How to Get Rid of Pet Smell at Home (and Before You Sell)

Updated October 2026. Steps checked against Humane World for Animals and the EPA on October 27, 2026.

To get rid of pet smell at home, work in 3 steps: find every soiled spot, blot it dry, and treat it with an enzymatic cleaner, which breaks down the waste that causes the odor. Skip steam cleaners on urine: Humane World for Animals warns heat can set the stain and smell for good. Then wash bedding and air out the house. Americans spent $158 billion on pets in 2024 (APPA), so you’re far from alone.

Jump to: 🏠 Find the source · 🪜 Clean it right · ⏱️ Air and filters · 📍 Deep damage · 💲 Selling with pets · ❓ FAQ

Why does your house smell like pets?

We love our pets, but smells build up fast. One accident in a far corner while you’re late at work becomes a habit. An older dog can’t wait as long as it used to. A cat skips a dirty litter box. Before long, the smell is part of the house, and you stop noticing it. Guests and buyers don’t.

Don’t scold the animal. Regular accidents can be a sign of a medical problem, so Humane World for Animals advises a vet visit to rule that out. Stress plays a part too. A new pet, roommate or partner can trigger marking. Treat the mess as a signal, not the whole problem.

Know your pet’s schedule

Every animal has to go, and some can wait longer than others depending on size and age. Set a routine that works for both of you. If you’re gone all day, a pet sitter or dog walker who comes for 30 minutes to an hour can prevent most accidents. A crate-trained dog will usually only go in its crate as a last resort. If that’s happening, it may be alone too long.

Habits and marking

Marking is different from an accident. An unfixed pet may mark its space, and the longer the habit runs, the harder it is to break. Talk with your vet about spaying or neutering. Punishment, like rubbing a pet’s nose in it, doesn’t work. Positive rewards and a steady routine do.

How do you find the source of the smell?

You usually know the room. Finding the exact spot is harder, especially with small pets. Old messes can dry and become invisible. Humane World for Animals suggests using your nose first, then a black light to find soiled areas. Outline each one lightly with chalk so you can clean it later.

Once you’ve found the spots, keep your pet away from them while you clean and retrain. As long as a pet can smell its own scent there, it may keep coming back. Some owners play with their dog in that part of the house, so it feels like living space, not a bathroom.

Start with your pet and its things

Clean the animal first. A dog that smells will make the house smell, no matter how much you scrub. Bathe your pet with a pet shampoo, or ask your vet or groomer for a suggestion. If baths are hard, pet wipes are better than nothing. Brush often to keep loose hair down.

Then wash everything your pet uses. Soak toys, leashes and collars in soapy water, or run them through the washer if the material allows. For bedding, Humane World for Animals suggests adding a one-pound box of baking soda to your usual detergent, then washing again with an enzymatic cleaner if the smell stays. Clean and refill the litter box. And don’t be afraid to throw out a blanket or toy that’s past saving. Our list of essential cleaning tools every pet owner should have helps you stock up.

What’s the right way to clean pet urine?

Speed and blotting matter most. Here’s the method Humane World for Animals lays out for fresh urine on carpet:

1. Soak up as much as you can. Lay thick paper towels on the spot, cover them with newspaper, and stand on it for about a minute. Repeat until the area is barely damp.
2. Rinse the spot well with clean, cool water and blot it dry.
3. Use a good pet odor neutralizer once the area is clean.
4. If a stain remains after it dries, use a carpet stain remover.
5. For big areas, think about renting a carpet cleaner.

Two things to avoid. First, don’t steam clean urine out of carpet or upholstery. The heat bonds the protein into man-made fibers and sets the stain and the smell. Second, skip cleaners with strong odors like ammonia or vinegar. They may make your pet mark the same spot again. Many older guides suggest vinegar, but that’s the reason to choose an enzymatic cleaner instead.

Solid messes

Pick up every bit you can before you clean. Scrubbing early pushes waste deeper into the fibers. Then treat the spot with an enzymatic cleaner and blot. A steady diet helps prevent loose stools in the first place, so go easy on new human food.

Why carpet pad matters

If urine soaks through the carpet into the pad below, it’s much harder to fix. You can’t always soak it back out. In some cases, you’ll need to replace part of the carpet and pad, Humane World for Animals notes.

How do you clear pet smell from the air?

Fresh air is the cheapest step. Open windows at opposite ends of the house to get air moving. A few hours often makes a big difference. But it won’t remove the source, so clean first.

Air cleaners can help with what’s left, if you choose the right kind. The EPA’s guide says many air cleaners carry two filters: one for particles like dander, and one for gases, including some odors. Activated carbon filters can work on gases, but only if the filter has a large amount of material. A filter that only catches particles won’t do much for the smell.

Your heating and cooling system helps too. The EPA suggests a furnace or HVAC filter rated at least MERV 13, or as high as your system can take, changed often. Keep in mind the system only filters air while it runs.

What if the smell has soaked into floors and walls?

Old stains build on top of each other. After a while, no cleaner can pull them out of porous materials. Wood, carpet and laminate go first. Urine is acidic, and Humane World for Animals says it can react with varnish and paint. You may need to remove and replace that layer of finish.

A little DIY

Trim and low window sills take the most damage, but they’re also the easiest to fix. Sanding can remove light damage, though you may find it goes deeper. Wood filler works on square trim, and you can cut out and replace small sections. Rounded or detailed trim often needs full replacement. Small patches of drywall can be cut out and patched too.

When it’s structural

In the worst cases, years of soiling reach the subfloor and even the joists. Odor-blocking primers and sealers help in some rooms, but if the subfloor is soaked, you’re close to replacing it. If that’s more carpentry than you’re comfortable with, call a contractor. Our guide to getting rid of unwanted animals covers smells from wildlife, which need a different fix.

What if you’re selling a home with pets?

Smell is the one thing photos can’t hide, and buyers notice it in the first ten seconds of a showing. In NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Staging, agents most often told sellers to declutter (91%), clean the entire home (88%) and improve curb appeal (77%). Pet odor falls right in the middle of that list.

Before you list, do a full deep clean using the steps above. Have a friend who doesn’t own pets walk through and tell you honestly what they smell. Then, for each showing:

• Take pets out of the house, or crate them in one room with a note.
• Put away bowls, toys, beds and the litter box.
• Open windows for an hour before buyers arrive.
• Skip strong air fresheners, which make buyers wonder what you’re covering.

If you replace carpet in one or two rooms, mention it in the listing. It tells buyers the problem was handled. These tips to sell your property in the fastest time possible cover the rest of the prep.

When the house is ready, a flat fee MLS listing with Beycome starts at $99, with $0 at closing. You change photos and details in the dashboard yourself, so fresh photos after a deep clean cost nothing extra.

If you’re moving with a large dog, read how to adapt a house for a large pet before you pick your next home. And if you’re buying it through an agent, the Beycome buyer program has no upfront fee. It’s open to every buyer on homes listed by other agents (the commission credit can’t apply where no buyer-agent commission is offered, like most FSBO homes, or on homes listed by Beycome sellers). Beycome keeps 1% of the price (minimum $1,499) and credits the rest at closing, with lender approval.

For pet projects at home, try how to build a dog house. Need a quiet room for other reasons? Here’s our DIY home recording studio guide.

Frequently asked questions about pet smell at home