When you’re a dog parent, you know that accidents can happen anywhere at anytime. One of the most common accidents for dogs to have, especially when they are puppies, is going pee on the floor inside the house. While this can be a relatively quick fix for hard surfaces, when your dog pees on the carpet, it’s a different situation. If you’ve been searching for how to clean dog pee from carpet, look no further. With the tips and tricks compiled below, you can get your carpet clean in no time at all. 

Cleaning Up Dog Pee from Your Carpet: A Guide 

Accidents are inevitable and come with the territory of being a dog owner. Being prepared with a knowledge of how to clean dog pee carpet can help you address accidents quickly and prevent further headaches and stress. Many dogs will accidentally pee inside the house at some point in their life and when you’re living in a place with carpeting, addressing the problem quickly is essential for preventing a stain from forming and the scent of urine on the carpet from remaining. There are several different methods you can employ to quickly remove urine from the carpet and get back to enjoying the rest of your day.  Depending on what you have readily available when the accident occurs, follow the below steps to quickly address the accident.

1. Address the Accident Quickly 

Time is vital when your dog has peed on the carpet in the house. The sooner you can address the spot and remove the urine, the better your chance is to prevent a long-lasting stain from developing and the unsightly scent of urine from lingering in your home. If you’ve caught your dog in the act or the accident is recent, then the carpet should still be wet. As soon as you notice the spot where your dog has peed on the carpet, grab clean paper towels and begin to blot the stain until the urine is completely absorbed. 

Be careful not to rub the stain as this can cause the urine to spread across more of the carpeting, increasing the potential for stains. Instead of rubbing the area, use clean paper towels to gently blot and absorb the urine from the carpet. To help apply pressure evenly across the surface of the stain, you can also cover the area with clean paper towels and place a heavy book or a similarly weighted item on the top to help absorb the maximum amount of urine from the carpet.

You may be wondering why paper towels are recommended instead of a towel. A towel can have other substances on it from being used in the home, which can then be transferred to the carpet as you are trying to clean up the urine. By using clean paper towels, you can ensure that the carpet is being cleaned with a substance-free, absorbent material that can then be disposed of or used to help enforce potty training. You can take the urine-soaked paper towels and place them in the area where your dog is supposed to go to the bathroom to help remind him of where he should head to the next time he needs to pee.  If you are in the process of house training your dog, teach your canine how to use a pee pad instead of going on the floor. 

2. Rinse the Affected Area

Once you have blotted the entire area of the stain and absorbed all of the urine that you can, the next step is to dilute the urine that remains in the carpet and rinse it. Take a spray bottle or a small glass of clean water and carefully disperse it across the surface of the soiled area. Once the carpet is rinsed, dry the area with clean paper towels or a vacuum that is suitable for liquids, such as a wet and dry vacuum.

3. Use a Cleaning Solution on the Stain

There are many different cleaning solutions available for combating dog urine stains on the carpet, including a number of home remedies that are made using common kitchen items, such as baking soda and vinegar. So how do you know which one is best for your carpet? Finding a solution that will work for you will often require a bit of trial and error. When using a cleaning solution on your carpet for the first time, you always want to do a spot test to make sure that it won’t remove any coloring or dye once it dries. Be sure to always read the warnings on the cleaning solution prior to utilizing it to make sure that it is compatible with your type of carpeting and will not be harmful to your dog. When performing a spot test, be sure to pick an area that is out of the way and confine the test to a small area. Allow the test spot to dry completely before proceeding. 

Enzymatic Cleaners

One of the most common types of cleaning solutions for dog urine stains on the carpet is enzymatic cleaners. You can find enzymatic carpet cleaners in most pet stores and under a number of different brand names. Once applied to the affected area, an enzymatic cleaner will break the stain down into its basic elements. 

By performing this action, the enzymatic cleaner can be successful in helping to remove the smell of urine from the carpet and breaking down the proteins in the pee that will keep your dog coming back. Some canines want to mark their territory and may return to hit the same spot if they noticed it has been cleaned up. Before using an enzymatic cleaning solution on your carpet, always be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions for how to apply the cleaning solution. Following the manufacturer-provided instructions will help ensure that you use the product correctly and it produces the desired effect. 

Dish soap

If you don’t have an enzymatic cleaner handy, there are a number of other cleaning methods you can rely on using household items. If the stain is fresh, you can apply a few drops of dish detergent onto the affected area and mix it with water. Once you have applied the dish detergent and water, place paper towels on the stain and absorb as much liquid as possible. 

Baking soda and white vinegar

If the stain has set or happened earlier in the day, another at-home remedy you can try is a mixture of distilled white vinegar, water, and baking soda. There are a few different methods you can test to maximize the effectiveness of the cleaning solution. For the first method, sprinkle baking soda on the soiled area after following the steps above and allow it to sit overnight. Once it has dried, spray the stain with distilled white vinegar. Be mindful that the interaction between the baking soda and distilled white vinegar may result in bubbles on the surface of the carpet. Once it has sat for a few minutes, apply some water to the strain and soak up the mixture using clean paper towels. 

