So you’ve moved into your new home and everything is coming up roses, but all your nose can stop to smell is a gross urine odor permeating your new space? What a way to find out the last person who lived here had pets!
No worries though, we’ve got you covered with an easy guide to the best ways we know to get rid of that odor. You’ll be smelling those roses in no time at all! This article will provide everything you need to know about how to rid your new home of old pet smells.
Flooring, Carpets, And Upholstery
When it comes to cleaning upholstery and flooring, its best to use methods and products specific to the type of floors you have to avoid damaging them. We’ve broken down our suggestions by the most common types of flooring to provide you with a list of Dos and Dont’s as a quick reference guide!
For Carpets:
Do This:
- Use a foam or powdered carpet cleaner when you vacuum.
- Deep clean using a professional carpet cleaner(You can rent one from many hardware and grocery stores!)
- Use a high-quality pet odor neutralizer after cleaning
- Follow with a carpet stain remover if there is a visible stain after cleaning
Don’t Do This:
- Absolutely do not use a steam cleaner! The heat generated by a steam cleaner applied to urine will bond the odor-causing proteins to man-made fibers and permanently set the odor into your carpets.
- Avoid using vinegar or ammonia-based cleaners, especially if you have pets. The strong chemical scent could encourage them to try to cover it by reinforcing the urine scent you’ve just removed.
For Hardwood Flooring:
There is a simple way to get pet odors out of your hardwood floors that will not damage them. Simply mix 1/3c distilled white vinegar, 1/4c baking soda, and a drop of dish soap and apply to the affected area and leave for fifteen minutes, then wipe up with a clean cloth. Sprinkle more baking soda over the area and leave overnight, then vacuum.
Machine Washable Items
To remove pet odors from items that are machine washable, just add a one-pound box of baking soda to the machine and wash as usual. If the items still retain an odor, run them through your washing machine again using an enzymatic cleaner made to remove urine odors.
Walls And Surfaces
If your walls and surfaces are discolored, flaking, and peeling due to pet urine, it is likely you will need to replace them. Otherwise, an enzymatic cleaner that breaks down the proteins in urine can be used to wipe down hard surfaces to remove odors.
Finding Hidden Messes
If there is a noticeable pet odor in your home and you are not sure where it’s coming from, there is a handy trick you can use to root that smell out. Did you know that urine shows up under a blacklight? You can use an inexpensive blacklight to find the source of that nasty odor even if there is no visible staining and lightly outline the area with a piece of chalk to mark the exact place where deep cleaning is needed to save you the trouble of cleaning the entire room!
Wrapping It Up
Your new home is a place you can relax and take a deep breath, but that’s difficult to do when dealing with unpleasant odors. But now you know how to rid your new home of old pet smells!
