Animal smell in house

[Just Kate]

I can't smell animals in our house, but when my mom came over to visit today, she admitted that she smelled that "animal smell" when she walked in the door. We have an 11 year old black lab and we also have a pair of rats. Now the rats can get smelly. I have Ds spot clean the cage daily (or almost daily) and then we clean out the bedding once a week. I don't think our dog smells, but he's been a part of our family for 11 years so I'm sure I'm just used to him.

 

Any suggestions for getting rid of the smell? I hate the thought of our house smelling badly to others when they're visiting.

[Guest]

It's probably not that bad! We do not have pets, but when I was a child, my parents did. My mom washed the dogs regularly so they would not smell (they were small, too, so that helped). Vacuum and dust often. Wash fabrics often. Clean the carpets (if you have them) regularly. Take the carpet out if you can.

[Just Kate]

It's probably not that bad! We do not have pets, but when I was a child, my parents did. My mom washed the dogs regularly so they would not smell (they were small, too, so that helped). Vacuum and dust often. Wash fabrics often. Clean the carpets (if you have them) regularly. Take the carpet out if you can.

 

 

We just moved into a rental house with hardwood and tile, except in the bedrooms. I thought that would help, but maybe not? My mom is not an animal person, so she is probably more sensitive to it than others (but she is also the only person I know who would be completely honest with me).

 

Anything I could put on the carpets prior to vacuuming? Anything I could spray (although I hate the smell of commercial cleaners and prefer using vinegar, etc. for cleaning).

[Chocolate Rose]

Anything I could put on the carpets prior to vacuuming? Anything I could spray (although I hate the smell of commercial cleaners and prefer using vinegar, etc. for cleaning).

 

 

I think baking soda sprinkled on the carpets prior to vacuuming is supposed to help. I think that they recommend working it into the carpet with a broom or something and let it sit a bit.

[Guest]

Hmmm... I don't like a lot of cleaners because they are chemicals... the carpet powders probably aren't very healthy, ya know? Do you have a good vacuum? Does it really get all the hair and dander?

[Guest]

 

I think baking soda sprinkled on the carpets prior to vacuuming is supposed to help. I think that they recommend working it into the carpet with a broom or something and let it sit a bit.

 

 

Okay, now that is a good one. Unlike the other stuff.

[Just Kate]

I think baking soda sprinkled on the carpets prior to vacuuming is supposed to help. I think that they recommend working it into the carpet with a broom or something and let it sit a bit.

 

 

Good idea!

 

Hmmm... I don't like a lot of cleaners because they are chemicals... the carpet powders probably aren't very healthy, ya know? Do you have a good vacuum? Does it really get all the hair and dander?

 

 

I have a new Dyson (three months old), so it should be picking everything up.

[jhschool]

I have that problem. My cats are very bad

and like to mark my house. We are mopping the house with bleachwater

almost every day, disinfecting the basement with bleachwater several

times a week.

We used Nature's Miracle and it helped a bit.

I would love to hear other suggestions.

[beaners]

When we had rats, I would regularly clean out the tanks with hydrogen peroxide then vinegar. Or vinegar then hydrogen peroxide? I can't remember which order, but it really killed the smell. Assuming the cage has multiple levels and is wire, I would also spray down the surrounding area with a vinegar/water mix and wipe it dry.

 

The bottles aren't labeled, but the pound I pull rescue dogs from sometimes gives me an awesome shampoo that completely gets rid of the dog odor. Washing the dogs is a pain, but I can tell the difference when I do it.

[PrincessMommy]

It's probably the rats more than the dog. Do NOT mix vinegar and HP!!! Do one or the other - and vinegar is a good odor neutralizer but I don't know about hp. I'm pretty sensitive to smell and when we had guinea pigs they really stank up the place FAST. At least with the dog they go outside to pee - not so with the rats. I'd concentrate on keeping their cage clean.

[MomtoCandJ]

I have used vinegar in my carpet scrubber with washing detergent on my carpets.

[Mergath]

With rats, there's not much you can do if you're already keeping the cage clean. The smell isn't just in the cage, it's on the rats, especially if you have males. Rats have their own aroma. ;) I'd probably just shrug and move on with my life.

[beaners]

Do NOT mix vinegar and HP!!! Do one or the other - and vinegar is a good odor neutralizer but I don't know about hp.

 

I did say one then the other. Using both separately is more effective than only using one.

[KungFuPanda]

I think everyone's house has a different smell. People are animals too, so each house has a different smell. It's not usually unpleasant . . . just distinct. I have a dog, and don't care for detergent smell, so I steam clean my carpets with ammonia. It smells bad while you're doing it, but once it dries it doesn't leave a smell. It would help to get rid of the carpets, but installing hardwood is in line behind other expensive projects, so it'll be a while.

[readinmom]

We have one shedding golden retriever! After some research, we settled on baking soda with some vanilla mixed in. Let it sit on the carpet for at least 30 minutes before vacuuming. Maybe keep a container of baking soda underneath, close to the rat cage? I agree that they do have their own very specific odor.

