How to Keep Your House From Smelling Like a Kennel
by mylifewithpets | Last updated on October 26, 2021
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We love having pets, but the one thing that somewhat makes the experience less enjoyable is the way dogs smell.
Worst yet, the smell they leave all over out home.
For us, it makes no sense keeping our dogs off the sofa or even our bed so we figured we needed to search for ways to make sure we’d still enjoy having our pets around without resenting them for their odor.
We did just that and now it’s time for you to know too!
How it Was for Us
Moving in together meant gathering under one roof two humans, three cats and three dogs.
The logistic of that alone was more challenging than actually making sure they all got along.
The cats, as most cats, don’t require much maintenance. The dogs, however, were a different story.
Dobby is actually a bit of a cat, he hates dirt, mud or any sort of filth but he still has that doggy smell we all recognize so well.
Then we have Tommy and Coco. They love everything dirty and smelly. So much so, they quickly gained the moniker Stinky Winkies.
Stinky Winkies: Cute but Smelly
When we first moved in together, everyone and everything smelled like a stinky winkie.
These two dogs were the first thing you smelled when you got home, actually when you were arriving!
Nothing we tried to keep their odor under control worked and we were going insane.
We came to a point where we would rather just be outside.
Anything the two dogs touched, our cats wouldn’t go near.
We needed to find quick solutions that wouldn’t take us longer than we had to apply.
Nothing worked, at least not long term.
That’s when we realized there were a couple of solutions available that, when put together, actually made sense as a full plan of attack.
So we did just that.
How to Get Rid of the Dog Smell in the House
If your house is being overrun by stinky winkies, worry not!
We have all the answers you need to be able to have a fresh, clean home while keeping your dogs as an integral part of your family, as all dogs should.
Step 1 – Use the Right Shampoo
The first step is keeping your dogs clean and for that you’ll need the best products.
Giving your dog constant baths is no solution because they can cause skin issues (by removing essential natural oils) but also because wet dogs smell even worse!
You need to use dry shampoo.
Dobby seldom needs a bath, only when it’s hot, but for Tommy and Coco it’s really useful because, even if they aren’t getting into stinky trouble, they’re short which means their paws and bellies will get dirty often.
Important things to look for in a great dry shampoo is making sure it’s natural, because dogs will lick themselves after using it and making sure the scent is mild to keep from irritating their sensitive noses.
We’ve tried several options but, ultimately, found this to be the best one.
Step 2 – Use the Right Dog Cologne
This can be controversial, but bare with us!
In between baths, dogs can still smell. They aren’t dirty, just smelly.
And that’s what pet colognes are for.
Ideally you’ll want a pet cologne that will keep their smell in check long after the cologne scent fades.
That way, even when they’re not smelling good, at least they won’t smell bad and, if you have a stinky winky at your home, you’ll know just how precious that is!
Just remember that dogs have very sensitive noses so be careful about the scent you choose. For us, it’s either fruit scent or baby powder. Plus, some of the colognes we tried gave us allergies.
This is our favorite cologne and our dogs don’t mind it one bit either:
Step 3 – Choose the Best Cleaning Products
We’ll now focus on your home.
Not all cleaning products are made alike and most of them won’t solve your pet stains/odor issue.
The best products for dealing with dog odors are enzyme-based, which will get rid of the smell once and for all, particularly if we’re talking about urine that basically serves as a marking for your dog to know when to pee the next time he wants to.
While nowadays you’ll find more options than before, this is the one we found was the best.
Step 4 – Spread Some Candles Around
If both your dog and your home are clean and smelling good, all that’s left to do is to make sure it stays that way.
One simple, inexpensive way to do that is to use candles.
We don’t mean any type of candles, we mean odor removing candles, which are also enzyme based.
These candles will work amazingly for removing any kind of smell you don’t like.
Best yet, you have several scents available.
Step 5 – Last But Nor Least, Get an Oil Diffuser
Oil diffusers have a long-lasting effect as well as all the aromatherapy benefits you can think of.
We’re a bit obsessed by essential oils so we use a lot of them (with the right oils, your diffuser can even serve as a humidifier.
Make sure to stay away from any scents that are not advisable for dogs like tea tree. Other than that, it will leave your home smelling fresh and clean without those very aggressive air freshener scents (which we’re also allergic to).
They’re also aesthetically pleasing, meaning you can place them just about anywhere to serve as home decor too.
This is the one we have in our home:
Don’t Forget!
The way your dog smells is not his fault!
And he should never pay for it, like so many people who just put them outside or keep them away from the family.
Nothing will ever be worth wasting precious quality time with your dog, not even how badly he smells.
And now, with the tips we’ve just offered you, there’s really no excuse!
Try some of these tips or preferably all of them at once and say goodbye to dog scent forever!
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