Homemade Pet Stain Removers

Every pet owner hits that moment when they’ve got to clean up stains from their pet’s urine, poop, or vomit. At my place, those messes happen at 3 a.m. and only on sofas, rugs, or beds—basically, anything but the easily cleaned tile.

Rather than race to the store at that hour, head to the kitchen to whip up my homemade pet stain removers that get rid of the stains, germs, and smells on carpets and laminate floors.

Because I figure, like me, you want to clean up the mess with things safe to use around your furbabies. After all, they’re family—even if they do pee on the floor.

Cleaning Pet Urine or Feces on Carpet

Step 1: Scoop or blot it up.

If you’re dealing with a healthy pile of poop, slip on some rubber gloves and use a paper plate, thick piece of cardboard, or a dustpan to scrape up the mess.

If it’s urine, or your pet had diarrhea, reach for some paper towels or old rags once you’ve slipped on the gloves, then get blotting. You want to get the area as dry as possible before you apply a homemade pet stain treatment.

Use a clean cloth to dab the remover onto the pet stain and give it a couple of minutes to loosen the mess. Then blot it up with a clean damp cloth and repeat until the stain is gone. Rinse the residue with a clean, damp rag then it’s time to treat the odor.

Step 3: Neutralize the smell and germs.

Even when the stain is gone, the scent will lure your pet back to using the same spot. To break the spell, neutralize the smell with equal parts cool water and white vinegar or cool water and rubbing alcohol (isopropyl). Give it 5 minutes then wipe the area with a clean damp rag.

During that time, the homemade spray eliminates the odors by thinning the cell membranes and denaturing bacteria and germs. In other words, it knocks out all the gross stuff. So if you’re exhausted, you can blot the spot dry and go back to bed at this point.

Step 4: Restore the Carpet’s Fluff.

After removing pet stains on carpet, make sure the area is completely dry then vacuum it to fluff up your carpet fibers. If you want, sprinkle the area with some baking soda first for added odor control.

Cleaning Pet Vomit on Carpets

Pet food contains coloring agents to make it look like meat. So when your cat or dog pukes on the bed, you aren’t just cleaning their vomit and stomach acids, but also dyes that stain.

Step 1: Scoop and blot the area.

Slip on some rubber gloves and grab a paper plate or dust pan to scrape up the mess. Blot liquids with paper towels or old rags you can throw away.

Step 2: Use a cleaning treatment.

Use a clean rag get the area damp with cool soapy water (dish soap or liquid laundry detergent) and let it sit there for 5 minutes loosening the stain. Blot the discoloration with a clean damp rag to lift away the stain and repeat until it’s clean. Then wipe away the soapy residue with a clean damp cloth and let it air dry.

Step 3: Last resort.

If you skipped straight to this step, go back. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. You’ve got to first do the steps above to loosen the stain—most of the time, they’re all you need. If you jump to this method, which uses heat, you’ll make the stain permanent.

Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, this method worked a small miracle removing ancient pet stains on my carpets. (You can check out the results in my article about removing dried paint from a carpet.)

1. Open windows for ventilation. Super important!
2. Mix 2 tablespoons plain household ammonia and 1 cup of hot water in a spray bottle and spray the stain. Wait 2 minutes.
3. Cover the spot with a white towel and iron on the low steam setting to transfer the stain to the towel. Keep your iron constantly moving and check every 20 seconds or so.
4. Turn your towel to a clean part and repeat until the stain is gone.
5. Wipe the area with water to remove any ammonia residue then blot again with a dry towel.
6. Sprinkle the area with baking soda, let it dry and vacuum.

Cleaning Pet Stains on Wood or Laminate

Fresh Pet Messes

Once you’ve blotted or scoop up the mess, wipe the area with warm, soapy water to remove any lingering chunks. Then go over it again with a disinfecting wipe or my homemade floor cleaner which deodorizes while it disinfects.

Old Pet Stains

When your pet keeps going to the bathroom in the same spot on your wood or laminate floor, it can be tough to clean the stain and smell. This is because the mess might have soaked through to the layer underneath the floor. Here’s how to clean and deodorize the spot.

1. Sprinkle on a light layer of baking soda and use a soft-bristled brush to dislodge any hardened mess between the planks.

2. Spray lightly white vinegar and wait as the foaming action dissolves lingering surface stains and eliminates odors that reached the subfloor. That reaction also eliminates the scent that draws pets back to the same spot.

3. Wipe clean with a warm, soapy cloth to remove the vinegar so it doesn’t etch the laminate surface. Towel dry.

4. Blow-dry on low or or use a fan to dry the area to make sure the subfloor dries.

5. Sprinkle additional baking soda over the area, then cover it with a thin layer of plastic wrap or wax paper. Place some flat, heavy objects like books on top. This setup should be left overnight. The added weight not only pulls out more odor and moisture but also keeps your pet from disturbing the area. Vacuum everything up the following day.

6. Refinish the area if needed. If your pet has used the area so many times that the surface is etched, check with your flooring manufacturer about a matching sealant. This can prevent liquid from seeping between the planks while also restoring the protective surface layer.

Cleaning Pet Stains on Machine-Washable Items

To remove pet stains on machine-washable fabrics, presoak the item for 5 minutes in one of the DIY pet stain removers above. This loosens the stain, so your washer can do the rest in a cold water cycle with your regular detergent. Let the fabric air dry after washing and repeat if needed. Otherwise, you’re good to go back to your usual laundering method.

Like all messes, pet accidents are best tackled fresh even at 3 o’clock in the morning. So, stock your pantry or kitchen with the necessary supplies and you’ll be ready to hop into action to remove pet stains whenever they strike.