Having dogs means that there are moments in life where you have to let them pile into the car and make your perfectly clean vehicle a mess. We can’t hold on to that new-car smell forever, but that also doesn’t mean that we want it smelling like a dog. Unfortunately, accidents happen, and if your dog isn’t able to hold its bladder, the stench can linger for a long time if you don’t clean it properly. This article will tell you exactly how to get dog pee smell and other unpleasant pet odors out of your car.
Before You Start You’re going to want to make the cleaning process as simple as possible since you’re likely going to have to clean the entire interior. Take a few extra minutes to remove all of your personal belonging out of the car so that you don’t have to work around them. From there, decide which cleaning materials and tools you’ll need and bring them all outside with you so that you don’t have to run in and out of the house once you begin. You need to consider your vehicle’s car upholstery as well so that you grab the appropriate cleaning products. Doing these two things makes the task easier to manage and will take up less of your time. How to Remove Dog Pee Smell from Your Cat
Vacuum the Car Image Credit: peeonelove, Pixabay The first step in getting rid of unpleasant odors in the car is to vacuum the entire vehicle. It doesn’t matter if you have leather or cloth car seats, vacuuming the entire car is going to eliminate any odors other than the urine and make your car smell even better once you’re finished. If you have anything washable in your car, this is the perfect time to toss them in the washer. This could be a dog blanket, carrier, or any other soft, machine-washable item.
Deciding on a Cleaning Solution Image Credit: Africa Studio, Shutterstock Now that you’ve got the car vacuumed out, it’s time to tackle the pee smell. Urine accidents are much harder to clean when working with carpet or cloth upholstery rather than leather. Here are two recipes for each type of upholstery: Cleaning Solution for Leather
2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon dish soap
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Mix all of the listed ingredients together in a spray bottle and ensure everything is combined before spraying the solution on the leather and wiping it away with a damp, clean cloth. Cleaning Solution for Cloth
Baking soda
Water
Mix three parts baking soda with one part cold water in a bucket. Grab a clean cloth and dip it in the solution. Wring out the cloth before blotting the affected area.
Cleaning the Pee Stain Image Credit: Andrey_Popov, Shutterstock Baking soda and vinegar are two of the strongest ingredients when dealing with urine of any kind. Make sure to blot the area with the solution rather than scrubbing. Blotting helps to lift the urine into your rag rather than rubbing it further into the cloth fibers.
Removing Airborne Particles Image Credit: autowelt_2014, Pixabay While you’re cleaning the pee out of your car, keep all of the doors open if you can. This starts to air everything out and replaces the tainted air with fresh air. However, that doesn’t mean it will stay that way. Leave a bowl of regular baking soda in your car overnight to help absorb the odor. If that doesn’t work, sprinkle the baking soda directly onto the stained area and let it sit for 24 hours before vacuuming up the powder.
Cleaning the Air Vents Image Credit: borevina, Pixabay Your air vents are going to keep circulating lingering smells throughout the car if you don’t take the time to clean them. If you’ve cleaned everything and the car still smells, the chances are high that the odor is traveling through the AC unit. You may need to take your car to a professional mechanic to change out your air filters if this is the case.
Prevent Future Accidents Image Credit: Christine Bird, Shutterstock Once your car is clean and smells fresh again, it’s time to take some preventative measures in case an accident happens again in the future. You can protect your car’s upholstery in several ways. Always take your pup outside for a potty break before letting them into your vehicle. If possible, purchase some waterproof car seat covers or blankets to use whenever they are in the car. That way, if they do pee in the car again, you can remove the covers and clean them in the washing machine instead of having to clean out the entire interior again.
Final Thoughts: Get Dog Pee Smell Out Of Car While it isn’t likely that your dog is peeing in your car on a regular basis, it does happen from time to time. Instead of punishing your dog, understand that it was an accident and can be cleaned. Your car doesn’t have to smell like dog pee for the rest of your life. As long as you take the time to give it a deep cleaning, then there is no reason the smell of urine should linger. Next on your reading list:
How to Get Dog Pee Smell Out of Car Seats Why Does My Dog Pee on His Blanket? (7 Possible Reasons)
Featured Image Credit: Monika Wisniewska, Shutterstock
Having dogs means that there are moments in life where you have to let them pile into the car and make your perfectly clean vehicle a mess. We can’t hold on to that new-car smell forever, but that also doesn’t mean that we want it smelling like a dog. Unfortunately, accidents happen, and if your dog isn’t able to hold its bladder, the stench can linger for a long time if you don’t clean it properly. This article will tell you exactly how to get dog pee smell and other unpleasant pet odors out of your car.
