How much does it cost to remove pet odor?

Reviewed by Cristina Miguelez remodeling expert. Written by Fixr.com.

Having odors in your home is never pleasant, but it can be a much more common occurrence when you have pets. Untrained pets leave messes, urine stains, and a marked odor throughout your home, even with immediate treatment. Even with the best trained pets, you will have the tell-tale odor of a pet-filled home as their dander and natural oils leave a distinct smell. This is where professionals comes in. A pet odor removal specialist gets at the root of the odor and removes the issues causing your house to smell.

Most commonly, homeowners need to have cleaning treatment that is considered a moderate level. On average, homeowners pay between $500 and $800 for pet odor removal, with most paying about $650 to steam clean two to three rooms, address minor spots, and have an ozone deodorizing treatment. Prices run as low as $100 to steam clean one room with no spots, to as high as $1,250 to have the whole house deep cleaned, flooring removed, the subfloor cleaned, and the ozone generator used.

Pet Odor Removal Cost

Pet Odor Removal Cost by Size of Area

One factor that plays a significant role in the cost of your pet odor removal is the size of the area treated. If you have a few stains from animal urine that you cannot fully clean, you likely will only need spot treatment service. If the odor is confined to one or a couple of rooms your pet frequents, you will need to have full services for pet removal performed in those specific rooms.

If you have severe pet odor problems in your house, a full remediation may be necessary. This will likely involve deep cleaning in all the rooms of your home and is likely to include some flooring removal to get to deeper stains. Below you will see the average cost you can expect to pay based on the size of the area that needs to be treated.

Professional Pet Odor Removal by Severity

The level of severity of the pet odor in your home plays a role in the total cost. Mild cases require more simple cleaning and deodorizing methods that often take a couple of hours. Severe cases require more complicated tasks that can take days to complete. Below you see the average cost you can expect to spend for pet odor removal based on the severity.

Mild Pet Odor Removal

Mild pet odor problems cost from $125 to $400 to have removed, depending on the size of the area. These problems are the ones most commonly faced by homeowners with one or two fully trained animals. You will likely notice a minor smell difference between your home and a home without pets. You may have one or two urine spots in your home that were treated but may need a little deeper cleaning. With a mild odor problem, the treatment involves light carpet and upholstery cleaning, mopping, spot treatment if needed, and mild deodorizing with sprays.

Moderate Pet Odor Removal

A moderate pet odor problem costs from $300 to $625 to treat. You may have multiple urine stains and a heavier smell of pets. This type of odor can be common in homes with multiple animals. Treatment usually involves a deep carpet and upholstery cleaning to focus on urine spots and an ozone treatment to remove the odor from the air in your home.

Severe Pet Odor Removal

A severe pet odor problem is noticeable the minute that you walk into your home and costs from $700 to $1,250 to treat properly. Severe problems can occur with many pets that are given the run of the house. Typically, the primary cause of the odor is long term stains that have been allowed to sit for days or weeks, where they have seeped down deep into the floor.

Treatment options for severe problems will always include deep carpet cleaning with enzyme chemicals to break down the urine and typically include multiple passes. Your professional will perform a complete ozone treatment of the house. Other treatment options depend on the damage sustained and may include flooring removal, subfloor cleaning, and even furniture removal.

Pet Odor Removal Service Cost by Cleaning Method

During your pet odor removal, your professional will use one or more processes to complete the job. The cost for your total service will typically include the cost of the visit along with the various services required to complete the treatment. Below you will see some of the different treatments used for pet odor removal and the average cost you can expect to pay for each.

Pet Urine Enzyme Cleaner

The use of enzyme cleaners runs from $30 to $40 per room, depending on the size of the area being treated. Enzyme cleaner will be used in any pet odor treatment that involves removing urine or feces stains as it can help break down the bacteria so that the source of the odor can be eliminated. Enzyme cleaners can be used on specific spots or over large areas.

Ozone Shock Treatment

Ozone pet odor removal ranges from $50 to $60 per room. Sometimes, cleaning up after a pet simply is not enough to get rid of foul odors. When the bacteria associated with the smell is too deep for standard carpet cleaning to handle, you may need to consider a more invasive method like ozone shock treatment. This eradicates the bacteria buildup causing the smell in the first place.