Another method for using baking soda, distilled white vinegar, and water to clean up a pee stain on your carpet is to combine one cup of water with one cup of distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle. Once they are mixed together, add two tablespoons of baking soda and shake vigorously until completely combined. Once you have completed the above steps on the stain, spray it with the mixture and allow it to sit for five to six minutes. From there, gently blot the stain with clean paper towels until the spot is dry and the mixture is completely absorbed. 

Another method using these household ingredients begins with mixing a solution of fifty percent distilled white vinegar and fifty percent water in a spray bottle or a bowl. From there, apply the cleaning solution to the stained area of the carpet and scrub it into the carpet fibers. Distilled white vinegar will help to neutralize the ammonia in your dog’s urine. Once the stain is saturated, apply clean paper towels to absorb the cleaning solution. You can also sprinkle baking soda onto the stain at this stage and allow it to sit overnight.  

4. Allow Affected Area to Dry and Vacuum

Once you have used a cleaning solution on the urine stain and completely absorbed any excess liquid from the carpet fibers, the final step is to allow the carpet to completely dry and then to vacuum it. Vacuuming will help to pick up any paper towel fibers that were left behind or residue from the cleaning solution used on the carpet. 

While cleaning up dog pee from your carpet is essential knowledge as a dog owner, it is also helpful to know what to do if you find your dog is going pee in the house frequently. It’s important not to ignore the behavior or it will persist. Is your dog practicing submissive urination or is your canine spraying his home to ward off competitors and threats? Instead, it will take a bit of work and effort, but you and your dog can work through it together and address the issue so that accidents in the house are few and far between. 

Tips to Stop Your Dog From Peeing in the House

Is your dog going to the bathroom in the house when you’re away or when he is fearful or excited? Peeing in the house is a common problem for dogs, especially when they are puppies and are still being potty trained. If your pup is struggling to not have accidents in the house, below are a few tips to help you navigate the situation. 

• Go Through House Training Steps Again. If your dog keeps going to the bathroom in the house, he may need a refresher in canine potty training to help correct his behavior. Start from the beginning and work through potty training techniques to help solidify his understanding. Remember to be patient as you are working with him and work through the training at his pace until the behavior stops. 
• Analyze Whether There is a Trigger. Just as human beings react to environmental stimuli, so do dogs. Is there a certain type of situation or stimulus that is causing your dog to pee in the house? The next time an accident occurs, analyze the situation to see whether or not a potential trigger may be to blame. Depending on what the trigger is, you may be able to simply remove it and correct the behavior. If the trigger is not something that can be removed, you can train your dog to adapt to the trigger without peeing in the house or help implement new habits to help your dog cope. 
• Focus on Positive Reinforcement During Training. When you’re trying to break a bad habit that your dog has, it is often more effective to reward him for displaying positive behaviors rather than punishing him when he falls short. You want to make sure that he always feels safe and secure as feeling anxious or unsafe could lead to more accidents in the house and make him less likely to feel comfortable going to the bathroom in front of you. Trying to correct your dog’s behavior can be frustrating at times, but always remember to focus on reinforcing positive behavior rather than punishing your dog when he slips up. 
• Clean Up the Soiled Area. Whenever your dog does have an accident, it’s important to clean up the soiled area quickly and thoroughly. Your dog will be tempted to return to the same spot because he will recognize the scent of urine inside the house, which can perpetuate a cycle of accidents. Enzymatic cleaners are helpful for combating this because they help to eliminate the scent of urine that will draw your dog back to the same spot again in the future. 

Next time your dog pees in the house, do not scold him. The best thing you can do is to go over potty training tips with him and clean up the mess as soon as possible. If the issue persists, its advised to talk to your veterinarian to make sure your dog’s not suffering from an underlying health condition. 

Sources:

“How to Clean Dog Pee Out of Your Carpet.” E&B Carpet Cleaning, 27 Sept. 2016, www.eandbcarpetcleaning.com/how-to-clean-dog-pee-out-of-your-carpet/.

“How to Remove Pet Stains and Odors.” The Humane Society of the United States, www.humanesociety.org/resources/how-remove-pet-stains-and-odors.

petMD. “PetMD.” PetMD, 16 Feb. 2017, www.petmd.com/dog/care/evr_dg_tips-for-removing-dog-urine-smell-from-carpet.

Kanopi. “Remove Urine Spots from Carpet.” Spot Removal Guide, 2 Jan. 2019, spotremoval.coit.com/how-to-remove-urine-from-carpet.

Stregowski, Jenna. “Why Is My Dog Peeing in the House?” The Spruce Pets, The Spruce Pets, 26 June 2019, www.thesprucepets.com/why-is-dog-peeing-in-the-house-1118305.