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How to get dog smell out of your couch

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Having a pet dog can be a wonderful experience. The connection between dogs and humans is one of the strongest. They are incredibly loyal, and their antics often bring a smile to your face. 

We enjoy cuddling with them on the couch or snuggling with them in bed. But no matter how much we try to avoid it, dogs do leave a distinct smell on the couch, carpet, and even your sheets and blankets. 

Even the most enthusiastic and conscientious dog owners struggle to get rid of this smell.    

Let’s find out how essential oils can help when you are wondering how to get dog smell out of couch, whether they are safe to use around your dog, and which oils are the best to use around your pet.

Here are some tips on how to get dog smell out of your couch

white Dog on a couch with the words how to get the dog smell out of your couch

*This post contains affiliate links to the essential oils and other products I talk about in the post. Purchasing them here from my blog is no extra cost to you but I do earn a commission that helps in the cost of running this blog. Thanks for your support!

4 Tips to getting the dog smell out of your couch

1. Wash all covers and throws

We often have cushions, pillows, and throws on our couches to make them more comfortable. Remove all these and wash them regularly. If your sofa has removable covers (a wise investment if you have a pet), remove these and clean them too.

If the covers are extra smelly, soak them in a mixture of water, white vinegar and a few drops of lemongrass oil for a while before putting them in the washing machine. The lemongrass will help neutralize the smell. 

2. Use cold water

Hot water tends to set the smell into the fabric, so always use the cold water setting in the washing machine. Even if you are spot cleaning a particular stain on your covers, use cold water. 

3. Vacuum thoroughly

Dog hair, dead skin cells, and even dust can settle into your couch and make it smelly. So, use a vacuum to suck out all the smelly stuff from your couch. Vacuum the surfaces, and all the crevices where the hair tends to get stuck. Don’t forget to vacuum beneath the couch.

4. Baking soda

When it comes to soaking up unwanted odors, baking soda is beneficial. You can sprinkle some baking soda on your couch and leave it overnight. Use a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the baking soda the next morning.

You can add a few drops of essential oils like lavender or rosemary to the baking powder before sprinkling it on the couch. One of my favorites is Young Living’s Citrus Fresh blend. Citrus fresh comes in the premium starter kit and is amazing at making things smell fresh and clean.

Best essential oils for deodorizing your house

You may love your pet like a member of the family, but I’m sure you often wonder how to get dog smell out of house?  Eliminating dog-related odors can be a challenge.

While there is no dearth of products to get rid of pet odors in the market, most of them contain harsh chemicals. One of the most effective and chemical-free methods for eliminating pet odors from the house is essential oils. This all-natural solution also comes with other benefits for you and your pet. 

Most of the time, the dog smell coming from your couch is from the germs that your dog has brought in. Essential oils help to eliminate these germs and remove the smell, along with protecting you from infections. 

Here’s the list of 10 best essential oils to get dog smell out of the house.

dog on a couch with the words get rid of dogs smells

10 Best essential oils to get dog smell out of your house

1. Lemon essential oil

Lemon essential oil is a champion when it comes to tackling foul odors. It helps to sanitize surfaces and helps to get rid of pet odors. The refreshing, energizing, and uplifting scent of this essential oil also enables you to feel energized and boosts your mood.

2. Rosemary essential oil

Thanks to its beneficial properties, rosemary oil makes a great addition to any cleaning liquid or solution. Diffusing it in the air helps to get rid of foul odors, repel specific bugs, and ease your stress.

3. Sweet orange essential oil

Use sweet orange essential oil to get rid of dog smell from your couch and to replace it with uplifting and refreshing sweet orange aroma.  This oil is beneficial for your dog as well as it repels fleas and treats skin conditions. 

4. Lavender essential oil

Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils thanks to its relaxing and deodorizing properties. It can be used to make a spray to be used as a pet cleaner for your couch. You can safely use this essential oil around dogs as it is one of the most commonly used essential oil for pet products.

5. Eucalyptus Radiata essential oil

Eucalyptus Radiata makes an excellent pet cleaner for couch. Add a few drops of this oil to any of your cleaning products to clean your sofa or your carpet. Add a few drops when you wash your couch covers or throws, and they will come out smelling wonderful. Eucalyptus Radiata is a natural germicide, and it is also the best tolerated and the gentlest eucalyptus essential oil. 

6. Peppermint essential oil 

Peppermint essential oil has a cool, invigorating aroma, which can quickly get rid of dog smell from your couch. It has strong cleaning powers and can help get rid of ants, spiders, and cockroaches as well. 

7. Thyme essential oil

Thyme linalool oil is the most gentle and useful essential oil. It has relaxing, antibacterial, and antifungal properties, without the harsh skin irritation associated with common thyme. 

8. Lemongrass essential oil

When diluted with water, lemongrass essential oil makes an excellent all-purpose disinfectant and cleaner. It also helps to minimize unpleasant aromas like dog smell. It also promotes a feeling of calmness when used in aromatherapy.

9. Cinnamon essential oil 

The sweet and spicy aroma of cinnamon essential oil is highly effective in deodorizing and purifying the air at home. It is also useful in disinfecting and cleaning surfaces. 

10. Cedarwood essential oil

The reassuring and comforting aroma of cedarwood essential oil makes it an effective natural deodorizer. Its pleasant woody aroma has a calming effect, which is perfect for stress relief. 

Not only are these essential oils, effective cleaners, and deodorizers, but they are also safe to use around your pets. 

