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How To Get Rid Of Dog Urine Smell 

How To Get Rid Of Dog Urine Smell From Area Rugs

To get rid of dog urine smell from area rugs is not an easy thing to do.

The problem most people run into is that no matter what products they try, the smell just keeps coming back to haunt them like a guilty conscience.

So why does this happen?

It has to do with the three components that make up dog urine:

  • Urea – A colorless, odorless, highly soluble compound.
  • Urochrome (urobilin) – The chemical that makes urine yellow.
  • Uric acid – The compound that forms crystals with low solubility (they don’t readily dissolve in water) that trap odor-causing compounds.

Now whenever you try to clean up dog pee, any commercial products you use will only remove the Urea and the Urochrome.

However nothing removes the uric acid crystals or “urine salts” that actually cause the odor. Those crystals always get left behind. So when you treat the spot, you're fooled into thinking the urine is gone because the stain and liquid have disappeared and there is no smell (for now).

But because the urine salts are always left behind - they act like a boobytrap waiting for something to trigger it so it can blow up in your nose.

And that "something" is humidity.

When urine salts are dry they are nearly odorless. But when liquid gets spilled on them or the humidity in your house jumps up (from weather, cooking, showering, etc), the moisture in the air reactivates the crystals and the urine odor comes back – bigger and nastier than ever.

How To Get Rid Of Those Dog Urine Salts

The only way to fully get rid of those pesky urine salts locked inside your area rug is to have them physically removed by doing a full wash on the rug.

That means washing your it from the back, the front and in between all the fibers and then rinsing it with lots and lots of fresh clean water.

At Luv-A-Rug we have our pet odor removal down to such an art, we completely guarantee your rug will come back smelling completely neutral. 

No perfumes, no scents, nothing whatsoever to mask or cover up any odor (because the rug will be completely clean!).

Getting your rug washed at Luv-A-Rug means you'll never have to be like other cat owners who wound up replacing rugs. 

Don't Let Your Dogs Pull A Sneaky Wet One On You

Dogs are funny.

After you bring home a freshly washed rug, your dog might realize that it's territory marker is missing and will try to put it back.

Which will make all your attempts to get rid of dog urine smell from your rugs a complete waste of time and moneyl. 

So how do you prevent your canine from making your newly cleaned rug all funky smelling again?

One way is to spread pepper all over the rug. They only need to take one whiff of that strong spice to make them stay away. If pepper is not your thing than just google up natural dog repellents for other ideas.

How To Easily Find Smelly Dog Urine Spots Hidden In Your Area Rugs & Carpets

how to get rid of cat urine smell from area rugs

If your dog(s) made you take in a rug for cleaning to get rid of the urine smell, there's a good chance that wasn't the only place they marked up.

I can not tell you how many times I've heard dog owners tell me their homes have mysterious odors they just can't track down the source of.

Fortunately there is a simple solution. Check out this video to see how easy it is to track down these "mystery spots"...

Why You Shouldn't Attempt Cleaning Dog Urine From Wool Or Other Natural Fiber Area Rugs

If you're like most people you probably searched on the internet to find a remedy or a product you can use to permanently clean and remove dog urine and odors from your rugs and carpets.

As a professional area rug cleaner, the question I often get asked is "Do these home made remedies or store bought products actually work?"

The answer is, "Yes and no".

You can usually get rid of the water and the color but not the urine salts.

Plus you also need to make sure that the cleaning solution you use does not affect the dyes in the rug the dyes in a negative way (making them run or discoloring them).

how to get rid of cat urine smell from area rugs diy disaster

So unless you know what you are doing, a professional rug cleaner is the best choice because they know how to get rid of dog urine smell and stains from area rugs.

In Victoria and Vancouver Island call Luv-A-Rug to take care of all your area rug cleaning, repair and pet odour removal needs.

Dusty Roberts

Luv-A-Rug Team Leader


Stephen "Dusty" Roberts is one of the most experienced and qualified area rug carpet cleaners in Canada.   He has completed the Master Rug Cleaner program with the Oriental Rug College Program, he is a Senior Fellow of Academy of Oriental Rug (AOR), is IICRC certified, and Wool Safe Certified.  He is an Industry Speaker at conventions, Rug Cleaning Trainer and Business Coach. Dusty has traveled all over the USA and to Australia, England, Turkey and many other European countries learning and teaching about area rug history, identification and proper cleaning.  He is also a noted oriental rug appraiser.  Discover more about Stephen "Dusty" Roberts at our About Us Page