Your furry friend greeting you at the door is a welcome sight — until you walk in and inhale a strong, sour smell. Once it hits you, all you can think about is how to get rid of the pet odor in your house. All pet owners have experienced this before and know how stubborn those smells can be. Not only do they make your space unpleasant to be in, but they also hurt the quality of the air you breathe.
In order to enjoy both your pet and your home, it helps to understand what causes those bad smells, why they linger for so long, and how you can prevent them. If you are still struggling to remove pet odors and restore freshness in your home, you can reach out to us at First Call any time and learn more about how we can help.
And now, let’s dig into the smelly world of pet odors!
The Most Common Pet Odors and Why They Hang Around
Pet urine is one of the hardest odors to combat and remove from the home. If it is not cleaned up quickly, it can seep into the carpets, walls, floorboards, and furniture and dry there. Once this happens, it is almost impossible to reach and remove.
Pet dander, the small bits of skin animals shed, is another common source of household odors. Although you can’t see it, dander builds up over time, adding to the general smell. Cat owners can also struggle with overpowering litter boxes, while dog owners have to combat the “wet dog” smell lingering long after their furry friends have dried.
When smells enter the air of your home, things like fans, ventilation, and your HVAC system move them around and help them disperse. But when these things are poor or dirty, odors can build up. At that point, having a professional cleaning and restoration company inspect your home can be the fastest way to understand the root problem and address it.
4 Ways to Prevent Pet Odor From Staying in Your Home
1. Act Quickly
The first way to stop pet odors from building up in your home is to stay on top of the things that cause them. Being quick to clean up pet accidents and maintaining a regular schedule of dusting and vacuuming can help minimize the pet odors in the home.
2. Clean Thoroughly
Understanding how to prevent pet odor in your carpet is especially helpful, since urine can be one of the hardest odors to beat. If you’re lucky enough to find the accident before it dries on your carpet or couch, there are a few tricks that can help. The most important thing is to pick up excess moisture in those initial moments. To do this, you can layer paper towels over the area, sprinkle baking soda on the spot, and use household products like white vinegar to neutralize the urine smell.
3. Neutralize
But, sometimes you find the pee stain after it’s completely dry. When this happens, it means the full amount of moisture from the original accident had time to seep below the surface. This can make it much harder to clean. The best thing to try is soaking the area with cool water and using paper towels to soak up water and urine. Then, sprinkle it with baking soda and let it sit overnight. In the morning, use your vacuum to suck up the baking soda and, hopefully, the lingering smells with it.
4. Call the Professionals
If you are wondering how to get pet odor out of furniture or carpets, these are some of the best things you can do. But, sometimes cleaning isn’t enough. When nothing is helping lift the smells from your home, the issue may be with the air itself.
What Scents Neutralize Pet Odor the Best? Why Covering Up Isn’t the Best Route
You might be wondering if there are scents you can use to neutralize pet odors, especially if paired with your cleaning efforts. Air fresheners and perfumed smells will only layer on top of the smell, creating an unpleasant effect. When you are trying to bust a stubborn pet odor, you want to focus on clearing the air rather than filling it with more scents.
Because lingering odors can be a sign of bad air quality in your home, you want to avoid anything that can add more harmful particles to your air. Instead, you want to focus on household items that can neutralize the pet odor and candles that clean the air rather than pollute it.
Vinegar is a wonder for household cleaning. As we explained above, it is very helpful for tackling pet accidents and odors at their source. Using it as your first line of defense when cleaning up after your pets will help break down and remove most of the smells that other carpet cleaners leave untouched. Beeswax candles are known for their ability to clean up the air in the home and have the added benefit of looking and smelling nice. However, they are not powerful enough to clear a whole room of an especially strong or persistent odor.
When you’re ready to remove pet odor from your home for good, it’s best to start with a professional air quality test.
Restore Clean Air Quality to Your Home with Help From the Professionals
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, pet odors persist. In these cases, seeking professional help can be a game-changer. Professional air quality testing can identify hidden sources of odors, such as dander build-up in air ducts. When we perform an air quality test, we take samples from around the home and have them assessed by multiple indoor air quality specialists. We use this to show you where the likely problems are, whether with your HVAC system, your home ventilation, or your plumbing.
We use this information to build you a customized plan for remediation and professional cleaning. We then retest once these efforts are complete to make sure your home’s air quality is restored and those pesky pet odors are gone for good.
Understanding what caused the odors to stay in your home and addressing any big issues makes it easier to prevent them from returning. That is why investing in these services can create a more comfortable and healthier environment for you and your pets.
First Call is Your Best Friend When Battling Pet Odors in the Home! Learn More Today
When you want to get rid of pet odors in your home, remember these four things: act quickly, clean thoroughly, neutralize, and when necessary, call the professionals.
From regular cleaning routines to proactive pet care, there are many ways to keep your home smelling great. But sometimes, there are bigger problems causing your air to smell. And that is when seeking professional help can make all the difference.
To learn more about how to enhance your home’s air quality, check out First Call’s air quality testing services through our website here: firstcallnc.com/services/air-quality-testing. You can take a big step toward restoring your home’s air quality by requesting a free inspection and quote through our online form today.
With our decades of expertise in professional cleaning and restoration, you know you are receiving help from people you can trust. We look forward to helping you return your home to a pleasant haven for both you and your furry friends!
