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How to Get Dog Urine Out of Carpets with Color Safe Bleach

| Updated September 26, 2017

Apply a solution of equal parts cold water and color-safe bleach to areas of carpet soiled with dog urine. If you aren't sure exactly where your dog urinated and you can't catch him in the act, track the scent by sniffing, examine the carpet for stained areas or turn off the lights and use a black light to locate the soiled spot on the carpet.

Presoak the Dog Urine Stain

Presoak the soiled area of carpet with clear water while you prepare the cleaning solution. Urine is a protein stain, so to remove it, saturate the area with cold water, then use a soft bristled brush to work the protein loose from the carpet fibers before applying the color-safe bleach solution.

Tips

    • Never use hot water on dog urine in carpet because heat will cause the protein in the urine to coagulate in carpet fibers, and it will make it more difficult to remove the stain.
    • Test an out of the way spot on the carpet for colorfastness by putting a few drops of cleaning solution on the carpet before applying color-safe bleach to the dog urine stain.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 cup color-safe bleach

  • 1 cup cold water

  • Spray bottle or small bucket

  • Paper towels or a cotton towel

  • Mix the Cleaning Solution

  • Pour the color-safe bleach and cold water into the spray bottle or bucket then gently shake the bottle or stir the contents of the bucket.

  • Apply the Color-Safe Bleach Solution

  • Spray or pour a generous layer of color-safe bleach solution onto the dog urine then let it soak in for at least 30 minutes.

  • Soak Up the Solution

    • Fold several paper towels or a cotton towel into layers, then blot the cleaning solution out of the carpet. 
    • Press down gently to get the solution from the deepest part of the carpet fibers.
    • If you still see discoloration or detect the scent of dog urine, apply more solution and let it soak into the carpet fibers again before blotting it out of the carpet.

    Dry the Carpet

    Point a fan at the freshly cleaned section of carpet and make sure the carpet fibers are completely dry before anyone walks on the clean carpet.