Clean Pet Stains With Baking Soda

Clean Pet Stains With Baking Soda

Pet owners need effective cleaning solutions that not only clean urine stains but remove smells and freshen carpets and upholstery. Many household cleaning products contain chemicals which are harmful to pets and potentially ruin home furnishings. A gentle, natural solution that really works is essential. In this post we show how to clean pet stains with baking soda.

So what is baking soda?

Otherwise known as sodium bicarbonate or bicarbonate of soda it is traditionally used in baking but has amazing cleaning results too. It is a mixture of sodium and hydrogen carbonate.

Pet Urine Stains on Carpets

For wet stains

Blot, Blot, Blot……Get as much moisture out of the carpet by covering liberally with paper kitchen towels. Stand on the paper towels or place a heavy object on the top.

When dry follow instructions below.

For Dry Stains

If the area is small, make a paste from baking soda and water and apply to the affected area. Spray with white vinegar. Blot with kitchen towels. Leave for two hours. Vacuum or brush the area when dry.

Spray Solution

For larger areas make up a spray solution of equal parts of distilled white vinegar and water plus two tablespoons of baking powder……shake, spray, blot!

This will stay effective for weeks, so keep on hand if you have a puppy.

My Personal Experience

Sometimes urine stains just can’t be avoided. Puppies have accidents, older dogs may suffer from urinary incontinence and unneutered males often scent mark.

My rescue dog scent marks, despite being neutered. He suffers from anxiety and his insecurity leads him to leave a scent on anything new in the house.

I have used baking soda and white vinegar for years to deodorize dog beds, remove stains and freshen carpets. There is always a spray bottle to hand so that pet stains can be cleaned as soon as possible.

To help cut down on urine stains I tried a belly band, which is a piece of material that you attach around the dog’s abdomen with velcro. It is designed to stop the dog urinating when the time isn’t right and particularly useful with dogs that scent mark. More information about belly bands can be found here.

Belly Band From Amazon

You can learn more about scent marking behaviour and how to prevent it here.

Belly bands are not a permanent solution to dog incontinence. However, I have found that they do help break the habit of scent marking and cut down on unwanted stains.

Clean Pet Stains With Baking Soda

We love our pets but don’t want our homes to smell of them.

Baking soda works as a neutraliser for bad smells around the home by absorbing odours, not just masking them like conventional cleaners.

I sprinkle a cup of baking soda on to pet beds, pet blankets and toys, leave for thirty minutes then give them a really good shake outside.

If you are worried that your house has a dog odour, simply leave a small dish of bicarbonate of soda in the room overnight It will absorb all the nasty smells.

Baking soda can also be used in conjunction with white vinegar to remove stubborn stains.

It is less expensive than conventional cleaners and has many cleaning uses, not just pet related.

Tip

Baking Soda or Bicarbonate of Soda can be found in both the cooking and cleaning departments of supermarkets. I buy from the cleaning aisle where it is packaged in larger quantities and is much more cost effective. It has to be noted that Baking Soda for cleaning should not be used as a cooking ingredient because it contains caustic soda.

Baking Soda From Amazon

 

This article from Readers Digest shows just how effective it is to clean with baking soda and vinegar combined.

Additional Reading

Natural Pet Cleaning Solutions

Have you tried to clean pet stains with Baking Soda or is this something new to you?. Leave a comment below with your experience.

Thank you for reading

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