All dogs—including Labrador Retrievers—have a distinctive smell about them. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are smelly. But it may lead you to wonder how to remove dog smells from your home.
If this your first time to bring home a Lab puppy, you may not be aware yet that looking for the best way to remove dog odor from your house can be challenging.
But, trust us when we say that getting rid of dog smell from your house is a serious endeavor. Especially when you consider the fact that dogs will smell like dogs.
So, if you aren’t crazy about the way your little Labrador makes your safe place smell. You are on the hunt for ways on how to remove dog smells from your home, here’s a quick guide to help you:
It is normal for your Labrador Retriever to smell distinctively
First off, you should know that it is pretty normal and healthy for your Lab to smell. Since they have natural body oils and excretions that cause a distinctive doggy smell.
So, if your dog smells like they regularly do, that doesn’t mean that they’re unclean.
You should be able to differentiate when the smell is normal and when you need to take care of it.
In the case of Labradors. They have quite a distinctive smell due to the oils they produce for their special double coat.
Even if they are a short-haired breed, they can still pack quite a scent if not managed properly.
Take careful note, though, that there are certain smells that are indicative of health conditions that need medical attention.
These smells are the ones you need to look out for.
Watch out for rotten or foul doggy scents, as they may indicate that something is medically wrong.
6 tips on how to remove dog smells from your home
Now that we’ve established acceptance of what your Labrador Retriever should smell like. Let’s proceed to what you should do when the smell becomes too overwhelming, and you want to know how to remove dog smells from your home:
1) Wash their bed.
First of all, you should wash your Labrador’s beddings. Their bed is usually the area where most of their bodily secretions accumulate.
Considering that they sleep and lie around in their bed. They could also be dribbling their saliva, sweat, and body oils there.
Consequently, it is critical that you clean their bed regularly. Otherwise, the smell will only get worse over time without maintenance.
You should routinely take out the coverings of your dog’s bed and follow the indicated washing methods.
2) Clean the furniture that your Lab gets on.
For many people who consider their Labradors as part of their family. They usually give their Labrador Retrievers free reign over the household furniture.
Hence, if you are one of them, your furniture may also start to smell like a dog when it’s not cleaned regularly.
This is especially true for your couches or chairs that can absorb the smells that your Lab emits.
You should also switch out your pillowcases and give them a wash every once in a while to eliminate the odors that stuck to the cloth.
There’s no need to wash them every single week. You can just vacuum your furniture about once a week or so to get rid of all the hair that may have stuck there.
3) Clean your floors.
Unlike humans, dogs don’t sweat over their whole body, as they have fur surrounding their skin.
Because of this, sweat does not really cool down your Labrador Retrievers.
Instead, the bulk of their sweat glands are concentrated on their feet and nose.
This makes walking around the house on a hot day a messy affair for your floor.
Your floors are not something you should overlook when looking for ways on how to remove doggy smells from your home.
After all, the floors are quite literally everywhere in your home.
You can use a cleaning agent to mop down the parts of your floor that you can.
If you have hard floors, such as tiles and linoleum, you can easily do this with a mop or even a rag.
All you need is your preferred cleaning solution and some water.
However, before you put any of those chemicals on your floor, you should make sure that the ingredients in your cleaning product are safe for your dog.
During the cleaning process, you also have to sequester your Lab in a certain part of the house so that they don’t get in your way or accidentally hurt themselves with the products that you use.
4) Clean your carpets and your curtains.
It’s a no brainer to include carpets in the cleaning process, but it can be easy to forget that you need to clean your curtains as well.
They may not hold similarly strong scents as the parts of your home that your lab directly touches, but they are still important in learning how to remove dog smells from your home.
Vacuuming your carpet multiple times a week can also help with managing the smell. Not only that, it will also help you get rid of all the shedding fur from your Lab’s coat.
You can also spray a stain and odor eliminator that can specifically get rid of dog smells. These are widely available for purchase in many areas.
5) Use an odor eliminator.
There are certain products on the market that have the specific use of eliminating odors.
They do so by absorbing these nasty odors instead of masking them.
If you truly want to get rid of the smell of your home, you might want to avoid using perfume or fragrance since they only cover up the smell.
Odor eliminators are far more effective at absorbing some of that doggy smells.
You should also note that fragrances are overwhelming to your dog even if they smell normal to you.
Based on this study, canines can smell up to 100,000 times more than their human counterparts. So, you should take it slow on any fragrances that you may use to cover up the smell.
Take note that the use of these products should only supplement your cleaning process and should not be the main thing that you do.
6) Use an air purifier.
Air purifiers are also an added help when it comes to removing dog odor from your house.
There are some affordable ones, but you generally want to go for the high-quality ones that you can keep for much longer.
These devices help clear out the odor in your home and will also help get rid of some of the tiny particles from your dog’s skin.
Consistency is key
If there’s one thing that you should know by now after reaching this section of the article, the best way to remove dog smell from your house is by cleaning.
It can be exhausting, and you may not have the time for it. But, if you can spare the time and energy, it will really help get rid of the dog smell from your house.
Consistently and habitually cleaning your house and furniture will go a long way in keeping a relatively odor-free home.
Conclusion
If you are already doing all of those, yet you still can’t manage the smells, then it might be because of another issue.
It could be a particularly stubborn pee stain that you’ve completely forgotten about, or it could be a medical issue.
You should go ahead and investigate what may be causing the dog odor.
If you suspect that your Lab has some other health issues that contribute to your house smelling like your Lab, consult their vet immediately.
