How to clean your home the safe, healthy, green way for the health of your dog!

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Let's Talk: Do You Let Your Dog Lick Your Dirty Dishes Clean?

I'm not big on doing dishes. But Jake is crazy for the chore. If it were up to him, he'd lick every dish clean after a big family meal, and all I'd have to do would be put them back in the cabinets and keep from bragging about his feat when we have company over for dinner on those same plates.

In my younger days, I let my Airedale, Joe, lick the dishes after I ate. Afterward, I'd give them a thorough handwash, trying to remove all that icky slimy stuff dogs can leave on dishes. (What is that slime all about? Last time I checked, dogs were not related to snails or slugs.) I survived those years just fine, with nary a scary disease I could directly attribute to this practice. When I got a week-long stomach bug, I never looked askance at Joe. After all, his mouth sparkled with germ-free virtuosity compared with the mouths of his human counterparts -- or so I thought.

Mother and puppy by Shutterstock.com.

At the time, few people questioned the popular notion that dogs' mouths were cleaner than ours. In fact, the word in some dog-park circles was that if you had a wound, a dog's saliva could actually help heal it. So what harm could there be in letting Joe do the prewash?

But then common sense crept in. My prewasher's tongue (the equivalent of a sponge in this situation) was the same one that licked parts of him I would not want touching the same plate on which I was about to have my pasta. And his mouth was the same one that would devour horse poop or cat poop the instant he found it.

That's about the time that I heard the more logical, scientific conclusion: that dogs' mouths were far from antiseptic, and, in fact, were completely filled with the kind of bacteria you would not want to meet in a dark alley.

So Joe got fired from the gig. And for 15 years, I didn't let our dogs have a go at our plates. Then over this past Memorial Day weekend, I accidentally left the dishwasher open with the bottom rack pulled out. We'd had company, and I'd thrown in the plates coated with all kind of goodies, hoping the dishwasher could tackle the mess.

Puppy with manners by Shutterstock.com.

But I didn't have to worry about it, because when I came back into the kitchen and saw the dishes again, they were all gleaming, and Jake was sitting there smiling, looking at me expectantly, apparently hoping I would pull the top rack out for him to continue the job.

I wasn't concerned about what he'd ingested. It was all perfectly good, nongreasy, nonspicy food. I was just a little taken aback by his enthusiastic washing of the dishes -- especially when our company also saw what he'd done. But our friends assured me that their dog licks all their dishes (a family of five, no less) after every meal that doesn't involve things like chipotle peppers.

I ran the dishwasher in extrahot mode, and never had to so much as touch the slime coating. The dishes came out as brilliant as the day they were born.

I realize many Dogster readers never let their dogs have human food, so this week's Let's Talk question might not be relevant. But for those of who do: Do you ever let your dog lick your plates and bowls when you're done with a meal? Or is that just completely gross? And if your dog does help you clean your plates, do you do anything special to wash them after?

Jake is hoping that everyone says, "Of course I let my dog lick my plates! What kind of jerk doesn't?" and that I'll be influenced to include him in the aftermeal proceedings from now on. I don't think that will be the case, but I'm looking to forward to learning what you do in your household. So is Jake. 

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Best Way to Clean a Dog Pee Stain

December 18, 2011 at 8:29 am

Sooner or later, every dog owner has to deal with urine accidents in the house. Whether housetraining a puppy, caring for an older/incontinent dog, or dealing with male dogs who mark, it’s going to happen. I’ve experimented with many methods and products over the years, and have come up with a system for cleaning dog pee off the carpet that really works.

The most important thing when cleaning up a dog pee stain is to get as much of the urine out of the carpet as possible. Odor-fighting treatments and cleaning chemicals will not work if there’s urine in your carpet, padding and flooring.

Soaking up the liquid is at least as important as what you treat it with.

When a dog has an accident in the house, the liquid enters the carpet, than soaks down and spreads. The size of the spot you can see is smaller than the size of the spot under the carpet, on the floor and padding. The best way to get it up is to use towels and pressure. Place a folded towel over the spot (I use bath size to get as much of the urine as possible out). Then step on the towel right over the center of the spot. Put your full weight on that foot and stand there for several minutes. I have read home cleaning advice that says to put a heavy book over the towel and leave it there overnight. I find that unless you have a 60-pound book, that’s not enough pressure. I stand on tip-toe on the towel to concentrate as much pressure as possible.

