Although dogs are man’s best friend, there’s nothing more frustrating than when they lift their leg indoors and pee.
Not only are you met with an icky mess, but there’ll no doubt be a lingering smell in the area for many days afterward, especially if done on porous tiles. But what if we told you there are simple, straightforward ways to eliminate pet urine smells for good?
This article will explain how you can remove the smell of dog urine from your floor tiles. We’ll highlight everything from home remedies to commercial products and share our expert tips on preventing your pup from peeing indoors again!
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Two simple ways of getting rid of dog urine smell from tiles
Before you begin any cleaning method, we recommend putting on rubber gloves and using a mop or paper towels to soak up as much urine as possible. This is because the longer urine lies, the more chance it has to soak into the surrounding tiles and grout.
Below are the two best (and easiest) methods you can use.
1. Home-remedy: Baking soda and white vinegar
Common ingredients like vinegar and baking soda are the easiest way to dispel urine smells from your tiles. They’re cheap, easy to use, and won’t be fatal if your pet consumes them.
Mix a cup of white vinegar with one cup of warm water, and spray it onto the target area. Allow this solution to soak in for 5 minutes. This allows the vinegar enough time to neutralize the bacteria found in dog pee, thus eliminating its smell.
Once the foam stops, rinse your tiles with water and pat try. Then, you can coat the entire baking soda area. Baking soda neutralizes the odors again and can draw out and absorb any remaining liquid that may have penetrated your tile. This ensures that the urine smell will not return in the following days.
2. Commercial product: An enzymatic cleaner
A commercial enzyme cleaner may be more expensive than home remedies, but they promise an effective way to quickly eliminate and neutralize dog urine on tiles.
When sprayed on dog urine, the cleaner will release enzymes that break down the proteins and bacteria in the pee that are causing the foul odor. This ensures that you will remove not only the smell but the source, too.
Use the spray bottle directly at the affected area. You can use old rags or an old toothbrush to push the solution into crevices between your tiles. Continue scrubbing for five or ten minutes until the spray fully covers the dog’s urine stain.
The good news is that enzymatic cleaners are often non-corrosive, non-volatile, and biodegradable, so leaving the solution on your tiles should pose no risk to your dog.
Don’t odor eliminators work just the same?
Many pet owners think odor removers are all it takes to treat pet urine odor. But sadly, all these products do is mask the smell. In time, it will return. That’s why you need to remove the smell at the source.
Pet urine is acidic, and when it dries, it forms uric crystals. These can lie dormant on various surfaces, including tiles, carpets, and upholstery. And as soon as moisture comes in contact with them, the crystals reactive and release a foul odor again. This is why it’s not enough to mask the smell.
Expert Tips:
- Consider potty training your dog to ensure there are no repeat offenses. Ideally, the best time to start is when they are still puppies.
- Remove as much residual urine from your tiles and tile grout as quickly as possible. This helps prevent urine from leeching downward.
- Conduct a small patch test with your cleaning product on a small tile or grout first to see how it will react.
- Avoid using ammonia-based cleaning products, as these can repeatedly attract your dog to pee in the same spot.
- Neutralizers only mask pet odors – they do not treat the source. If you leave a urine stain untreated, it will reactivate again sometime in the future!
- Always read the fine print on chemicals to see if they are pet safe. If they are toxic, ensure your dog is kept well away for the duration of the application.
- If your dog frequently urinates on your tiles, you might consider spaying/neutering them, which can reduce their urge to mark territory.
Conclusion
Not only does dog urine pose a health risk to you, but it can also create a disgusting smell that lingers for days and weeks. And no matter how many candles you light or aerosols you spray, you can’t seem to shake the odor.
This article has shown two tried-and-tested ways to remove dog urine smells from your tiles. Whether in the bathroom, kitchen, or utility room, applying a mixture of baking soda and vinegar, or using an enzymatic cleaner, can remove urine from tiles and eradicate the bad smells attached.
But the most important thing to remember is that time is of the essence. Absorbing as much dog urine from your tiles as possible before it sets in is highly recommended
Furthermore, if your dog frequently has accidents indoors, investing in formal dog training or asking your veterinary surgeon for advice may be an idea.
Please comment below if you have questions about cleaning dog urine from tiles. As always, remember:
- Home remedies like baking soda and vinegar effectively treat fresh urine sites.
- Commercial enzymatic cleaners are more effective at older urine spots.
- Odor eliminators will only hide the smell temporarily. You will need to remove all traces of urine.