Home → Blog → Resources → 14 Ways to Remove and Prevent Pet Odors in Your Home
Removing and preventing pet odors in the home involves using odor-control technologies to tackle the root causes, such as odor-causing bacteria and smelly molecules, encouraging good pet behaviours, and implementing a regular cleaning routine.
While pets are fantastic companions and give owners plenty of joy, they can also introduce unwanted smells into the home. From damp dog fur and dirty paws to litter trays and well-used pet beds, there are many potential sources of pet odor around the house. In this guide, we explore 14 ways to remove and prevent pet odors in your home, so you can stay on top of the problem.
Pet odors are typically caused by shedding, skin oils, damp fur, and dirt. All of these factors contribute to the growth of odor-causing bacteria or the release of odorous molecules, resulting in unpleasant smells. These smells are strongest where animals spend most of their time, such as pet beds, furniture, and feeding areas.
Dogs and cats naturally shed hair and fur, which collect on carpets, sofas, curtains, rugs, and bedding. Fur itself may not smell strongly, but it contains skin oils, dirt, moisture, and other odor-causing substances.
Pets produce natural oils to keep their skin and coats healthy. When animals rub against furniture, carpets, pet beds, and other textiles, these oils transfer onto the fibers. Repeated contact will often leave fabrics with a distinctive pet smell.
Moisture from paws, saliva, rain, and bathing is another major cause of pet odors in your home. That well-known “wet dog” smell is particularly noticeable because moisture helps release the odor-producing compounds in a dog’s coat.
Toilet accidents are one of the most unpleasant causes of strong pet odors. Urine can soak into carpets, upholstery, flooring, and even the underlying padding if you don’t treat it quickly. Cat litter trays can also become a significant cause of home pet odors if you don’t clean them frequently.
Pet beds are often overlooked when cleaning the home, despite being one of the places where pets spend the most time. Beds accumulate fur, skin oils, moisture, dirt, and microorganisms. If they are not washed frequently, they can become a persistent source of pet odor in your home.
Feeding areas can get particularly smelly because there is often spillage and contamination. Wet pet food is particularly prone to developing odors if you don’t keep bowls and surrounding surfaces clean.
After spending time outdoors, pets bring mud, moisture, and organic material into the house. These are then spread to carpets, rugs, and other textiles, creating another source of odor.
Pet odors are produced by a mixture of volatile organic compounds, moisture, oils, dirt, and microbial activity. Odour-causing bacteria play an important role because they release smelly compounds as they break down sweat, skin cells, oils, and food residue as part of their metabolic process. Other odors are the result of naturally smelly molecules, like sulphur and nitrogen.
This is why pet odors can persist even when the home looks clean. If you are not tackling the invisible root causes – namely bacteria and odorous molecules – you will not get rid of the smell.
Pet odors don’t necessarily mean that a home is dirty, but they can negatively impact pet owners by:
The most effective approach to removing pet odors in your home is to tackle both the source of the smell and the materials that have absorbed it.
Carpets trap fur, dirt, moisture, and odor molecules. Vacuum regularly and consider periodically using a deep-clean carpet machine or professional deep-cleaning service if you have several pets or particularly smelly animals. For urine accidents, act quickly and use a cleaner specifically designed for pet stains and odors.
Rugs, runners, and doormats can accumulate a remarkable amount of pet hair and outdoor debris. Vacuum them frequently and machine-wash any rugs that can be put in the machine. Air drying rugs and mats also lets the sun’s UV rays kill off odor-causing bacteria.
Baking soda is a popular and cost-effective way to remove cat and dog odors you’re your home. Simply sprinkle a light layer over the surface, allow it to sit for a few hours (or overnight for especially stubborn smells), and then vacuum thoroughly. Always check that you can use baking soda on a fabric to avoid causing damage.
Pet bedding should be treated like any other home laundry, and incorporated into your regular laundry routine. Choose beds with removable, machine-washable covers to make regular cleaning easier, and wash them every fortnight to keep home pet odors at bay.
An air purifier can complement your cleaning routine by filtering airborne particles. Models with high-grade filtration performance, such as HEPA and activated-carbon components, are effective in homes where pet-related particles and odors are an issue. However, an air purifier is not a substitute for cleaning the source of the pet odor in your home, and should be used in conjunction with a regular cleaning routine.
Activated carbon and other odor-absorbing products can help manage smells in enclosed areas such as cupboards, near litter trays, or around pet equipment. Unlike fragrances and deodorizers that mask smells, odor absorbers capture unwanted smells rather than simply covering them. This makes them a useful addition to your home pet odor-control arsenal.
