Having a pet can enrich any life and bring so much joy to your home. Unfortunately, along with this joy comes a lot of little messes, especially when your pup is very young or beginning to grow elderly. Fortunately, there are some pretty amazing products available to help clean up all of life’s little messes that come from your four-legged friend. From sprays to more intensive cleaning treatments, the options are endless and the market is absolutely massive, meaning you have quite a few different methods at your disposal to make sure everything pet ownership throws at you is completely manageable. Here are some of the top options for the best cleaner for dog urine on hardwood floors!
Cleaner for Dog Urine on Hardwood Floors – Buying Guide
When buying a product that works to clean up your pet’s messes, you probably want something that minimizes your contact with the urine while still getting the job done. There are other things to consider, as well. Let’s go over some points that can help you make the right choice concerning your pet’s messes.
How to remove dog urine from hardwood floors
Hardwood floors are naturally a bit porous and can sometimes suck in liquids. This includes urine, which can result in a nasty stain and smell combo that has a tendency to stick around for quite a while despite being rather unwelcome and unwanted.
When removing dog pee on hardwood floors, it is important to not only treat surface staining and odors but to also make sure you are getting down into the flooring and removing what has been wicked into the boards. Most products designed to treat dog urine can do this, though you want to double-check the labeling.
Once you have a product in hand, apply it to the floor per the directions and let it soak in and do its job, then either vacuum it up if it is a powder or scrub it away.
Will dog urine smells go away on their own?
Surprisingly, urine can last for more than five years. Dog urine is very potent and can remain odorous for half a decade or more due to its ammonia content and ability to wick into flooring. Due to this, the off-gas time can be significantly longer and cause a lingering odor if not cleaned up. It will also be harder to clean up the urine if it sits for a period of time since it will sink further into the flooring.
Due to this, you will want to use a dog urine cleaner for wood floors when attempting to clean up a pet accident. This will work to neutralize not only the surface staining but penetrate deeply to fully treat the smelly bits that have sunken below the visible part of the flooring.
Sometimes, you may have to treat a spot several times if the stain is old or if there is soft padding beneath the flooring that the urine has seeped into. In some cases, your only option may be pulling up the flooring and replacing the padding if the area is significantly damaged. Typically, this is not the case but in some instances where multiple dogs have urinated in an area or there is urine present in multiple spots, this may be the only solution to fully fix the problem.
Can urine removers bleach the flooring?
When choosing a product, make sure it is enzyme-activated and bacteria-based to prevent it from potentially damaging or discoloring your flooring. Some older products contain bleach. These pet odor remover hardwood floor products are not good since they can do more damage while removing the staining, especially if they sink below the finish of the wood, which is probable if the spot is already compromised by urine.
The Best Cleaner for Dog Urine on Hardwood Floors
Here are some of our favorite products to help you remove urine from your hardwood flooring and fully treat the stains and odors that come with such spots. These products were selected based on their price, effectiveness, customer reviews, and a host of other factors and are what we believe to be the best. Let’s look at four more of dog urine odor remover for hardwood floors options.
The top best product
- 1 How to remove dog urine from hardwood floors
- 2 Will dog urine smells go away on their own?
- 3 Can urine removers bleach the flooring?
- 4 Simple Solution Hardfloor Pet Stain & Odor Remover
- 5 Planet Urine Small Hard Surface Cleaning Kit II
- 6 ANGRY ORANGE Ready-to-Use Citrus Pet Odor Eliminator Pet Spray
- 7 Resolve Urine Destroyer Spray Stain & Odor Remover
- 8 Will hydrogen peroxide damage hardwood floors?
- 9 How do you detect dog urine on hardwood floors?
- 10 Can dog urine ruin a hardwood floor?
- 11 How to protect laminate floors from dog urine?
Simple Solution Hardfloor Pet Stain & Odor Remover
Non-damaging
Non-staining
Not safe for untreated floors
Some residue left behind
Planet Urine Small Hard Surface Cleaning Kit II
Tons of steps to remove and treat a variety of urine stains
Very effective
Labor intensive
Costly when compared to other products
ANGRY ORANGE Ready-to-Use Citrus Pet Odor Eliminator Pet Spray

Very safe for pets and kids
Naturally based
Some reports of reoccurring smell in very old stains
Reports of sticky residue
Resolve Urine Destroyer Spray Stain & Odor Remover

Fresh scent
Enzyme based
Some reports of staining
Some reports of residue left behind
FAQ
Will hydrogen peroxide damage hardwood floors?
No! Hydrogen peroxide is a great tool for cleaning up messes and is generally not risky for hardwood floor use as long as the flooring is sealed and properly treated. Unsealed flooring can suck up the peroxide, though, which can result in staining or discoloration if not remedied immediately so it may be best to steer clear of it if your home is unsealed.
How do you detect dog urine on hardwood floors?
Typically, urine can be detected by the smell or the appearance of an obvious stain on the surface of the floor. If you smell urine but cannot see where the spot is, it is not a bad idea to try using a black light or another detection tool to assist you in finding the offending area.
Can dog urine ruin a hardwood floor?
Unfortunately, dog urine can damage the finish and sometimes permanently stain a hardwood flooring setup due to the ammonia and chemical composition of its nature. This is why it is best to treat stains as soon as possible and never leave urine sitting once it is noticed.
How to protect laminate floors from dog urine?
If you have laminate flooring, you probably are all too aware of the damage urine and other messes can do. Laminate flooring can be heavily damaged if urine destroys the outer coating and can become warped from the moisture exposure. To prevent this, it is very important you potty train your dog and have potty pads or a kennel for when you are away. Laminate is one of the most susceptible types of flooring to dog urine damage so it is important to potty train right away.
Conclusion
Despite being messy, pet ownership is a beautiful thing that creates lifelong bonds. You cannot replace the love you get from a dog, even with the accidents that come with it. Fortunately, there are a lot of cleaners which can solve the problems.