[Incognito]

Old dogs do tend to smell. We've been using Gilette body wash on our dogs, and now they smell like an over-perfumed man instead of dog. I'm not sure if it is better or not...

 

Baking soda on rugs helps. Mopping more often helps. Airing out the house helps.

 

If you are not an animal person, and you go into a house with a dog and rats, you very likely will smell them. There isn't much of a fix to that. I do try to bake bread when I know non-animal people are coming over... :)

[KungFuPanda]

I have a mini-crockpot that I like use to simmer citrus peels and spices. It's smells nice,but not perfumey.

[Just Kate]

Wow...thanks for the suggestions! I am definitely going to try the baking soda and probably try to work on a better way to clean the rats' cage. Anyone with rats know how often they need to be bathed? I will admit that we probably don't do it often enough. :rolleyes:

 

As a side note, we got the rats because they were supposed to be the "least smelly" of the small, rodent creatures. Yikes!!! :ack2:

[Mergath]

I have a mini-crockpot that I like use to simmer citrus peels and spices. It's smells nice,but not perfumey.

 

 

I do this in a pot on the stove, with orange peels and a couple drops of vanilla. :D

[joannqn]

I'm sensitive to chemical scents, so I know my house smells like animals. We have an old dog and three cats.

 

I use baking soda in the carpets. I like to scent mine with lemon essential oil. I'll also burn lemon grass scented candles made with essential oils and soy wax if I'm felling particularly self-conscious about someone coming to the house. They make the house smell nice but don't make me sick like most candles.

[Pawz4me]

Since you say it's a newly rented house . . . are you sure the smell isn't an old smell and not your current pets? Has your mom ever mentioned smelling them before? Is this a smaller house than you've lived in before, or in a more humid area?

 

I've never had rats, but when we had a guinea pig keeping the cage smell under control was an issue. I had to spot clean every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. Dogs and cats are fairly easy--brush several times a week, bathe regularly, use a good quality cat litter and scoop at least twice a day. Scrub the litter boxes regularly and use some diluted bleach sprayed on a paper towel to wipe down anything stuck on the sides every time you scoop. Wash pet bedding at least every other week (preferably weekly). Take soiled rat bedding and cat litter to an outside trash can right away.

 

There's no reason an older dog should smell more than a younger dog, unless there's a medical issue. Check teeth, ears, anal glands as a starting point.

[Melissa in Australia]

Personally I cannot stand the smell of animals in the house. so I do not allow animals in the house. To me houses are for people, outside is for animals.

[kewb]

If you have animals there is a certain level of animal smell. I use baking soda on the carpets and wash the dogs blanket once a week. I spray the carpets and couches with vinegar once a week or more if I notice the smell. When it is humid out I can smell the dog smell which sometimes makes me wonder just how dog smelling my house is on a regular day,

[Just Kate]

Personally I cannot stand the smell of animals in the house. so I do not allow animals in the house. To me houses are for people, outside is for animals.

 

 

Are you my mother? Seriously, this is exactly what she always says!!! lol

[Melissa in Australia]

:001_cool:

[Pawz4me]

Are you my mother? Seriously, this is exactly what she always says!!! lol

 

Then you may want to consider how you interpret her comment, since it sounds like she's very biased.

 

My MIL doesn't have pets, but she likes both dogs and cats. She pet sits for us when we travel (just the cats, the dogs always travel with us). So if she ever told me our house smelled unpleasant I'd believe her. But if she was a person who had an issue with house pets then I'd wonder if she was giving me an unbiased opinion, or if her imagination was in play.

 

And ditto what KungFuPanda said above--ALL houses have a unique odor that IMO goes beyond whether or not there are pets in the house or what kinds of cleaners or air fresheners are used. It's an underlying, inherent odor. IMO some are pleasant, some not-so-pleasant and some are just . . . there. And it doesn't always seem to coincide with how clean the home is or isn't. My aunt has two inside dogs and a cat, and to me her house always smells like fresh air and sunshine, even in the middle of winter. She's a pretty thorough housekeeper, but I *think* it has more to do with the location of her home than anything else. She's on top of a mountain where there's always a decent breeze and relatively low humidity. I suspect her home would smell great even if she didn't clean nearly as much as she does.

[J-rap]

If your house is like ours, it smells more when it's warm and humid outside. Our house is very old, and all winter long the strange smells are gone, but once spring comes and the air outside becomes warm and damp, lots of weird old smells (including animal smells) seem to rise up out of the floors! It seems like it takes a couple weeks to air out the house, and I sometimes turn on the AC every once in awhile to help, and then usually the smells aren't so noticeable anymore.

[plansrme]

Just wanted to throw in a testimonial re. the effectiveness of baking soda and vinegar (not together) to remove smells. We recently acquired a car that had been sitting, unopened, for at least 6 months. Before it was shut up, there apparently had been some sort of unpleasant smell emanating, I figured, from the glove compartment (it reeked when I opened it for the first time). Someone had tried to cover or remove the smell with Febreze, which I could tell because they left the Febreze bottle in the back seat. The car smelled awful. So we vacuumed the car and then dumped an entire box of baking soda (not the tiny box, the next one up) onto the carpet and left the doors and windows closed for a day. Then we set pans of white vinegar in the car for about half of a day. Once everything was removed and the baking soda vacuumed again, the smell was gone.

