How to Get Dog Pee Out of a Carpet, Sofa and Wooden Floors: The Basics.  

Featured: Plenty Original

Buy Now

We all know that the ones we love the most make the most mess; that is, our partners, kids, or housemates. But there’s one thing we love that manages to get away with almost any mess: Puppies. With puppies, it’s all about taking the cuddles with the puddles (and if you’re lucky, those puddles collect on the floor, and not in your lap).

But remember, it’s perfectly normal to find dog wee (or worse) on the carpet and hear shouts of ‘the puppy peed in the house’ during the early days. But fear not, once you know how to clean it up, these issues won’t be much of a problem. 

This complete guide will explain how to remove dog pee from the sofa, carpet or wooden floor, and how to neutralise the smell of dog urine, so you can get back to playing and cuddles in no time! If you’ve been extremely unlucky and the culprit has left some poo on the carpet instead, please check out our guide on how to clean up dog poo.

Remember, whether you have the pleasure of watching them do it, or you find yourself getting soggy socks stumbling across a wet patch during an otherwise enjoyable day (or night), try to clean up dog urine as soon as you find it.

How to stop your dog from peeing on carpet

Before you literally get your hands dirty and learn how to clean your dog’s mess, let’s find out how to stop your puppy from peeing on your carpet altogether:

1. Take them outside to wee first if you know they’re going to face an exciting opportunity – that is play time, or meeting a new person etc
2. Forget about pee pads – otherwise your puppy will think that it’s okay to go to the toilet inside and might use your carpet as their chosen destination instead.
3. Put them on a potty schedule – take them out first thing in the morning, before play time, after eating, before bed and so on.
4. Deodorise the house – you will learn how to remove dog urine smell later down this guide, but always make sure that you neutralise any odour after every accident. Otherwise, your puppy will still be able to smell it and think it’s okay to pee inside.
5. Praise them – make sure to always tell them how clever and good they are after every successful toilet trip outside.

Cleaning dog urine on carpets and sofas

Here at Plenty we have put together a couple of options for you to try when it comes to cleaning dog urine from the carpet or sofa. Read below for more info:

1. Use water and detergent

1. First and foremost, try not to step in it or sit on it. Nobody wants a soggy sock or bum!
2. Blot the stain thoroughly with Plenty MAX – again, the faster you do this after your furry friends have left the mess, the better! Not only are they super absorbent and able to soak up the pee, but they’re wringable, scrubbable, and super strong too, so they won’t fall apart when wet – the perfect puppy-pee-problem companion.
3. Mix a small amount of detergent (no more than half a teaspoon) with a cup of warm water.
4. Pour the solution into a bottle and spray it all over the offending area.
5. Scrub the area, and then soak up the mixture with kitchen towels until the stain disappears.

2. Use water, vinegar and baking soda

Here’s another option to clean and remove dog urine smell from your carpet or sofa. Remember – always test out your method on a small and hopefully discrete area (unless they’ve peed in the middle of the cream rug) to avoid making a bigger mess if the material reacts badly.

1. Blot at the puppy pee with Plenty MAX to soak up as much as you can.
2. Dust some baking soda over the area and let it sit for a few minutes.
3. While that works its magic, mix together equal parts of white vinegar and water, and then spray or pour it onto the baking soda.
4. Leave the mixture to work for around five minutes, then blot at the stain and it should be gone… along with that pesky dog urine smell.

Cleaning dog urine on wooden floors

Now that you know how to get dog pee out of the carpet, cleaning wooden floors might sound easy. Whilst you might think it’s as simple as soaking up the pee and using your usual wooden floor cleaner, there can be a little more to it.

1. Use baking soda and vinegar

One of the biggest problems with hardwood floor cleaners is that they often contain bleach. This is fine when you use it quickly, but you don’t want to leave it on wooden floors to break down smells, as this can cause damage. Give the vinegar and baking soda method a go, and then you can give it a good once over with your regular cleaner.

Now that you’re a pro in, sofas and wooden floors, you can check out our guide on how to keep the rest of the house clean with dogs.

Let’s also not forget that our canine friends are not the only ones leaving a mess behind - kittens and cats can be just as messy. To help you tackle their puddles and nasty surprises as well, read our advice on the best ways to stop a cat from pooing in the house and how to get rid of the smell of cat pee.