You love your pets, but what you can live without are the stains on your carpet. Many homeowners wonder how to get old dog urine stains out of carpet. So here is an article detailing how to remove stains and odors from said carpeting with relative ease.

"If I could be half the person my dog is, I'd be twice the human I am." - Charles Yu

How Can I Remove Dog Urine Odor from Carpet?

The doggo knows where the softest warms are
Equally fluffy carpet and puppy. Source: Carpet

The first step is to act fast. Delaying the cleanup can mean that the urine will soak into the rug, so have a towel at the ready. Here’s how to clean dog urine from carpet. The steps are as follows:

  1. Blot as much as possible with a towel
  2. Add a few drops of dish detergent
  3. Trickle a little bit or water
  4. Place a new towel over the detergent/water mix
  5. Let it absorb as much as possible
  6. Then sprinkle baking soda over the area
  7. Let that sit overnight
  8. Clean it up in the morning

Is it the Same Process with Cats?

Cleaning up pet stains from your carpeting
Kitten sitting on a carpet. Source: Peak PX

Similar to dogs, cat urine can be removed without having to purchase any additional carpet stain removal products. Again, you’ll be using baking soda and water, but this time you’re going to combine the two into a bowl. Here’s a rundown:

  1. Create baking soda and water paste in bowl
  2. Apply to affected areas
  3. Pour distilled white vinegar over that
  4. Blot out the mix with paper towels
  5. Repeat as needed

How to Eliminate Urine Odor

This dog looks at the vacuum like it's more of a bother
Cleaning up around the family dog. Source: HGTV

After dealing with the mess, the only thing that remains can be that lingering odor from your pet (or child). Should that be prevalent, you’re going to want to take care of that. Here are just a few hints on how to make your home smell nice again. The following substances can act as a pet odor neutralizer.

  • Baking soda and water
  • White vinegar
  • Cornstarch
  • Dish soap and white vinegar
  • Four parts water to one part bleach
  • Liquid dish detergent and water
  • Sand or kitty litter can help

How to Get Rid of Just About Anything Else

Get the stains out without affecting your pupper
How to get old pet stains out. Source: Instructables

Whenever you’re trying to clean out other stains, certain cleaning agents will work, and others will not. For example, always use cold water when cleaning blood, otherwise the blood will coagulate and create a deeper stain on the carpet. Just the difference in temperature can seriously affect the severity of the stain. Otherwise here are some other tips.

Use water and non-bleach detergent (or white vinegar) to clean:

  • Jelly
  • Milk
  • Mud
  • Washable ink
  • Paint
  • Alcohol
  • Berries
  • Colas
  • Excrement
  • Food dyes
  • Gravy
  • Ice cream

Use ammonia and water to clean:

  • Wine
  • Chocolate
  • Coffee
  • Blood
  • Mustard
  • Tea
  • Vomit

Heat up a towel with an iron to clean:

  • Wax
  • Gum
  • Fat
  • Oil
  • Glue

Cleaning Products

And also how to get non-animal related stains out
Removing stains from carpeting. Source: HGTV

Now that you know how to clean carpet stains with baking soda and have a good idea on how to get a clean carpet with vinegar, let’s move onto cleaning solution solutions. A homemade carpet stain remover can take out most of your problems, as discussed above. But what about getting stains out of carpet with Oxiclean? Oxiclean works best on grass, dirt, and juice, but can’t really hack it with acidic based stains like tomato and wine.

Quicker Carpet Cleaner Upper

Otherwise if you’re strapped for time, don’t have the materials, or are simply faced with a tougher than average stain, consider calling in the cavalry. Hiring a carpet cleaning crew can dramatically change your carpet’s appearance for the better. They’ll know what the best best carpet cleaning machine for pet urine is.


Any pet owner tips and tricks you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for more great tips and inspiration!

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