How to Get the Dog Smell Out of House If You’re Trying to Sell

You love your dog, but when homebuyers are holding their nose as they wander around your space, there’s a bone of contention from that doggy smell lingering in the air. So you wonder: how to get dog smell out of house? Eliminating odors is essential to making your home more appealing, helping you sell faster and for top dollar.

To help you quell the smell, we’ve gathered expert insights and researched the best solutions you need to remove dog smells and add the sweet smell of success to your next showing or open house.

Real estate agent Edward Kaminsky, who has over 35 years of experience, in Manhattan Beach, California, knows the value of preparing your home for a profitable sale. We’ll also share tips from Greg Shepard, the founder and CEO of Dallas Maids of Frisco, who has over 20 years of experience in the cleaning industry.

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Why do dogs make your house smell bad?

Dogs can have a variety of odors wafting from different parts of their anatomy or from the environment that’s carried into your house. The parts that typically are the smelliest include:

• Oily skin: When excess sebum accumulates in the skin, the dog’s coat becomes smelly.
• Bad breath: This can be caused by a poor diet or a medical condition.
• Drool: Excessive saliva signals dental or medical problems.
• Ear wax buildup: This may be due to poor hygiene, yeast, or bacteria.
• Sweaty paws: This is caused by bacteria moving with your dog onto floors and furniture.
• Anal glands: Anal sacs, located on either side of the anus, can smell fishy.
• Skunk encounters: Dogs may bring outside odors inside the house.

On top of all these, poop, pee, and gas contribute to a dog’s odor. Accidents on carpets and furniture can trap lingering smells, while digestive issues or diet can make gas even more noticeable. Regular home cleaning and proper dog diet can help minimize these unpleasant odors.

How can a strong dog smell affect your home value?

When you’re looking into your dog’s big, soulful eyes and enjoying their sweet disposition, their smell might not be noticeable to you. That’s why when Kaminsky is first assessing a home, and can immediately tell if a dog lives there, he often will have a tactful discussion with the homeowner.

“It’s because you noticed it and a lot of times, the truth is, owners don’t know. Because when you live in a home, you don’t smell the things that other people smell. And so it’s important to point it out to the owners. So you can at least have an honest conversation about how other people will react when they walk in the house.”

After discussing the issue, Kaminsky will know if the seller is willing to take action to address the odor, typically increasing the home’s value, or if they prefer to sell the home as is, in its current condition, usually for a lower price. Sometimes his recommendations will include cleaning, new staging furniture, and, in one case, he suggested a family vacation with the dog and changing the flooring to a new wood style.

“Because, one, it was going to look amazing, and it’s going to smell amazing, and those two things would make a profit for the owner. It was a challenge to remove the dog for a period of time, but it probably, in this case, enhanced the home by close to fifty to a hundred thousand dollars,” says Kaminsky.