How to Keep an Apartment Smelling Fresh with a Dog or Cat

That Cleaning Girl · Apartment Cleaning

In a house, a pet smell can hide in one room. In an apartment, there is nowhere for it to go. The litter box is ten feet from the couch, and the dog bed is right beside the TV. In How to Deal with Pet Hair in a Small Apartment we tackled the hair. Now let us deal with the smell, so your apartment smells like home and not like a kennel.

Find the real source

Pet odors almost always come from a few specific places. Before you reach for an air freshener, check these:

• The litter box and the floor around it.
• The pet bed and any blankets your pet sleeps on.
• Carpet or rugs where there may have been an accident.
• The couch or the spot on the bed your pet likes best.
• The food and water bowls and the floor underneath.
• Toys, especially soft ones that get chewed and carried around.

Air fresheners only cover a smell for a while. Cleaning the source is what actually fixes it.

It helps to ask a friend for an honest opinion. When you live with a pet, your nose gets used to the smell, and you may not notice it the way a guest does. Walk in from outside after a few hours away and take a sniff before you settle in. That first impression tells you a lot.

Litter boxes in a small space

For cat owners, the litter box is usually the biggest factor.

• Scoop at least once a day, twice if you can.
• Dump and fully replace the litter on the schedule the brand suggests.
• Wash the box with warm water and mild soap when you change the litter. Strong scented cleaners can make some cats avoid the box.
• Put a mat under the box to catch tracked litter, and vacuum around it often.
• Keep it away from the kitchen and in a spot with some airflow, like a bathroom with a fan.

Wash the bedding and blankets

Pet beds soak up oils, drool and dirt. Wash the cover weekly, or every two weeks at the most. If the bed does not have a removable cover, look for one that does next time. Wash any throws or blankets your pet lies on at the same time. Add a half cup of baking soda to the wash for extra odor help.

Accidents on carpet and furniture

For accidents, use an enzyme cleaner made for pet messes. Regular cleaners can hide the smell from your nose, but not from your pet's, and they may go back to the same spot.

• Blot up as much as you can with paper towels. Do not rub.
• Spray the enzyme cleaner generously so it reaches as deep as the accident did.
• Let it sit as long as the label says, then blot dry.
• Keep pets off the spot until it is fully dry.

In a rental, test any cleaner on a hidden area of the carpet first, and if a stain does not come out, it is worth mentioning to your leasing office before move-out time.

Bowls, toys and feeding areas

Wash food and water bowls daily, the same way you would wash your own dishes. Old food and drool leave a film that smells and attracts bugs, especially in a hot Texas summer. Wipe the floor under the bowls every day or two. Toss soft toys in the wash every few weeks, and replace the ones that are falling apart. Hard toys and chews can go in the top rack of the dishwasher or get a scrub in hot soapy water. If your dog drinks and then drips across the kitchen, a small absorbent mat under the bowl saves your floor and keeps that slightly sour smell from building up in the grout or along the baseboard.

Air and airflow

Small apartments with closed windows trap smells. Open the windows on nice days, run the bathroom and kitchen fans, and keep air moving with a ceiling fan. If your lease makes you responsible for the HVAC filter, change it on time, since pet dander clogs it faster. Some people like a small air purifier near the litter box or the pet's favorite spot.

Regular cleaning keeps it fresh

Pet odors build up slowly. The best defense is a steady routine: vacuum often, wash bedding weekly, wipe floors and keep the litter box clean. We see a lot of happy pets in apartments around Waxahachie, Midlothian and Arlington, and the homes that smell freshest are the ones where these small jobs happen every week.

Odor-control habits also matter when it is time to move out. A unit that smells clean at the walkthrough is easier on everyone.

Small, steady steps beat a big cleanup every time.

For more about our apartment cleans, visit our apartment cleaning page. Coming up next: how to clean and organize the closets in a small space.