The towel wicks up the moisture, pulling it from below. It’s like dipping a towel into a glass of water. The water immediately begins to soak upward into the towel. Flip your towel over and see the big wet area that has been created by what you’ve pulled out of the carpet. Use a second (dry) towel and do it again. Repeat until the towel is dry or nearly dry when you flip it over. Take as long as you can for this step, because nothing else will really be effective if there’s still pee under the carpet. For a stain from my 70-pound dog, I usually see a fairly dry result on the third bath towel.

Leave your last towel over the stain because by now, it may be difficult for you to see where it was, and you’ll need to know exactly where it was when you treat it. There are all kinds of enzyme-based treatments, high-tech cleaners and nifty machines that will do the job, but I usually use an old-fashioned formula and I’ve never found anything that works better.

In a measuring cup, combine water and white vinegar in a 1:1 ratio. If you have big dogs like I do, you might want to use half a cup of vinegar and half a cup of water. For smaller dogs, reduce to a quarter cup of each. Pour the water/vinegar mixture over the pet stain. As you pour, the mixture will soak right in to dark areas where the urine was, and sit on top of the carpet initially where the carpet was not previously wet. Using this visual guide, make sure you pour the vinegar/water over the entire spot where the dog urinated. It will seem like a lot to pour over your carpet, but remember how big that stain is under the carpet.

Let it soak in for several minutes, then use the towel method to soak it back up. Yes, your carpet – and your room – will smell like vinegar. But only until it dries. Vinegar is very good at eliminating odors, and once it’s dry, the room will smell like neither urine nor vinegar IF you soak up the vinegar with towels until the towel comes away dry. If you leave some in the carpet and padding, your room will smell like vinegar a bit longer.

For older stains, use the same method, although you may not be able to get as much out of the carpet as when it’s fresh. However, the stain under the carpet will be larger, since it’s had more time to soak into the padding. Take up as much as you can with towels. If it’s dry, just add the vinegar and start there, then agitate the carpet surface with a towel to loosen the stain a little. Let the vinegar penetrate the carpet for 10 minutes, then wick it up with towels. Ever notice how urine smells different when it’s fresh vs. when it’s a day or two old? That’s because bacteria in the environment breed in wet spots, causing the “pee smell” we all know so well. So with an old stain, you may need to repeat this process with an enzymatic cleaner, which attacks the bacteria that breed in urine. These are widely available and can help eliminate the smell on an older stain.

A ceiling fan will help to finish drying the carpet and get the vinegar smell reduced.

So, to recap, here are the steps:

Wick with as many towels as it takes by standing on a towel over the spotSoak with 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water and let sit for 5-10 minutesWick with as many towels as it takes to get the spot damp-dry

I’ve trained two puppies, had two male dogs in the same house (marking) and have cared for two elderly/incontinent dogs, so I’ve cleaned up hundreds of pet stains using this method. When my husband and I were considering selling out house, we had some real estate agents over to evaluate the house. They all said the house smelled good, which was important for first impressions. I was not using a candle, had not baked anything or used any air fresheners. That’s just how the house smelled. You’d never know how many messes I’ve cleaned up over the years. 

Be the first to like this post.Entry filed under: Free Tips & Ideas from Dog Owners. Tags: best way to clean, carpet, dog pee, dog urine, get rid of smell, house, odor, pee stain, pet stain, pet urine.

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Rug Doctor Clean

The holidays are upon us in full swing.  Time to put up the turkey baster and crockpots and break out the Christmas decorations and tree.  But first this place needs a good scrub down and that’s what I have spent the day doing.  Everything has to be spic’n span before the decorations can go up.

Its funny because one of the questions I get most frequently is “how often do you vacuum your carpets”?  Well, I think the better question is how frequently do you “clean” your carpets?  I recently found out that the EPA recommends that you should shampoo your carpets 2-4 times per year.  As dog owners, we are certainly in the high end of the 2-4.  Did you know 80% of all the dirt in your house walks in on feet?  Feet meaning paws too.  That amounts to ALOT of dirt in my house even though I vacuum with a Dyson every day.  Carpet that  is freshly vacuumed and appears clean can hide as much as a pound of dirt per square yard.  The 5 second rule? Myth!  Bacteria can live on carpet even after four weeks!  And even grosser, around 2,000 dust mites can live on one ounce of carpet.  OMG my dogs LAY on the carpet!

