If you love your dog but hate the dog house smell, you are not alone. Many pet owners feel like they are losing a battle against stinky oils and fur. To fix it, firstly you need to stop covering the smell and start removing the cause.
Why Does My House Smell Like a Dog?
Most of that doggy scent comes from sebum. This is a natural oil on a dog’s skin that keeps them waterproof. When this oil gets on your rugs and sofa, it traps dust and grows bacteria. This is why your home might smell like a wet dog even when it is dry and be noticable to visitors.
Most room sprays and fragrances just mask the smell. This creates a weird mix of perfume and pet odour. To get a fresh home, you must follow two steps; clean the source of the smell, then add the scents.
The Essential First Step – Deep Cleaning
Before you put your wax melts or sizzlers on, you must remove the fur and oils.
The Rubber Broom Hack – Vacuums often miss hair that is stuck deep in the carpet. Use a rubber pet hair broom, pet hair rake or a squeegee. The rubber pulls out tricky to remove hairs that you didn’t even know were there.
The Lint Roller – After a good vacuuming and using a rubber brush there may still be a few hairs trapped. A lint roller brush can be used to give the carpet a final going over to pick up trapped hairs that even the rubber brush and vacuum couldn’t pull up.
The Dryer Trick – Before you wash dog blankets, put them in the dryer for 15 minutes. This pulls the hair into the lint trap so it doesn’t clog your washing machine
Enzyme Power – For accidents, standard soap isn’t enough. You need enzymatic cleaners. These actually get rid of the proteins in pee or saliva so the smell is gone for good.
Baking Soda vs. Vinegar – Sprinkle baking soda on your rug or for better scent use some of our scented carpet fresheners, let it sit for hours to soak up oils and vacuum it up. Use vinegar separately and carefully to wipe down walls where your dog rubs their coat.
Better Scents for Pet Homes
Once the house is clean, you can now add fragrance. At Smelty we believe in going to the source of the issue (where time allows) and removing as much of it as possible and only then adding scent.
Sizzlers (Simmering Granules) – These are salt crystals infused with fragrances. They are better than wax melts for dog owners because they don’t melt into a liquid and if your dog knocks over the burner, you can just vacuum up the crystals.
Vacuum Discs – Vacuums often blow warm, stinky air back into the room. Scented hoover discs sit in the bag or on top of the filter to make the exhaust smell like your chosen scent instead.
Safety First – Some oils, like Tea Tree, are toxic to dogs. Always let fabric sprays dry completely before letting your dog nap on the sofa.
Your Simple Scent Routine
Daily: Use a rubber brush on high-traffic spots and put on some scented sizzlers.
Weekly: Wash all dog beds and blankets. Use an enzyme spray on any favorite napping spots.
Monthly: Clean your vacuum filters and wipe down your skirting boards to remove oily buildup.
By removing the oils and pet hair first, your home fragrance will last longer and smell much cleaner!
