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Pee-yew! There’s a stubborn smell hanging throughout your home. The source? That cute little pet at your feet.
Pets, as much as we love them, can stink up a home real fast. Their urine contains ammonia that can soak into carpet backing. Their saliva can cling to fabric. Their skin oils can build up on bedding. And once pet odor has settled in, it can be hard to remove completely, even with basic cleaning. If you’re desperate to freshen your home, here are some tips you may not have tried yet.
Use An Enzyme Cleaner
What have you been using to clean the problem area? If your answer is “the old bottle of cleaner I had stashed in the laundry room,” that could be your problem. These types of cleaners only mask pet odor. They leave organic waste behind on surfaces and in absorbent materials, which causes the smell to eventually return. These left-behind compounds also attract pets and encourage them to remark the same spot.
Instead, you need to use an enzyme cleaner. Enzyme cleaners break down the uric acid and proteins in urine and other types of pet excrement. This puts a stop to repeat smells for good.
Steam Clean Absorbent Surfaces
Surface cleaning can remove the mess you can see, but it won’t reach odor trapped below the top layer. Pet odor can sink into rugs, upholstered furniture, mattresses, pet beds, and other absorbent materials. If the problem area gets disturbed in any way, trapped odor particles can rise back into the room.
A steam cleaner gives these surfaces a deeper clean than basic scrubbing. The hot water helps loosen old waste from the fibers so the machine can pull it out.
Absorb Smells with Baking Soda
Chances are, you have some baking soda in your pantry. Baking soda can be incredibly useful for neutralizing leftover pet odors. It works because sodium bicarbonate has a mild alkaline pH. Many strong pet smells come from acidic odor compounds. When baking soda touches those compounds, it helps balance the pH and weakens the smell.
If you know exactly where the odor is coming from, sprinkle a generous layer of baking soda over the area and let it sit. You’ll want to leave it for at least several hours, or overnight if the smell is extra stubborn. Then, sweep or vacuum it up. Sometimes, you may need to apply it a few times before the odor fully fades.
Look Into Professional Odor Removal
If none of the above options work to remove the pet odor, you may need to look into professional odor removal. Ozone treatment is one popular option for pet odor removal. It uses ozone gas to break apart odor molecules. Other methods companies use include thermal fogging and extraction. While professional services can cost more than home cleaning, they have a strong success rate with deep pet odor.
Back To a Fresher Home
Your pet will create messes. That’s just what they do. But those messes don’t have to leave behind a permanent funk. Use these tips for removing lingering pet odor in your home and enjoy a fresher-smelling space once more.
