Home Remedies to Get Rid of Pet Urine Odor

We get asked often, “How do I get the pet urine smell out of my carpets?”  In Cincinnati, it’s still that iffy time of year weather-wise where pets are spending more time indoors than out – naturally leading to a few more accidents that can leave some unpleasant odors in your rugs and carpets.
It’s great to keep some good DIY or homemade remedies on hand to help you and Fido out.  First and foremost, Cincinnati Maintenance ALWAYS recommends that you test any cleaner or “remedy” you are trying in an inconspicuous area of your rug or carpet.  You certainly don’t want to make an accident area worse.  
First things first, be sure to blot as much of the offending accident material as possible. You don’t want to be dealing with a liquidy mess when trying to rectify these issues with a cleaner. So, get rid of as much of the urine as you can by blotting with a clean, preferably white, absorbent towel.
Likely the most effective DIY pet odor remedy and the one we want to share with you is a Baking Soda – White Vinegar Spray.  Put two equal parts of white vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle and add 2-4 tablespoons of baking soda.  (Note: be sure it’s baking soda and not baking powder.)  For example, for two cups each of water and vinegar, add 4 tablespoons of baking soda.  For one cup each of water and vinegar, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
Spray the area liberally. Let it sit at least 5 minutes and blot dry with a clean towel.
An alternate way to use this remedy is:  Blot as much of the mess up as possible. Instead of adding the baking soda to the spray bottle containing the water/white vinegar mixture, sprinkle the baking soda onto the accident area.  Let it sit on the area for a minimum of 5 minutes. Vacuum up the baking soda and then proceed with spraying the area with the vinegar mixture and blot dry.
Lastly, another alternative is: Blot the offensive material as thoroughly as you can as described above.  Sprinkle a liberal amount of baking soda.  Then spray the water/vinegar mixture on top of the baking soda. Let sit for at least 5 minutes and then blot and blot some more.
We’re big fans of using homemade cleaning products whenever possible and we are fans of pets. And, if you have pets, you really should always have tried and true DIY cleaning remedies on hand.   
As always, feel free to contact Cincinnati Maintenance should you have a mess you can’t handle and for your regular carpet and upholstery maintenance cleanings.