Hardwood flooring appears elegant and requires low maintenance. However, it can be hard to enjoy this stunning flooring if you have a pet. One of the most time-consuming and difficult parts of bringing a furry buddy into your home is potty training them. Your hardwood flooring may become a mess if your pet makes it a regular loo, moreover, it can cause serious damage to the flooring as well as odor issues.
Simple Guide to Clear the Dog Poop Smell
Cleaning up the mess your pet makes might be easy, but getting rid of the smell might make you feel hopeless about the whole thing. But you don’t need to panic anymore about this, because we have a few simple and effective ways to help you get rid of the foul dog poop smell from your hardwood floor.
Things You’ll Need
- White vinegar
- Dish soap
- Enzymatic cleaner
- Pet odor remover
- Baking soda
- Solution of hydrogen peroxide
- Sanding paper
Well, using the above materials (that are super easy-to-find household items), we are going to try out a few different methods to clear your house of the foul smell, so you and your furry friends can relax.
Method 1. White Vinegar Solution
The solution of white vinegar is acidic. As a result, it can make the hardwood floor’s alkaline ammonia in pet feces odorless by neutralizing it. Furthermore, most of the bacteria and germs found in feces can also be destroyed by vinegar. Follow the three simple steps given below to prepare the solution and clear the smell.
- Firstly, you’ll need to pour almost equal amounts of water and vinegar into a bottle. You can add citrus oil to the solution to act as a herbal deodorant for bad odor removal if the bad smell is strong and has possibly migrated to other floor levels in your home.
- Spray and spread the vinegar solution as you clean the damaged area of the hardwood. After the cleanup is finished, rinse the floor area with clean water and dry it.
- In order to get rid of urine and any surplus moisture, a vacuum can also prove to be quite helpful. Repeat the entire process if needed.
Method 2. White Vinegar & Dish Soap
This combination works wonderfully and is completely safe to use on your wood flooring, sofas, cloth, and other materials. To prepare the mixture and succeed at clearing up the mess and smell, use the steps below:
- You’ll start by adding 1/4 cup of any premium dish soap and 1 cup of distilled white vinegar to prepare a solution for use, pour it into a bottle, and give it a good shake.
- Once it has been well blended, pour it on the spot thoroughly. Allow it to soak for roughly 15 minutes.
- You can wipe up the solution from the floor with a moist cloth. The smell ought to be completely removed once the solution dries. If needed, repeat the process a couple more times.
Method 3. Enzymatic cleaner
Using an enzymatic cleaner is one of the best ways to remove the dog poop smell from hardwood floors. Although, just about any enzymatic cleaner will work, the ideal choice is one formulated expressly for pet odors because these frequently have extra components that help deter your pet from re-marking the same spot.
All you need to do is to start spraying the affected area of the floor with the cleaner and letting it rest for five to ten minutes. Afterward, you can use a piece of cloth to clean it up. Although these cleaners help you get rid of the smell, you might need to scrub the floor a little to have everything completely clean. You can use it again if needed, but try not to use it more than a couple of times.
Method 4. Pet odor remover
A pet odor remover product can be used to get rid of an unpleasant smell from a sealed hardwood floor. To get started you will need to use paper towels to absorb any extra residue. Then, use a piece of cloth to properly clean or rinse the affected spot.
The region that is emitting a bad smell should be specially treated with the pet odor remover. Understand that you’ll need to keep the solution on the spot for the appropriate amount of time, as stated on the packaging. Once you are done with the cleaning and scrubbing, you can then wipe off the area with a fresh cloth.
Once the area has been properly cleaned, use clean, room-temperature water to rinse that area again. After thoroughly rinsing the area, use another cloth or towel to dry the area. Repeat the process if needed.
Method 5. Baking soda
A great and effective way to get rid of any stench from any material is baking soda. You probably already have baking soda at home, so there is no need for you to go out and get anything.
Baking soda’s deodorizing efficacy comes from its capacity to eliminate smells rather than simply masking them with fragrances. Acidic solutions or strong bases are responsible for the majority of foul scents. By shifting both acidic and basic odor molecules into a neutral state, a more odor-free condition, baking soda deodorizes.
You can use baking soda as a household deodorizer on carpets, furnishings, in the refrigerator, and even freezer. To get rid of the dog poop smell, just put baking soda in the areas. There is no need to make a solution or a mixture; just plain baking soda is enough, then, let it sit for about an hour or two, so it can neutralize the smell. Afterward, simply pick it up with a vacuum or a broom.
If you think that there is still more work needed, simply repeat the process as many times as necessary. You can also add some essential oils to the area to further help with the odor.
Method 6. Solution of Hydrogen Peroxide
Despite the myth that hydrogen peroxide can harm hardwood floors, most wood floors can be safely cleaned with this solution. To make sure that the solution won’t stain your hardwood floor, test it in a separate location first. Interestingly, hydrogen peroxide is more widely employed to eliminate stains than odors.
You can start by applying a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution to the impacted spot using a spray bottle. However, before wiping the area with a damp washcloth, let the solution rest there for approximately twenty minutes. You can use some elbow grease if the floor has residual stains and odors.
Don’t forget to use a fresh piece of cloth to rinse the area. It would be better if you simply dabbed or blotted the area rather than rubbing it. After that, use a dryer to dry the area. Do the entire process again if some odor remains.
Method 7. Baking Soda & Vinegar
If an enzymatic cleaner or a pet odor remover is not available, you might consider using vinegar and baking soda. To do this, start by filling a bottle with water and approximately one cup of white vinegar. Then, add around two tablespoons of baking soda and combine everything together thoroughly.
First, make sure there are no traces of excrement left behind, then, start spraying the solution on the affected area and allow it to sit for at least ten minutes. Do remember, that baking soda alone won’t get rid of the smell, but vinegar and baking soda together will aid in cleaning and sanitizing the area. Wait for 10 to 15 minutes, then, use a clean towel or a cloth to wipe the area properly. You can certainly repeat the process if needed.
Extended tips
Applying chemicals to wood can end up being more harmful than helpful. Therefore, you should exercise caution when choosing solutions and make sure to thoroughly investigate the reliability of every product before using it. To ensure that the chemicals in cleaning products do not lift the color or harm your floors, always test them on a small area of the flooring in a hidden location.
To permanently get rid of the pet odor smell, your floors may need to be sanded back if they have been improperly or inefficiently sealed. Solid hardwood floors can be sanded by both a disc and a drum sander, especially if it is engineered wood. However, since the upper surface of the wood is so thin, only light sanding should be done. Check to make sure your dogs are not closed before you begin. They could get hurt, but it would also be very horrible if they urinated on the flooring before you had sealed them post-sanding.
- Assess whether you need to lightly or deeply sand the surface.
- Plastic sheeting should be used to cover all openings, especially windows, and doors, under which dust could escape.
- Baseboards and quarter-road should be taken off to prepare for sanding. In case the baseboards have been painted, sanding them close to the surrounding areas won’t harm them.
- As pushing down the drum sander can harm the wood floor, avoid doing so. Once the floor has been sanded, sweep it.
- Use a floor finish after mopping the floor.
Conclusion
These solutions will help you get your house back in running and odor-free while being fully pet-safe. Accidents are a natural part of living with a puppy. Despite the fact that it may be stressful, it’s not that difficult to restore your hardwood floors to their previous state. Make sure to choose the right method for your house and get your house smelling good as new again. While the home remedies are also quite effective, it will be better to use a store-bought solution since they are made with the intention of removing poop odor, so they will have a better chance of getting rid of the smell.