How To Get Rid Of Dog Smell In Your Home (Yes. It Pongs)

If you’ve ever walked into your home after being outside for a few hours only to be met by the whiff of a familiar stink, then you probably need to know a few tips on how to get rid of dog smell.

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Before We Get Rid Of It, Why Does My Dog Smell?

Dog smells are caused by a number of reasons, but in order to remove dog smells from the house, it is helpful to know what is causing the pong in the first place.

Yeast Infections

Yeast infections in dogs are one of the main culprits for that musty, cheesy smell (some dog owners claim it smells like stake corn chips) that emanates from your dog’s ears or paws – you will often smell a yeast infection before you see it.

Remember, using olive oil on your dog’s ears is a superb (and cheap) way of soothing your pooches irritated ears – if you are unsure, speak with your vet first to put your mind at rest.

Rolling In Something Yucky

Dogs love to roll.

Preferably in something that smells horrid.

Apparently, this is instinctual behaviour, but it doesn’t help that we would prefer for our home not to smell of dead sheep carcasses or whatever else it is our dogs have decided to smear over their coats and then shake all over our home.

Sharing is caring, right? Have some of this smelly stuff I found for you!

Flatulence

Certain dog breeds are more prone to letting off wind.

If, however, the flatulence seems to be getting worse (and smelly) it could be a sign that your dog may have an intestinal problem.

If you are searching for ways to get rid of dog smell from your home, then re-asses your dog’s diet.

Feeding certain human foods to your dog can cause gas. For example, while asparagus is safe for dogs to eat, feeding it to him raw may cause an upset stomach, diarrhoea or gas.

If your dog has an upset tummy, try these healthy and homemade dog treat recipes and keep things as natural as possible until you talk to your vet.

Sweat and Urine

Like humans, dogs sweat, and if left unwashed it smells.

Dogs sweat in areas of their body that aren’t covered with hair, most commonly their belly and their paws.

When your dog pads around the house, he spreads those smelly paws around the carpet and when she lays down on the rug in front of the fire, her belly (and sweat) spreads nicely across the Turkish rug.

Urine. Dogs don’t have the luxury of using toilet paper so it is inevitable that when they come back into the house after going for a pee, they may ‘drip’. Usually into their bedding or onto the carpet.

Left for a couple of days, and the smell is …eugghh.

Are you ready to know how to be rid of those dog odours that linger in our home?

How To Get Rid Of Dog Smell. 16 Easy Hacks

1: Urine Detector

If you are like me and have a beige colour carpet throughout the house you will LOVE this handy (and cheap!) tool!

The Ultraviolet blacklight pet urine detector shows you everywhere that your dog has urinated. Simply close the curtains, shine the torch, mark the spot and CLEAN! — Click here to check out prices on Amazon

2: Clean Old Urine Stains With Enzyme Cleaner

Once you have located the urine stain, attack it with this powerful urine neutralizer.

This stuff eliminates odours immediately and permanently on contact and is raved about by pet owners — Click here for prices on Amazon

3: Deep Clean The Furniture

Remember! Dog odours don’t just linger on the carpets but on soft furnishings and upholstery too.

If stripping down curtains and couch covers seems too much, try using this #1-rated pet odour removal spray.

It is safe to use on leather, hardwood floors and upholstery — Click here for prices

4: Sprinkle Carpets With Baking Soda And Then Vacum

This dog cleaning hack works every time and is brilliant for keeping the smell of dog out of your home!

It is also the perfect way to get rid of dog fleas in the carpet.

Baking Soda absorbs odours. Sprinkle over the carpets and vacuum up. Easy peasy and cheap — Click here for prices

5: Steam Clean The Carpets

At least every couple of months, give your carpets a thorough steam clean. This way, any odours, fleas, mites, and dirt will be obliterated.

You can hire a carpet steam cleaner, but this Hoover Powerdash Pet Carpet Cleaner is an excellent price and does the job brilliantly — Click here for prices on Amazon

6: Wash Dog Blankets With Odour Removal Washing Powder

One of the smelliest (and flea-infested if you are unlucky) places in your dog-friendly home will most certainly be your dog’s basket/bed.

Be sure to wash the bedding regularly (once a week) and use an odour eliminator to get rid of any doggy smell — Click here for prices

7: Regular Bathing

Skin infections are one of the most common causes of doggy smells and this brilliant (and cheap) dog shampoo will eliminate both.

