How to Get Pet Odor Out of Your House: Carpet, Couch and Air

To get pet odor out of your house, find the source (usually a pet bed, a urine spot or a couch cushion), wash what you can, treat carpet and upholstery with an enzyme cleaner, vacuum with a HEPA filter, and run an air purifier with HEPA and carbon filters. Cover-up sprays only hide the smell for a few hours.

Most homes with pets have a smell that the owner stops noticing and every guest notices straight away. The problem is that odor has a source. Until you find and treat it, air fresheners will not do much.

Find the source first

Walk through the house and sniff low, where your pet spends time.

• Pet beds, blankets and crates. These hold oils and dander.
• Carpet and rugs near doors, windows and favorite sleeping spots.
• Couch and chair cushions your pet climbs on.
• Hard floors and baseboards where urine may have run into seams.
• The litter box area or the spot around a crate.

A black light, which makes dried urine glow, can help find old spots. If a room smells damp rather than like animals, it may be a moisture issue instead. See damp or musty room smells.

Step by step: remove pet odor

1. Wash everything washable. Pet bedding, throws, slipcovers and curtains go in the washer on the hottest setting the label allows. If hair is a problem too, read how to remove pet hair from laundry.
2. Vacuum first. Do carpet, rugs, upholstery and the edges of the room. A vacuum with a HEPA filter keeps fine dander and odor particles from being blown back out. A vacuum without good filtration can just spread the smell around.
3. Treat urine and accidents with an enzyme cleaner. Enzymes break down the organic compounds that cause the smell. Soak the spot well, because urine soaks into padding below the surface. Leave it for the time on the product label, which can range from several hours to overnight, and repeat if the smell returns.
4. Use baking soda on carpets and fabric for mild odor. Sprinkle it on, leave it for several hours or overnight and vacuum it up.
5. Deep clean carpets and upholstery. A steam or hot-water extraction clean can reach deeper odor. Test on a hidden spot first, and let everything dry fully so it does not turn musty.
6. Clean hard floors and baseboards with a pet-safe cleaner. Wipe seams and edges where liquid collects.
7. Run an air purifier. Choose one with a true HEPA filter and an activated carbon layer.
8. Open windows for a few minutes a day when the weather allows.

What about the couch?

Start with the care tag. Fabric couches often take an enzyme cleaner and baking soda. Leather needs a pH-balanced leather cleaner, since the wrong product can dry and crack it. Take cushion covers off and wash them if the tag allows. If urine reached the foam, you may need to treat the foam itself or replace it.

What does an air purifier actually do?

A HEPA filter catches airborne dander and fine particles. An activated carbon filter helps with odor gases. That is useful for the general "pet smell" in the air. It does not treat urine that is already in carpet, padding or upholstery, so use it along with the cleaning steps above, not in place of them.

Keep the smell from coming back

• Wash pet bedding every week or two.
• Vacuum at least once or twice a week if you have shedding pets.
• Brush and bathe your pet on a regular schedule.
• Clean accidents right away, before they dry.
• Keep the litter box clean and in a ventilated spot.
• Change HVAC and purifier filters on time. A dirty filter holds odor and dust.

Pet hair and dander also make a house dusty. If that is a problem too, see the reasons your home gets so dusty.

When to call a professional

If the smell stays after two rounds of enzyme cleaner, urine has probably soaked through the carpet into the padding or subfloor. A carpet cleaning service can treat or replace padding, and in bad cases the carpet itself may need replacing. Also call someone if a smell is sharp, chemical or like gas, because that is not a pet smell.

Bottom line

Find the source, wash and vacuum, use an enzyme cleaner where pets have had accidents, and add an air purifier to hold the result. Skip the sprays that only cover the smell.