The Best Way to Clean Dog Urine on Carpets

Dog urine can ruin a carpet.
lonely dog near the porch image by Nikolay Okhitin from Fotolia.com

Cleaning dog urine from carpets can be difficult. Not only does the urine leave a stain, but the carpet will hold the odors and cause the dog to continually soil the carpet. Removal of both stain and odor is critical to preserving the life of your carpet. One good method of cleaning dog urine stains will remove the odor and stain from both the padding and carpet.

Put on rubber gloves.

Blot up as much of the urine as possible with a white towel or cloth diaper. Repeat blotting until no more urine appears on the towel. Place another layer of towels over the stain, press down hard, and secure with a brick or other heavy object. Leave this alone for at least one hour.

Mix a solution of clear household vinegar and water to a 10 percent solution in a spray bottle. This is 1 part vinegar to 10 parts water. Remove the towels from the stain area. Spray this solution over the dog urine stain until the stain area on the carpet is wet but not saturated.

Blot up the stain and vinegar with clean white towels or cloth diapers. Keep blotting until no more urine or wetness appears on the towels.

Cover the stain area completely with baking soda. Press down with hands or use your foot. Allow baking soda to remain on the carpet for at least three to four hours; overnight is ideal.

Vacuum up the baking soda.

Mix five drops of Joy brand dish soap with 32 oz. of water in a spray bottle. Spray this solution onto a clean, dry towel or cloth diaper. Place this towel on the carpet with the wet side facing the carpet.

Set the iron to the highest steam setting, usually cotton or linen. Place the iron on top of the towel and press the steam button. Do this until no stain appears on the towel. Change towels frequently. Allow the carpet to dry completely.

Locate other stains once the carpet has dried completely, using the black light. Repeat these steps to remove all stains. This method removes dog urine stains and odors from the carpet and the padding.

Tips

  • Test the carpet for colorfastness before cleaning the stain.

Warnings

  • Do not scrub the carpet, only blot. Scrubbing will damage carpet fibers.

    Do not use this method on wool carpets. Use a special cleaner certified safe for wool carpets instead.