Depending on the breed of your dog and how dirty and smelly she is, we would recommend bathing at least once every other week.

Gentle healing and fast-acting this veterinary formula medicated shampoo for dogs will be your new best friend — Click here for prices

8: Groom Your Dog

Brushing your dog has many benefits. Not only is it a fabulous way to bond with your pet but it also keeps the fur clean and matt free – helping to be rid of nasty smells.

Use this amazing dog shedding brush and keep smelly dog hair to a minimum — Click here for prices

9: Use An Air Purifier

Once you have cleaned the house of any dog smells use an air purifier to keep the air sweet.

This indoor air purifier will filter out 99.97% dust, pet hair and pollen. It is a good price and is super easy to use, just one switch and the air will instantly feel cleaner! — Click here for prices

10: Remove Odour Causing Saliva Stains

If you have a dog breed with a beard then know that this is a breeding ground for bacteria and smells!

Keep your pooches beard and eyes clean and smelling sweet with this natural but highly effective beard and eye cleaner — Click here for prices

11: Brush Your Dogs Teeth

To keep your dog healthy and to rid your home of any smells that are caused by his bad breath, be sure to brush your dogs’ teeth at least three times a week with an effective dog toothpaste.

This is a poultry flavoured toothpaste and will keep your dogs’ breath (and your home) smelling nice and sweet — Click here for prices

How To Get Rid Of Dog Smell (Naturally)

If you are a dog owner who prefers to keep things natural, then there are lots of things that you can do to remove any offensive doggy smells from your home.

The following suggestions are both natural and cheap and will leave your dog-loving home smelling as fresh as a daisy!

white, clean house that doesn't smell of dog

Natural dog odor fighters that leave your home smelling beautiful is an easy and cost-effective solution to dog smells.

12: Home Brew Rinse

As we discussed earlier, yeast infections on the dog’s skin are one of the causes of a smelly dog.

A natural and effective way to treat these yeast infections is to make a homebrew rinse.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is known for its many amazing benefits to dogs and one of the best ones is its ability to soothe itchy skin and rashes caused by yeast infections (usually the paws and underarms).

Green Tea

Amongst other things, green tea is wonderful for treating inflammation in dogs skin.

How To Make a Brew

Using a green tea bag (or leaves) may a pot of weak green tea and leave to go cold.

For every 40Ib of your dog’s bodyweight allow one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Add this to the green tea mixture.

Carefully pour the mixture over your dogs irritated skin and massage in gently.

Leave for 10-15 minutes and rinse off thoroughly.

13: Make A Natural Odour Eliminator

To make your own odour neutralizer, mix 2 cups of white vinegar and 4 tablespoons of baking soda in a clean, empty spray bottle.

Add enough water to fill the bottle and spray the smelly areas!

On the carpets and curtains, you may want to use (a little – no more than a teaspoon) fabric softener mixed with a little baking soda and water in a spray bottle. Spray this on your carpets, curtains and sofas

14: Essential Oils For Dog Smells

Young Living’s Purification essential oil in a diffuser does wonders with pet odours.

Alternatively, you can put a few drops in a diffuser, onto a lit light bulb, onto a warm radiator, or you could mix up several drops of this oil with water in a spray bottle for a room spray!

It’s amazing! — Click here for prices

15: Ground Coffee

Here’s a good trick when wondering how to get rid of dog smells.

Place a small handful of used ground coffee into an open container near to where your dog spends the most time (make sure that it is in a safe place out of reach of your pooch!)

Ground coffee kills all sorts of odours. In fact, I have it on good authority from a retired flight attendant that that’s what is used in the aircraft lavatories to get rid of strong smells!

Ground coffee - a superb way to get rid of dog smell

Did you know about this secret dog odor eliminator hack that aircraft crew use in their public toilets?

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A Quick Re-Cap On Removing Dog Smell From Your House

Ok then. You are done.

Your pooch-filled house should now be smelling like a bunch of spring Freechias with not a trace of dog odor to be had.

Removing dog smells from your house doesn’t have to costly or time-consuming.

It is just important to remember that once the initial hard work has been done and you have cleaned everything, make sure that you have a weekly schedule to keep on top of things – this way the dog smell will stay away!

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How To Get Rid Of Dog Smell In Your Home