Pet cleaning products quick picks
To eliminate odors in the wash: Skout's Honor Laundry Booster
To clean carpets and upholstery: Bissell Little Green Portable Carpet Cleaner
To get rid of dog and cat pee smells: Rocco & Roxie Supply Co. Stain & Odor Eliminator
To vacuum and mop in one go: Bissell CrossWave Pet Pro
Our pets are beloved members of the family, but one aspect of pet parenthood that no one loves is cleaning up after they make a major mess in the house. While we can’t prevent our furry friends from having the occasional accident, getting sick or coughing up a hairball, we can anticipate that these things will happen at some point.
To make your life easier and less stressful in the face of a gross mess, we suggest stocking your home and having a plan of action for when an accident inevitably occurs. I consulted experts, including vets, groomers and pet influencers, and asked them to share the cleaning products they use when one of their pets has an accident in the home.
How to clean up a pet mess on your bed
A pet accident on a bed can be a real bear to clean up, especially if liquid mess seeps through to the mattress. Nicole Ellis, a certified professional dog trainer and one of Rover’s Dog People Panelists, says, “In the event your pet does have an accident on your bed, immediately place the bedding in the washing machine with your regular detergent.”
While accidents are part of life, Ellis says that accidents on beds can be a sign something bigger is going on with your pet. “If your pet is peeing on your bed, work to understand why this is happening and visit your trusted vet to learn if this is a habit tied to a medical condition,” Ellis says. “If the vet gives your pup a clean bill of health, there are tactics to train away this behavior.”
Don’t worry: If the mess has soaked through your sheets and mattress protector, our guide to cleaning a mattress outlines the exact steps to take.
While you don't need a specialty laundry detergent for pets, it is a good idea to use a fragrance- and dye-free formula in homes with furry friends. Tide Free & Gentle is one of the best out there. Plus, liquid laundry detergent can be used to pretreat stains if you don't have a pet mess cleaning agent on hand.
Laundry boosters are products used in the wash, in addition to regular laundry detergent. They can be especially useful for big messes. Ellis uses this one from Skout's Honor, which is formulated to eliminate strong odors from pet accidents, in addition to her usual unscented detergent.
Ellis also uses Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds in the wash to add extra stain-removing power to her regular laundry detergent. Follow package directions or consult the Sal Suds Dilution Cheat Sheet for guidance on how much to use for laundry or stain removal.
Carpet and upholstery cleaning machines like Bissell's Little Green Machine are ideal for deep cleaning mattresses and upholstered furniture, like sofas and armchairs. The machine forces a stain- and odor-eliminating cleaning solution into the fibers and then extracts it back out, removing stains and eliminating odors.
How to clean up a pet’s urine accident
Urine messes should be treated using an enzyme cleaner, which will break down the uric acid —?but be aware that they sometimes require some extra effort. “Enzymatic cleaners work hard on pet messes,” Ellis says, “but you might still have to apply a second or third application to completely remove the smell and stain.”
Rocco & Roxie's enzyme cleaner is formulated to work on both dog pee and cat pee. It can also be used to clean up other gross pet messes, like poop or hairballs.
Dog influencer Julie Keck swears by this stain remover. “For pet messes, this stuff is the best,” Keck says. “It doesn't ruin our carpet, furniture or floors; takes the stain and odor right out and works like magic [on] most any pet accidents/messes. One point of caution, you do have to be careful as it can't be used on specialty fabrics like leather or silk."
In my roundup of odor eliminators for every gross smell, there is a product that I want to make sure every cat parent knows about: Biokleen Bac-Out. As I'm fond of saying, this is The Thing for cat pee; it will take that strong smell out of just about anything you own.
Regular paper towels work just fine for picking up solid messes and absorbing liquids, but highly absorbent shop towels are even better for the job. They're slightly thicker than standard paper towels, too, making cleaning up gross things a little less, well, gross.
How to clean up a pet’s poop accident
Cleaning a poop accident off hard flooring is fairly straightforward: Pick up and dispose of the mess, then spot clean or mop the floor using a pet-safe cleaner. If the poop accident is solid, use paper towels or a plastic bag to pick up as much matter as possible. If the mess is from a diarrhea accident, Ellis suggests using a flat surface, such as a sturdy piece of cardboard or paper plate, as a scoop. And don’t forget to wear gloves, she advises!
I used Rocco & Roxie's carpet shampoo on an area rug that's been repeatedly soiled by my beloved senior dog niece Millie. It was compatible with a portable carpet cleaning machine, it worked incredibly well (like, shockingly well) and it smelled great, too!
If you don't have the space or budget for a carpet and upholstery cleaning machine, a laundry brush is worth adding to your cleaning arsenal. It introduces mechanical action into the cleaning process, which helps make stain eliminators more effective by moving the solution into and through the fibers for more thorough penetration.
How to clean up a pet’s vomit or hairball incident
We’ve saved the best for last! We joke, but of course, it’s no laughing matter when a pet vomits or coughs up a hairball. As with poop messes, when the vomit or hairball is on a hard surface like laminate, hardwood or tile flooring, use paper towels to pick up as much of the matter as possible before using a pet-safe cleaning agent to spot clean or mop the floor.
If the mess happens on carpet, upholstered furniture, car seats or the bed, start by picking up as much of the vomit or hairball as possible. “Use a spoon, spatula or even a paper plate or piece of cardboard to scrape up as much of the mess as possible,” Ellis says. “Be sure to wear gloves to protect against bacteria and germs.”
When choosing a floor cleaning solution, it's especially important to pick one that's pet-safe. Ellis recommends Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner, which she says, "does the job without leaving residue of any kind behind."
"We have mostly hardwood floors in our house and have to mop pretty regularly," Keck says. "We use Quick Shine products because they have no harsh chemicals and are safer for pets."?
A mop is essential for cleaning up pet messes from hard surfaces, and the O-Cedar EasyWring spin mop is the top pick in our review of mops.
The versatility of a hybrid vacuum-mop makes these floor care tools a great choice for pet parents. “I love the Bissell Crosswave because it’s a vacuum and a mop in one,” says celebrity dog groomer Jess Rona.
