How to Properly Clean Up Dog Waste Indoors

This may seem like a strange topic to talk about but……there are times when your dog will let’s say have an accident in the house. When these “accidents” occur, do not lose your cool. The cleanup is not as difficult as you may think and if done properly no one will ever know what happened.

Tile or Hardwood

While cleanup of your dog’s waste in your home is not a pleasant experience, the best case situation is if the accident occurs on tile or hardwood. The reason for this is the fact that these surfaces are hard and in doing so the waste is easier to remove. If you can get to the feces before it dries, the scooping process is easy and no more difficult than picking up a pencil off the floor. On the other hand, if the waste has dried, a bit more effort is required and may even take some scraping to get it up or softening with a liquid. Which technique you choose will depend on the surface. As an example, you may not want to scratch your tile floor and may decide to soften the stool with water. On the other hand, applying water to your hardwood floor may not be something you want to do so you settle on a gentle scraping approach.

Regardless of which method you pick to remove the solid waste, the next step is to sterilize the area beyond just wiping it down with water. Dog feces contain bacteria that can make you sick. While bacteria will eventually die, it is better to go ahead and sterilize the area with a solution of diluted bleach and water, if the area can withstand this combination without harm. If this is not the case, clean the floor with an appropriate floor cleaner for that surface but make sure that the solution cleans and sterilizes the surface.

Carpet and/or Soft Furnishings

If your dog has had an accident on your favorite couch or carpet and it happens to be a bit watery, do not panic. The first step is to clean up the waste as best you can without rubbing it into the soft surface. To aid in this cleanup, use a scraper to remove as much as you can. Next, allow the spot to sit overnight and repeat the scraping process. I know this sounds odd as far as letting it sit overnight but this allows the waste to dry, which will make removal more complete. Once you have removed all the feces mix together two to three drops of Dawn dish soap, three ounces of white vinegar, and 16 ounces of water in a spray bottle. Apply this mixture to the spot and allow to sit for three minutes. Next, blot the area and repeat the process until the blotting comes up clean.

On the other hand, if the accident is solid the first step should be to remove as much of the waste as possible. Once the waste has been removed, combine a solution of half white vinegar and half water in a spray bottle. Apply the solution to the area and blot as above. This solution will both sterilize the area and prevent any “brown” stain from appearing by neutralizing the PH. In doing so, there is no need for any extra cleaning as far as germs go.

While every pet parent hopes this never happens, it is better to be prepared because we all know that sometimes “stuff” happens.