 

I searched the internet and the aisles of Target for something besides baking soda and vinegar to remove smells, and everything I found was perfumed and intended to cover up smells. I have two kids who are allergic to perfume, so I "resorted" to the baking soda and vinegar. It worked beautifully.

[Bang!Zoom!]

An air purifier will help.  What you are smelling is oil based scent.  Clean the area around the cages with Dawn Dish soap to break it up, and use paper toweling to wipe up with.  Use very very hot water w/gloves on.

[Mom in High Heels]

I mix baking soda with a little lemon verbena oil (any oil will work though) and let it sit for a day or two so the scent really soaks in, shaking the mix every now and then.  I use a spoon to smash up the little balls of oil and then sprinkle it over the carpet and stomp it down with my feet.  I let it sit for an hour or so then vacuum it up.  

[Lara in Colo]

Two things that might help

Clean the dogs ears and feet-- that is the smelliest part-- I dip the dog feet in vinegar water once or twice a week and I bought some ear powder to get rid yeast in the ears (ask your vet )

 

Also, I found a great deal of smell was coming from the vacuum-- remember to change the dirt catcher after using and rinse with  (or spray ) the catcher with vinegar water.

[kroe1]

I think I am your mother. Get rid of the rats. When the dog dies, change out the floors and paint. Get a northern breed from now on. They do not stink.

[MercyA]

Spam from "carbon" reported.

[AlmiraGulch]

I think baking soda sprinkled on the carpets prior to vacuuming is supposed to help. I think that they recommend working it into the carpet with a broom or something and let it sit a bit.

 

This is what I do.  I have two dogs and two cats and I HATE animal smell.  I have to admit that when I come home from a business trip I smell dog as soon as I open the front door, because apparently I'm the only person in my house who smells it at all and no one does anything about it while I'm gone. 

 

I have mostly hardwood in the downstairs of my house, but the stairs and entire upstairs (except the bathrooms) are carpeted.  I vacuum often.  I sprinkle baking soda on all of the carpets, sofas, and chairs and let it sit, working it into the carpet/fabric with a broom or dry mop first if needed.  I also use Febreeze (the non-scented kind) fairly regularly, and that helps, too.  

[Muttichen]

We used to have mice, and no matter how often and well we cleaned the cage, they just stank.  It wasn't the cage; it was an odor the mice were giving off.  We solved it by putting some newspaper over the cage.  It let enough air in for them but contained the smell.

[mytwomonkeys]

 

I think baking soda sprinkled on the carpets prior to vacuuming is supposed to help. I think that they recommend working it into the carpet with a broom or something and let it sit a bit.

Agree. Dry tea leaves are supposed to work too in getting up extra dirt and dander.

[mytwomonkeys]

If you have animals there is a certain level of animal smell. I use baking soda on the carpets and wash the dogs blanket once a week. I spray the carpets and couches with vinegar once a week or more if I notice the smell. When it is humid out I can smell the dog smell which sometimes makes me wonder just how dog smelling my house is on a regular day,

Does it leave a vinegar smell? I want to try this. But I'm afraid! :)

[Cindy in FL.]

We have a rabbit and he can be a bit smelly. The three things that have helped: clean cage religiously, had him neutered, and we bought some drops that we add to his water which help with the urine/feces smell.

 

Good luck!

[Joanne]

FWIW, the "recipe" using dawn, baking soda and peroxide (mixed with a plastic spoon) is a suitable and cheap alternative to Nature's Miracle. I get the peroxide at WalMart for .88.

[kewb]

Does it leave a vinegar smell? I want to try this. But I'm afraid! :)

 

Once the vinegar dries there is no smell.  During the initial spraying you smell the vinegar.

 

[hillfarm]

I have often noticed that when people have indoor animals, they tend to habituate to the odors of their pets. They just don't smell it any more. However, if they are away from home for a week or so, they will often feel like they are hit with a brick wall of odor when they walk back in.

 

I think a lot of dog odor comes from the natural oils in the dog's coat. The oils build up over time and coat the areas where the dog rubs, sits or sleeps. After a while, that oil turns rancid and really begins to smell. We use a good shampoo to cut the oils in our dog's coat, and I scrub the areas where she sleeps or sits frequently with my Spot Bot, filled with something to cut the oil. I also occasionally use tea tree oil with my normal cleaning products. I usually use both a detergent, to cut the oil as much as possible, and a sanitizer to get rid of any bacteria. (Lest anyone worry about me overprotecting our immune systems, we live on a small farm and I am well aware that all my puny efforts are not much more than a finger in the dike...)

 

We currently have cats inside, but they will become barn cats as soon as they are neutered at the end of this month, recovered and the weather breaks. I have asked close friends and relatives to tell me asap if they smell pet odor when they enter my home. I really dislike going to someone's house and feeling like I need to hold my breath, the pet odor is so strong.

 

Odor is one of the prices to be paid for having indoor pets. But I do work hard to keep it down to the most minimal amount possible, and rely on noses other than our resident ones to detect it!