      

Dust mites are present year round but particularly favor August to November when houses are closed up because of cool evenings and increasing humidity.  According to DVM360 - Dust mites are the leading cause of allergy/asthma in humans. In dogs, it appears to exceed flea allergy as the most common intradermal skin test reaction. An estimated 30-80 percent of atopic dogs and cats skin test positive to dust mites.  Again, up to 2,000 of these little buggers can live on just 1 ounce of carpet!  I found a photos of them on the internet and they look like something straight out of a horror movie!

This year Brutus and Rufus have developed really bad itchy skin.  They went to the vet a few weeks ago and the vet put them on Benedryl and Claritin twice a day.  It has helped, but they still scratch and I’ve started wondering if its due to dust mite allergies.  So…. it’s time to shampoo the carpets and see if that does the trick.

There are many products on the market that clean and shampoo carpets.  I have rented and purchased several different shampooers over the years.  I have had the best results by far with the Rug Doctor line.  Rug Doctor rental machines (red machine) can be found in over 30,000 grocery, drug and home center stores throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and over 20 other countries.  To find the rental location nearest you dial 1800-Rug Doctor or check the website.  You can also find savings coupons (here).

Rug Doctor has several specialized professional cleaning products in cleaning formulas and wipes, including: Anti Allergen Carpet Cleaner, Oxy-Steam Carpet Cleaner, Pet Formula Carpet Cleaner, Hi-Traffic Pre-Treatment,Urine Eliminator, Spot & Stain Remover, Odor Remover and Upholstery Cleaner.

Recently they have started offering a line of machines for home sale (blue machine) that are identical to the rental machines.  Same great machine, just a different color.  You can find them for sale on the Rug Doctor website, Sams Club, Costco, Amazon, Sears, Target, and Walmart.  While the machines cost significantly more than the other retail machines on the market, they dont even compare in quality, durability, performance and value.  Rug Doctor motors are tested to failure and will perform in excess of 1400 hours.  The average house requires 1 hour of actual motor run time per cleaning.  Deep cleaning my carpets at say once a month, the machine would last more than a decade!  The last machine I bought, I paid $239 for, it didn’t clean very well and broke in less than 3 months, 1 deep cleaning and half a dozen or so spot cleanings.

Since I have great, hairy, slobbering, oily coated beasts (lol), I have a retail machine (blue).  Having one on hand is an absolute must for frequent thorough deep cleaning and a savior for spot cleaning when owning dogs or cats. Today I used the Anti-Allergen cleaning formula which removes pollen, dander and yes, drum roll please ***DUST MITES*** yey!  It smells so fresh and clean in here.  My carpet is clean and I’m ready to put up my holiday decorations.  And bonus, NO scratching for over 8 hours now!  I will honestly tell you it is worth every single penny.  Make sure you put it on your list for Santa.

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Clip We Love: Monkey and Dog Clean Each Other

You know how many web denizens use the term TL;DR (too long, didn’t read)?

Well, we’d like to start TC;CD (too cute, cannot deal) here on Dogster, starting with this video our social media scientist, Anna Zeman, found while poking around online earlier today. (Yes, be jealous, we have a mad scientist on staff.)

You may recognize the little monkey from this viral video that made the rounds in July.

P.S. After watching the video, we were dying to know more about this little creature. Apparently Nala is a Black Cap Capuchin monkey who lives in Vegas with her family. She was rescued from a veterinarian and not purchased at a store. Her best friend is Miss Millie Marshmellow (yes, spelled as such), who we are assuming is the dog in the video above. (Someone correct us if we’re wrong.) She helps care for two autistic boys! What a little sweetie.

Learn more about Nala here.

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Want a Clean, Stain-Free Carpet? Win a Bissell SpotBot Pet!

I have a friend whose little dog occasionally thinks the carpet is the grass, and does his business on the beige Berber. No matter how much my friend scrubs, there’s inevitably a stubborn stain. As a result, the carpet looks rather like a giant chocolate chip cookie. Unfortunately it doesn’t smell like one.

My friend needs a SpotBot Pet. (And maybe a doggy door…) I discovered the SpotBot Pet’s amazing features while sniffing around on Dogster’s cool Cleaning section. (Check it out if you want great tips on keeping your happy houndy household bright and clean.) I’ll go into details about this clever hands-free cleaning tool in a sec, but I’ll put this out there now: You can win one of two SpotBot Pet units Bissell is offering as a prize for Dogster readers! (Retail value: $139.99 each.) Read on for details.

