How do you clean up pet stains and smells? The last time we had a puppy to house train, we also had a house with wall to wall carpets. At that point, I discovered Nature’s Miracle, a very effective and non-toxic product which removes both stains and odors. Our carpets got a lot of it, as our young Basenji puppy saw no reason to go out in the rain to do her business. I liked this stuff, fortunately, because  Sunbeam was the most challenging puppy to potty train that we have ever had. Nature’s Miracle removes odors and stains because the enzymes it contains somehow gobble them up. You can use it on furniture, clothing, crates, pretty much anywhere you need it.

I have often recommended it, and today I got to wondering what else is out there. There are so many more eco-friendly products now in all categories.

(Gee, how did so much time pass without my having a puppy to potty train? LarryDog came to us at two years old and Lola around eight months. I didn’t need to clean up after them, but of course we also missed those adorable young-puppy months, sharp teeth, incredibly soft cuddles, and all.)

I do get a lot of questions about potty training puppies and dogs, because my page on the topic is one of the most popular on this whole website! There’s also a popular page here in the blog about potty training adult dogs who have bad habits.

So… clean up is a part of the process of housetraining. Often people try using whatever regular household cleansers they may have around. But:

• Regular cleaners are often not safe for dogs to be around.
• They are often not good for the environment, and fortunately we are all seeing more and more that we need to consider this.
• They simply don’t do the job when it comes to getting rid of urine and other odors.

So what are your choices? If you are considering products in a store, where you can read the labels, here are some suggestions:

1. Natural enzymes are in my opinion the best way to go. They are eco-friendly, organic additives that react with stains or odors to get rid of them permanently. Sometimes you may need to re-apply them to get all vestiges of the stains and smells out, so be patient if it takes more than one or two applications.
2. Avoid petroleum-based products as they are not biodegradable and they can leave toxic residues that can irritate the eyes, lungs, or skin of some dogs… they can even poison dogs OR humans. Instead, look for cleaners with plant-based ingredients such as corn, lemon, orange, or coconut.
3. Watch for products labeled “Non-toxic.”  This means not poisonous and it’s important because many dogs lick or eat just about anything around them. Some young children do, too. You want to clean with something that isn’t going to cause problems for any of the precious ones in your family, or for the larger environment.
4. A real plus when you can find it is recyclable packaging. A lot of these cleansers will be liquid, so you are not so likely to find biodegradable boxes. And if you do find recyclable packaging, do recycle it when you’ve used the cleanser up.

Maybe by that time, your dog will be housetrained. These cleansers are also good for other smelly messes that dogs can create. Many of them work with cat odors too, while some companies make separate products formulated specifically for dogs or cats.

Amazon.com carries a variety of Natures Miracle products including one for getting out the odor of skunks! I bet it beats that old standby, tomato juice.

32 oz. Get Serious! is another one to look at.

These come in various sizes.