How to Get Dog Urine Smell out of Carpets

Co-authored by Michelle Driscoll, MPH and Hunter Rising

If you have dogs or puppies, it’s likely that they’ll have accidents inside. While it may be easy to clean up, you may still smell the dog urine if it soaked into your carpet. When there’s a lingering smell that you want to get rid of, you can easily deodorize your carpet with vinegar and baking soda, a hydrogen peroxide paste, club soda, or an enzymatic cleaner. No matter what method you choose, your carpet will smell like new once you’re finished!

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Cleaning with Vinegar and Baking Soda

1
Mix together water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. Combine 1 cup (240 ml) of distilled white vinegar with 1 cup (240 ml) of warm water in a spray bottle. Shake the solution to mix it thoroughly and dilute the vinegar. Make sure the spray bottle works by spraying the solution in the sink before using it on your carpet.^{[1]
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- You can buy a spray bottle or you can use an empty one from an old cleaning solution.
- If you use a spray bottle that had something else in it previously, make sure to wash it out thoroughly before adding the new mixture. You don’t want to stain or contaminate your carpet with any unknown chemicals.
2
Spray the mixture on the urine stain and let it sit for 15 minutes. Hold the spray bottle 3–4 in (7.6–10.2 cm) over your carpet and pull the trigger to apply the solution. Coat the entire stain with the solution so your carpet is completely saturated, and then let it soak in for 15 minutes.^{[2]
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- Vinegar works great on dry or wet urine stains.
- Don’t pat the vinegar dry immediately since it needs to soak into the pad underneath the carpet to fully eliminate the odor.
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3
Dab the carpet to lift up excess vinegar. Use an old cleaning cloth or sponge and press onto the vinegar to soak up the liquid. Work across the entire stain so the carpet isn’t soaking wet. When you’re finished, immediately wash the cloth or throw it away.^{[3]
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- Wear cleaning gloves if you don’t want to get any vinegar or urine on your hands while you’re working.
Warning: Do not rub back and forth on your carpet or else you’ll work the vinegar and urine deeper into the carpet rather than lift it up.
4
Cover the vinegar solution with baking soda to deodorize your carpet. Coat the entire surface of the stain with a thin layer of baking soda and press it into the fabric with a cloth. Once the baking soda is applied, let it sit to pull out the moisture and odor from deep in your carpet. The baking soda will work back up toward the surface and form a thin crust on your carpet.^{[4]
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- If you’re worried about the vinegar and baking soda changing the color of your carpet, test the mixture in a small, inconspicuous area before covering the stain.
- For an extra odor-fighting boost, mix a few drops of your favorite essential oil with the baking soda before sprinkling it on. Tea tree, lavender, or lemongrass oil are all good options.
5
Vacuum the baking soda once it’s dry. When the baking soda is completely dry, run your vacuum over the area to lift it out of your carpet. Go over the spot multiple times to get any baking soda that’s deep in the carpet. When you’re finished, smell the area that was stained to see if there’s still a urine scent.^{[5]
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- If you still smell urine, you can apply the solution again or try another cleaning method.
EXPERT TIP

"Spot clean stains as they occur, but you should also have your carpets steam cleaned yearly, especially if you have pets."

Chris Willatt
House Cleaning Professional
Chris Willatt is the owner and founder of Alpine Maids, a cleaning agency in Denver, Colorado started in 2015. Alpine Maids has received Angie's List Super Service Award for three years in a row since 2016 and has been awarded Colorado's "Top Rated Local House Cleaning" Award in 2018.

Chris Willatt
House Cleaning Professional

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Applying a Hydrogen Peroxide Paste

1
Mix hydrogen peroxide, dishwashing detergent, and baking soda. Combine 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons (22 ml) of hydrogen peroxide, 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of liquid dish soap, and 2 tablespoons (28 g) of baking soda in a plastic bowl and stir it together. The mixture will form a thick paste and start bubbling as they react with one another. Keep stirring the mixture until it’s thoroughly mixed.
- Hydrogen peroxide works best on light-colored carpets. If you want to use it to clean dark carpets, test a small amount on your carpet to see if it affects the color.
- You can use hydrogen peroxide on fresh or dry urine stains.
2
Apply the paste to the urine stain with a spoon and leave it for up to 1 hour. Use a spoon to scoop and spread the paste onto the urine stain. Press down on the paste to work it into the carpet so it can lift the odor from the pad underneath. Once you’ve spread the paste on the whole stain, leave it alone for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
- The baking soda and hydrogen peroxide react with one another and will trap the urine odor so your carpet doesn’t smell.
- The odor is more likely to go away if you leave the peroxide for longer.
3
Dab the paste off your carpet with a wet cloth. Wet a cleaning cloth with the warmest water you can handle and wring it out so it isn’t dripping wet. Push the cloth firmly onto the paste to lift it out of your carpet. Rewet the cleaning cloth if it dries out, and keep dabbing the stain until you remove as much of the paste as you can.
4
Dry your carpet with paper towels. Once you remove the paste, place a layer of paper towels over the wet spot and press down to absorb any leftover liquid. Avoid wiping the paper towel from side to side so you don’t work it back into the carpet.
- You can also use a cleaning cloth instead of paper towels if you want.
Tip: If there’s any leftover paste on your carpet, let it dry completely and vacuum over the area to remove it.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using Club Soda

