Your four-legged friends are part of the family. But their not-so-subtle aroma can be unpleasant for you and embarrassing for guests. With that in mind, we put together this five-step guide to stopping your house from smelling like dogs (without filling the air with toxic chemicals!).
1 - Give their bed a daily spritz
There is no better feeling than slipping into fresh bedding. That just laundered smell is very hard to beat. We don’t know whether dogs feel the same. But we can keep their beds smelling just as nice as ours.
A natural pet bed refresher spray is a must-have accessory for any dog owner. Not only do they help to neutralise the odours your dog leaves behind but they also leave the room with the refreshing scent of your favourite essential oils.
When choosing a spray, it is important to pick one that is specially formulated for dogs. They skin can be surprisingly sensitive and your favourite can of air freshener might cause uncomfortable irritation.
2 - Keep the carpet clean and fur-free
Your carpets are like a big odour sponge that stretches from wall to wall all the way through your home. Add in the layer of dog hair that might be building up in the pile and it’s possible that it is your carpet, not your dog, that is the biggest cause of your problem.
Before you spray your carpets to neutralise the aroma (we’ll get to that in a moment), you first want to get as much of the dog hair out of the fibres as possible. For some pet owners, this can need to be done two or three times a week. It’s one of those jobs that gets harder the longer you leave it.
Famously, a rubber window squeegee is very good at pulling the hairs out of your carpet. If you don’t have one to hand, a hair brush is a good substitution. You might not want to use it in your own hair again, though…
Plenty of vacuum cleaner manufacturers make pet hair versions of their products. From experience, they tend to need a bit of extra help from the two methods above!
Once your carpet is free from pet hair, it’s a good idea to give it a spray with something to help neutralise the odours that have been locked in there.
Scented vinegar is a fantastic tool for this. Not only does it actively combat any odour-causing bacteria that’s breeding in your carpet (yuk!) but it also leaves behind a refreshing essential oil aroma of your choice.
3 - Diffuse the air
A good oil diffuser is something no home should be without, pets or otherwise. Choose one that you like the scent of because they can last for three months or more.
Placement of your diffuser is an overlooked factor in how effective it will be at keeping your home smelling wonderful. For example, placing it in front of a fan will make the scent stronger (as it is blown around the room) but this can become overpowering. Placing it low to the floor in the corner of a room can have the opposite effect.
From experience, having your oil diffuser on a shelf above a radiator is a great way to keep your chosen aroma ever-present without becoming overpowering.
4 - Use a good dog shampoo
Perhaps this is too obvious but the quality of your dog shampoo will make a big difference here. Lesser quality shampoos essentially mask the smell of your dog by overpowering it without doing anything to tackle the underlying issues at play.
Find and use a good quality natural dog shampoo that utilizes essential oils and other botanical ingredients to tackle the bacteria growing in your dog’s fur. That will go a long way to keeping those unpleasant smells at bay.
5 - Consider dog cologne
Dog cologne is a handy quick-fix for tackling smells before guests arrive at your door. A few spritzes and your dog will smell wonderful.
For more helpful tips check out our How To's