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One of the things many pet parents prioritize is housebreaking their dogs, all so that they can let their beloved pooches stay inside their homes without making any messes. But accidents still do happen, even after an owner does their best to properly potty train their dog. For example, your own dog might relieve themselves inside your home because they can’t hold it in any longer, or because something they ate suddenly disagreed with their stomach.

Fortunately, for these emergency cases, there are effective ways to clean up after your pup and get your indoor environment back in tip-top shape. Here’s a guide for cleaning up common pet-related messes at home. Use these tips to keep your home fresh and in order!

A General Cleaning Tip for Pet Parents: Clean Up Your Dog’s Messes Immediately

When it comes to cleaning up after your pet, it’s best to handle these messes as soon as possible. This is especially true if you’re dealing with pet urine, feces, or vomit.

By addressing these kinds of pet waste immediately, they won’t develop into tough stains or leave nasty crusts on your floors and carpets. Cleaning up immediately will also make it easier for you to remove urine and feces odors.

Most importantly, your pet is likely to repeatedly relieve themselves in areas where the scent of their waste still lingers, ruining your floors and your potty-training efforts. So, the sooner you take care of the pet waste, the sooner they’ll learn to go potty only in designated areas around the home.

How to Clean Up Specific Kinds of Messes

Now that you know the importance of cleaning up your dog’s waste quickly, it’s time to learn how to actually do this effectively. After all, cleaning up your pet’s messes is easier said than done. While you can certainly put some precautionary measures in place, such as placing your pup’s food and water bowls on dog placemats or investing in easy-to-clean Pridebites.com custom dog stainless steel bowls, your pup will inevitably leave you with something to clean up sooner rather than later.

To help you out, below are some suggestions that can hopefully make the cleaning process much easier for you:

Cleaning Up Urine

As soon as your pet urinates on the floor, go mop up the puddle. Then, clean the soiled surface using a sponge and a mixture comprising equal parts of distilled white vinegar and water. The natural cleaning solution of water and vinegar will neutralize the bacteria in the urine and thus remove its strong odor.

If your dog peed on the carpet, use something absorbent, like a sponge or paper towel, to soak up the urine so that it won’t spread to other areas. Do this immediately to prevent the urine from seeping into your carpet fabric. Should the carpet absorb most of the urine, it’ll become much harder to get rid of the nasty smell.

After removing as much liquid as you can from the carpet, you’ll want to use a pet bacteria digester on the affected area to eliminate stains and odors. This pet-friendly product contains natural bacteria that effectively removes organic soils and smells. When figuring out the right amount of digester to use, refer to the recommendation on the product’s label. Then, simply pour the specified amount onto the affected area and leave it to dry.

Cleaning Up Poop

When dealing with pet feces, be extra careful as you don’t want to make the mess even worse. Generally, you’ll want to get all the poop in one scoop without pushing any of it into a pile or spreading it further on the floor. You can pick it up using a doggie waste bag wrapped around your hand (then flipped over to contain all the poop), a couple of pieces of cardboard, or a doggie poop scoop.

After you’ve removed the poop, use a paper towel or coffee filter to absorb any leftover moisture. Then, clean the area further using a sponge and warm soapy water. Finish the job by pouring a digester or using a homemade vinegar mixture onto the affected spot to neutralize the foul smell.

Cleaning Up Vomit

If your dog has vomited, you can do several things to get rid of the mess.

To clean up stiff vomit, you can pick it up using a pet waste bag. If you’ve run out of waste bags, you can use a kitchen spatula instead. However, once you’re done using it, make sure to discard the spatula for sanitary purposes. As for runny or wet vomit, use any absorbent material to wipe it up before it seeps into your tiles or carpet fabric.

Once you’ve taken most of the vomit off the carpet, floor, or any other soiled surface, pour soda water on the affected spot and blot it with paper towels. Repeat this process until you no longer see any stains on the surface you’re cleaning.

Dog urine, feces, vomit, and other pet-related messes may initially seem like a pain to clean.  But with the right techniques and pet-friendly cleaning products, it will be a breeze to clean up after your pup at home. Try any of the tips mentioned above to help you and your pet maintain a comfortable space you’ll both enjoy.