Best DIY Pet Stain Removers

| Maggie Dean

DIY pet stain removers help keep your home clean, from puppy potty training to senior dog accidents. Here are two of the best homemade carpet cleaners for dog urine.

Photo of a puppy on the floor

Time to open up the windows and do a little spring cleaning! One surface that takes the brunt of daily wear-and-tear is our floors. Carpets and rugs are especially difficult to keep clean in a household with furry residents. While fur and fluff can be swept up on a daily or weekly basis, urine and fecal spots need to be cleaned right away to prevent odor and staining.

Store-bought pet carpet cleaners are often expensive and/or toxic for pets. Homemade remedies are often less toxic, cheaper, and made from ingredients you already have in your home.

Check out these tried-and-true DIY pet stain removers.

Volcano Spray

You will need:

  • 2 Cups white distilled vinegar

  • 2 Cups lukewarm water

  • 4 Tablespoons of baking soda

“Volcano Spray” uses the same ingredients and basic chemistry as your volcano project from grade school. Vinegar breaks down sticky messes with its acidic properties, while baking soda is a basic solution that effectively eliminates odors. Together, their chemical reaction can unclog sinks, clean your oven, and function as a pet carpet cleaner that removes stubborn pet stains.

How to use:

  • Blot the area with a clean cloth to absorb all excess liquid. In case of a fecal accident, remove all solid residue before applying cleaner.

  • Mix vinegar with warm water in a clean spray bottle. Spray generously over stain.

  • Over top of the sprayed stain, spread a thin layer of baking soda. Within an hour (or longer for set-in stains), the baking soda will absorb the urine or fecal residue.

  • Vacuum the area to remove the now-stained baking soda from the carpet.

Bonus hack: This spray is also effective on blood stains!

Dawn Mixture

You will need:

  • ½ Cup of hydrogen peroxide

  • ½ Cup of Dawn dish soap (the blue kind is best)

Dawn dish soap has a million uses, including removing urine stains and odor from carpets. When combined with hydrogen peroxide, this disinfectant mixture will break down stains on a molecular level and kill bacteria, making it one of the best pet stain removers.

How to use:

  • As with any pet stain removal, absorb excess urine with a towel and remove as much fecal matter as possible from the area before applying cleaning solution.

  • Fully mix one-part hydrogen peroxide and one-part Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle.

  • Spray the affected area with the mixture. Let the solution sit on the stain for one minute.

  • Begin scrubbing, making sure to work bristle brushes deep into the carpet or rug to remove any waste that had previously soaked into the fibers.

  • Spray the area with water after scrubbing, then remove the stain and solution with a clean rag. Repeatedly soak the area with water until the stain and Dawn mixture are gone.

Note: Hydrogen peroxide can have a bleaching effect on darker carpets and rugs. Before trying this solution, it would be wise to test a small patch of carpet in a less noticeable location.


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maggie-dean
Maggie Dean

Maggie Dean is the proud owner of a Bichon Frise / Cocker Spaniel mix named Rocco and a Holland Lop rabbit, Bunson. She’s been the Inbound Marketer at AKC Pet Insurance since 2016 but has had a passion for animals her whole life. If you’re an animal lover, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook to keep up with all things cute, funny, and interesting!

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