The Best Way to Remove Dog Urine

Perhaps the worst part of having a dog is having to clean up after it. This may involve fur, paw prints and, worst of all, waste. Even the best house-trained dogs may occasionally have an accident on the carpet, and when that happens you'll need to work quickly to remove the substance before it can stain. When cleaning dog urine, different steps are needed for wet and dried spots, as well as a need to get rid of the smell caused by the waste.

Things You'll Need

  • Gloves
  • Dry towels, cloths or rags
  • White Vinegar
  • Warm water
  • Baking soda
  • 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
  • Dish soap
  • Vacuum cleaner
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put on a pair of waterproof gloves and soak up as much of the urine as possible using a dry towels, cloths or rags. Fold the towel, cloth or rag in half and cover as much of the stain as possible. Press down on the area, step on it and jump on it to soak up as much of the urine as possible. Remove the towel, cloth or rag and, if needed, apply another on to soak up more. The more urine that can be immediately removed, the better.

      For dried stains, skip to the next step.

    • 2

      Mix half a cup of white vinegar with 1 1/2 cups of warm water, stir the mixture around with a spoon. Use more of each if the stain is especially large. Drizzle the mixture on the stain, completely covering it. Let it sit for five minutes.

      This, and all following steps, should be done for both new and dried stains.

    • 3

      Soak up the vinegar mixture using another dry towel, cloth or rag.

    • 4

      Shake a generous amount of baking soda over the full stain. Baking soda will help further soak up the urine and get rid of the odor.

    • 5

      Mix approximately a cup of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide with 1 tsp. of dish soap. Again, use more of each if the stain is especially large. Stir the soap into the peroxide. Sprinkle the mixture out slowly to minimize splatter, but be cautious as peroxide can cause discoloration in some fabrics, so it may be best to test the solution on an unnoticeable area of carpet before applying it to the stain. Once the spot is completely covered press into the area to work the baking soda and peroxide deeply into the carpet. The deeper the better. Allow area as much time as needed to dry completely.

    • 6

      Vacuum the area once it is completely dry. Move the vacuum slowly across the area to pull up all the baking soda. It may take several slow passes to remove all the baking soda from the carpet.