Removing dog smell from a house

A question about : Removing dog smell from a house

I am considering purchasing a property but the owners have dogs and there is a fairly strong smell of dog in the house especially downstairs. I am not a dog or animal owner and therefore perhaps notice the smell more. The house has wooden flooring downstairs and carpets upstairs.

I would want to know how the smell could be removed or if there are professional companies who could fumigate the house before i could move in and how much would this cost.

I have very young children so having the home hygienic is important for me.

Apologies if I sound like I'm offending pet lovers, I really don't mean to.

Thanks for reading, hope you can help.

Best answers:

• Tricky one to tell. Generally a house with a dog will smell of dog, but it depends on how bad you think the smell is. If it's generally a bit of an overall odour, it's likely it will go with the dog and furniture going as well. However, if it's one of those quite strong smelling houses, you might want to budget to replace the carpet etc. If dog urine gets in underlay you will never remove the smell completely without replacing. Wooden floors can also absorb it slightly, but it's unlikely and you should be able to see any severely stained areas that would be a real problem.
  Mostly it's the soft furnishing that can really smell. Dog blankets etc, so once they are gone and the dog is out it should be better.
  My advice though, have a good look round again. Budget to completely replace the carpet and underlay and negotiate that off the price. If it's particularly bad, negotiate down hard to give you some space for further work if needed.
  No offence taken by the way. I have two big dogs and they smell, fact. It's the reason I hate carpet and my washing machine is constantly on!
• Please don't worry about home hygiene/dogs/children - it has been proved that children who grow up with pet animals develop a better immune system than those who don't. So as long as they aren't confronted by animal faeces, then the odour is not a problem in that department.
  But I do understand how you feel about doggy aroma - I'm the owner of three labs and two cats - and the first question I ask my family when they come to stay is "can you smell the animals?" Owners get so used to the familar scents that they don't recognise them any more.
  Once the pet bedding is removed - and soft furnishings - curtains/carpets etc are replaced - and the house is given a good airing - then you really shouldn't have a problem.
• As others have said, I think most of the smell will clear once soft furnishings are removed.
  I have not used it myself but have seen this stuff recommended for pet odours ( rather than drug growers! )
  https://onaonline.com/prod-ona.php
  Sodium Bicarbonate also absorbs odours so you could sprinkle it on floors and leave it for a while, or use something like the Simple solutions.
  I would probably also use a good household Flea spray such as Indorex prior to moving in just in case.
• Incense burning works to get the odour out. Air out the house, give it a good airing, bleach kitchen/bathroom etc, and in carpeted areas light an incense stick. They infuse my dog with gingerbread smell, so now he smells ace.
• Sorry to be a buzz kill but, my son bought a flat that had a dog in and we had to remove the wooden flooring as the urine had soaked the underlay, the smell when we lifted the floor was eye watering, the floorboards were scrubbed and aired and now it is fine.
• I agree, doggie smell/urine/greasy coat can soak into floorboards. I had to sand the floor of the dining room when I bought my house, there were two stinky greasy stains on the floor. Also, if the house is empty for any time after the dogs move out, any fleas will be STARVING and will bite you to bits, my friend had a terrible time and had to get rid of every carpet in the house and get a professional in to spray.
• Get a dog when you move in?
  HBS x