Dogs are humans’ best friends. They are interactive, loving, loyal, and protective. However, they can also be gross! Living with a dog almost certainly means having to deal with urine stains at least a few times throughout the year. One of the worst things to deal with is dog pee smells on the couch. How exactly can we get those smells to go away once and for all?

Hopefully, this short guide will make it possible for you to do just that.

The 4 Steps to Get Dog Pee Smell & Stains Out of a Couch

1. Start With Soap and Water

The first thing that you should do before anything else is clean the soiled urine spot on your couch with a little soap and water. Any kind of couch can handle this kind of treatment, including leather couches. Just dump a clean cloth into a bowl or bucket of lightly soapy water. Wring out the cloth, and then use it to scrub the affected urine area gently.

Let the area dry completely, then sniff the space to see if any unwanted smells are lingering. If so, repeat the washing process one or two more times until you do not smell anything immediately after the area dries. Hopefully, you won’t notice the pee smell nearly as much after this process.

---

2. Make Use of Vinegar

The next step is to apply vinegar to the affected urine area to help neutralize the enzymes that are responsible for the nasty odor that urine leaves behind. Start by filling a reusable spray bottle halfway with apple cider or white vinegar. Then, fill the rest of the bottle with water. Shake the bottle vigorously, then spray the affected urine area with the solution.

You can use a sponge or cloth dampened with the vinegar solution to penetrate deep stains. After spraying and scrubbing the area with vinegar, let the area dry completely, and you should experience a noticeable difference in odor. If the odor does not fully disappear at this point, you may need to proceed to the next step.

---

3. Invest in a Quality Enzyme Cleaner

If the vinegar does not work to rid your couch of dog pee smells completely, it is time to consider investing in enzyme cleaners. These come in both liquid and spray forms, and they work to break down the enzymes in dog urine like vinegar is known to do. However, this is concentrated stuff designed specifically for pet stains and can do a better job when vinegar doesn’t cut it.

Just follow the directions on the product to get the best results. You may have to repeat the process multiple times to get the results that you are looking for.

---

4. Be Proactive

Once you have completed the first steps on this list, it is time to start thinking about being proactive when it comes to keeping dog urine smells from accumulating on your couch. You can start regularly vacuuming your couch, no matter what material it is made of. Do so a few times a week, and you should experience much fewer offensive odors when chilling out in your living room.

Take the time to occasionally wipe down your couch with a lightly soapy cloth, which will help break down odors so you don’t have to be exposed to them. Also, you can spray your couch a few times a week with a vinegar solution to help break down enzymes before you even become exposed to the odors that they help create.

Final Thoughts

There are several things that you can do to get rid of dog pee smells on a couch, but time and effort must be put into the process. Even then, sometimes, a couch is past its prime, and the best thing to do is to replace it. However, before going to these lengths, it is a good idea to give all the steps on our list a valiant try. Chances are that by the time that you get to the end of the list, your couch will be saved.

• See also: How To Get Rid of Dog Urine Smell on Tile – 4 Possible Ways

---

Featured Image Credit: LightField Studios, Shutterstock