Odor-eliminating sprays work to tackle smells quickly and effectively. The Storm x Polygiene OdorCrunch spray is a fantastic option if you want to freshen up pet smells without doing a deep clean or dedicating serious time and attention to the problem. It uses a silica-based solution to “crunch” the molecules responsible for unpleasant odors, enabling them to be released without smelling.
Removing an established odor is only half the battle. Prevention can make maintaining a fresh-smelling home considerably easier.
Good ventilation helps prevent cat and dog odors from concentrating in your home. Open windows when appropriate, use extractor fans, and make sure rooms with litter trays or pet feeding areas have adequate airflow. When rooms get stuffy, smells tend to strengthen.
For cat owners, litter trays are one of the biggest sources of household odor. Remove waste frequently, replace litter as recommended, and clean the tray regularly. Positioning the tray in a well-ventilated area will also help. With litter trays, it is as much about getting into a regular routine as anything else.
Food areas can get smelly quickly because there tends to be a lot of spillage. One of the best ways to tackle this is to optimize the feeding area so it is super-easy to clean. This can involve purchasing dishwashable food bowls and a wipe-clean mat to go under them. Clean the area every couple of days, and try to make sure it is well-ventilated, too.
Regular grooming removes loose fur and helps keep dirt and oils from accumulating in the coat. The right grooming routine depends on the animal and breed, so consult your vet or seek professional grooming advice if you are unsure what to do or how often to do it. Grooming in a controlled environment is also important, as you want to remove the loose fur from the house as soon as you are finished.
Where possible, choose washable covers, removable cushions, and hard-wearing fabrics for any furniture used by pets. Textiles absorb odors easily, and smells quickly get stuck in fabric fibers, so opting for easy-clean materials is essential.
In some cases, the best way to prevent unpleasant pet odors in your home is to challenge the pet behaviors responsible for them. For instance, you may need to stop your pet from sleeping on the sofa if it has a significant impact on odors. Similarly, you may need to train your pet to recognize that it can only eat in certain parts of the home. It shouldn’t take treats away from its food bowl, for example. It is important to note that this often involves challenging unhelpful human behaviors, too. Pet owners are often just as responsible for pet behaviours as their beloved animals.
Cleaning remains essential, but odor-control technology can provide an additional layer of protection between washes. Polygiene offers technologies designed specifically for textile odor management. Polygiene® StayFresh is an antibacterial technology that inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria, while Polygiene® OdorCrunch2.0 is designed to capture odor-causing molecules and prevent their release. The technologies can be used in home and pet products, including pet beds and other household textiles, and both work to keep fabrics fresher for longer.
Currently, you can find Polygiene odor-control technology in products from Black Lab Brands, a business that designs thoughtful, durable, and comfortable beds for all kinds of lifestyles and all kinds of dogs. It incorporates Polygiene StayFresh into the following products:
Your house may still retain that pet smell because you haven’t tackled the root causes – namely odor-causing bacteria and smelly molecules. A light, surface clean is not always sufficient, and odors may have penetrated carpets, furniture, mattresses, or other fabrics. Pet beds, blankets, curtains, and other textiles can also continue releasing odors after a general clean.
Alternatively, you may not have identified the source. A litter tray, dog bed, feeding area, or hidden urine accident could generate odors even after the rest of the room has been cleaned.
Vacuum high-traffic areas several times a week, clean food and water areas frequently, remove litter waste daily, and wash pet bedding regularly. Deep-clean carpets, rugs, and upholstery as needed. However, every house has a different schedule. Homes with multiple pets, long-haired animals, or pets that spend lots of time outdoors may need more frequent cleaning.
Air fresheners mask odors temporarily but do not tackle the root cause. Consequently, the smell will return once the masking effect expires. For persistent pet odors, source control is more effective. Clean the affected textile or surface, remove waste, improve ventilation, and consider odor-absorbing or odor-control products.
Pet odors are a normal part of living with animals, but persistent smells don’t have to be. A combination of regular grooming, frequent cleaning, good ventilation, washable textiles, and targeted odor-control products can make a significant difference.
If you want to find out more about how Polygiene technologies can help manage odors in the home, check out our Polygiene Home & Pets page.Alternatively, if you want to discuss how our odor-control solutions for home and pet products can enhance your products and deliver greater value for your customers, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.
Andreas Grevlind
Head of Digital Marketing & Brand
