Accidents happen to the best of us, including our furry friends. It might be as silly as them slipping and sliding on hardwood floors or as mischievous as indulging in one too many dog treats before dinner.
Sometimes, however, accidents can get a wee bit smelly – especially when your dog decides to pee on the living room carpet. And only for you to find out much, much later.
Upon discovering that other business and the lingering miasma it may bring, it’s best to address everything ASAP before your place really starts stinking to high heaven.
So, how do you get an old dog urine smell and stain out of the carpet? If you’ve tried several methods before but the aftermath of nature calling still remains, don’t throw in the towel just yet. Read on to learn about some tips and tricks that will help you remove those stubborn old carpet stains in no time.
Remove Old Dog Urine Stains ASAP
Contrary to popular belief, removing old dog urine stains from your carpet is actually more difficult than removing fresh ones.
The longer your pup’s puddle of pee sits untreated, the more time it has to percolate deep into the fibers and padding of your precious floor covering. And once it dries up, the pungent odor that makes our noses crinkle in disgust will have already marked its territory.
How to Get Old Dog Urine Stains Out of the Carpet
The good news is that it is possible to remove old urine stains and smells from your carpet. With a little patience and persistence, you can get the ick out using these nifty tips:
1. Use a UV light to locate the stain
Cleaning old dog urine from the carpet is no easy task if you can’t find the mess! If that dogged stain seems to have gone incognito, try shining a UV light around the area of interest. The light will illuminate stains hidden from plain sight, so that you can pinpoint and properly eliminate the odor offender at large.
To those interested in using a UV light, consider the UV Stain & Pet Urine Detector from Angry Orange. It conveniently attaches to any standard spray bottle for an easier time spotting stains.
Shop UV Stain & Pet Urine Detector
2. Create your own pet urine & odor remover
How to get the old dog urine smell out of your carpet largely depends on how long the urine has been there. Sometimes, it’s as simple as making your own stain and odor eliminator. Such a solution can be made with the following:
- 10 ounces of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
- 3 tablespoons of baking soda
- 2 to 3 drops of dishwashing detergent
Mix the ingredients together in a bowl until the baking soda dissolves. Transfer the concoction into a spray bottle and test it out on a small area of your carpet to ensure it’s safe to use around your pet and won’t soil the fabric. If so, spray the formula over the affected spots and let it sit for about an hour. Rinse using a damp cloth and blot dry until the cleaning solution is gone.
3. Bring out the enzymatic cleaner
There are old stains and then there are the as-old-as-time stains. If you’re dealing with the latter, an enzymatic cleaner — like our Pet Stain & Odor Remover — might be the next best solution. It’s specifically formulated to not only break down and remove tough stains, but also eliminate pesky odors at the source.
Best of all, this type of cleaner can also work its enzy-magic on cat urine. So to those wondering how to get your cat’s pee out of the carpet, you’re in for a treat. Just remember to follow these instructions when removing old pet stains from your carpet with an enzymatic cleaner:
- Spot test the product
- Apply generously where needed
- Work into a lather and let it sit for the time specified on the bottle
- Rinse with a damp cloth and pat dry
4. Blot the spot
Another useful trick on how to get old dog pee out of your carpet is to never scrub the stain. Doing so will only spread the mess and make it more laborious to remove.
Instead, spray the problem area that you need to clean. Let the solution work before gently dabbing the surface with a soft cloth. This will help prevent the accidental imprinting of your canine’s nasty number one on the carpet, rug, or other mat.
5. Wash with cold water
Save the hot water for the dirty dishes in the sink. When it comes to removing old pet urine stains from the carpet, use cold water. It sounds counterintuitive, but cleaning with water at scorching temperatures will set and even intensify the malodor of your pup’s piddle.
Still not convinced? Think about it this way: hot water essentially ‘cooks’ the protein found in urine stains – much like it does an egg when we put it to boil. But instead of getting that perfectly poached egg for your Sunday brunch, you’ll be left with an unsightly stain and stench on par with, or probably worse than a rotten egg. Yuck.
Are You Ready to Snipe Those Old Carpet Stains?
From using UV lights to enzymatic cleaners, there are a variety of tricks you can adopt when doing away with annoying pet urine stains and smells trapped in your fabric flooring. Know that no matter what method you choose, the best way to get those old stains out of the carpet should:
- Always be safe to use around your furry friend
- Never leave discoloration or additional blemishes behind
Oh, and if you really want to take your carpet cleaning and beyond up a notch, take a peek at the entire lineup of Angry Orange odor & stain removers. You might find something new that will make cleanups a howling success.
Contributing Writer: Samantha Lee
