Introduction
Raising a dog is a long-term commitment that gives meaning to many people’s lives and brings about the kind of joy which few people without pets can experience. Such a wonderful journey is often accompanied by challenges and responsibilities. There is one responsibility shared by almost all dog owners. Rarely do we see a dog parent claims this never happens to them? That responsibility is cleaning after dogs’ urine.
We are here to supply you with amazing dog urine facts and show you what neutralizes dog urine effectively.
Dog Urine Facts
Your Dog’s Urine Changes Its pH
Your dog’s urine is among very few chemicals on this planet that can change its pH. When humans’ urine leaves our body and enters the outside environment, it is an acid. This acid’s pH level is between 5 and 6. But the case is different for dog urine. When dog urine dries up, the moisture evaporates, leaving behind salt crystals. The pH levels of the salt crystals are between 9 and 11.
Your Dog’s Urine is Food for Bacteria
Believe it or not, the truth is dog urine does not originally contain any harmful bacteria. When the urine comes out of your dog, it is pure and not harmful at all. As soon as the urine hits a surface, however, it becomes an ideal breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Because the urine is wet and warm, bacteria regard it as a perfect food to eat and thrive.
Your Dog’s Urine Can Spread Much Wider Than You Think
Think you know how to clean surfaces from dog urine? Think again because you may not even realize the scale of the infected surfaces. You may see a small stain or wet area and think that’s all to it. But if you do not blot the liquid up immediately, and many people fail to do that, the urine actually spreads a much wider area under the carpet, specifically between the carpet backing and the padding.
People Live with Dog Urine Odor Without Knowing It
Humans’ noses can adapt to various smells in the environment. When you first enter a new surrounding, you may remark that it has a strange odor. But as you spend more and more time within that environment, your nose gets used to the initially distinctive odor. Soon, you won’t even notice that there’s an odor anymore. Similarly, there are a lot of people who live with the unpleasant dog urine smell without noticing it until a stranger step into their houses and points out to them.
It’s why experts recommend that you spray your house with a pleasant aroma after an effort to eliminate urine odor. The aroma programs your nose so that it does not get used to the bad dog urine odor. After the aroma is gone, you will be able to tell if there’s any odor left in your house or not.
“Pee Mail”
This is the term used to describe the kind of pee dogs leave somewhere to mark their territories and to show other dogs information about them. There is a lot for dogs to infer from the smell of each other. Unfortunately, we do not have their super olfactory sense. Therefore, we can only guess what they can tell from each other’s “mail”. Science has told us that dogs can tell information of gender, health condition, stress level and social status from the “pee mail” of other dogs.
What Neutralizes Dog Urine?
We will show you how to neutralize dog urine using what is available at home: vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing liquid.
Step 1: Blot Up as Much Liquid as You Can
This is best done immediately after your dog has urinated. It is best that you use a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to suck all the urine liquid from the affected surface. If you do not have a wet/dry vacuum available, just put a lot of cloths or newspaper sheets or anything that absorbs water into the urine.
Step 2: Make a Vinegar Solution
The basic rule is 50% of vinegar and 50% of water. Just mix them together in a container. How much of vinegar and water you need or how big your container should be depends on the size of the affected area. You should make a lot of this solution even though the area is not that big.
Step 3: Apply the Solution
It is best that you pour a lot on a small affected area because you want the vinegar solution to spread around the area and get down to the deeper layers of a surface. Spraying a little bit is not enough.
Step 4: Scrub the Area
At this step, you should use a cloth or a sponge or anything that absorbs water to scrub the area where you have applied the vinegar solution. You can be gentle while scrubbing. Scrub right the spot and also around it. This helps to make the stain fade and remove odor.
Step 5: Blot Up the Surface Again
Just like step 1, you should use a wet/dry vacuum or anything that absorbs water to wipe the area clean with vinegar solution.
Step 6: Use Baking Soda
After you have treated the area with the wet vinegar solution and dried it up, pour a lot of baking soda to cover the entire affected area. Sprinkle the baking soda so that you can no longer see the surface. Baking soda has the power to neutralize dog urine.
Step 7: Make the Hydrogen Peroxide and Dishwashing Detergent Solution
Blend 250 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide (exactly 3%) with 5 ml of normal dishwashing detergent. You can put the solution in a spray bottle. Choose the kind of dishwashing detergent that does not contain bleach. Bleach is the number-one enemy that discolors your surfaces, especially carpets.
Step 8: Spray the Solution
Spray the newly made solution directly on the urine area. Then, scrub the area.
Step 9: Leave It There
After all the scrubbing, you can leave the area to dry by itself. You should touch the area to see if it’s completely dry. Then, vacuum the area again to maximize the effects.
Conclusion
We hope our tips on what neutralizes dog urine are a helpful source of material for you. Feel free to send us any questions on your mind. We have other similar posts on this website, from eliminating cat urine odor to removing set-in urine stains from carpets. You may want to check them out for more information.
For those who don’t have metric measuring equipment, the mixture in step 7 is 1 teaspoon of liquid dishsoap to 1 cup of peroxide. Since that mixture is never cleaned up, the only apparent purpose for the dishsoap would be to apply a scent to mask any residual odor. The peroxide would be the “active” ingredient.