The SpotBot Pet uses advanced technology to clean “pet messes” from the bottom up. That’s the best way to get rid of stains. Most of us just deal with the surface when scrubbing stains, which is why there are so many spotted carpets out there. I’ll let Bissell’s literature tell you more about this nifty machine.

The SpotBot Pet is the only hands-free portable deep cleaning system that, with the touch of a button, removes pet stains from the base of the carpet where they can reside. The product’s Deep ReachTM technology cleans carpet from the bottom up, delivering formula to those areas that need a deeper clean, and helping pet owners refresh and maintain their carpets.

The SpotBot Pet eliminates the need for guesswork by combining unique Spiral BrushingTM technology with an Automatic Smart SystemTM that measures and distributes the optimal amount of water, cleaning solution and suction, enabling owners to WalkAwayTM while the unit does the dirty work for them. Microban® protection helps control the growth of odor-causing bacteria, mold and mildew within the unit, keeping it cleaner between uses and making it easier to clean when necessary. Plus, the device’s manual spot cleaning feature provides a convenient hose and tools stored on-board for cleaning spots and stains wherever they may be, including on stairs or upholstery, or even in the car. The SpotBot Pet is safe for use on virtually all types of carpet.

Click here to see a video of how easy it is to use one. You can sit on the couch and watch TV while it does the work!

Want to win your very own SpotBot Pet? All you have to do is write a comment telling us why you need a SpotBot Pet, and how it would help keep your home clean. We’ll do a random drawing to determine the winners. Submit your comment by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14. We’ll use random.org to select the winners, and will announce the names on Wednesday, Dec. 15. Now start thinking clean thoughts!

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Want a Clean, Stain-Free Carpet? Win a Bissell SpotBot Pet!

I have a friend whose little dog occasionally thinks the carpet is the grass, and does his business on the beige Berber. No matter how much my friend scrubs, there’s inevitably a stubborn stain. As a result, the carpet looks rather like a giant chocolate chip cookie. Unfortunately it doesn’t smell like one.

My friend needs a SpotBot Pet. (And maybe a doggy door…) I discovered the SpotBot Pet’s amazing features while sniffing around on Dogster’s cool Cleaning section. (Check it out if you want great tips on keeping your happy houndy household bright and clean.) I’ll go into details about this clever hands-free cleaning tool in a sec, but I’ll put this out there now: You can win one of two SpotBot Pet units Bissell is offering as a prize for Dogster readers! (Retail value: $139.99 each.) Read on for details.

The SpotBot Pet uses advanced technology to clean “pet messes” from the bottom up. That’s the best way to get rid of stains. Most of us just deal with the surface when scrubbing stains, which is why there are so many spotted carpets out there. I’ll let Bissell’s literature tell you more about this nifty machine.

The SpotBot Pet is the only hands-free portable deep cleaning system that, with the touch of a button, removes pet stains from the base of the carpet where they can reside. The product’s Deep ReachTM technology cleans carpet from the bottom up, delivering formula to those areas that need a deeper clean, and helping pet owners refresh and maintain their carpets.

The SpotBot Pet eliminates the need for guesswork by combining unique Spiral BrushingTM technology with an Automatic Smart SystemTM that measures and distributes the optimal amount of water, cleaning solution and suction, enabling owners to WalkAwayTM while the unit does the dirty work for them. Microban® protection helps control the growth of odor-causing bacteria, mold and mildew within the unit, keeping it cleaner between uses and making it easier to clean when necessary. Plus, the device’s manual spot cleaning feature provides a convenient hose and tools stored on-board for cleaning spots and stains wherever they may be, including on stairs or upholstery, or even in the car. The SpotBot Pet is safe for use on virtually all types of carpet.

Click here to see a video of how easy it is to use one. You can sit on the couch and watch TV while it does the work!

Want to win your very own SpotBot Pet? All you have to do is write a comment telling us why you need a SpotBot Pet, and how it would help keep your home clean. We’ll do a random drawing to determine the winners. Submit your comment by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14. We’ll use random.org to select the winners, and will announce the names on Wednesday, Dec. 15. Now start thinking clean thoughts!

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