Ozone blasting is a cleaning method most often used in commercial buildings to sterilize areas of toxic bacteria and mold. It has shown good results in removing nasty pet odors in homes when other cleaning methods have failed. The process is relatively simple: ozone shock treatment uses a small ozone-producing generator to create lethal levels of ozone in a sealed room. This high level of ozone kills any living organism within the space (including bacteria), thus leaving the room smelling fresher after the treatment.

Taking only a few hours, ozone shock requires every living thing (including people, animals, and plants) to be removed from the home during the treatment. They may come back once the ozone has dissipated from the rooms.

Subfloor Urine Extraction

Subfloor urine extraction usually costs around $50 to $200 per room. When your pet’s urine is limited to a relatively small area, it is possible to use a super-duty subfloor extraction tool to eliminate the odor. Professionals use this tool to target airflow for maximum absorption of urine. First, the area is treated with an enzymatic cleaner that seeps deep into carpet fibers. Then the extraction tool is placed over the affected area, and the moisture is suctioned out using a high-powered extraction tool that pulls all of the urine and moisture from the carpet, padding, and subfloor.

Steam Clean Pet Urine

This type of standard carpet cleaning (including stain removal and deodorizing) costs $100 to $200 per room. Steam cleaning uses a combination of high pressured hot water and cleaning chemicals to loosen dirt and debris, which is then suctioned back out of the carpet fibers and/or upholstery with a special high-powered machine. While effective, this method leaves the area damp for up to 24 hours, making the room unusable while it dries.

Chemical-Based Dry Cleaning

The cost of dry chemical cleaning ranges from $120 to $150 per room, depending on the company you choose and the size of the space. Dry cleaning is another option for removing pet smells from a room. Unlike steam cleaning, which relies on hot water to remove dirt, debris, and stains, dry cleaning uses rotating brushes to pull dirt from carpet fibers in conjunction with dry chemicals (very little water is used) to help eradicate messes. Dry cleaning does not require the drying time of wetter cleaning methods, allowing you to use the room immediately.

Pet Odor Removal Service Cost

Pet urine removal and odor remediation are services where a professional charges by the size and number of rooms instead of an hourly rate. Based on an average sized home, you can expect to pay anywhere between $80 to $300 per hour.

For mild to moderate odor remediation jobs, you can expect to pay for one or two professional services for anywhere from one to two hours. With severe issues or long term heavy pet stains, the process takes days to weeks depending on what the professional needs to do. Sometimes, areas of flooring may need to be removed and sanitized, and in other cases, the entire subfloor may need to be replaced.

The process for pet odor removal depends on the cause but can include deep and light cleaning, carpet cleaning, trim replacement, furniture cleaning, and deodorization.

While it is possible to DIY your own pet odor removal, hiring a professional gives you better results. Often, DIY products and equipment will not properly remove the source of the odor, and the it may return. Also, a professional can assess whether or not there is any significant damage to the flooring that would warrant replacement.

Pet Odor Inspection Service

Once you’ve decided to hire a pro due to a noticeable smell, you won’t really know how bad the problem is until they come in for a comprehensive evaluation. This will likely include an initial walk-through of your home, looking for problem areas and stains, and a UV light inspection. By using a UV light, the inspector uncovers hidden urine that you may not know was there. This is especially useful when the actual cause of the stench is not easily identified.

During this phase of the inspection, the odor remediation specialist determines the severity of the damage. Will the rugs have to be removed or replaced? How about the floor underlayment? Can it be saved? If urine has infiltrated the subfloor, it may be necessary to sand it down or even replace it. This can all increase the cost of odor removal services.

Once the pet odor inspection is complete, you will be given a final report of the inspector’s findings. This gives you a better idea of the work required and the cost to free your home of those horrible pet smells.

Pet Odor Removal Companies

Some companies specialize in pet odor removal, such as Pet Odor Removal Service and ChemDry. However, most often, you will have it done by a cleaning or housekeeping company.

These companies have the equipment and cleaning knowledge to clean and eliminate odors in the home from the most common sources, including pets.

For regular cleaning services, you can expect to pay between $150 and $250 per visit. A typical visit includes whole-house cleaning, which, when done regularly, reduces and eliminates pet odor.

You also can choose from individualized services such as carpet cleaning, drape cleaning, and tile and grout cleaning to address the specific sources of the pet odor in your home.

Professional Pet Odor Removal by Area Affected

Pet odor can permeate almost every part of your home, especially if you have multiple animals. Where your home is affected determines the odor removal process and the type of treatment needed to reduce or eliminate the odor from that part of the home. Below are some of the most common areas affected and what goes into the removal process.