Dog on a couch
DIY Pet Fresh Spray

DIY Pet Fresh Spray

Yield: 16 oz spray bottle
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Active Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Want to know my trick for how to get the dog smell out of your couch? This quick and easy spray helps keep my house from smelling like a dog and it is so easy. Just mix and spray to remove the dog odor from the fabric.

Tools

  • Measuring cup
  • Measuring Spoon

Instructions

    1. Add 15 drops of Lemon essential oil to the glass spray bottle
    2. Add 15 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil to the glass spray bottle
    3. Add 5 Peppermint drops of essential oil to the glass spray bottle
    4. Add one tsp of sea salt to the glass spray bottle
    5. Add one cup of distilled vinegar to the bottle
    6. Add about one cup of distilled water to just below the neck of the bottle. Important note- You may want to stop to about an inch below the neck so that you leave enough room for sprayer tube to fit and your mixture not overflow
    7. Attach spray nozzle and shake the bottle to mix the oils and water.
    8. Spray couch till wet and let sit 10-15
    9. Allow to air dry. Do NOT add heat to speed drying time

Notes

Test spray on a small hidden area to make sure the material on your couch is not sensitive to this solution.

Because oil and water don't mix you will want to lightly shake the bottle each time before you spray to evenly disperse the essential oils.

How to make sure your dog doesn’t smell?

While it is essential to get rid of pet odors from your furniture, you must also make sure that your dog is clean and smells good to ensure that your home stays odor-free.  Here are some hygiene tips for your dogs – 

1. It would help if you bathed your dog regularly. Most veterinarians recommend that you clean your dog once in three months as too many baths can dry out their skin. You can also try an aromatherapy shampoo. Lemongrass, peppermint, or lavender are best for fighting odors and keeping fleas and ticks away.

2. It would be helpful if you brushed your dog every few days no matter what the length of his coat. Brushing can help remove hair mats, which helps prevent your dog from shedding too much in your house or on your couch.

3. Sprinkle some baking soda or corn starch on your dog’s coat. The cornstarch will help to absorb the oil and dirt, while the baking soda will deodorize. 

4. Healthy insides lead to healthy outside. Feed your dog good quality food to improve his digestion. A healthy dog means less gas and thus less smell.

5. Clean your dog’s bedding regularly. If the bedding is smelly, your dog will also smell. You can also add some lavender essential oil while washing your dog’s bedding. 

Let us now look at particular surfaces and ways to get dog smell out of them. 

How to get dog smell out of blankets?

If you allow your dog to snuggle up in the bed with you, you may end up with a stinky problem. Dogs love to lay on something soft like a blanket, and you may find it challenging to get the dog smell out of blankets. 

Wash your blanket water as it will help to get rid of any bacteria. Add a cup of white vinegar to your rinse cycle. 

Dilute a few drops of lemon or eucalyptus essential oil and add it to a spray bottle. Spray it on the blanket and let it dry completely before using it. 

How to get dog smell out of a leather couch?

Leather is durable and resistant to most stains. However, you sometimes might not be able to save your leather couch from dog smell or urine accidents. If your couch smells like dog urine, vinegar and linseed oil can effectively get the dog smell out of a leather couch. 

You can also use lemon essential oil on your leather couch. Dampen a soft and clean cloth with 10 to 12 drops of lemon essential oil and apply it on the leather surface. Not only will it get rid of the dog smell, but it will also promote the longevity of the leather. Lemon essential oil is included in the Young Living Premium Starter kit.

How to remove pet odor from microfiber couch?

Microfiber couches are marked with codes like W, S, WS, and X. These codes indicate how a microfiber couch can be cleaned. The ones marked X can be cleaned only with dry brushing, while those marked with W and WS can be cleaned with water-based cleaners. 

If your microfiber couch is marked S, you can use a mixture of rubbing alcohol, white vinegar, and lavender essential oil to clean it. Just add this mixture to a spray bottle, mist it over the stained area and scrub it with a clean towel. Rubbing alcohol and vinegar will clean the stains, while lavender essential oil will get rid of the pet odor. 

What home remedy gets dog smell out of carpet?

Getting pet pee out of the carpet and deodorizing it can be quite a task. If it is a recent accident, soak up as much pee as possible by placing a thick layer of paper towels or newspaper on the spot. If possible, put a layer of paper towels under the spot as well. Rinse the area with cool water thoroughly and blot.

Avoid buying carpet cleaning pet products to get dog smell out of the carpet, as they may contain harsh chemicals and strong fragrances that never seem to go away. Good old baking soda mixed with an essential oil works best to remove dog smell. Try this all-natural homemade Carpet freshener it's super easy to make and use.

Combine baking soda with lavender essential oil and mix it thoroughly. Sprinkle liberally on your carpet and wait for at least two hours before you vacuum your carpet.  

Final thoughts

Although you now know how to get dog smell out of the couch and other surfaces of your home, the best way to keep your home smelling clean and pleasant is to prevent the odors. Be proactive and vacuum and deodorize the surfaces with a mixture of baking soda and essential oils. Make sure that your dog is clean and smells good to ensure that your home stays odor-free.

Want to buy the best essential oils so you can enjoy fresh smelling home free of the dog stink? I'd love to help get you started!

When you sign up with me as your enroller you get amazing support and education for not only the Lavender, peppermint, and lemon oils you need for a fresh smelling home, but all the wonderful essential oils and non-toxic products Young Living has to offer.

I even have an FREE Essential oils reference app just for those that enroll with me! I want you loving your oils and getting the most out of them you can.

Ready to get started? Click on the below image and let's get the young living starter kit in your hands.

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Written by Manveen Grewal , Edited by Ruth Rackley

How to get dog smell out of house

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