You love your dog, but the pet can disappoint by peeing on your tiles. Dog urine can make your house unpleasant to stay in because of the strong odor. You may have trained your dog, but accidents happen sometimes.
It is always a good idea to know how to get rid of the dog urine smell on your tiles; otherwise, it might become a permanent odor. But don’t worry; it isn’t hard to get rid of the urine smell! There are several ways you can do it using easily accessible products. This article has a guide on how to clean dog urine from tile grout. Let’s get started!
Before You Start
Like any other cleaning project, you need to be ready with all the essentials needed to ensure that your house is free of dog urine smell.
First, you need to have all the cleaning supplies needed at hand, and it depends on the method you want to use to remove the dog’s urine odor. You will find the things you need when we discuss each method.
Next, determine the area affected by the dog’s urine. This is necessary because you may smell the odor but can’t recognize where it is coming from.
Look for signs of stain on your tiles to determine the area to clean. If you have bright-colored tiles, it is easy to detect the stain. You can also check where your dog likes resting while inside the house. Unlike a cat, it’s hard for a dog to conceal its urine, so it is easy to spot the affected tiles.
The 6 Practical Ways to Get Rid of Dog Urine Smell on Tile
After finding the odor or the stain, it’s time to start the work. Below are simple methods to clean dog urine from tile grout.
1. Vinegar and Baking Soda
There are many commercial cleaning products you can use to remove urine from tile grout. However, you can easily do it by using baking soda and vinegar.
- 3 tablespoons of baking soda
- Paper towels
- A half-cup of white vinegar
- Clean cloths
- Begin by sopping up the urine using paper towels. Discard the dirtied paper towels and use clean ones as necessary.
- Now deal with the remaining dog urine stain and odor. Pour a half cup of white vinegar over the tile grout with the urine stain. If the stain is small, use a ¼ cup less vinegar and a ¼ cup if it’s a large stain. Let the vinegar sit on the affected areas for about ten minutes.
- Pour three tablespoons of baking soda onto the white vinegar on your tile. The two chemicals react, leading to some foaming action. Note that this does not have any adverse effect on you, your tile floor, or your dog.
- Use the paper towels to remove the vinegar and baking soda combination when the foaming stops.
- Rinse the areas using a damp clean towel and let your tile floor dry. Once it is dry, the dog urine smell will be gone.
Point to note: Vinegar is an acid, so it can cut into your tile grout. So, you should first test it on an inconspicuous tile part with some drops of the solution. If it doesn’t cause any damage, you can move on to use it to remove the dog urine smell on the tile.
2. Dish Detergent
Fresh urine on the tile grout is easier to remove. Removing immediately also ensures that the dog urine smell doesn’t escalate. You can simply use the liquid dish detergent to perform the task.
- A rag or white cotton cloth
- Two tablespoons of liquid dish detergent
- Toothbrush
- Mix the two tablespoons of liquid dish detergent in a cup of cold water
- Start washing the tile with the cotton cloth. You can also use the toothbrush to scrub the tile grout.
- Rinse the clean part severally using cold water to get rid of all the sudsy detergent.
- Allow the area to dry or dry with a towel. And, you are done; the dog urine smell is gone, and so is the stain.
3. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice acts as a great bleaching agent to remove dog urine from tile grout.
- A gallon of hot water
- Half a bottle of lemon juice
- Cotton cloth
- Add the half cup of bottled lemon juice into the gallon of hot water
- Dip the cotton cloth into the solution
- Wash the dog urine stain until it is clean
- Allow it about 30 minutes to dry. The odor will be eliminated.
4. Dish Soap and Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide helps neutralize urine quickly and eliminate the odor.
- 4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide
- 2 tablespoons of warm water
- Dish soap
- Towel
- Start by mixing the 4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide with the tablespoon of warm water. You can also use any other tile stain remover with hydrogen peroxide as an ingredient. Any stain remover with the word “oxy” contains hydrogen peroxide.
- Mix them in a spray bottle with drops of the dish soap.
- Spray this solution on the dog’s urine stain and repeat as required.
- Once you complete, rinse the area with water.
- Dry using a towel and vacuum the remaining moisture. After that, you will no longer smell the odor.
Point to note: You should first test the hydrogen peroxide in a small part of the tile grout before using it on the stain. This helps ensure that it doesn’t discolor your tile. You should also avoid using hydrogen peroxide that is more than 3% strong.
