your house and doors, too. If you have an attic fan, turn that on as well. However, keep your dog’s safety in mind when airing out your home and use some pet gates to avoid trouble. This practice is also one of the best tricks on how to get dog smell out of the house.
Replace Your House’s Air Filters
Take time to change all of the air filters in your house, especially while your home is airing out. Replacing an air filter is pretty easy; take out the old filter and bring it to your local hardware store. They will help you in getting the correct replacement filter. Be sure to gently remove used filters to prevent the dust and debris from falling on your floors.
Consider an Air Purifier
An air purifier helps to pull up some of the temper and debris out from the air in your house; they help keep your house smell better. There are many air purifiers, so you have to choose one specifically designed to help address pet odors. Choose high-quality air purifiers; they filter particulate matter from the air in your home, and at the same time, kill bacteria and fungi in the air, too. Air purifiers help reduce odor-related problems and help prevent your family and your pet from getting sick.
Buy a Blacklight
You may need a high-tech solution if odors continue to persist. Urine, saliva, and other body fluids will tend to glow when exposed to a black light. It is good at finding trouble areas.
Turn off the lights in your house before scanning with the blacklight, move the blacklight closer to your carpet to get the stains to show up. Scan your furniture as well as the lower portions of your walls to locate all of the problematic spots. Spilled drinks and residues left by cleaning products are also reactive to the black light. These things glow bright white when exposed to black light, while urine and saliva tend to glow pale yellow to green, so it is easy to identify them.
Perfume Your House
You’ll never completely take away severe pet odors with scented or odor-neutralizing sprays. Still, they can be very helpful for combatting minor odors to help keep your house smelling fresh between top-to-bottom cleanings. But make sure you select a spray that is safe for pets.
It is safe to put your dog outside for a moment, while the spray settles out of the air. Potpourri baskets, scented candles, can also be helpful, keep them in places away and out of reach of dogs. It is one of the easiest steps on how to get dog smell out of the house. Know more about pet hygiene.
Conclusion
Dealing with pet odors is always part of the gig for pet owners. A home with a dog smell can be undesirable and create all sorts of problems. Luckily, pet odor can be easily dealt with. Remember, the key to how to get the dog smell out of the house is focusing on the source of the smell.