Here is how to get rid of dog smell in house rooms for good: wash what the dog lies on, clean the floors it walks on, move air through the house every day, and only then use a neutraliser for the background smell that is left. Spray on top of a dirty dog bed and you get flowers and dog.
The smell is not in the air. It is in fabric. Dog hair, skin oils and whatever came in on the paws soak into beds, blankets, sofa covers and rugs. The room warms up, the fabric gives the smell back, and you notice it every time you walk in. So the order matters: fabric first, floors second, air third, neutraliser last.
How to get rid of dog smell in house fabrics first
Start with the things the dog actually lies on. In most homes that is three or four items, and they hold most of the smell.
The dog bed
Vacuum it before it goes anywhere near the machine. The American Kennel Club points out that dog hair mixed with water clumps and can clog your washing machine. Vacuum the surface, the seams and the sides, then wipe it with a damp rubber glove to lift what the vacuum missed.
Then wash it. The AKC says there are no hard and fast rules on how often, but it points to weekly washing of dog bedding as a common recommendation. PetMD quotes a guideline of once a week, or every two weeks at the least.
Wash as hot as the label allows. PetMD cites a temperature of at least 60 °C (140 °F) for pet bedding, if the fabric can stand it.
If the bed has a removable cover, buy a second cover. One is on the bed while the other is in the wash, and the bed is never without one.
Blankets and throws
The AKC suggests covering the bed or the sofa with a dog blanket. The blanket goes in the wash every week and the bulky bed or sofa can be washed less often. Same idea for the sofa: a washable throw over the dog's spot is easier than steam cleaning a sofa every month.
Sofa covers and cushions
Take off and wash any cover that zips off. For the rest, vacuum slowly with an upholstery tool, working along the seams where hair collects. Steam cleaning reaches deeper into fixed upholstery.
Rugs and carpets
Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over the carpet, leave it for a few hours, then vacuum it up slowly. Do this in a room the dog is not in, and keep the dog off the carpet until you have vacuumed it all up. Small rugs that fit the machine go in the wash with the blankets.
Your car
If the dog travels with you, the car is a small closed room with a dog smell in it. Vacuum the seats and the boot, wash any seat cover, and leave the windows down for a while on a dry day.
Then clean the floors
Hard floors pick up what comes in on paws: mud, wet, and the smell of everything the dog walked through.
- Mop the main routes the dog takes: the door to its bed, the door to its bowl, the stretch by the back door.
- Wash the bowls daily and wipe the floor under them. Spilled food and water sit there and go stale.
- Wipe the paws at the door after a wet walk. A towel by the door means less mud on the floors, and less smell in them.
Accidents on fabric or carpet
Urine is the one smell that sinks deep and comes back. Blot up as much as you can with kitchen paper, pressing down rather than rubbing. Then use an enzyme cleaner made for pet stains, following the label. Enzyme cleaners break down what is left in the fibres, where an ordinary cleaner only cleans the surface.
Do not use a cleaner that smells of ammonia. It smells like urine to a dog, and can bring it back to the same spot.
Move the air
Once the fabric and floors are clean, you are left with the smell in the air and in the surfaces you cannot wash, like walls and curtains.
- Air the house daily. Open windows on opposite sides at the same time so air crosses the room.
- Change the filter in any cooker hood, air purifier or ventilation unit you have. A clogged filter holds smell and blows it back out.
- Wash the curtains every few months. They are the largest fabric surface in most rooms.
Then neutralise what is left
After all of the above, a faint background smell often hangs on in the room the dog spends most time in. That is the job for an odour neutraliser, and only that job. It does not replace washing the bed.
An air freshener adds a louder smell on top. A neutraliser goes after the smell itself. Biodor is a gel that slowly releases neutralisers into the air. When they meet a smell molecule, they break it apart. Its maker lists pets among the smells it works on, alongside rubbish, damp, tobacco and food.
The neutral version adds no scent of its own. That matters in a home with a dog: you want the room to smell of nothing in particular, not of a new perfume layered over the old smell.
| Space | Pack | Covers | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car, utility room, small bedroom | Biodor neutral, 33 g | Up to 50 m² | 1 to 2 months |
| Living room, kitchen diner | Biodor neutral, 200 g | Up to 200 m² | About 60 days |
Put it where the dog cannot reach it. The maker says to keep the gel out of reach of children and pets and to avoid skin contact with it. A shelf, the top of a bookcase or a windowsill the dog cannot get to all work. The gel does best where the air moves, so near a window or vent is ideal.
All sizes and scents are in smell control.
A weekly routine that keeps it gone
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Daily | Wash the bowls, wipe paws after wet walks, air the house |
| Weekly | Wash the dog's blankets and bed cover, vacuum the sofa and rugs, mop the main routes |
| Monthly | Wash or steam the bed itself, clean filters |
| Every few months | Wash curtains, replace the neutraliser |
Mistakes that keep the smell
Spraying before washing. Fragrance on a dirty bed gives you a perfumed dirty bed.
Washing the cover, not the bed. The foam or filling holds smell too. Wash or replace it when the cover alone stops working.
Using an ammonia cleaner on accidents. To the dog, the spot still smells like the right place.
Putting the neutraliser on the floor. It belongs out of the dog's reach.
Judging it from inside. Your nose gets used to a smell you live with. Leave the house for an hour, come back in, and smell it fresh. Or ask a visitor who does not have a dog.
Ignoring a change. If your dog suddenly smells stronger or different, that is a question for your vet, not for a neutraliser.
FAQ
How often should I wash my dog's bed?
Weekly is a common recommendation, according to the AKC. PetMD quotes once a week, or every two weeks at the least. Covering the bed with a washable blanket lets you wash the blanket weekly and the bed less often.
Does bicarbonate of soda get rid of dog smell?
On carpets and rugs it helps. Sprinkle it on, leave it for a few hours with the dog out of the room, then vacuum it up. It does not replace washing the bed and blankets.
What gets rid of dog urine smell on carpet?
Blot it dry first, then use an enzyme cleaner made for pet stains. Avoid ammonia based cleaners.
Is an odour neutraliser safe around dogs?
Keep it out of their reach. The maker of Biodor says to keep the gel away from children and pets and to avoid skin contact. Put it on a shelf or windowsill the dog cannot get to.
Why does my house still smell of dog after cleaning?
Usually because one large fabric item was missed: the sofa, a rug or the curtains. Or because the bed filling holds smell even when the cover is clean. Check those, then use a neutraliser for what is left.
