That dogs are cute and excellent company, no one has any doubts. However, some pets – mainly those that stay indoors – can leave unpleasant odors in the environment – the so uncomfortable ‘dog smell’.
This situation happens with certain breeds, since some dogs are more predisposed to have a stronger smell and require a series of care so that this does not become a major inconvenience for you and your family.
In this sense, we have put together a series of tips on how to remove the smell of dogs from the house and keep the environment always clean and sanitized.
Where does the smell come from?
First of all, you need to know that dogs have odors and this is absolutely normal. Therefore, the first thing you must do is identify where the unpleasant smell is coming from in order to try to solve the problem.
In most cases, this strong smell is related to animal pee, which really has this characteristic – some more, others less. When done on the toilet mat or even outside of it, they can leave a bad odor in the environment.
Some animals also have a strong body odor, which tends to be more evident in dogs with skin problems, ear infections or even intestinal problems.
skin problems
Certain skin diseases are conducive to bad smell, such as pyoderma (bacterial infections), fungal, parasitological and allergic infections, which cause the animal to have an unpleasant odor even with frequent baths.
ear infections
Dogs that have large (and floppy) ears are also more susceptible to bad odor. This is because the accumulation of odoriferous bacteria leaves a very unpleasant smell in the nose and even causes pain in the pets.
elderly dogs
Older dogs also tend to have a stronger smell that impregnates the house, which happens due to slow metabolism and low immunity.
This condition facilitates the entry of diseases such as those mentioned above – skin infections, otitis and the like – causing the animals to have a lower immune response and acquire a characteristic smell.
How to solve this problem?
Whatever the origin of the bad smell, it’s important to adopt a series of care – both with the pet and with the house – to prevent it from becoming a problem for you and your family.
Thinking about it, we’ve put together a series of tips that can help you once and for all to remove the dog smell from your house.
Clean environments frequently
If your pet is used to staying indoors, climbing on the couch or on the beds, the ideal thing is for the thorough cleaning of these environments to be done at least twice a week.
Where possible, wash the floor with the appropriate products, paying greater attention to the areas where the animal usually does its business. In these specific points, you can use a miracle mixture that helps to leave the place without any bad smell:
- Sodium bicarbonate
- squeezed lemon
- A little bit of water.
After washing the area with the products you normally use, apply some of this mixture, letting it act for at least 40 minutes and then rinse well.
In addition, you should regularly vacuum, sweep the floor and wipe the furniture with a damp cloth. That way, you will prevent any unpleasant odor from settling there.
Let the air circulate
Even on the coldest days, it’s important to promote good air circulation in environments to avoid any bad smells.
By opening the windows, you still avoid the accumulation of bacteria, in addition to reducing the humidity in the house, a condition that helps to enhance the bad smell coming from the pet.
Watch out for beds and sofas
If your dog is used to sleeping with you in bed, it’s important to change the sheets every two days – if possible, daily – to prevent bacteria from accumulating and the bed still smelling bad.
As for the sofa, mattress and armchairs, a solution can be to spray an aerosol disinfectant indicated for disinfecting small non-washable surfaces, which also helps with deodorization.
Take care of your pet’s hygiene
As important as taking care of the environment, pet care is indispensable when it comes to how to remove dog smell from the house .
Therefore, bathing the dog weekly, in addition to other hygiene practices, will help not only to control the bad smell, but also to maintain good health.
Use specific shampoos – in case he has skin problems -, brush his hair daily, do a hygienic shave periodically and brush your pet’s teeth frequently.