How To Eliminate Dog Poop Odor From Your Yard? (4 Things To Do)

Dog poop odor is ridiculous. Period. That said, the only option you have to avoid that pungent experience is to eliminate poop odor from your surroundings, especially from your yard.

Despite numerous potty walks, your dog might still poop in the yard, so what can you do about it?

Not just that, the vibes of beautifully smelling flowers plants in your backyard die when your nose is triggered with the dog poop smell. Has this become a pressing issue in your life? Well, don’t worry. It’s easier to eliminate dog poop odor from the yard than you think.

Read on.

 

Things you can do to eliminate dog poop odor from your yard

Here are some simple remedies you can use to alleviate the intensity of poop odor. Also, if used properly followed by prevention, your yard will be one hundred percent poop smell proof.

1. Plain Water

 

Throwing plain water where your dog pooped is the most efficient method to clean out the smell.

However, it will be effective only if you do it within 8 hours after your dog has pooped.

Remove all the poop present in your yard or garden. After you have disposed of the poop, you can use the garden hose to spray water over your yard and all the affected areas like the walls or the ground.

With plain water, you can remove the smell from hard surfaces and grass but will only work if the smell isn’t too strong or the poop is not left out for too long.

 

2. DIY Spray

Water may be good but it may not work all the time. In that case, if the smell is too much then you need something much stronger.

A DIY odor eliminator or a homemade spray is not only easy to make but you only require household ingredients to make it.

You need:

4 tbsp of baking soda

2 cups of lukewarm warm

2 cups of white vinegar (a natural deodorant)

After mixing, put it in a spray bottle. Apply it to the affected area and let it stay there for four to five minutes.

Note: You can also add lemon or orange peels to give it a pleasant fragrance.

This is a temporary solution but a useful one as you can use it on most surfaces.

Alternative method: You can just use a mixture of baking soda and water and apply it to the affected area. Let it dry and clean it later with a fabric. 

Lime powder for agriculture

Agriculture lime is not just a great way to get rid of the smell but it also helps prevent the reproduction of bacterias.

Just sprinkle some wherever there is a bad odor or where your dog naturally poops. Then spray a little water on it to make it more absorbent.

This is generally safe for pets and gardens but you need to be careful while you are administering it. Make sure you don’t get hydrated lime or calcium oxide as it burns and can be harmful to both pets and people.

You can use one of the following instead:

Garden lime

Bio lime

Dolomite

Calcium carbonate

Do not attempt this without reading the manual from the manufacturer and make sure the one you have is pet friendly.

It can act as a great repellent for insects but it will raise the level of acidity in the soil.

 

3. Bleach for hard surfaces

All the methods suggested above will never work for cleaning out smells from hard surfaces. So use diluted bleach to get rid of the smell from your patio and porch.

For every gallon of water, you need to have half a cup of water, and after bleaching, you must rinse with water. Make sure it is dry before letting anyone touch it.

Use the bleach carefully because it is known to kill grass and plants.

If the odor is not that strong, then you simply mix dishwashing soap and water. Apply it or spray it on the area where your dog had pooped to get rid of the smell, only after you spray it with water first. 

 

4. Chemical Odor Eliminator

Use chemical neutralizers that contain enzymes that can absorb the power of smell. Make sure the formula is nontoxic. However, it is best to use this reasonably because there is a chance it might ruin your plants, grass, and flowers.

First, you need to remove all the poop from the yard. Then, you can hose the yard with water and add the chemical neutralizer to the end of the hose to make it easier for you to hit all the spots.

The trick is not to let it evaporate quickly when it comes to hard surfaces like cement or concrete.

You can also use hydrogen peroxide to eliminate odors. It not only cleans the bad smell, but also keeps the yard healthy by getting rid of the weed, kills bacteria and fungus, and provides oxygen to the soil.

You can use activated carbon for removing the smell of poop or urine from bushes.

Recommended products: 

Yard Clean Green by Urine Off

Simple Green

NaturVet

Nature’s Pure

 

Prevention

To avoid working hard every time to remove the poop smell, you can simply prevent the smell. Here’s how.

1. Clean yard regularly

This might seem like a tedious task but it is also a necessary one. Another huge reason why you should clean is to keep everything sanitary. Poop that lingers can pollute the water and can carry a number of diseases.

