6 Ways to Deodorize Pet Smell When Selling Home

March 06, 2019 | Home & pets, Odorklenz-air, Remove dog smell, Uncategorized

You are ready for your home to hit MLS and for new prospective buyers to enter your home in hopes that it fits their every want and need. However, you have one major concern, the dreaded stench of pet that you keep getting a whiff of no matter how hard you try to make it vanish from your home’s air. Pet odors are one of the toughest odors to remove from the surfaces and air in your home – most pets (like mine!) have no limits when it comes to where they can roam and explore in the home, which means that odors will spread and travel throughout the whole environment. What can you do to refresh your home’s air and kick the pet stench out the door of your newly listed home? Find out below the key steps to implement to deodorize pet smell when selling your home.

Does Your Newly Listed House Smell Like DogDoes Your Newly Listed House Smell Like Dog?

Have you ever wondered what exactly the smell of ‘dog’ is and why it is so pungent throughout your home? Dogs, unlike humans, do not sweat – but they do perspire from their paws and emit a light perspiration from their hair follicles that will have a chemical scent that is individual to the dog. They also produce oil, which is a critical part of healthy skin and hair, and this oil has its own scent marker. All of these components will impact the overall smell of your dog – which can and most likely will be spread into the home. Not to mention, dogs also have a way of getting into every little (or big) mess that they find. Whether it is rolling in poop outside in the grass, jumping in a mud puddle, or even wrestling with another dog outside. The odors will brew and fester on your dog – whose first instinct when they get home is to cover this scent all over the surfaces of your house. When you begin to smell that distinct odor of ‘dog’ in your home, it will be time to take action and expel the odor – especially when your home is on the market!  

How to Keep Your House That’s for Sale from Smelling Like Pet

Dog smell and other pet odors can really affect the smell of your home – and not in a good way! A recent study conducted by North Carolina State University researchers found that those homes with dogs or any pets is more susceptible to bacteria in their homes (and a variety of bacteria to boot!), opposed to homes without dogs or pets. When bacteria builds-up inside an environment the bacteria will create and release a pungent odor that can take over inside the area. If you have started to notice that a collection of pet odors has gathered inside your home than it is time to apply some methods to expel the pet odor before your house begins to get flooded with potential new occupants.

Here are the top 6 ways to deodorize pet smell when selling your home.

1.) Control Urine Odors:

Pet urine, for many pet owners, is a huge problem that they face inside their home. Whether you are training a new puppy, dealing with an older dog with health issues, or even a dog with incontinence issues – urine will taint your home’s surfaces and impact the smell in your home. A go-to solution that pet owners will use when any of these situations are taking place inside their home is to use a good ole’ fashion ‘pee pad’. If your dog uses a pee pad, it is important to be sure that you put down a new pad after each use of the pad. When you leave these contaminated pads laying around inside your home it will wreak havoc on the smell inside this environment. If you have a cat inside your home, stay regular in replacing the kitty litter daily instead of scooping used litter clumps that require a sweeping up around the litter box after each scoop. Be sure to inconspicuously hide the litter box before each showing – this will help expel some of the odor that is created by your pet’s urine. Additionally, it is important to deodorize carpet and rugs in your home and this can easily be done using the a upholstery refresher. OdorKlenz Carpet & Rug Refresher

2.) Paint or Seal Walls:

Something that we don’t commonly associate with pet smell is the dander that your pet releases from their body that can also contribute to the pet odors swirling inside your home. Pet dander will travel all throughout your home and attach to any and every surface that it can find including walls. When your walls capture this dander, it will hold onto the odor and make the process of removing the pet smell a whole lot harder. The best way to go about removing this odor is to paint or seal the walls inside your home. The paint and sealer will coat the walls and cover the smell of the odors stuck on the wall and the previous coat of paint.

Clean Flooring Thoroughly3.) Clean Flooring Thoroughly:

As you may imagine, your pet spends a big portion of their day on your flooring – walking around, sleeping, or even chewing their new bone or toy. This will all leave an impact on your flooring and furthermore will require an extensive cleaning of this area. Often times, we try to clean our flooring at least every two weeks if not every week, and when you have pets it is important that this is regularly done. Scrub your floors with an effective odor-neutralizing solution to beat those stubborn, hard-to-remove pet odors from the flooring. Be sure to watch out for the different ingredients present in these floor cleaners though, as some cleaners contain harsh chemicals and fragrances that will only cover up and contaminate the surface more than its original state.

4.) Wash Drapes and Upholstery:

Fabrics and upholstery can act like sponges, absorbing anything that comes into contact with the material. Pet odors is no exception to this, as fabrics in your home like drapes and upholstery will trap these pet odors and cling to the smell until it is properly washed. It is recommended to either launder, steam clean, or dry clean all of your fabric drapes, as well as steam cleaning upholstered furniture.

5.) Give Extra TLC to Carpeting:

The carpeting inside your home can take quite the odor beating – especially when pets are involved. When you start to notice this surface stinking up your house, you will need to give it a little TLC, more than you usually do when you do your regular weekly clean. Utilize a carpet deodorizer that works against pet odors and apply that to your carpeting. Renting a wet vacuum machine at your grocery store or hardware store is the easiest and most effective way to extract the odors from the surface and reviving your home’s carpeting. Plus, it will help to remove stains from the surface to improve the appearance of your carpeting for potential buyers.

6.) Air Out Home:

Pet odors will travel throughout your home’s air and can potentially remain trapped inside this space. Many home’s lack proper ventilation which can lead to a build-up of odors and pet dander inside the environment. There are two things that you can do to try to help alleviate this issue and remove the collected pet odors from your home. First, you will want to open up the doors and windows inside your home to help flush the odors and pet dander from the air. When you allow fresh air inside, you are letting the fresh air come and flush out the contaminated air which can help to improve the indoor air quality and the strong odors within the air. Second, switch your HVAC filter out to a high-efficiency pleated filter with a patented odor eliminating technology. The OdorKlenz HVAC Filter is unlike any other HVAC available, as it provides your filter with the capability to break down and eliminate noxious odors that come into contact with the filter. This filter also lasts for up to 6 months, rather than the average life of a standard pleated filter which is about 1 month. By switching your filter to a higher-grade filter with a patented technology for odor elimination will be helpful in reducing pet odors in your home. Air Out Home If you find that your house is starting to smell like pet and you want to remove this odor before you put it on the market, try implementing these tips to eradicate the odor for good from your home environment.