7 Ways to Get Rid of Dog Smell

You love your dogs, but you may not always love their smell. While a dog can turn a house into a home, it can also leave that home stinking. 

But don’t worry. Having a dog doesn’t mean your house has to smell like a kennel. Here are some easy and effective ways to get rid of that dog smell in your home. 

Why Does My Dog Smell?

The typical “dog smell” results from natural odors produced from your dog’s oily coat or glands in their ears, anus, or soles of their feet. This scent production is essential in canine social dynamics and territory marking (1). 

While you can’t stop your dog from producing the natural smell entirely, you can stop that smell from taking over your house.

How to Get Rid of Dog Smell

Fortunately, there are quite a few options that work when it comes to getting rid of dog smell in your home. 

One way to remove that doggy smell is to invest in an air purifier. Air purifiers work by filtering particles of dust, pollen, and dander from the air. Dander is small scales that shed from the skin, hair, or feathers of animals.

Dog skin and hair are a significant source of smell due to the oils and proteins they naturally secrete. Using an air purifier to remove dander from your air will help remove a large dog smell source.

Studies have also shown that air purifiers can significantly reduce bad odors from a room (2). 

Odor absorbers are another effective way to remove the dog smell from your home. Odor removers work by absorbing smells. 

These products come in various forms but typically use an absorbent gel or charcoal as the base. 

Odor absorbers take in moisture from the air in your house and take with it any smells, trapping these inside the material. 

Odor absorbers are typically more effective in small enclosed spaces, and you will have to replace them once they have met their absorbent capacity. 

For a quicker smell fix, odor eliminators are a great option, as you can spray them directly onto the smell source.

If your dog has left a section of the couch super smelly after an afternoon nap or has had an accident on your carpet, using an odor eliminator spray can help eliminate the smell.

OdorOut Spray by PetFX® is particularly useful when you need to instantly and permanently eliminate odors. The spray uses a chemical process known as spontaneous oxidation-reduction. This spray is also fabric-safe, contains no bacteria or enzymes, and is made with FDA and FEMA GRAS approved ingredients. You can feel safe using it around your pets and on your furniture. 

When it comes to managing your dog’s smell, one of the best things you can do is cut the smell off at the source. 

By bathing your dog regularly with proper pet shampoo, you can reduce the smell of the oils and other secretions. 

As anyone with a dog knows, they’re notorious for getting into the smelliest situation possible. So even if your dog doesn’t produce much natural smell, your pup can still come home smelling pungent after a long day at the park rubbing itself on suspicious objects. 

Shampoos will help eliminate any nasty smells your dog has picked up outside, helping you keep your house smelling fresh.

PetFX® offers a range of dog shampoos that will not only keep your dog clean but can also help to reduce anxiety, shedding, microbial growth, and itchiness.

CannaLove™ Anxiety Relief Shampoo and CannaLove™ Allergy & Itch Relief Shampoo are both great options, depending on what your dog needs.  

Keeping on top of cleaning is another way to help keep the dog smells out of your home. 

Dog hair, dander, secretions, and whatever your dog tracks inside can slowly build up in your home, leading to a distinctive dog smell throughout your house. Regular washing of dog beds, vacuuming, disinfecting, and mopping is an easy way to get on top of dog smell in your home. 

Be sure to pay particular focus to areas where your dog has high levels of contact. We recommend regular cleaning of:

• Dog beds (vacuum weekly, wash every month)
• Floors (vacuum/mop twice a week)
• Furniture (vacuum weekly)

Baking soda isn’t just for baking; it’s also an effective cleaner and odor remover that can help reduce pet odor in your home. 

Baking soda is odorless, absorbs other smells, and can easily be vacuumed up when used as a powder, making it an ideal DIY dog smell remover. 

Simply sprinkle baking soda over the carpet or furniture you want to deodorize, leave overnight, and vacuum it up in the morning. 

You can also turn baking soda into a paste with water and use it to scrub out stains or strong odors left by your dog. 

The last odor-reducing tip is good for you and your dog. 

Regular walks will provide your dog with fresh air and a chance to urinate, play, and shed outside of the house, reducing the chances that these smelly activities will happen inside your home. Regular outdoor exercise can also help keep your dog happy, healthy, and fit (3). 

Just be careful to keep your dog away from any smelly material that they could track inside. 

The Bottom Line 

One of the downsides of owning a dog is the “dog smell” that they can leave inside your house. Dog hair, skin, and dander can all build up in your home to create an unpleasant odor. But having a dog doesn’t mean that you just have to learn to live with a smelly house. 

There are many odor-reducing methods you can use to get rid of the smells. From regular cleaning and grooming to purchasing specific odor neutralizers, you can keep your home free from dog smells with just a few easy steps.