Make this part of your routine and inculcate it as a habit.

 

2. Pick it up 

After your dog finishes pooping, just swoop in and pick the poop up at once. This is the best way to take out the smell later because once the dog poop is left for a long time, it becomes harder to remove the odor.

This will only be effective if you manage to pick up all of the dog poop. Leaving it even a little will still cause some bad smell.

You can use rubber gloves, pet waste bags or plastic bags, and even a pooper scooper which comes in two types: rake and handheld style to pick up the poop easily.

Do not fall under the misconception that dog poop is a fertilizer, not all poop has the ability.

Dog poops are in fact more prone to catching flies, bacteria, and viruses which can make you and your dog sick. Leaving it in the soil may attract rats since they are known to be good diggers.

However, an advantage is that flies won’t be attracted and dogs that like to immediately play after pooping won’t step on it and spread it across the yard.

 

3. Throw it away 

Don’t keep it lying there. Throwing it away or disposing of it is the best way to prevent the smell from sustaining itself in your yard.

If you have a regular pickup for trash, you can scoop it up, put it in a waste bag and throw it in the trash. However, if trash is not picked up on a daily basis then it can still reek of dog poop.

It will prevent the yard from not smelling but the smell will spread elsewhere when kept nearby.

EPA recommends flushing it down the toilet. Not only is this is quick it also ensures there is no odor. So, pick up the poop with your gloves on and flush them using flushable dog poop bags. You can skip flushable bags, however.

Make sure you wash your hands every time you come in contact with dog poop, even if you are wearing gloves.

Additionally, you will also be doing the environment a huge favor by flushing it down.

Another method is to build or install a septic tank for your dog to poop in. This will help in breaking down the waste inside the soil and leave the yard odorless.

 

4. Train dog to poop in a specific place

This is another easy method. It’s easy because once the dog knows where to do his business, he will stick to it. It will involve a lot of repetition and practice, but it will be worth it in the end. You will not only have a trained dog but also a clean yard.

Train your dog to poop in one place so that you don’t have to look where the smell is coming if you have a large yard or garden. Patches of soil or on the edges of the garden are some of the best places for your dog do to their deed.

Note: This method best works with positive reinforcement so use treats, toys and praise whenever they listen to you. 

 

5. Make sure your dog is healthy

Your yard might smell especially pungent if your dog is sick. Diarrhea causes your dog to have watery stools which is difficult to clean up. And the digestion issue mosly means their poop will smell pungent.

The quality of food you give to your dog also affects their poop. It can smell bad if they are eating low-quality or cheap food that may be full of fillers and undigestibles.

So, consider feeding the best dog food for him.

Also, make sure they are drinking water regularly. This will dilute their urine and save your yard or garden from strong burning saturated urine.

Ensure they don’t eat foreign objects, dead animals,s or other dogs’ poop. This is the best way to obtain a smelly yard.

Lastly, get them checked for IBS and parasites.

 

6. Train them to poop during walks

This is another easy way to avoid stinking up your yard in the first place.

When you are taking them on walks, you can also train them to poop somewhere along the way.

Again, choose a specific place so they don’t poop in random areas every time you take them on walks.

Remember to clean it up afterwards, pick it up and dispose of it later.

 

Tips

Apart from the above prevention tactics, here are some helpful tips to keep your yard free from dog poop odor.

Make sure all products are safe to use around children and pets.

Leave all the clean areas exposed to the sun so that it can disinfect it and dry it.

Apply every mixture liberally.

Consider your neighbor’s pet as a culprit as well. Investigate.

Clean the tools after using them with activated carbon.

Some Reddit users suggest foliage plants or fragrant plants to overshadow the residue smell of poop. You can try that as a last-minute solution.

 

Conclusion

There are many ways to eliminate the odor of poop from your yard. You have things to remove it like chemical neutralizers, bleach and so on. However, you can also take time to prevent it by keeping things clean and giving the proper training.

Experiment and see what’s best for you but at the end of the day, all of these can make your yard clean and odorless again.

All in all, consistency and simple habits of picking up poop from the yard and training your dog can save your yard from the poop smell. It’s as easy and simple as that.

We have also tried to show alternate approaches to address this situation. If you have any questions regarding that, let us know about them in the comment section.