How to get pee smell out of tile floor

No matter how old or young your dog is, housetraining accidents will happen from time to time. If your dog pees on a tile floor, it’s easier to clean up than carpeting or some other surfaces, fortunately. However, you must remove the urine smell completely, not only for your own comfort but to prevent repeated marking in the area. If left, urine can soak into the porous tile materials and encourage your dog to pee there in the future.

While there are numerous products on the market to remove pet odors, such as urine, that’s not much help if you don’t have them on hand. Several at-home products effectively remove urine odors, and you may even have some of them sitting in your cupboards.

Find out how to clean dog urine from tile grout and tile surfaces using regular household items in this article!

1. Baking Soda and Vinegar

No matter what product you use, it’s important to clean up as much of the urine as possible with paper towels. The more urine you can remove at the start, the easier the cleaning will be.

After soaking up as much of the urine as possible, pour ½ cup of white vinegar over the urine stain. If there’s excessive urine, double the vinegar to one cup. Allow to sit on the stain for about 10 minutes, then pour 3 tablespoons of baking soda onto the white vinegar. These ingredients will cause a chemical reaction that creates foam, which is normal and safe. Once the foaming stops, wipe up the solution and rinse the area with a clean towel and plain water. Allow it to air dry.

• Safe
• Quick
• Uses household staples

• Not suitable for soaked in urine stains

2. Dish Detergent

Dish detergent can be an effective treatment for fresh urine stains. After cleaning the urine with paper towels as much as possible, rinse the area with water and dry it. Then, use a solution of dish detergent and water to wash the area. Be sure to apply liberally and scrub the grout and crevices. If necessary, use a toothbrush or nylon brush to get in tiny spots. Once clean, rinse the area with plain water.

This method is ideal for tile and other hard surfaces, but it can be used on carpeting and upholstery in a pinch. Dish detergent doesn’t usually stain (in fact, it can be used to remove stains), but do a spot test on light-colored carpeting or fabric to be sure.

• Safe
• Household staple

• Not always effective
• Takes some elbow grease

Related Read: How to Get Dog Pee Smell Out of Clothes and Fabrics (2 Proven Methods)

3. Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is an effective odor remover if you still have lingering urine smells. A mixture of half water and half lemon juice can be sprayed on the site of the urine stain to neutralize any remaining odors. Allow it to sit for five minutes before rinsing with plain water.

While lemon juice is effective, it may not be ideal. This method is best suited for odor removal after trying other methods, such as baking soda and vinegar or a commercial urine remover. Lemon juice may also stain light-colored fabrics or vinyl.

• Safe
• Effective odor removal

• May not work on strong stains
• May stain

Will Ammonia Work on Urine Stains?

Ammonia is a strong, common cleaning solvent that works well on a variety of surfaces. Unfortunately, urine is not one of them. The strong ammonia smell only serves to magnify the ammonia smell of the urine, potentially attracting your dog to the area to pee or mark in the future.

Conclusion

Even the best-trained pups may have an accident on occasion. The best way to discourage repeat accidents and keep your home smelling clean is by cleaning up urine spots quickly and effectively. After soaking up urine with a paper towel, be sure to try one of these methods using common household ingredients to banish the urine smell for good!

You might also be interested in:

• How to Remove Black Urine Stains from Hardwood Floors (8 Potential Methods)
• How To Get Dog Pee Smell Out of a Couch (10 Proven Methods)

Featured Image Credit: MCarper, Shutterstock