1
Pour club soda over the entire stain. Use a small amount at a time so your carpet doesn’t get soaking wet. Slowly pour the club soda over the entire stain so it bubbles and soaks into your carpet. Once the stain is covered with club soda, let it sit for about 10-15 minutes so it can penetrate the pad underneath.^{[6]
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- You can buy club soda from any grocery store.
- Club soda works best for fresh urine stains.
2
Blot the stain with a cleaning cloth or sponge. After 10-15 minutes has passed, set a cleaning rag on top of the stain and press firmly onto it to lift out the soda. If the cloth gets too wet, wring it out or use another to lift the odor out. Work your way over the entire stain until most of the soda is lifted up.^{[7]
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- Don’t wipe back and forth over the stain or else the urine smell will work back into the carpet.
3
Dry the area with paper towels. Cover the stain with 2 layers of paper towels and pat it dry. Push down hard with your hand to absorb any club soda that’s deep within the carpet pad. Keep pressing down across the entirety of the stain until you can’t pull up any more liquid.^{[8]
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Tip: Wear shoes and step on the paper towel to apply more force and absorb more liquid from the carpet.
4
Spray an air freshener on your carpet to get a refreshing odor. Using club soda will remove the odor, but you may have a stronger smell when you first remove it. Pick your favorite scent of air freshener or essential oil and spray it on your carpet to cover up any residual odor that the soda brought up. Spritz enough to mask the smell and then check your carpet in a few hours to see if you can still smell the urine.^{[9]
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- Look for air fresheners that eliminate odors rather than cover them up since they kill odor-causing bacteria.
- If you still smell urine, you may need to try a stronger cleaning method.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Spraying an Enzymatic Cleaner

1
Dry as much of the urine as you can with paper towels. Set a layer of paper towels over the stain, and firmly press the paper towel onto the carpet. Don’t scrub the carpet since it could work the urine deeper into the pad underneath. Keep dabbing the carpet until it’s as dry as you can get it.^{[10]
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- Enzymatic cleaners work best on fresh stains.
- Step on the paper towel to apply more pressure and absorb more liquid.
2
Spray the enzymatic cleaner directly on the stain. Get a bottle of commercial enzymatic cleaner from your local supermarket. Hold the bottle 3–4 in (7.6–10.2 cm) from the stain and spray it until the carpet is saturated completely.^{[11]
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- Many pet stores carry enzymatic cleaners specifically made for dog urine.
3
Let the cleaner soak into your carpet and dry on its own. Look on the bottle to see how long the enzymatic cleaner takes to work, which is usually up to 24 hours. Let the cleaner soak and absorb into the carpet so it can eliminate the odor completely. Once the time listed on the packaging passes, sniff your carpet to see if still smells.^{[12]
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- If the carpet still smells, you may need to shampoo your carpet.

Expert Q&A
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Question

Can I put something on the carpet spot to keep a dog from going on that place again?

Michelle Driscoll, MPH
Founder, Mulberry Maids
Michelle Driscoll is the Owner of Mulberry Maids, which is based in Fort Collins, Colorado. With five years of experience, her business specializes in cleaning homes and small offices. She holds a Masters in Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health. Additionally, Mulberry Maids has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Michelle Driscoll, MPH

Founder, Mulberry Maids

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Dogs are attracted to spots that were previously urinated on, and will want to keep going in that spot. It is important to remove the odor as much as possible. After adequately cleaning the spot with an odor removing solution like baking soda and vinegar or a hydrogen peroxide paste, you can try spritzing lemon juice on the spot that your dog likes to urinate on. Typically, dogs are not fond of the smell, and this will keep them at bay.
Question

How can I get rid of the odor if it has penetrated the carpet and a carpet cleaner isn't helping?

Community Answer

I am in the process of addressing this situation at home with urine which had soaked into the carpet padding and subfloor. I cleaned the area with Zep Carpet Shampoo for an extractor, literally pouring the solution on the flooring and then walking over it to get the solution to soak the carpet, padding and subfloor. Afterward, I used an extractor to get most of the cleaner up. I repeated with gallons of hot water soaks. When the rinses were relatively clean (the rinse never became clear), I applied a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water solution and walked over the area again. Afterward, I used hot water soaks and the extractor to get the majority of the water out. Long and not fun!
Question

I have shampooed my carpet twice, but it still smells. Will the white vinegar and baking soda help?

Community Answer

It may help, but an enzyme cleaner is the way to go.

Warnings

Hydrogen peroxide can change the color of your carpet. Test the solution on a small inconspicuous area of your carpet to see if the color changes.

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