Before You Start
You’re going to want to make the cleaning process as simple as possible since you’re likely going to have to clean the entire interior. Take a few extra minutes to remove all of your personal belonging out of the car so that you don’t have to work around them. From there, decide which cleaning materials and tools you’ll need and bring them all outside with you so that you don’t have to run in and out of the house once you begin.
You need to consider your vehicle’s car upholstery as well so that you grab the appropriate cleaning products. Doing these two things makes the task easier to manage and will take up less of your time.
How to Remove Dog Pee Smell from Your Cat
1. Vacuum the Car
The first step in getting rid of unpleasant odors in the car is to vacuum the entire vehicle. It doesn’t matter if you have leather or cloth car seats, vacuuming the entire car is going to eliminate any odors other than the urine and make your car smell even better once you’re finished.
If you have anything washable in your car, this is the perfect time to toss them in the washer. This could be a dog blanket, carrier, or any other soft, machine-washable item.
2. Deciding on a Cleaning Solution
Now that you’ve got the car vacuumed out, it’s time to tackle the pee smell. Urine accidents are much harder to clean when working with carpet or cloth upholstery rather than leather. Here are two recipes for each type of upholstery:
Cleaning Solution for Leather
2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon dish soap
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Mix all of the listed ingredients together in a spray bottle and ensure everything is combined before spraying the solution on the leather and wiping it away with a damp, clean cloth.
- 2 cups cold water
- 1 tablespoon dish soap
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Cleaning Solution for Cloth
Baking soda
Water
Mix three parts baking soda with one part cold water in a bucket. Grab a clean cloth and dip it in the solution. Wring out the cloth before blotting the affected area.
- Baking soda
- Water
3. Cleaning the Pee Stain
Baking soda and vinegar are two of the strongest ingredients when dealing with urine of any kind. Make sure to blot the area with the solution rather than scrubbing. Blotting helps to lift the urine into your rag rather than rubbing it further into the cloth fibers.
4. Removing Airborne Particles
While you’re cleaning the pee out of your car, keep all of the doors open if you can. This starts to air everything out and replaces the tainted air with fresh air. However, that doesn’t mean it will stay that way. Leave a bowl of regular baking soda in your car overnight to help absorb the odor. If that doesn’t work, sprinkle the baking soda directly onto the stained area and let it sit for 24 hours before vacuuming up the powder.
5. Cleaning the Air Vents
Your air vents are going to keep circulating lingering smells throughout the car if you don’t take the time to clean them. If you’ve cleaned everything and the car still smells, the chances are high that the odor is traveling through the AC unit. You may need to take your car to a professional mechanic to change out your air filters if this is the case.
6. Prevent Future Accidents
Once your car is clean and smells fresh again, it’s time to take some preventative measures in case an accident happens again in the future. You can protect your car’s upholstery in several ways.
Always take your pup outside for a potty break before letting them into your vehicle. If possible, purchase some waterproof car seat covers or blankets to use whenever they are in the car. That way, if they do pee in the car again, you can remove the covers and clean them in the washing machine instead of having to clean out the entire interior again.
Final Thoughts: Get Dog Pee Smell Out Of Car
While it isn’t likely that your dog is peeing in your car on a regular basis, it does happen from time to time. Instead of punishing your dog, understand that it was an accident and can be cleaned. Your car doesn’t have to smell like dog pee for the rest of your life. As long as you take the time to give it a deep cleaning, then there is no reason the smell of urine should linger.
Next on your reading list:
- How to Get Dog Pee Smell Out of Car Seats
- Why Does My Dog Pee on His Blanket? (7 Possible Reasons)
Featured Image Credit: Monika Wisniewska, Shutterstock
