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How to Get Pet Odors Out of a Wool Rug

Wool is a highly absorbent fiber that easily retains the smell of strong odors and is highly susceptible to retaining the odor of your dog or cat after it lies on the wool rug. Carpet cleaners are suitable for removing stains from your rugs, but they often mask the odor rather than neutralize it. Instead of using fragrance-heavy products to remove the smell, try using baking soda as a natural alternative that neutralizes even urine smells and is easy to clean up. Vacuuming also helps to remove odors by cleaning up odor absorbers and should be limited to suction vacuum cleaners rather than cleaners with a beater brush due to the risk of rug damage.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 cleaning cloths
  • Baking soda
  • Vacuum cleaner
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Instructions

    • 1

      Soak up moisture on the wool rug by pressing a cleaning cloth against the rug. According to the Humane Society, newspaper and paper towels are also suitable alternatives to a cleaning cloth.

    • 2

      Sprinkle the baking soda onto the rug until the odor has an even layer of the neutralizer, and leave it on the rug overnight.

    • 3

      Vacuum up the baking soda with the vacuum in an upright position, and rinse the area with a damp cleaning cloth to remove leftover baking soda. If using a vacuum cleaner, adjust the height setting to avoid snagging the rug's fibers.