How to Eliminate Pet Odors — Not Just Cover Them Up
Where Does “Dog Smell” Come From?
If you’ve ever walked into your house and wondered why it smells like dog, you’re not alone. For dogs and cats alike, their distinctive smell comes from their skin and fur; more specifically, it’s their natural body oils, saliva, and sweat. Pet dander, or what we call the skin cells that pets shed, also contains these things. Pet dander is microscopic and has rough, jagged edges, which means that it can easily linger in the air or stick to furniture and carpeting.
Dog fur is also an ideal environment for bacteria and yeast. This is another contributing factor to their signature smells and, when combined with water, it’s also what leads to that unmistakable “wet dog smell.”
For cats, apart from dander, most of the odor they cause in your home is due to their litter boxes. The litter box is a notoriously smelly part of owning a cat, but the good news is that unpleasant smells can be managed with frequent litter cleaning.
With any pet, the odors worsen with accidents, vomiting, and health issues. If you notice your pet is persistently, especially pungent, consult your veterinarian to make sure an underlying infection or other health issue isn’t the cause.
How to Get Rid of Pet Odor
The basics for making your home smell fresh, and less like your animal, come down to three main ideas: keeping your stuff clean, keeping your air clean, and keeping your pet clean.
Keeping Your Stuff Clean
The areas where your pet spends a lot of time—carpet, couch, beds—tend to become concentrated with pet dander and, thus, their smell. For items that can’t be washed in your washing machine, use a pet-safe odor eliminator, like Truly Free Home Odor & Stain Eliminator.
Additionally, make cleaning easy by opting for things that are washable or have removable covers. Don’t forget to wash your pet’s things too, like their beds and soft toys—just be sure to check the care instructions first. As fragrances can be overwhelming to your pet’s strong sense of smell, consider using a fragrance-free detergent, like Truly Free Home Unscented Laundry Wash. For washing away natural stains like pee or vomit, add an enzyme cleaner to your laundry, since they’re specifically formulated to break down organic stains.
Keeping Your Air Clean
When it comes to odors, stagnant air is not your friend—open windows and let in the fresh air. By maintaining good air circulation, fresh air displaces the stagnant air, allowing for existing odors to disperse. Pet odors, and bad odors in general, are made worse by moist, humid conditions. Proper air circulation promotes evaporation, helping manage moisture levels in your home.
Air purifiers are also great for pulling allergens and pollutants, including pet dander, from the air. For maximum effectiveness, look for air purifiers with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters. These filters are designed to remove over 99% of airborne particles over 0.3 microns in size.
Keeping Your Pet Clean
As with any mess, getting to the root of it is always helpful. Make sure you bathe and groom your dog on a regular basis and your cat as needed. Regular baths help reduce the natural oils that lead to odor, while brushing gets rid of excess fur and dander. Just take care not to over-bathe, as that can dry out their skin and lead to irritation.
Pet-Friendly Cleaning Products
Pets are more sensitive to cleaning products than we are. Their strong senses of smell mean that something we perceive as a mild, fresh scent can be overwhelming for them. Even natural alternatives like essential oils can be poisonous to pets, including common ones like eucalyptus and lavender. Cats actually process some chemicals differently, which means a greater risk of toxicity if they ingest or come into contact with certain cleaning-product ingredients. For more information, check out our guide on what cleaning ingredients to avoid. Generally, a safer pick uses a gentle fragrance-free formula.
Your pet is an irreplaceable part of the family, but their odors don’t have to be a permanent part of your home. With simple maintenance and pet-safe products, you don’t have to work like a dog to keep your home fresh and clean.
