While steam colors and heat are known to permanently set the odor and the stain on the man-made fibers of the carpets, rugs and sofas, cleaning chemicals with strong ammonia or vinegar odors are not as effective on pets to cover the urine odor as on their human counterparts. In fact, they might only encourage the pet to reinforce the urine scent mark in that particular area for better recognition.
Some of the effective ideas to remove pet odors are:
- Washable Items can be washed in machine with one pound of baking soda to the regular detergent and then air-dry them.
- Enzymatic cleaners are known to clean the items and remove the odors too.
- Cover beds and sofas with an easy-to-wash, inexpensive, vinyl, flannel-backed tablecloth, which seems unattractive to your pet until it is toilet-trained.
- Try to clean the pet urine before it dries and soak it up using newspaper and paper towels, to be able to remove the pet odor quickly. Once it dries, the smell becomes stronger.
- You may also keep these in the litter box to encourage your pet to use it as a 'bathroom area'.
- To remove the traces of old chemical cleaners, you will have to clean the stains thoroughly in carpeting and other areas.
- An extractor or wet-vac or a vacuum cleaner is quiet efficient and economical for the purpose.
- After thorough cleaning, a high-quality pet odor neutralizer can be used while following the instructions on its pack carefully.
- You can also neutralize the odor by alternating baking soda and vinegar.
- After cleaning, sprinkle the area with baking soda and leaving it overnight. Next morning sweep it up and then use a strong vinegar wash. Then rinse the area. After the few hours, the smell of vinegar evaporates up by itself.