Dogs are the most common pets to have at home. We love cuddling them, playing, or giving them so much time. But no matter how trained they are, they may still pee on your favorite carpets and leave stains and foul odors. So, in the quest to find natural products to remove pee stains and odor, you may have asked yourself – does vinegar clean dog pee?
Yes, it does! Vinegar is commonly used to remove pee stains and stinky urine odor. It can sterilize the affected area and easily renew it after the pee incidents. It is an effective cleaning agent and an excellent tool for eliminating bacteria.
Should you want to clean your dog pee most naturally and organically, you’ve come to the right place.
Why Should You Clean Dog Pee with Vinegar?
Vinegar is a great dog pee odor and stain remover. Vinegar is known for being a deodorizer and can help neutralize urine. It can also break down the uric acid in certain breeds’ dog pee, making the stain easier to clean.
The vinegar odor can also deter your dog from urinating on your mattresses, carpet, and other important household items.
What is the Most Effective Type of Vinegar to Clean Dog Pee?
White vinegar is the ultimate natural dog pee cleaner. However, you can use other types of vinegar like apple cider, wine vinegar, and balsamic vinegar to solve your problem.
Vinegar cleans dog stains in a heartbeat, especially when mixed with baking soda or lemon. Additionally, the scent of vinegar is an effective dog repellent.
How to Use Vinegar to Remove Dog Pee Odor?
Once your dog has peed on a certain area, they will most likely return to that place to pee again. The scent of their urine will attract the dog to pee there again, so you must remove any odor as soon as possible. Cleaning up all the evidence is easy; follow these simple steps.
Things you’ll need:
- Vinegar
- Water
- Detergent (optional: homemade detergent)
- Bowl
- Spray bottle
Instructions:
Step 1. Mix vinegar, water, and detergent in a bowl.
Step 2. Fill a spray bottle with the mixture and use it on the affected area.
Step 3. Use a sponge to blot the carpet gently. Vinegar has a deodorizing effect which will remove the odor.
Step 4. Use a paper towel to soak the vinegar solution but don’t rub it. Leave the moist area for a while to dry.
How to Use Vinegar to Remove Dog Pee Stains?
Vinegar is a reliable cleaner to remove dog pee stains from couches, mattresses, and other materials. However, cleaning the stains as soon as possible is essential. The longer you let them sit untreated, the more likely they will be difficult to clean.
Here’s how you can effectively remove dog pee stains with vinegar.
Things you’ll need:
- Vinegar
- Water
- Baking soda
- Bowl
- Brush (optional)
Instructions:
Step 1. Mix equal parts of water and vinegar in a bowl.
Step 2. Soak a paper towel, then rub it on the stained area.
Step 3. If the stain is difficult to remove, use a sponge to scrub the stain away.
Step 4. Sprinkle the affected area with baking soda. You will see a chemical reaction. Don’t panic, as this will help neutralize the stain.
Can You Clean Dried Pee Out of the Carpet with Vinegar?
Nothing to fear if the pee has already dried in the carpet or any material. Vinegar can help you remove urine. First, moisten the affected area with water. Second, with a paper towel, you can blot the area to remove the pee. Then apply the vinegar to neutralize the smell and clean the urine.
Can You Clean Fresh Pee Out of the Carpet with Vinegar?
If you can clean dry pee easily with vinegar, there’s no reason why you can’t use this solution to treat new urine stains on your carpet. Just place a thick layer of paper towels on the stained area. You can also use newspaper and stand on them to absorb the pee. Then, remove the paper and spray the area with vinegar.
What are the Pros and Cons of Using Vinegar to Clean Dog Pee?
Still skeptical about using vinegar to clean dog pee? Here are a few pros and cons to help you assess whether it’s a perfect cleaner for your dog’s mess.
Pros
Cost Effective
The most obvious advantage of using vinegar is its cost, and it’s usually available in most households. Sure, you must have one in your pantry. You can use them to treat your dog’s pee stains and foul odor.
Natural Disinfectant
Vinegar contains acetic acid that works well as a natural disinfectant and deodorizes. As such, it can eliminate urine smells from your carpet, couches, and mattresses.
Cons
Smell
Vinegar has a pungent smell. It can be a natural deodorizer, but its lingering smell is not a favorite. The good thing though, is that you can use baking soda to neutralize the smell.
Harmful To Other Materials
Vinegar is okay to be used on fabric materials. For instance, when your dog pees on the carpet, you can safely use vinegar to remove the urine. However, it differs in other materials like granite, hardwoods, marble, and ceramic. The acidity of the vinegar can harm the wooden or rock surfaces of these materials.
What Other Household Items Can You Use to Clean Dog Pee?
If vinegar is unavailable or you simply dislike using vinegar to clean dog pee, don’t fret. There are other cost-effective and natural ways to clean up the mess.
Baking Soda
If you are not a fan of the smell of vinegar, you can use baking soda instead. Baking soda does not give out a strong smell, unlike vinegar. It has a smell-eliminating power, but it may take time to do the job.
To use baking soda, put it in the area where your dog has urinated. You can leave it overnight for about five hours to neutralize the odor.
Hydrogen Peroxide
If vinegar can’t clean pee stains thoroughly, you are probably dealing with a tricky mess. For hard-to-clean stains, you can use hydrogen peroxide. Like vinegar, the solution is also safe for carpets and pets.
You can follow the vinegar cleaning method but replace vinegar with hydrogen peroxide. Repeat the process until the stain is removed. Once dry, you can sprinkle the affected area with baking soda to remove any residual odor left behind.
Lemon
You can also use lemon to remove your dog’s pee odor. Just spray the juice into the affected area, and you will have a citrusy smell with a slightly acidic quality, perfect for eliminating the pet pee smell.
Conclusion
Dealing with occasional pet stains and odors is part of being a fur owner. However, by taking the necessary steps and using vinegar to remove the smells and stains, you’re keeping your home fresh and clean all the time. If pee accidents persist, vinegar is also helpful in deterring your dog from urinating in your favorite, delicate, or restricted areas in the house.
We hope we have answered your question, “does vinegar clean dog pee.” Now, you don’t need to worry whenever your dog urinates. You also don’t need to punish your fur babies. This little accident happens to every fur parent. There’s no exception.
To learn what else you can use vinegar clean in your home, read our article – “Does White Vinegar Clean Concrete?
Want to learn more about cleaning and how it affects your pets, check out our article – Are Green Cleaning Products Really Safe for Pets?