How Do I Get Rid of the Cat or Dog Urine Smell in My Car?
Love driving with your goofy pet riding shotgun, but hate suffering through the odor or accidents they leave behind? Follow these foolproof steps on how to get rid of the dog smell in the car for good.
Go Windows Down
The answer to your question ‘How to get rid of pet odor in the car’? is simple. Go windows down. It seems obvious, but driving or parking your car with the windows down is the best way to intensely circulate the air in your car so the trapped pet stench can get sucked or be wafted out. The rushing wind even picks up any leftover smelly pet dander and debris. The next time you’re back in your car, take a whiff and see if your simple move was an effective one too!
Vacuum Hair and Dirt
If the smell is unbearable—any old vacuum won’t do. Get a shop-vac or another powerful suction cleaner that picks up all the microscopic traces of your cat or dog. You can even take it a step further and rent a deep cleaning, wet-dry vacuum to wash your car seats as you suck up the odor-causing contaminants. Together, this powerful punch is sure to leave your car smelling brand-new.
Clean The Source
You can also manually wash the area with a variety of cleaning products! Whether you go with pet-deodorizing shampoo, baking soda, etc., you’ll want to use a towel that can soak up all the moisture from the final rinse to neutralize the smell. Drying with The Absorber® PVA towel will prevent the onset growth of odor-locking bacteria and remove all traces of water far better than other traditional towels.
Target Your Filters
Most people forget to change the air filters in their car—never mind when their dog or cat has an accident or gets sick on the interior! If you don’t replace them, they’ll get clogged with gross-smelling particulates that keep the stench going long after the car’s been cleaned. Opting for washable or reusable filters should keep this inexpensive too.
Use a Pet Mat
Save yourself all the time and money spent on cleaning up after your furry friend. Get them their own pet mat or car bed to rinse off with the hose or toss into the washing machine! It will also stop the bad smell from becoming embedded in the nooks and crannies of your interior. Keep The Absorber® handy by your pet’s designated area so you can wipe up their paws or drool after playing: it can go in with the wash too!
Cleaning Products That Remove The Pet Odor from Your Car
Now that you know the tried-and-true steps for how to get any lingering cat or dog smell out of your car, check out these store-bought and at-home cleaners so you can manually tackle any stain or spot with an efficient wash.
Car Pet Shampoo
When it comes to cat and dog urine, you need to use cleaning shampoo made specifically for pets so it has the right chemical makeup to break down the powerful compounds found in urine. Using this right off the bat should save you time spent on washing the stain over and over again.
Water & Vodka or White Vinegar
An application or spray of water mixed with white vinegar or vodka works wonders as a natural odor remover and air freshener. You must leave the windows of your car down after using this mixture or else it will get stuck in air filters. Do this right and the smell will be gone when the spot dries!
Bread and Towel
Use any old towel to soak up and wash out urine as you normally would. You can do this for mud, grass, and other debris as well. Afterward, lay The Absorber® on top of the rinsed spot and put a slice or two of bread on it. Do this so the bread soaks up any foul stench still being emitted. It seems a little kooky, but it works!
Baking Soda
If you leave a bowl of baking soda in your car overnight, and it absorbs all the lingering pet smells by your next-day drive to the dog park. If the smell is very pungent: you might have to do this a couple of times to get it out completely. The baking soda works even better alongside virtually any other method on this list!