5. DIY Removers
There are also several DIY cleaners you can use to eliminate dog urine odor from your carpet grout. These solutions are cost-effective and are made with ingredients you can get from your home cabinet. They are also natural and do not contain harsh chemicals contained in most commercial dog urine stain removers.
Some of the DIY removers you can use include a mix of baking soda, vinegar, mild dish detergents, among others that you use in your home. Regardless of the DIY remover you use, here are the steps to use.
- A DIY dog urine remover
- Piece of cloth or toothbrush
- Blot the dog urine-stained part using a towel before applying your preferred DIY remover.
- Apply a small amount of the remover to the affected area. You can increase the amount depending on the complexity of the stain. Avoid dumping all the solutions on the stain.
- Now blot the stained part. You can use a toothbrush to scrub the area to remove the stain effectively.
- Repeat the process on each stain if there are several.
Point to note: Some DIY dog urine stain removers can discolor your tile. So, start by spot-checking small parts before you clean the whole stain.
6. Using Enzyme Digesters
You can use various enzyme digesters to get rid of dog urine smell on tile grout. Regardless of the enzyme digester you use, the process of removing the dog urine from the tile is the same.
- Water
- Paper towels
- A cloth
- Club soda or seltzer
- An enzyme digester
- OxiClean
- A toothbrush
- If the dog urine is still fresh, soak with paper towels.
- If the stain is old, fold the paper towel several times to make it thicker. Then soak the paper towel with the club soda or seltzer and press onto the dog urine stain. You can use water if you don’t have a seltzer. Allow the paper towel to sit on the dog urine affected area for about five to ten minutes. This freshens the urine to allow for easy removal. Wait for a few minutes, remove the paper towel and then rub the stained part using a wet cloth to remove the dog urine residue.
- After removing as much urine as possible, pour the enzyme digester onto the area. You can also spray it instead of pouring it.
- If the dog’s urine odor remains, repeat the entire process until it is completely gone.
- If the stain remains, you can use an OxiClean. Pour a little of it onto the stain. Mix powdered OxiClean to form a paste and spread it over the urine stain.
- Scrub the OxiClean into the tile grout using a toothbrush.
- Allow it to sit for a few minutes and rinse it off.
Point to note: You should follow all the instructions on your selected enzyme digester label. This is necessary because some digesters should be soaked for up to ten minutes while others are dry on the affected area.
Dog Urine Cleaners to Avoid
- Air Fresheners: For quick and best results, you need to avoid using products such as air fresheners. Spraying the air fresheners does nothing to get rid of the urine smell. They only offer a temporary solution to the smell and do not get into contact with the affected tile grout. After a few minutes of spraying, the urine odor will be back.
- Ammonia Products: You should avoid using ammonia products since they are strong alkaline chemicals and can discolor your tile. It is also worth noting that dog urine contains a large amount of ammonia, so when applied to the dog’s urine stain, it reinforces the dog or puppy to go back there and pee again.
- Bleach and Other Harsh Chemicals: Avoid bleach or other strong chemicals. You should also not mix any chemicals since they can create toxic fumes. Most bleaches don’t sanitize the area but temporarily cover the urine odor. They can also cause damage to your tiles if used incorrectly.
Points to Remember
When using the different methods to get rid of the dog urine from tile grout, here are some essential things to put in mind.
- Always wear protective gear, such as gloves or masks, when necessary.
- Never wet the affected area before applying any base such as baking soda. This is necessary because water activates the acid again.
- Baking soda mixed with vinegar or other products may bubble up due to the neutralization reaction. You should never worry about that.
Related Read: How to Treat Dog Urine Spots on Grass: 5 Practical Options
Conclusion
The above ways are some of the most effective methods on how to clean urine from tile grout. They can help eliminate the dog urine odor immediately. It is crucial to ensure that you follow the steps effectively.
For commercial products, follow the guidelines on the label to get desired results. The other most important thing is to ensure the commercial or DIY products won’t damage your tiles. Lastly, if possible, clean the urine as soon as you notice it so avoid multiple cleaning sessions.
You might also be interested in: How To Get Dog Pee Smell Out of Concrete: 5 Practical Options
Featured Image Credit: MCarper, Shutterstock
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