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When you’re ready to relax with your dog in your outdoor space, the last thing you want is for it to smell like pet urine. The cause? If your dog urinates in the same spot in your yard repeatedly, or you have a more absorbent type of soil, your backyard is more likely to smell like dog pee.
To learn more about natural and product-based cleaners for ridding your backyard of unpleasant aromas, we interviewed lawn care expert Jess Farinha, a professional cleaner and founder of London House Cleaners. We also spoke with Dr. Kathryn Dench, MRCVS, veterinary surgeon and chief scientific advisor at Paw Origins, for a vet’s perspective on pet-friendly solutions.
Here’s what we discovered to keep your backyard smelling dog pee-free.
How To Get Rid of the Pee Smell Outside
If your backyard smells like dog pee, there are a few approaches you can take. Your choice will depend on your dog’s habits, the specifics of your outdoor space, and what type of product you prefer. Here’s a look at some solutions.
Natural solutions
When getting rid of dog urine smell naturally, don’t underestimate the power of simply hosing down the outside area with water. Water on its own works by diluting urine and washing it away.
To take things up a notch, pet parents can also use baking soda to help remove lingering odors. According to Farinha, baking soda effectively absorbs odors and neutralizes the ammonia in dog urine while also being dog-safe (unless ingested in large quantities).
You’ll still want to rinse off your lawn after using it, though, as baking soda can increase the pH of your soil and interfere with a plant’s ability to take in nutrients. It can also contribute to crust buildup on your soil—not ideal for your lush lawn. If using baking soda, Farinha recommends letting it sit on the affected area for 30 minutes to absorb all the odors before rinsing.
Vinegar spray is another dog-safe and natural method for getting rid of your dog’s urine smell outside. To use this method, mix equal parts white vinegar and water. Use a spray bottle to treat the affected area, let the solution sit for 10 minutes, then rinse with water.
Regularly hosing down your yard can help keep stinky pee smells at bay. Wavetop via iStock
Product-based solutions
If water and natural solutions aren’t enough to eliminate the dog pee smells in your backyard, a pet-safe outdoor odor eliminator like Simple Green’s may be the best bet for your patio or lawn.
Enzymatic cleaners are often a preferred choice for outside, as both our experts point out. Farinha notes that enzymatic formulas contain live bacteria that feed on the organic compounds in urine, breaking them down and removing the odor at the source. Dr. Dench adds that enzymatic cleaners are a favorite among her clients because they work well and are easy to use.
What to do about cement and concrete
Concrete is porous, so cleaning pet urine immediately is the first step to addressing smells. For a natural approach, Farinha recommends making a baking soda paste by adding water to baking soda and then applying it to the affected area. You’ll also want to clean the area with a stiff brush before rinsing it thoroughly with water.
Alternatively, you can try a vinegar solution, using one part vinegar to one part water. Just be sure to test a small area first to ensure the vinegar doesn’t discolor the cement. Once you’re in the clear, let the solution sit for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with water.
If you realize that the urine smell in your yard is coming from dry concrete, it means the urine has soaked beneath the surface. To remove the saturated smell, you’ll need something a bit more heavy-duty, like an enzymatic cleaner from EcoStrong, which works on different types of outdoor areas.
What to do about wood
Wood is another tricky surface to clean since it’s also porous. Again, you’ll want to immediately clean up any messes, blotting the urine with an absorbent cloth.
To deep clean wood surfaces, Farinha recommends using one part vinegar and two parts water to spray the affected area. Let the vinegar solution sit for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with water.
This outdoor enzymatic cleaner helps remove odor from yards, patios, and decks.
How To Keep the Urine Smell from Coming Back
Once you’ve got your backyard free of smelling like dog pee, the next step is ensuring it stays that way. Here are a few ideas to keep your outdoor areas smelling fresh.
Hose down outdoor spaces regularly after your dog pees
If you have a backyard, immediately rinsing off the area with water can help prevent odors from accumulating. Yes, the urine still gets into your soil, but according to Farinha, with enough water, it’s not as concentrated.
“The more you dilute the urine, the weaker the odor becomes,” she says. Regularly rinsing off concrete patios and wood decks can also keep the stinky smells at bay. But since these porous materials tend to absorb odors, it might be best to keep these outdoor areas off-limits during bathroom breaks.
Train your dog to pee in a designated spot
Find the best spot in your backyard for bathroom breaks (somewhere easy to clean off), and teach your dog to use this space only for potty time. Using positive reinforcement training, follow these steps:
- Begin walking your dog to the appropriate space on a leash during their bathroom breaks.
- Follow a consistent schedule, going to the spot when your dog most likely needs to use the bathroom, such as early morning or before bed.
- Start introducing a clear cue for the area, such as “get busy,” so they begin associating the spot with potty time.
- Praise your dog consistently or reward them with a favorite treat when they pee in the right space.
- Even after they catch on and you’ve removed the leash, continue to praise and reward your dog when they use the right spot until it becomes a rehearsed behavior.
Teaching your dog to pee in a specific area, like on a patch of artificial turf, can help protect your lawn.
Use artificial grass—does it work?
If you’re struggling to keep your lawn alive, artificial grass can be a great way to keep your backyard free from lawn spots. However, when it comes to odors, you’ll likely have to follow all the same steps as regular grass—hosing it off with water and cleaning it regularly with natural remedies or enzymatic solutions.
How We Chose
The products featured here were selected based on a combination of our own hands-on testing, a comprehensive look at customer reviews across a wide variety of retail platforms, and interviews with lawn care and veterinary experts. We prioritized products that are safe for pets and effective at eliminating odors. We’re also guided by the experience of living and playing alongside our own much-loved and strongly opinionated pets, who are never stingy with their feedback.
