Dogs sweat through their hair and fingernails follicles, and create oils which keep their skin and hair healthy. Ear and anal glands also create scents, and bacterial or fungal imbalances can cause unpleasant odors, which is moved to your rugs and be difficult to remove. Unlike bedding and clothing, most rugs can’t be tossed in the washing machine to get odor removal, so you need to employ other techniques to eliminate dog odors.

Natural Vinegar

White vinegar and apple cider vinegar possess a strong smell on their own, but actually neutralize dog odors as well, and the vinegar scent fades as it dries. Fill a spray bottle with about 1 part vinegar to 5 parts water and liberally spray it on the carpeting. Towel dry the carpet by pressing with a towel, then allow the carpeting air dry until it is totally dry. Open windows and turn on a fan if necessary, particularly in humid climates, as allowing carpeting sit wet for too long can cause mould and create new scents.

Baking Soda Odor Absorber

Baking soda absorbs odors and is not difficult to use on large surfaces. Sprinkle baking soda liberally over the whole dry carpet, moving furniture out of the way as necessary. Catch the baking soda on the carpet for 24 hours or at least overnight so the baking soda might absorb the dog odors. Vacuum up the baking soda, remembering it may take several passes to get it all up.

Chemical Cleaners

When natural deodorizers like vinegar and baking soda don’t remove your dog odors, try purchasing a chemical carpet cleaner aimed toward eliminating pet odors. Most chemical carpet cleaners contain perchloroethylene and naphthalene, and also the Environmental Protection Agency warns can cause nausea, diarrhea, sleepiness and even cancer or liver injury when inhaled. Open the windows or wear a face mask to prevent inhaling dangerous fumes, and ensure that your pets and/or children aren’t inhaling the fumes from chemical cleaners either.

Professional Help

Some large area rugs can be transported into your dry cleaner. Vacuum any excess dog hair or other debris and allow the dry cleaner know you’re bringing in a large item. In case you have wall-to-wall carpet or a particularly large and bulky carpet you can’t transfer, call a professional steam cleaner to get aid, since she will bring machinery and professional-grade cleaning solutions directly into your property. You also may rent a specialist cleaner from most hardware shops to try to do the task yourself for less cash.

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