How to Get Dog Poop Out of Carpet: 6 Easy Steps

You walk into the room and uh-oh, there’s a stinky surprise from your furry pal right on your nice carpet.

Wondering if you can get the dog poop out and if it’ll stain? We’ve got all the info you need to make your carpet good as new.

Below, I’ll tell you all you need to know to keep your carpet from smelling and, even worse, getting stained.

Getting Dog Poop Out of Carpet: First Steps

The faster you act, the better your chances are to clean it up well. The method below works best if you get to it quickly. If you leave the poop sitting on the carpet, it has more time to sink in and make a stain. So move quick!

What’s your carpet made from?

Before you frantically run to the kitchen to get the hot water you must know that if your carpet is made from WOOL then you should NOT do this!

Adding hot water to the wool fibers will cause more damage than the poop itself.

For carpets made from wool, I will have a special poop removal method for you at the bottom of the page.

What you will need

There are a few common household items you’ll need to grab before you rush into cleaning the poop. You’ll need:

• Gloves
• Dustpan or cardboard (it can be cleaned!)
• Soft bristle brush
• Sealable bag (for the poop)
• White cleaning cloths
• White Vinegar
• Laundry detergent
• Baking soda
• Vacuum cleaner

It sounds like a lot, but these are, for the most part, common household items. If you don’t have them, you’ll need to acquire them from the store. But for the future, purchasing them online will save you a fair few dollars.

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Step By Step Poop Removal Process

Follow the below steps as quickly as you can after discovering the unwanted gift to ensure the best chances of a stain, smell-free carpet.

Here are the steps you need to take to get the poop, stain and smell out of the carpet. Each will be explained further below.

1. Remove the solid poop
2. Pre-treat the stain with a cleaning solution
3. Scrub the area with more cleaning solution
4. Rinse the area with clean water
5. Dry the area with clean towels
6. Baking soda for further stain removal

1. Remove the solid poop

After wearing gloves, physically remove as much of the poop as possible. Be careful not to further smush in your carpet the poop.

If the poop is solid it will be much easier and you should be able to remove nearly all of it without much problem.

If it’s more like diarrhea it will be more difficult, but you still need to pick up as much of it as you can. Use the sealable bag to put the poop in, and expose of it correctly.

• Remove as much solid or runny poop as possible
• Be careful not to smush in the poop to your carpet
• Try to pick or gently scrape any dried poop out of your carpet

2. Pre-treat the stain with a cleaning solution

Use laundry detergent, white vinegar, and hot water to make a cleaning solution and apply it to the stained area. You’ll need around 1-2 splashes of detergent, 3oz of white vinegar and 16-18oz of hot water.

Apply some of the cleaning solution and let it soak in for a while, around 15 minutes is good. You’ll want to save some solution for the next step.

White vinegar helps to neutralize the PH which in turn reduces the strength of the brown-colored stain as it dries.

3. Scrub the area with more cleaning solution

Now the cleaning solution has had time to soak and break down the stain, it’s time to give the area a good scrubbing.

Dip your brush in the remaining cleaning solution and start scrubbing only that area, making sure that you start on the outside, and scrub inwards. This will help you avoid spreading the stain.

A mistake people often make is scrubbing back and forth in large strokes. This actually makes the affected area bigger and increases the chance of staining.

4. Rinse the area with clean water

After you’ve scrubbed the area and the stain has gone, you’ll need to rinse the carpet from the soapy solution.

Either use a new bucket or seriously wash out the old bucket. Fill the bucket up with fresh clean water (hot or cold) and use some clean cloths to dab out the remaining soap

5. Dry the area with clean towels

Take some clean, dry cloths and use it to dab dry the area. Remove as much as the moisture as possible. Let the area dry fully and use a vacuum to help suck up some moisture.

6. Baking soda for further stain removal

To really get the most out of your stain removal process, you can finally sprinkle some baking soda on to your carpet and leave it for a day. After a day, use the vacuum to suck up the remaining baking soda.

A word of caution when using baking soda!

Be careful applying baking soda to your carpet. If you have a brand new colored carpet, I wouldn’t do this as it could remove some of the color.

Secondly, make sure you only sprinkle a small amount of the powder, and remove any clumps of it. A light even powder coating is ideal. It’s possible that if your carpet is too wet and you sprinkle clumps of baking soda, it could dry in too hard and be difficult to remove.

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Removing Dog Poop From Wollen Carpets

Woolen carpets are different and are much more fragile. The method outlined above would ruin a woolen carpet. This method below is more suited. Calling a professional cleaning service may be the better option in this situation.

After removing the physical poop and you’re left with the stain, follow the method below.

1. Use white vinegar to make a pre-treatment solution. Mix equal parts vinegar to freshwater and spray on to the area.
2. Dab it dry with a clean white cloth. Do not scrub as this will bind and ruin the wool
3. Use a clean towel to blot the area dry as much as humanly possible!
4. Once dry, apply a fine layer of baking down and leave it for a day before vacuuming.

You can find some spot removers on the market which are marked “safe for wool” If you have one of these you can also use this after step 2 for extra stain removal success. Just be sure this is safe for wool and doesn’t contain bleach, which could remove the color from your carpet. Source

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How To Remove Dog Poop Smell From Carpets

So you’ve cleaned your beautiful carpet as much as possible, and the stain has pretty much gone. But you can still smell a hint of poop if you bend down and take a whiff.

This is quick, super easy, and very effective.

The best way to remove dog poop smell from carpet is with white vinegar. Fill a cup with equal parts (50/50) white vinegar to fresh clean water and apply it to the area. Let is soak in there for 5-10 minutes, then dab dry with clean cloths.

How To Disinfect a Carpet

White vinegar is not only used to remove and mask odors, but it can also be used as a natural disinfectant too. While vacuuming works well to pick up loose debris and dirt, it does not sanitize or eliminate bacteria.

The easiest way to disinfect a carpet:
Depending on the size of the area of carpet you need to disinfect, mix 1 or 2 cups of white vinegar with 1 or 2 cups of fresh water (50/50 solution). Use a spray bottle to spray a fine mist over the area and then leave to dry. You may repeat this a few times.

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How To Stop Your Dog Pooping In The House

Prevention is better than cure, while you will have mistakes made here and there, especially during puppyhood. Potty training your dog should start right away and will save you from a lot of messy situations.

Fortunately, I have a complete article on exactly how to potty train a dog, This method will work for most breeds and isn’t as difficult as you may think!

Natural dog repellent

Another great way to prevent future pooping is by making a simple, natural dog repellent. There are many smells which we find pleasant, but for dogs, it’s a complete no-no. This will deter them from pooping in the same spot of carpet (which dogs like to do)

You can make a simple repellent by mixing together:

• 1.5 cups of cold water
• 2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar
• 15-20 drops of citrus-based essential oils.

Mix these together and place into a spray bottle and spray on sections of your carpet your dog has pooped on before. Both vinegar and citrus are smells dogs do not like. This solution is safe for carpets.

Thank you!

Check out our full guide that will show you step by step how to potty train your puppy! How to potty train a puppy