Mattress Pet Urine Odor Removal

Whether you let your pets sleep on the bed or they sneak in there on their own, they can leave behind an odor that can make your mattress seem less than fresh. If your pets have had an accident on your mattress, a deep cleaning process similar to carpet cleaning needs to be combined with chemicals to break down the urine enzyme. But if you simply want to remove the odor from your pet’s presence, a simple upholstery cleaning will suffice.

Upholstery Pet Odor Removal

When you have pets in your home, their scent permeates anywhere, from the fabric in your furniture to your curtains. This smell can be harder to detect as you may become used to the smell from living in the house. But you may notice it when entering the home for the first time in a couple of days. To help remediate this odor, you need to have your curtains dry cleaned and your furniture cleaned by a professional upholstery cleaner.

Carpet Pet Odor Removal

Probably the most common place to detect pet odor is in your carpet, and carpet cleaning urine removal may be necessary to get your home smelling as it should. This can be because of the regular shedding of your pet’s dander and fur to pet messes. If your pet has an accident on the carpet, you should immediately begin the carpet pet urine removal process. You should also have your carpets cleaned by a professional a few times a year to keep the odor at bay.

Remove Pet Urine Smell From Couch

Even well trained pets find their way on the couch from time to time. If they are trained to stay off the couch, their dander and hair may still make its way to the couch, leading to odor. If your animal is not fully trained, they may mark along the legs of the couch to exert territorial dominance, which can be more prevalent with multiple pets. A routine upholstery cleaning removes odors, but if you end up with severe stains or damage from scratching, you may need to have it reupholstered, costing from $750 to $3,500.

Remove Pet Urine Odor from Grouts

While it is popular to train your pet in an area without carpet, if their urine soaks the training pad, you may find that it permeates the grout on the tile floor. When this occurs, simply mopping may not eliminate the odor. You may need to hire a house cleaner to clean the tile and grout in your home, which can range from $250 to $700.

Flooring Pet Odor Remediation

Pet urine smell can occur with any type of flooring. The type of flooring determines the process needed to complete the cleaning. Odor removal from concrete typically involves a thorough cleaning of the concrete with enzymes designed to break the urine down and remove the odor completely so that the pet will not return to the spot.

Waterproof laminate flooring will be treated the same way. Plank laminate flooring that is not waterproof and hardwood flooring may require removing the damaged areas and the pad beneath to eradicate the odor.

Treat Subfloor for Pet Urine

Cleaning subfloor pet stains may be necessary if the urine has penetrated the flooring above and seeped down to the subfloor. The flooring above the area needs to be removed, and an enzyme cleaner will need to be used on the subfloor to break down the stain. With concrete subfloors, bleach products may be used to deter the animal from urinating in the area again. You should keep your pets away until the bleach has dried. If the subfloor has been warped or rotted because of the urine, the section may have to be replaced.

Outdoor Pet Odor Removal

While pet odors outdoors are often not as strong as indoors, they can be unpleasant when you spend your time outside. Most often, treatment for outdoors involves staying on top of waste removal and treating damaged areas of the grass. If you require artificial grass pet odor removal, you can have a professional use the same enzyme cleaners as they would for flooring. Spraying a yard with burn spots around a quarter acre or less runs between $50 and $75 per treatment.

Causes of Bad Pet Odor

If you have had pets in your home for any length of time, you know that they love to roll in things outside that smell. This is often referred to as “scent camouflage.” In other words, odor is a dog’s way of protecting itself from “predators.” The problem is that humans don't appreciate these bad smells very much. Luckily, when scent camouflage is the cause of your pet’s foul odor, a good bath may be all that is necessary. Unfortunately, picking up bad smells while traipsing outdoors isn’t the only cause of smelly pets.

Like people, some dogs just have a stronger smell than others. This is usually caused by an overproduction of natural oils. These oils turn rancid quickly. A pet that produces too much oil begins to smell. Another of the biggest culprits of foul pet odors are seasonal and food allergies. When a dog or cat suffers from allergies, their body automatically excretes more natural oils to help soothe the skin. Root out the allergic reaction, and you can keep the smell at bay. When an animal has a bacterial or yeast infection, the bacteria produce odor. When this occurs, they have a stronger odor that can easily be passed to flooring and furniture when the pet moves around the home.

