How to Get Rid of Pet Stains, Hair and Odor

How to Get Rid of Pet Stains, Pet Smells and Pet Hair

Posted October 1, 2019

We love our pets. They’re around for the good times and they help us get through the tough times. And while we’re glad they provide unconditional love and unwavering loyalty, we could do without the smells, stains and fur they often leave behind.

Now, we’re not going to send our pets packing over their strong “signature scents,” tumbleweed-like fur clusters or accidental carpet artwork. Hey, their cuteness outweighs those little inconveniences, right? So, what’s the happy medium? We can offset those slight annoyances with some simple housekeeping techniques. Wondering how to get rid of pet stains, smells and hair? Here are some easy methods to try.

How to Get Rid of Dog Smells and Cat Smells

There are a lot of products on the market today that were designed to remove pet odors. But before you sink your money into them, give these homemade solutions a try.

Getting Rid of Dog Smell

If your dog is allowed to hang out on the furniture, especially the bed, there’s no doubt that its smell will linger throughout your home. To help get rid of that familiar dog smell, you can vacuum your couch, bed, pillows and any other cushy, comfy surfaces that your dog lounges on. And don’t forget chair cushions, slipcovers and crates, as well as your dog’s bed. Once you do that, you can move on to the carpet.

Pet owners tend to vacuum a lot to clean up hair. But as mentioned before, vacuuming plays a significant role in odor removal. When vacuuming your carpet, you don’t necessarily have to use a scented deodorizer. Just reach for that box of baking soda that’s probably sitting in your kitchen cabinet right now. All you have to do is sprinkle some on the carpet (or any other soft surfaces that smell), use a cleaning brush to spread it out and get it deeper into the carpet or fabric and let the baking soda sit overnight. Doing this will help absorb odors. To finish the job, simply vacuum up the baking soda.

Removing Cat Odors

If you don’t stay on top of the litter box, everyone will know you have a cat. They’ll be able to smell it from about a mile away. Cat urine is no joke, and if you let it sit, it can be very hard to eliminate the smell. Cats tend to mark a lot of areas in the house. They might go for corners or certain spots on the carpet. While their urine is no different than other animals’ urine, when the bacteria in it breaks down, it gives off that ammonia-like smell. And if the urine sits even longer, it’ll emit the same compounds found in skunk spray. On top of all of this, hormones, like testosterone in male cats, can make the smell even worse.

If your cat marks walls or floors, you can neutralize the odor by cleaning the area with a solution of one part water and one part vinegar. When it comes to carpet and furniture with cushions, blot up as much urine as you can, rinse the area with water and then use a wet/dry vacuum to eliminate the excess water. You can follow up by treating the area with an enzyme cleaner.

How to Get Rid of Pet Stains

When your pet has an accident, clean it up right away to keep odors from setting in. If your pet urinates on the carpet, take a clean towel or stack of paper towels and blot up as much urine as you can. You can mix two cups of vinegar, two cups of warm water and four tablespoons of baking soda together and use a spray bottle to mist the solution on the stain. Allow it to penetrate the stain for up to 10 minutes, then blot the area with a cloth.

If your pet vomits on the carpet, remove any large chunks first, then blot up the liquid with a towel. You can then use a mixture of two cups of warm water, one tablespoon of salt, one tablespoon of liquid dish soap and 1/2 cup of vinegar to clean it up. Just blot it on gently with a towel. Once the stain is out, blot the area with a clean, wet cloth. You can then dry the area by dabbing it with a clean, dry towel.

How to Keep Pet Hair at Bay

Pet lovers consider their pets’ fur as “extra love.” But when you’re out in public covered in all that “extra love,” or your house is blanketed with it, people might see you as messy or even unsanitary.

To keep that pet hair under control, groom your cat or dog regularly. As for the house, vacuum a couple of times a week to ensure things don’t get hairy and scary. For furniture, you can run wet rubber gloves or a damp sponge over the fabric to collect hair. Just rinse and repeat until you’re satisfied.

For wood furniture, dust it with a soft cloth and furniture spray or anti-static cleaner. The spray will help keep the fur from flying around when you’re dusting and prevent it from sticking to the furniture.

For floors without carpet, use an electrostatic or dry mop to clean up hair. These types of mops do a better job of trapping fur than vacuums do. Mop the floor often to prevent those embarrassing clusters of hair from forming.

And to keep that clingy hair off of you, have a lint roller on hand. Carry one in your purse or tote bag so you can do a touch up at work or wherever you want to make a great impression. You can even keep some throughout the house for you and your guests to use.

Still Need Help with Pet Smell Removal or Stain Removal? We Can Help!

When the stink is too much to handle and the fur is flying everywhere, figuring out how to get rid of pet stains and smells is too hard on your own — it’s time to call the pros. Madison Cleaning Services’ team of house cleaners in Denver can help. We’ll tackle those tough pet stains, odors and furballs, and have your home sparkling clean in no time.

Are you outside of Denver and wondering, “Do they provide housekeeping near me?” We provide residential cleaning services for the areas of: