You love your furry friend and take pleasure in having him around, but that does not indicate you have to enjoy the odors that come along with him. Whether you need to tackle accidents on the carpet, a run-in with a skunk or that gross wet-dog odor, homemade smell neutralizers can work marvels in your house.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is the basis of numerous homemade animal deodorizers, and, in fact, you can use all of it by itself to get rid of animal odors rapidly and safely. Shake dry baking soda straight on your animal and rub it in well, then brush it from your family pet’s fur to ventilate him. Sprinkle dry baking soda on your carpet and furniture to handle pet odors in your home. Let it sit for a bit, then vacuum it up to leave everything smelling fresh and clean. Sodium bicarbonate added to a load of laundry assists to remove family pet odors from clothes, too.
Vinegar
Use vinegar full-strength or combined half-and-half with water to remove just about any pet odor from your home, including urine. Test a concealed area of carpets or furnishings, to make sure they’re colorfast, then spray a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water on any smelly spots. The vinegar smell takes over in the beginning, however when it fades, the animal smell is gone as well. You can also include a cup of vinegar to the wash if you have clothing or towels that have picked up pet smells, and the odors will get rid of.
Detergent Blend
An easy solution of dishwashing cleaning agent and distilled vinegar supplies a two-pronged attack on truly strong family pet odors such as skunk spray. Add a couple of tablespoons of cleaning agent to each gallon of vinegar and pour the mix straight on your pet. Rub it in well, all the way to his skin. The vinegar gets rid of the odor, and the cleaning agent cuts through grease to assist the clingy skunk spray wash right out. This also deals with family pets that have a strong body odor. Wash your animal with his regular hair shampoo when he’s had the vinegar treatment.
Borax Mixture
You can use a mix of equal parts borax, vinegar and salt to clean truly tough spots on your carpet. This is specifically helpful if you’re trying to house-train a puppy. Stir the active ingredients together to make a paste, rub it well into the stained area and leave it for a couple of hours till it’s dry. Vacuum well, and the stain and odor will both come up with the powder. While this mix is normally rather safe, always test on a surprise part of your carpet before you use it, simply in case.
