Night Elf Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 My dd says our house smells like our pets. We have two dogs. We have laminate flooring and tile flooring. They do get up on the couches. Could that be holding onto odors? I don't smell a thing, but I don't like that she does. What can i do to freshen up the whole house? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Yes, upholstered furniture can hold smells. It's one of several reasons we only have leather furniture. if I had upholstered, I wouldn't allow the pets on it or I would clean it/have it cleaned regularly. If you don't want to have the furniture cleaned, you can try Febreeze or similar fabric odor sprays, or sprinkling on some baking soda and allowing it to sit for awhile before vacuuming. Also consider any pet beds you have--those hold odor and should be washed regularly. How frequently are your dogs bathed? Many people hold on to the old wives' tales that frequent bathing dries out the skin/coat, or that some dog breeds are somehow miraculously self-cleaning. Neither is exactly true. Some dog breeds, particularly the hounds, can have a distinctive odor. For those dogs, IME it's basically impossible to do much about it. You just have to learn to live with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 The food you feed can help with pet smells. But it's prob your upholstery and pet rugs/beds. I've also found draperies that are near where they lay can be dirty at the bottom and hold oils and such. I just don't see it until I look for it! lol Try a good steam clean (if yours is the type that will be ok with this sort of cleaning) and open windows to air things out every day or so. I usually let my dog out early and just keep the door open for a few minutes (sliding door to back yard, opens right onto the area he lays in most often and where his kennel is). ETA: Of course I mean steam clean the upholstery, not the dogs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 I don't know if i can steam clean the couches. I'm not sure what type of fabric they are, although i have had to wipe them a few times when something was spilled on them. I didn't think of washing their bedding so I'll do that today. And because they are both short haired, I didn't think I needed to bathe them too often. i'll do that today too. And I also have floor length curtains near the beds, so I guess I'll toss those into the wash as well. Okay, I have some things to try. Thanks. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 You have received some good advice. With your couch, is there a place you could spot test? I have a Hoover floor cleaner and tried it on my couch on the back to be sure it would be OK. Now, I regularly use it on my couches (an off white/crem color). They are a 'rough' fabric, though. I would never use it on my microfiber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 yes - the couches are cloth and will hold any smells. the dogs should be regularly bathed to keep them clean, which will help. also do some regular airing out the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dashka Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 I'm not sure if this will help, but I figured I'd put it out there in case you wanted to try it. A little while ago one of our kittens urinated on one of my children's moon chairs, so I had to look up how to clean it. I found a recipe and tried it out, and it got it out no problem with no smell whatsoever. It says that it also works on old smells too, but I haven't gotten around to testing it on a place downstairs where an old cat had urinated and I couldn't get the smell out as good. Keep meaning to try it there! But it's basically for neutralizing odours, so I would imagine it would work on your couch/whatever fabric stuff. Just make sure to test a small patch in an out of sight spot first, to make 100% sure it didn't bleach!! (It didn't bleach the pink polyester covered chair at all, nor did it bleach our couch (can't remember what it is, that kind of material where you push your hand up it makes it darker, down makes it lighter, or the other way around). 16 oz Hydrogen Peroxide1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid1 tablespoon Baking Soda (I lowered the portions by far so that I didn't waste a bunch in case it didn't work. Also, it suggests not leaving the recipe in a spray bottle, as it can cause it to build pressure after a time). Original link where I found it: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/petdebate/msg1013260223390.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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