Cleaning dog wee: the best ways to do it

Cleaning up pee is a normal part of pet parenthood. We've all been there cleaning up a puppy's or older pet's pee and dealing with smells and stains. It helps to have a cleaning plan to rely on to get stains and messes cleaned up quickly. Nobody wants to deal with lingering odours (especially with your dog's strong nose), and it's important to clean them up to get rid of bacteria and stains. Here, we discuss why dogs pee indoors and share some in-depth tips on how to clean and prevent pee stains and smells. Why dogs pee indoors: understanding the root causes It's common for puppies, older dogs and dogs with illnesses or anxiety to pee indoors. Root causes for peeing indoors include: Behavioural reasons Medical reasons It's essential to seek veterinary advice if your dog frequently urinates indoors and you don't know why. It can indicate deeper behaviour or medical issues that need professional attention. Immediate steps: cleaning dog wee quickly and effectively Acting fast is always best. Understandably, sometimes you miss that your dog has had a pee. But if you see it, get it cleaned ASAP. Act quickly Blot quickly. Never rub. Rubbing can spread and deepen the stain, which makes it more difficult to clean up. Blot with paper towels or a clean cloth. Protect the area quickly with an old towel. You can stand on it (with shoes on) to apply pressure and allow the towel to absorb liquid. Once dry, you can move on to the next step. Neutralise, clean, deodorise You then need to clean the urine. You can choose between the following cleaners: Using one or all of these can clean, deodorise and neutralise dog urine. Dry Finally, dry the area. You can: We don't recommend using steam cleaners as this can make the odour worse and possibly cause stains. Removing the smell of dog pee: the science and solutions Removing the smell of dog urine is hard. It's a tough smell due to its mix of ammonia, bacteria and uric acid, which are strong-smelling compounds that are hard to remove. It's common to ask "how do I get rid of dog smell" when your dog urinates indoors often. As we mentioned above, we have three key recommendations for removing odours: For old, dried, or deeply set-in stains, repeat applications of enzymatic cleaner are often necessary, as the uric acid crystals can persist How to remove pee from carpet and upholstery (and beyond) Carpets and soft furnishing Carpets and soft furnishings can get difficult to clean when a dog urinates on them. To clean it, we recommend: Concrete Concrete is more porous than other surfaces, so it needs a slightly different approach. Hard floors Hard floors are usually easier to clean, assuming you get to it quickly. To clean dog urine from hard floors, you should: Make sure you test your cleaning solution in a different area first to make sure it doesn't stain your floors. We'd recommend not using abrasive or harsh cleaning chemicals. Mattresses Now, dog pee on the mattress is a bit of a nightmare. But you can get through it. To clean dog urine from a mattress, we recommend: Walls and baseboards Dogs can pee on walls and baseboards, too, which can get awkward to clean. To clean it up, we recommend: You may need professional help with baseboards and walls as they're pretty difficult to clean properly. When you'll need a professional cleaner We recommend getting a professional cleaner if you've tried to clean the area and it hasn't worked. It's really important to get it cleaned up properly as it can cause bacteria build-up and potentially make your dog unwell. Alternatively, if there's a lot to clean up and you're not sure you're up to it, getting a professional in is fine; they're the experts and can get things done efficiently. How to remove dog smell from your home overall If your dog frequently urinates indoors, you may worry about a general smell building up in your home. Some long-term, proactive steps include: Preventing future accidents: training and environmental management We've discussed how to keep things clean reactively, but how do you prevent urination proactively? Well, sometimes, if your pet is dealing with a chronic health issue, it may be difficult, but generally, there are steps to prevent dog urination indoors long-term. Behaviour treatment If your dog is urinating indoors due to behavioural problems, you should follow the treatment plan of a qualified behaviourist and/or vet. Ensuring your dog gets adequate enrichment , mental stimulation and has quiet spots to rest in can reduce anxiety-related accidents like frequent indoor urination too. Routine toilet breaks Your dog may be urinating indoors because they aren't getting enough toilet breaks. You should test and tailor toilet breaks to your dog's needs. Thorough cleaning Thoroughly cleaning the area regularly can prevent your dog from remarking the area. If the scent of their urine lingers, they have a strong canine instinct to mark and remark the area with their pee. You can also block access to these problem areas assuming it isn't in a key place in your home. Some pet parents have seen success with natural, safe deterrents in common peeing spots to disguise the urine smell. Training and retraining Our housetraining guide discusses step-by-step guidance, but consistent, positive training can help a dog to pee outside. Of course, this assumes there isn't an underlying health issue causing this behaviour. As always, use positive reinforcement training principles. Never shout at or punish your dog for peeing indoors; it just makes things worse.

Cleaning dog wee: the best ways to do it

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