An animal's skin is not the only thing that could be stinking up your house. An incontinent pet may be urinating on the rugs and hardwood, which will eventually seep deep into carpet fibers or the underlayment and subfloor, causing a permanent smell. Felines who continually mark their territory will also cause damage that makes the entire house smell. Keeping up with urinary accidents is key to keeping pet odor from infiltrating the entire house. If left untreated, professional help may be necessary.

How to Prevent Pet Odor

Some of the best ways to keep those nasty smells from infiltrating your entire home are to practice a few maintenance tips and ensure that your home is regularly cleaned. You should vacuum your carpets and furniture daily, focusing on the areas where your pet frequents. You should use basic smell eliminators when you detect bad smells, such as baking soda, to keep the home smelling fresh.

If you have cats, litter boxes should be cleaned daily, and your cat's paws should be kept free of litter. Dogs should be brushed and groomed routinely to ensure they stay clean. You should also wash and launder your animal’s bedding and toys regularly.

If your pet makes a mess, you should clean it up immediately to prevent it from seeping too far in the floor. Once the area has been cleaned, keep them away from the area for a couple of weeks. This deters them from thinking it is a suitable area to relieve themselves. Even if you address stains immediately, you should still deep clean your carpets three to four times a year to remove deep down odor.

Dog Odor Removal vs Cat Odor Removal

While removing dog and cat pet stains may be similar, removing their odor from your home can be quite different. Dogs produce a lot of odor if they are not regularly groomed and properly potty trained. Cats regularly clean themselves and usually relieve themselves in a litter box which can be controlled with regular cleaning.

Cats are less likely to relieve themselves in the home. If they do, the odor can be more pungent than that of dog urine. If you have cats that regularly urinate in the home, you may need to remove the flooring and bleach the subfloor to remove the strong ammonia smell that is produced. With dog stains and urine, the cleaning process is usually simpler and will not require harsh chemicals to remove the smell from the area.

Chemical vs Chemical-Free Pet Odor Removal

Select a carpet cleaning company or housekeeping company to help you remove the pet odor in your home. They likely will use chemical-based products unless you specifically request green cleaning products. While natural or green cleaners reduce the odor in your home, they may not as effectively eradicate the source of the odor. Chemical options can usually remove much of the source of severe odor in moderate cases but will sometimes require multiple treatments. In either case, both natural and chemical options will be safe around animals and children. However, there will be a waiting period for the drying time when using chemical options before the area will be considered safe.

Enhancement and Improvement Costs

Subfloor Replacement

In some cases, you may find that odors still linger or that pet urine has damaged the subfloor beneath the flooring. If this occurs, you may need to have your flooring removed and the subfloor replaced, which can run anywhere from $600 to $2,400. If pet urine has seeped to the subfloor, it can cause rotting, warping, and mildew and will cause the smell to linger, even after the odor removal process has been completed.

Replace Trim

Pet urine can damage wood trim. While trim is designed to withstand some moisture, too much can lead to warping and rotting. Pets can also cause other damage to trim through chewing and scratching. If your trim has become damaged from your pets, you may need to replace it, costing between $2,375 and $2,600 for a 1,500 sq.ft. home.

Grass Treatment for Dog Urine

Pet urine not only wreaks havoc on your home but can also destroy your yard. The acidity in dog urine leads to burnt brown patches in your yard that seem not to come back to life no matter how much you water. In these cases, you may have to purchase grass treatment to get these spots green again. DIY sprays run from $15 to $130. Yet, the most effective treatment comes from a yard care specialist who will charge between $60 and $100, depending on the size of the area.

Additional Considerations and Costs

• Licensing requirements. There are no permits or licensing requirements you will need to look for when hiring a pet odor removal specialist. You will want to find someone who is properly trained in using the chemicals needed to complete your project.
• DIY. While you can attempt to remove pet odor from your home on your own, odds are you will likely need equipment and chemicals that may not be easily accessible to you. It is important to address pet stains immediately to allow the pet odor removal process to be more successful.
• Alternatives. If you want to avoid chemicals during the pet odor removal process, some odor removal options that are natural. You can use mild dish soap to wash your carpets, and a white vinegar rinse to help remove the odor from pet stains. You can sprinkle baking soda on the carpet before vacuuming up the hair to absorb some of the odors in the carpet.
• Severe damage. Long-term or severe pet odors may not be fully eradicated even with extensive amounts of cleaning. In these cases, you may have to remove the flooring and even subflooring to properly sanitize before the pet odors are completely gone.